The 5 best small air fryers to save counter space

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Many of the best air fryers and best air fryer toaster ovens have large footprints that can take up premium kitchen space. If you have a small kitchen (or no kitchen at all), you might want to consider a compact air fryer. Our top picks for the best small air fryers quickly produce mouthwatering, golden-brown foods without taking up too much space or using a lot of oil. 

Over the last six years, I've talked to several experts and tested over 60 appliances for our best air fryer and best air fryer toaster oven guides. I tested 11 of the best small air fryers for this guide, and the Dreo Aircrisp Pro Air Fryer won our top spot. It cooks perfect fries and wings quickly, is easy to clean, and has convenient preset settings. You can save about $40 with our budget pick, the Chefman Small Compact Air Fryer. It cooked nearly as well as the Dreo but lacks presets.

Learn more about how Business Insider Reviews tests and researches kitchen products.

Our top picks for the best small air fryers

Best overall: Dreo Aircrisp Pro Air Fryer - See at Amazon

Our top air fryer: Instant Pot Vortex Plus 4-quart Air Fryer - See at Amazon

Best budget: Chefman Small Compact Air Fryer - See at Amazon

Best for one: Dash Tasti-Crisp Digital Air Fryer - See at Target

Best toaster oven: Ninja Digital Air Fry Oven - See at Amazon

Best overall

The Dreo Aircrisp Pro Air Fryer was among the top three performers in speed and quality in each cooking test. All the units struggled to cook fresh broccoli evenly, but the Dreo did the best, coming the closest to balancing crispy-but-not-burnt florets and tender stems. The wings and fries came out perfectly crispy and evenly cooked. 

The buttons for adjusting the temperature and time are clearly lit. The presets are only labeled with symbols, which can be confusing. For example, the dehydrate mode is represented by an orange. Still, dehydrating is a useful feature not all air fryers have.

The basket and tray are dishwasher-safe, though debris comes off these elements easily when you wash by hand. It is slightly annoying that the rubber feet that hold the tray in place and keep it from scratching the basket's nonstick coating slip off during washing.

Of the pod air fryers I tested, the Dreo had the best exterior-size-to-food-capacity ratio, meaning it uses the space it takes up efficiently. You can keep items on top of the air fryer when it's not in use, but you'll need to remove the items to use it. At 3.6 quarts, I recommend this as the best small air fryer for two people.

Check out our full Dreo Aircrisp Air Fryer review for more details.

Our top air fryer

The best air fryer I've tested is the Instant Vortex Plus Air Fryer Oven, but it sports a 6-quart capacity and may be too large for your space. Fortunately, the brand made a smaller version that finished second in our testing for compact air fryers.

The $110 4-quart Instant Pot Vortex Plus was a top three performer in each cooking test and it was also the fastest. Frozen fries and wings came out crispy, delicious, and evenly cooked. The broccoli wasn't as evenly cooked or tasty, but it was among the best.

The setup was seamless, and I didn't need instructions. The buttons are clearly labeled and include presets for convection-free baking and dehydration. While it's easy to use, the smaller Vortex Plus lacks two features I like in the 6-quart version: the window in the drawer for monitoring your food and the air filter for containing odors.

The dishwasher-safe drawer and crisping tray are easy to clean, with food sliding off the nonstick coating. You could store items on the flat top, but Instant recommends leaving 5 inches of space above it to allow for airflow when cooking.

Read our full Instant Vortex Plus Air Fryer review. 

Best budget

The Chefman Small Compact Air Fryer is the best budget small air fryer because it performed much better than the other sub-$50 units I tested, the Dash Compact Air Fryer and the Elite Gourmet Personal Air Fryer. It excelled at making chicken, producing crisp, evenly cooked, and flavorful wings. The fries were done quickly, but some fries were overdone. Broccoli was middle-of-the-pack in flavor and speed.

Using the Chefman compact air fryer couldn't be simpler. There are just two dials: one for the time and one for the temperature. I had it up and running in two minutes. The drawer and crisping tray of the Chefman are dishwasher-safe, though the elements were easy to clean by hand thanks to the nonstick surfaces.

The Chefman is the best small air fryer for small spaces because it balances its small footprint — the second-smallest unit we tested — with a decent food capacity. Since it's so small, though, it's best for people eating alone and single servings.

Best for one

The Dash Digital Air Fryer was the best of the three compact Dash air fryers I tested. It makes efficient use of its small footprint, but if you don't want to keep it on your counter, it features a handle and is lightweight enough to store easily.

The Dash Digital Air Fryer is the best small air fryer for one person. Its 2.2-quart capacity is ideal for a single-serving meal. It produces crisp and even wings and fries faster than most units. The broccoli was done quickly, but the stems were too hard, and the florets were burned.

The Dash air fryer took less than two minutes to set up, and I didn't need the instructions. However, I didn't immediately recognize that I needed to press the time and temp buttons to make adjustments. Also, the basket doesn't slide in smoothly — you need to wiggle it in for it to fit right.

The appliance doesn't have any preprogrammed presets, but you can add three custom ones for items you cook frequently. Cleaning the Dash Digital Air Fryer was a breeze. The basket and crisping tray are dishwasher-safe, and the nonstick coating makes washing by hand easy.

Best toaster oven

I tested two compact air fryer toaster ovens: the Ninja and the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Toaster Oven. They performed similarly, but at less than half the price ($150 versus $350), the Ninja SP101 is our best small air fryer toaster oven, a designation earned in our best air fryer toaster ovens guide.

The low-profile design of the Ninja Digital Air Fry Countertop Oven allows it to fit in tight spaces, and it can even be stored vertically to free up counter space. Yet, the interior can still accommodate pizzas up to 13 inches in diameter. The eight presets include baking without convection, toasting, and dehydration, all useful and not commonly found in pod air fryers.

Both toaster ovens I tested cooked the slowest of all the small air fryers. However, the Ninja cooked the broccoli and wings evenly. The fries were less evenly cooked — more done on the periphery than the interior — but tasted great. 

The setup took less than five minutes, and the controls were clearly labeled and intuitive. In terms of design, I like that there's an interior light so you can easily monitor the progress of your food. The air fry basket and baking tray are dishwasher-safe, and the crumb tray is easy to clean.

What to look for in a small air fryer

Choose a small air fryer that is convenient to use, makes efficient use of space, and doesn't have a bunch of features you won't use. 

Size and capacity: If you plan to keep your air fryer on the counter, you don't want it to take up too much space. Look for a unit that's easy to store if you don't plan on keeping it out. The best small air fryer should make efficient use of the footprint it requires. In general, we recommend the largest capacity you can fit because it gives you more flexibility in what you can make. 

Functions: Generally, pricier small air fryers have more functions and presets. If you're not interested in using your air fryer to dehydrate food or non-convection bake, skip these features and get the best budget air fryer. Some models have presets for fries, wings, and more, but these presets aren't very accurate. You're better off setting the time and temperature yourself.

Ease of use: Look for a small air fryer with intuitive controls so you don't have to keep referencing the user manual. Dial-controlled air fryers are easy to set, though they don't allow precise control. They're also harder to use if your hands are wet. Digital controls are precise, but may require pressing several buttons to program the settings you want.

Dishwasher-safe: While most of the air fryers we tested were easy to clean by hand, it's nice to pop them in the dishwasher. If you rely on a dishwasher, look for a model with a dishwasher-safe basket and crisping tray.

How we test small air fryers

Cooking: Cooking times vary wildly from one compact air fryer to the next. One air fryer might produce charred broccoli florets in 10 minutes, while another barely reaches the desired tenderness after 16 minutes. I assessed how evenly and quickly the appliances cooked by making three recipes in each.

Design: I timed how long it took to unpack and set up each air fryer (only the Breville took longer than 5 minutes). I didn't need to reference the instructions for any of them. Since space is an important factor with compact air fryers, I assessed whether you could store items on top of the units. Most get too hot or have controls in the way. Only the Instant Pot Vortex Plus and Ninja AF101 were flat and cool enough for storage.

Cleaning: I washed all the air fryers by hand to see if burned food came off easily. If the appliance featured dishwasher-safe elements, it earned extra points, and I put the parts through a normal dishwasher cycle. The dishwasher got the job done each time.

For more details, including buying advice, check out our article on how we test air fryers.

Small air fryer FAQs

What size air fryer is best for one person?

Laurie Fleming, the creator of Fork To Spoon, advises against anything smaller than 4 quarts. "If you have a hamburger and french fries, you don't really want a 2-quart," she said. She suggests 4 to 6 quarts. We agree with Fleming, but we wanted to give a tiny option for individuals: we recommend the 2.2-quart Dash air fryer as the best small air fryer for one.

What size air fryer is best for two people?

Fleming also suggests 4 to 6 quarts for two people. "I always advise people to buy bigger because if you are cooking for two people, you really want the option to make the whole meal in the air fryer," she said.

Is it worth getting a small air fryer?

Fleming said yes, recommending them for older individuals, dorm rooms (where allowed), and cooking sides. We agree though we suggest getting one of the best air fryers at a full size when possible since it gives you more versatility in what you can make.

Is a 2-quart air fryer too small?

If it's your only air fryer, you'll have trouble cooking meals for multiple people. However, if you want a small air fryer to supplement other appliances, it may be a good option for side dishes or small snacks.