14 best air fryers in 2024 under $100, $200 and $300, according to reviewers and shopping experts
Best air fryers for every budget in 2024, including fan-favourites like Ninja & Instant Pot from Canadian Tire, Amazon, Walmart & more.
While there's no denying that deep-fried food is delicious, no one is pretending it's good for you. However, it can be a heck of a lot better for your waistline if you're willing to swap out your deep-fried chicken wings for air-fried chicken breasts. Whether you're craving crispy French fries or want to try out a viral recipe from TikTok, an air fryer is the way to go. As they use a fraction of the oil of traditional fryers, many air fryer meals are not only healthier, but they're far faster to make. With all the hype around air fryers, is it time you finally invested in one? If the answer is "Yes," then you'll want to see what we have in store below. We included a handful of air fryers that our Yahoo Canada shopping team has actually tried (and loved), plus several more with thousands of five-star reviews from across the web.
Tried & Tested by Yahoo Canada
Ninja DZ550 Foodi 10 Quart 6-in-1 DualZone Smart XL Air Fryer
Tried & Tested by Yahoo Canada
Beautiful 6-Quart Touchscreen Air Fryer by Drew Barrymore
Tried & Tested by Yahoo Canada
Philips Premium Air Fryer XXL
Best budget buy
Frigidaire 1.7L Air Fryer
Ideal for small households
Kalorik Compact Air Fryer
Over 22,000 reviews on Amazon
Chefman TurboFry 2-Quart Air Fryer
'Culinary powerhouse'
Ninja Air Fryer
Best bang for your buck
Ultrean Air Fryer
'Better than the BBQ'
Chefman TurboFry Touch Air Fryer
'Game-changer'
Gourmia All-in-One Air Fryer
Seven functions in one
Instant Pot Vortex Quart Air Fryer
Toaster oven with a twist
Cuisinart Convection Air Fryer Toaster Oven
Prepare two meals at once
T-Fal Easy Fry & Grill Flexcook XXL
Replaces 10 kitchen appliances
Kalorik MAXX Digital Air Fryer Oven
How does an air fryer work?
An air fryer is a countertop appliance that uses a combination of hot air and oil to mimic the result of a deep fryer. However, unlike deep fryers and other traditional frying methods, an air fryer only requires a small amount of oil, on average one tablespoon or less, to cook crispy and delicious meals.
While air fryers are similar to convection ovens in that they use convection fans to circulate hot air, meals cook much faster in an air fryer thanks to its perforated basket and compact design.
What recipes can you cook in an air fryer?
An air fryer can cook almost anything you would put in an oven. While French fries and chicken wings may come top of mind, the dinnertime possibilities are next to endless.
From pork chops and potatoes to salmon and chocolate chip cookies, air fryers are incredibly versatile and best of all, they're a healthy option as they use little to no oil.
What to look for in an air fryer?
If you're unsure of where to start your air fryer journey, there are a few things to consider before getting your wallet out. Functionality, size, cooking space and budget are all important factors when shopping for an air fryer. A budget-friendly pick from Amazon might be perfect if you're tight on counter space and craving air fryer chicken wings. However, if you're cooking for a family and have multiple mouths to feed, a larger, more versatile appliance from Best Buy Canada or Canadian Tire may be worth the initial upfront cost.
Another factor to consider is the reviews — there's power in numbers, after all. We're more likely to trust an air fryer with a 4.1-star rating from 20,000 reviews than a perfect 5-star rating with only a handful. As we all remember from math class, the larger the sample size, the more accurate the average values will be.
Best air fryers in 2024
To see what all the fuss is about and try out an air fryer for yourself, scroll down to shop the best air fryers you can buy in 2024 for less than $100, $200 and $300.
Best air fryers: Tried & Tested by Yahoo Canada editors
"The 10-quart is large enough that I can prepare enough food for two adults and a toddler and still have leftovers," writes editor Elizabeth Di Filippo of her Ninja air fryer.
"I like that I can air fry chicken in one basket and roast vegetables at a different temperature in the other at the same time without making a mess of pots and pans that I (a very tired working mom) would have to clean up later. It's helped us make healthier choices since we can just toss ingredients and seasoning in the baskets, select a cooking program and get ready to eat — instead of reaching for ultra-processed foods or ordering take-out."
- Large capacity
- Easy to use
- Easy to clean
- Can cook multiple items at once
- It takes up a lot of counter space
"When I was shopping for an air fryer for my new home, it had to meet two requirements: first, it couldn't be an eyesore, and second, it needed to take up minimal counter space," Yahoo Canada shopping editor Melina Brum said. "After stumbling upon the Beautiful 6-Quart Touchscreen Air Fryer by Drew Barrymore on TikTok, I knew I needed to hunt it down. I opted for the white, and I couldn't be happier with it — it gets the job done, is easy to navigate and checks all my boxes. Plus, I get loads of compliments on it, too. However, if I could make room for the 9-quart version, I definitely would've purchased that one instead!"
- Easy to use
- Aesthetically pleasing
- Takes up minimal space
- White gets dirty easily
- Could use a larger basket (9-quart version)
I have had the Philips Premium air fryer for over two years, and it is easily one of my most used small appliances. It has a super easy-to-use digital interface with preset cooking programs so that you can cook anything from chicken and fish to veggies without any guesswork.
My only qualm with the XXL air fryer is exactly that — its XXL size. I live in a small apartment, so the space it takes up on my kitchen countertop is definitely felt. However, if you have a larger home, its family-sized basket will be more of a plus than a drawback.
- Easy-to-use digital interface
- Generous cooking space
- Wide temperature range
- It takes up a lot of space
- It needs time to cool down
Best air fryers under $100
Priced under $100, the Frigidaire air fryer may very well cost less than the grocery bill you'll pay to use it. The wallet-friendly appliance offers a temperature range of 200°F-400°F and requires 98 per cent less oil than traditional fryers.
It has manual temperature control and a 30-minute integrated timer, allowing you to cook everything from frozen veggies to bacon for Sunday morning brunch.
Prepare healthy air-fried meals in a fraction of the time of other cooking methods with the Kalorik compact air fryer. The device has a two-quart capacity, ideal for singles, couples and kitchens with minimal counter space.
It has an adjustable thermostat of 180°F-400°F and a built-in timer of up to 30 minutes. The air fryer has been called an "amazing little machine" by Walmart shoppers, with reviewers giving it a 4.3-star average rating.
There are a dozen reasons why the "Amazon's Choice" Chefman air fryer is great, the foremost being its space-saving design. Its compact two-litre fryer basket is ideal for 1-2 people in small kitchens, offices and RVs.
The Chefman features a manual temperature control and a 60-minute integrated timer. Amazon reviewers call it "perfect" for one or two people. It "cooks very fast," writes one shopper. It makes everything "crispy and delicious."
The Ninja air fryer makes it easy to enjoy your favourite foods in a flash. Its 3.8-litre capacity can accommodate up to two pounds of French fries at once and requires up to 75 per cent less fat than traditional frying methods.
The air fryer features a multi-layer rack for dehydrating and a wide temperature range of 105°F to 400°F. Boasting a 4.7-star rating and 13,000 reviews, Amazon shoppers call it the "best" air fryer and promise it's a "culinary powerhouse."
Best air fryers under $200
If we're talking bang for your buck, the Ultrean Air Fryer is a clear winner. The family-friendly 4.2-quart air fryer features a 0-30-minute timer range and a 180°F-400°F temperature range, allowing you to cook everything from roasted chicken to re-heated French fries. On top of air frying, the multifunction appliance can grill, roast and bake your favourite foods and comes with a bonus recipe book for inspiration.
With over 33,800 reviews, a 4.6-star rating and an "Amazon's Choice" title, shoppers say it's "easy to use" and "easy to clean" and have dubbed it the "perfect" countertop appliance.
This budget-friendly air fryer from Chefman offers serious bang for your buck. The eight-quart device features four one-touch preset cooking functions for lazy days and a built-in shake reminder for perfect results every time.
The Chefman has a cooking temperature range of 200-400°F, a dishwasher-safe air fryer basket and cooking tray, and comes recommended by more than 9,600 five-star reviews; including one that calls the Chefman "better than the BBQ."
There is little the Gourmia All-in-One air fryer cannot do. The 13.2-litre/14-quart device acts as an air fryer, oven, rotisserie, dehydrator and more, all but eliminating the need for other appliances.
The air fryer comes with a five-piece accessory kit, including a rotisserie set, two air fry baskets, an oven rack, and a drip tray. Whether roasting a chicken for dinner or dehydrating veggies for a healthy snack, its 12 preset cooking functions take the hassle out of cooking.
This 7-in-1 air fryer from Instant Pot lets you go from frozen to table in minutes. The jumbo device fits a four-pound chicken, two pounds of fries and an eight-inch pizza — the ideal amount for family dinners. Its rotisserie feature is perfect for self-basting and tumble-frying, so even novice cooks can cook a mean bird.
The Instant Pot Vortex Plus comes backed by more than 33,000 reviews on Amazon. "No kitchen should be without it," writes one shopper. It's "so simple" and "works so well."
The Cuisinart Stainless Steel Air Fryer Convection Toaster Oven is a 1800W full-size toaster oven with a built-in air fryer. Its large capacity (the Cuisinart can fit a 12" pizza) allows you to cook everything from cookies to sheet pan meals.
One Canadian Tire shopper calls the multipurpose appliance the "best thing [they] have ever bought." It's "quick and simple to use," they write.
Best air fryers under $300
T-Fal's Easy Fry & Grill Flexcook is a great appliance to have on hand for families or intricate meal prep. The air fryer has a flexible cooking zone, meaning you can easily switch from one XXL zone to two separate zones in seconds. When using the divider, two customizable cooking programs can run simultaneously, allowing you to prepare two meals at once.
The family-sized air fryer uses 99 per cent less fat than traditional fryers and comes backed by a 4.6-star rating on Canadian Tire.
"This air fryer is so impressively big!" writes one shopper. "I was able to grill a whole chicken easily using the presets on the fryer. Absolutely delicious. The whole family loved it!"
This top-rated Kalorik MAXX Digital Air Fryer Oven replaces ten kitchen appliances in one compact device. The meal-making powerhouse has the capabilities of an air fryer, oven, grill, toaster, roaster, broiler, rotisserie, dehydrator, pizza oven and warmer.
One of many reasons Amazon shoppers have given the 26-quart air fryer a five-star rating is its diverse capabilities. It does the job of so many different appliances that "you will use it daily," according to one reviewer. It's an "exceptional" air fryer.
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