The 3 Best Small Air Fryers - Fall 2024

The best small air fryer we've tested is the Ninja Pro AF141. This 5-quart model is among the smallest air fryers we've tested; it can fit onto cramped counters. Its basket has a good amount of surface area, and you have more room to arrange food in a single layer compared with some other 5-qt air fryers. It makes good quality air-fried food, so French fries, chicken wings, and vegetables come out evenly browned and crispy, with a relatively small proportion being under or overcooked. It also preheats and cooks quickly, making it a good option for quick snacks.

While it has fewer modes than some air fryers, it still has great versatility. The four presets (Air Fry, Roast, Reheat, and Dehydrate) give you access to a wide range of temperatures and fan speeds for different recipes and cooking methods. Its crisper tray has a ceramic non-stick coating, which isn't as easy to clean by hand, but you might prefer it if you try to avoid PTFE coatings.

The BELLA 6qt Pro 90165 is a good small option if you want to spend less. It has a taller but narrower design than the Ninja, which can help it fit into a tight corner. While it has a bigger 6-qt capacity, it has about the same surface area in its basket as the Ninja. However, you can often find it for about half the price, and it makes similarly good-quality air-fried food, so it's a good option for preparing quick, crispy snacks or side dishes.

It preheats and cooks quickly but doesn't maintain as stable a temperature as the Ninja, which makes it harder to accurately follow recipes and cook delicate foods. It's also less versatile since it only has a single fan speed, making it less suitable for methods aside from air frying, like dehydrating. That said, it's an inexpensive, simple option if you're looking for a small air fryer.

If you want something even smaller, you might prefer the Chefman TurboFry RJ38-5-T, whose smaller footprint takes up less of the valuable real estate on your counter. It's a little taller, so keep that in mind if it needs to fit under a cabinet or shelf. This basic model has a single fan speed, so it's best suited for air frying versus other methods like baking. However, it does a decent job of evenly cooking and crisping air-fried foods like fries, chicken wings, and Brussels sprouts, so you might prefer it if your top priority is saving space.

The Ninja Foodi DZ071 isn't exactly small, but it has a compact design for its capacity and may be a better option if you regularly cook for the whole family. This 7-quart air fryer takes up less space than similar dual-basket options like the Ninja Foodi DZ550 (our best air fryer overall) or the Ninja DZ401, with a shorter design and smaller footprint. However, it still has an impressive amount of surface area in its basket, so you can prepare food for several people and get good results.

It does a very good job of evenly air-frying food, so a relatively small proportion is under or over-done when your food is ready. It's also very versatile, with a wide range of temperatures and fan speeds for different cooking methods, like dehydrating and baking. Unlike smaller air fryers recommended here, you can use it as a single or dual-basket fryer with its removable basket divider. This means its baskets aren't as well-isolated as models with completely separate drawers. However, it allows you to cook larger amounts of one food or use different settings on either side when preparing a full meal.