10 best large air fryers, tried and tested by a kitchen tech expert

I’ve spent weeks testing dual zone, stacked and modular air fryerrs - (Rachael Penn/The Standard)

If you own an air fryer, then you’ll know that a standard-sized basket has its limitations. For those who host regularly or cook for a big household, it might be time to invest in one of the best large, family-size air fryers.

“The larger capacity means you can cook complete meals in one go, and the flexibility of the dual-zone models allows you to prepare different foods at different temperatures and have them finish at the same time,” Clare Andrews, air fryer expert and cookbook author, says. “An air fryer can also use less energy than heating a full-sized oven, helping to save both time and money.”

Appliances vary in both size and function. While dual-zone models cook your mains and sides simultaneously, modular setups have interchangeable containers for versatility when making family-sized meals.

Best large air fryers at a glance

Best overall – Instant Pot Vortex Versazone 12L air fryer, £152.99, Amazon.co.uk

Best budget buy – Asda black dual drawer digital air fryer: £69, Asda.com

Best for flexible cooking – Rediffusion ClearCook 9L Dual Zone Air Fryer, £119, Amazon.co.uk

Best for steam cooking – Philips AirFryer 5000 Series Flex 9.5L Megabasket with Steam, £199.99, Amazon.co.uk

Best vertical stack – Vortx 11 Litre Dual Layer Air Fryer, £149.99, Towerhousewares.co.uk

And let's not forget single-drawer models, deep enough for a whole chicken alongside a batch of roast potatoes.

There’s plenty of choice when it comes to finding a large air fryer, but the right one for you depends on kitchen counter space, budget and cooking style.

To help you on your way, I’ve spent weeks testing the best models available from brands including Ninja, InstantPot, Tower and Philips. These are the 10 large air fryers deserving of a space in your kitchen.

How I tested

Ninja’s dual zone air fryer is among the most popular options (Rachael Penn/The Standard)

Using each air fryer to cook a variety of dishes, a big test was how well each appliance cooked frozen chips – because let’s be honest, when it comes to air fryers, chips are a staple. I also noted ease of use, intuitive controls, and presets, while considering the clean-up.

Read more: 9 best budget air fryers under £100, tried and tested

Instant pot vortex versazone 12L air fryer

Why we love it

• Super easy to use
• PFAS-Free baskets
• 8 different functions if you’re short on space

Take note

• Divider is a bit stubborn to get in and out

★★★★★

Best: Overall large air fryer

What we love: Super easy to use, PFAS-Free baskets, and 8 different functions if you’re short on space

Take note: Divider is a bit stubborn to get in and out

InstantPot Vortex Versazone’s features a 12l drawer that can be used as one big cooking space or split into two 6L zones. Ideal for cooking an entire meal in the air fryer or catering for a family, the split configuration – dubbed the SyncFinish function – cooks a main and sides so they’re ready at the same time.

Despite its large capacity, the actual unit is pretty compact, fitting neatly on my countertop. There’s a clear viewing window to check in on food, and the air fryer heats up quickly for fast cooking.

Cooking functions span Air Fry, Roast, Grill, Bake, Dehydrate and Reheat. Chips are crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, thanks to even distribution of heat across the two zones. The reheat function did a brilliant job on last night’s pizza, and I even successfully cooked a small roast dinner. Cleaning is simple – all cooking parts are dishwasher-safe – but the ceramic coating meant that most of the time it could just be wiped clean.

Buy now £152.99, Amazon.com

Asda black dual drawer digital air fryer

Why we love it

• Dishwasher-safe baskets
• Simple to use
• 8 cooking programs

Take note

• Noisy whilst it’s working

★★★★☆

Best: Budget large air fryer

What we love: Dishwasher-safe baskets, simple to use, 8 cooking programs and affordable

Cons: Noisy while it’s working, takes a little bit to heat, and no viewing window

Asda’s air fryer’s 10L capacity is spread across two 5L baskets. Taking the guesswork out of cooking, there are eight preset cooking times for dishes including fries, chicken, meat and vegetables.

Despite costing less than £70, the appliance still has functions such as sync, delay and reheat. Performance-wise, it’s impressive, serving up crispy chips with a maximum heat of 200C (lower than market leaders). It needs a little time to preheat and, unfortunately, there’s no viewing window.

A standout feature is the delay timer, which goes up to 90 minutes. This means you can schedule your food to be ready when you are – ideal for busy households. The baskets are non-stick so they don’t really need the dishwasher, but the drawers are dishwasher-friendly if you don’t want to handwash.

Buy now £69.00, Direct.asda.com

Hamilton beach professional dualstack 14.5L air fryer oven

Why we love it

• Plenty of cooking space
• Warms up quickly
• Quiet whilst in use

Take note

• Difficult to work the menu
• Takes up a lot of space

★★★☆☆

Best: Biggest capacity air fryer

What we love: Plenty of cooking space, doesn’t take long to warm up, and quiet while in use

Take note: Really large, and difficult to work the menu

With its huge 14.5L capacity, this dual stack air fryer is one of the biggest on the market. While great for large households, it might be too tall for those with wall cupboards or limited counter space.

Designed with a stacked basket and 7.5L oven-style drawer with a viewing window, the air fryer comes with a shelf and crisping basket for extra versatility.

The controls are difficult, with too much emphasis on stylish looks over functionality. The interface images on the pre-cook settings are hard to make out, while the touch-screen has some lag. That said, the air fryer performed above my expectations.

Chips cooked quickly with perfect crunch, while burgers and jacket potato came out equally well. There are 12 preset cooking times and various functions, from air frying to grilling. A great all-rounder, if you have the space.

Buy now £269.99, Amazon.co.uk

Rediffusion clearcook 9L dual zone air fryer

Why we love it

• Compact size
• Removable divider
• Viewing window
• light to keep an eye on your food

Take note

• The menu wasn’t very intuitive and lags quite a bit

★★★☆☆

Best: Large air fryer for flexible cooking

What we love: Compact size, removable divider for flexibility, viewing window and light to keep an eye on your food

Take note: The menu wasn’t very intuitive and lags quite a bit

With its 9l capacity, split into two 4.5l baskets, the Rediffusion air fryer is great for cooking multiple dishes simultaneously. Surprisingly compact, it won’t take up too much space on your countertop.

Standout features include Match Cook and Sync Cook – both cooked two lots of food without me having to work out timers. Food cooks fast, so it’s worth keeping an eye on your dishes through the viewing window, even though it only goes up to 200C.

It cooks fries, chicken breast and tofu fingers exceptionally well. My only gripe is the interface with lag. I found myself pushing buttons multiple times – not the end of the world, but still frustrating.

Buy now £119.00, Amazon.co.uk

Philips airfryer 5000 series flex 9.5L megabasket with steam

Why we love it

• Flexible cooking space
• Air frying
• Steam cooking
• Steam frying
• Self-cleaning function

Take note

• There’s quite a lot of condensation when using the steam function

★★★★★

Best: Large air fryer for steam cooking

What we love: Flexible cooking space, air frying, steam cooking and steam frying all in one machine, and self-cleaning function

Take note: There’s quite a lot of condensation when using the steam function

This Philips air fryer combines sleek, grey metal looks with a standout steam function. The results are amazing: chicken breasts come out juicy, but the outside is perfectly cooked. Regular air frying is great, too.

The modular design features one 9.5l basket – plenty of space for cooking chicken and all the trimmings – or you can add the divider and use it as a 3.5 and 6L basket, which is the ideal size for a main and sides.

The automatic self-clean function is a particularly welcome addition. After cooking greasy items, the air fryer just needs a quick swill and wipe over (no scrubbing required). The level of condensation is a drawback – I’d suggest placing it where there’s plenty of airflow. However, if you’re cooking meat regularly, this air fryer is a must-have.

Buy now £199.00, Amazon.co.uk

Tower vortx 11 litre dual layer air fryer

Why we love it

• Space-saving vertical design
• Smart finish function
• Good-sized viewing window

Take note

• Difficult to soak the baskets as they have a grill-style back

★★★★★

Best: Large vertical stacked air fryer

What we love: Space-saving vertical design, smart finish function, and good-sized viewing window

Take note: Difficult to soak the baskets as they have a grill-style back

A space-saving air fryer that doesn’t compromise on cooking capacity, Tower’s stacked two 5.5L drawers perform impressively. The interface is user-friendly with six preset meals, including fries, steak, bake, wings, veg and manual.

There’s a smart finish mode so you can cook food to finish together. The appliance’s airflow is designed so you don’t need to shake or turn chips – they come out crispy and golden brown either way.

It handles meat with barely any oil (juicy on the inside and perfectly coloured on the outside). However, the grill design is tricky to clean.

Buy now £149.99, Towerhousewares.co.uk

Daewoo 10L mega drawer air fryer

Why we love it

• Heats up quickly
• 8 cooking presets
• Easy to clean

Take note

• The exterior gets very hot

★★★★☆

Best: Large air fryer for families

What we love: Heats up quickly, eight cooking presets, and easy to clean

Take note: The outside gets very hot

Daewoo’s air fryer boasts a 10l cooking capacity, plus the option of splitting into two 5l zones. The divider prevents flavours or juices from flowing between the drawers – ideal for when you’re cooking meat on one side and veggies on the other, or for households like mine with vegetarians and meat eaters.

Chips were great, but it heats up really quickly, so they will burn if you leave them in too long – the viewing window helps. Various functions and modes take the guesswork out of cooking, while presets span chicken, fish, bread and more.

One thing to note is that the air fryer gets very hot on the outside, so it’s wise to keep it out of children’s reach. Cleaning is a breeze thanks to the non-stick coating, which only needs a quick wipe or wash with warm soapy water.

Buy now £119.99, Daewooelectricals.com

Ninja dualzone xl 9.5L 2-drawer air fryer

Why we love it

• Max crisp mode
• Easy to use and operate
• Compact feel for the size

Take note

• Max crisp can burn foods quickly

★★★★★

Best: Large air fryers with high temperatures

What we love: Max crisp mode, easy to use and operate, and compact feel for the size

Take note: Max crisp mode can burn foods quickly

Ninja knows its stuff when it comes to air fryers. The DualZone Xl is best in class, featuring two 4.75L drawers. The appliance is surprisingly compact, but the baskets are deep enough for a small chicken.

It requires no preheating – just don’t adjust the temperature too high. Instead of preset food settings, there’s a range of cooking functions including air fry, max crisp, roast, bake, reheat and dehydrate.

Thanks to the Max Crisp function, it passed the chips test with flying colours. Food cooks evenly without any need to turn or shake.

A dream to use, there’s a sync finish button so both baskets can finish cooking together. The baskets are dishwasher-friendly, but their non-stick coating is good enough that it’s just as easy to wipe or wash with some warm water.

Buy now £179.99, Sharkninja.co.uk

Cosori turbo tower™ 10.8-l air fryer pro smart

Why we love it

• Smart controls
• Heats super quick
• Gets up to 230º

Take note

• The app isn’t worth getting excited about

★★★★☆

Best: Large air fryer for non-toxic cooking

Pros: Smart controls, heats super quick, and gets up to 230º

Cons: The app isn’t worth getting excited about

A rival to Ninja, Cosori’s turbo tower is small and compact thanks to its vertical design. Packing in two generously sized 4.5L baskets, the air fryer boasts a good range of temperatures, ranging from 80-230º (the highest temperature is really good for crisping up dishes).

I was impressed how well and fast it cooked, without any preheating. Chicken is perfectly done and juicy, while chips are crispy yet fluffy. There are seven cooking functions – including air fry, roast, bake, grill, reheat, dry and proof – so there’s very little that you can’t cook in it.

The ceramic plates make clean-up super easy, too. The smart functions are a unique design detail: you can connect it to your phone and monitor your cooking remotely. You can also save custom programs, which is ideal if you like to cook the same thing week in, week out.

Some might appreciate the function, but I personally found it pointless. You can only use the app when in the vicinity of the air fryer, and it often lost connection even then.

Buy now £299.99, Cosori.co.uk

I-master series 3 dual drawer 8-in-1 air fryer

Why we love it

• Lots of functions
• Small footprint
• a good choice for batch cooking

Take note

• Limited max temp of 200º

★★★★☆

Best: Large air fryer for smaller kitchens

What we love: Lots of functions, small footprint, and a good choice for batch cooking

Take note: Limited max temp of 200º

If you have a small kitchen or don’t want another appliance cluttering up your counter, then the Haier is perfect. This compact air fryer still has an impressive 11l capacity, and you can use the 5.5l drawers individually thanks to a divider. I found it great for cooking trickier dishes, such as a steak with jacket potatoes and sweetcorn, which can be difficult to fit in a regular-sized drawer.

The interface is easy to use and navigate, with various functions including reheat, defrost and slow cooking – brilliant if you want to slimline your kitchen appliances.

Designed with a handy viewing window and light, it’s also easy to clean with a non-stick coating and dishwasher-safe baskets.

Buy now £149.99, Haier-europe.com

What is the best large air fryer?

The Instant Pot Vortex Versazone 12L air fryer impressed me with its generous capacity, flexible functions and compact design. Elsewhere, the Asda digital air fryer does everything you’d expect from a premium option, while you can’t go wrong with the Ninja DualZone XL 9.5L, especially if you enjoy chips or melted cheese – the max crisp function is next-level good.

Why trust me?

I’m a freelance journalist with over 15 years of experience in reviewing consumer technology. I’ve tested out kitchen appliances from air fryers to ice machines, so I know what works well for an everyday kitchen and whether it’s worth parting with your cash. For this piece, I spoke to air fryer expert and founder of the Ultimate Air Fryer Club and author of The Ultimate Air Fryer Cookbook Clare Andrews to find out why large air fryers are a good investment.

Read more: Salter's glass air fryer rivals the Ninja crispi – but costs less than £100