The best air fryers you can buy in the UK (top 5)

In recent times, the air fryer has gone from being a weird machine reserved for food geeks to a must-have kitchen gadget. They've exploded in popularity, and it's not hard to see why - the air fryer is a total game-changer when it comes to cooking. Not only can they help you create lovely crispy food without all the calories, but they can also save you money.

With all of the good press these machines have been getting recently, the main issue that people have now isn't deciding whether or not they should buy an air fryer, it's what air fryer they should go for. We've tried quite a few of the products in this category over the past year, and we think there are a few which really stand out as the best we've tried. Hopefully, this guide helps you to choose a great air fryer, let's get into it:

Philips Essential

In terms of the air fryer that we've been using the most over the past few months, the Philips Essential is the device that we keep coming back to. With a capacity of a 4.1L and 7 preset programs to choose from, it has everything you need to get started with air frying without being overly complicated to use. We actually find ourselves not using the preset programs very often, and instead just starting the machine with a manually set temperature and time, which is very quick and easy to do via the touch screen. Currently, you can find this air fryer for about £130 online, which is very reasonable. Learn more and buy it here - amazon.co.uk

Tefal Easy Fry Compact

The Tefal range of air fryers is quite extensive, and there are some seriously high-end and expensive options if that's what you're looking for. But we think that the Tefal Easy Fry Compact does everything you'd want from an air fryer, at a price which won't break the bank. It only has a 2L capacity, but if you're only cooking for 1 or 2 people then you really don't need more than this. The device comes with 6 preset programs to choose from, and the tray is safe to use in a dishwasher. Learn more and buy it here - currys.co.uk

Ninja 3.8L Air Fryer and Dehydrator

Ninja is a brand which is well-known for producing some excellent kitchen gadgets, so we weren't surprised to see that this brand has launched a range of air fryers too. The 3.8L capacity air fryer from Ninja is an impressive machine which is very simple to use and is the ideal size for 2 - 4 people. The Dehydrate function is really interesting because it allows you to make things like beef jerky and banana chips, which the other air fryers in this list would struggle to do. We also love that this is very easy to clean as it is dishwasher safe. Learn more and buy it here - argos.co.uk

George Home Air Fryer

So far we've only included some pretty expensive air fryers from the biggest tech companies in the world, so you might be surprised to see us include an option you can buy from your local ASDA for less than £30. But it's precisely the fact that this air fryer is so cheap that we feel it is well worthy of a place in this list - if you're looking for a good value air fryer which won't blow you away with features but will do a good job, the compact air fryer from George is a perfect choice. It has a 1.5l capacity meaning you can easily do food for 2 people at once, and although it doesn't have an LED touch screen like the other devices we've included in this list, the 30 minute timer is really simple to use, making this a great choice for older users who might struggle with a touch screen. We're big fans of this air fryer, learn more and buy it here - direct.asda.com

Lakeland Air Fryer Oven

You'll probably notice that the major difference between this air fryer from Lakeland and the other devices we've included in this list is that you can actually see inside this air fryer while it is cooking your food. It really surprises us that this isn't a feature you see more often, as it allows you to check the status of your food without having to stop the machine. Aside from this nice feature, there are lots of other reasons why we're fans of this air fryer from Lakeland - it has an extra large 12L capacity, so as you can see from the picture you can easily fit an entire chicken into the machine. It also has 10 pre-set programmes which you can use depending on what type of food you're cooking and how you want it cooked. And lastly, we think at £129.99 it's pretty well-priced, plus it comes with the Lakeland 3 year guarantee included, which means if you're not happy with it you can return it for a refund or replacement for up to 3 years. Learn more and buy it here - lakeland.co.uk

Hopefully, this guide helps you to decide which air fryer is right for you! Let us know if you've tried any of these or if you have any other recommendations for us to try.