By Maisie Arnold-Barron
Digital Journalist | Kairīpoata Matahiko
Here are the five crispiest and hottest air fryer trends of 2026.
1. WiFi connectivity
From robot vacs to dishwashers: the latest smart feature is controlling household appliances with the tap of an app.
Some air fryer models have also succumbed to this trend, but does this mean your chicken nuggets could be ready to chow when you get home from work?
The Philips Airfryer 5000 Series XXL Connected links with your HomeID app so you can “monitor cooking remotely from the app”. The voice control feature of the 5000 series also lets you control your fryer using Alexa.
While I like the idea of being able to tell an appliance what to do while I’m cutting up potatoes, I really struggle to see the point of controlling my air fryer while I’m out of the house if it can’t put my chips in for me!
I can’t think of a situation where I would want my air fryer on when I’m not at home – sounds a bit dodgy to me.
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2. Beyond just frying
I have only been using my air fryer to nuke my hash browns – I had no clue people are sautéing or even dehydrating in theirs.
In the oh-so-popular Ninja Foodi SmartLid Multi Cooker, you can roast, slow cook, steam and even bake cakes. Can one appliance really do a good job of all these things, though? Consumer members can see how it performed in our exhaustive air fryer tests.
3. Turbo speed
I am all about speed when it comes to air fryers, and many 2025/2026 models promise faster cooking without simply turning up the heat.
Newer Philips air fryers even boast a patented star-shaped heat circulation design that manages to cook food evenly in way less time – 30% less, according to the marketing.
And apparently it’s also healthier, as the high-tech heat technique doesn’t require much added oil.
4. Size matters
Size has been a big deal this year, with air fryers at opposite extremes of the spectrum.
There’s a big market for compact air fryers that can easily fit into a kitchen cupboard or not take up too much bench space. Zip’s Compact Air Fryer is the smallest model in our air fryer reviews, at just 3 litres.
At the other end of the size range is the Ninja Foodi Max XXXL, with its double frying baskets putting it at the top end of our tests for capacity. This beast holds a whopping 9.5 litres and can run the two baskets simultaneously at different temperatures.
5. Easy cleaning
I hate nothing more than spending hours scrubbing months of grease off the bottom of my air fryer only for it to still feel oily. We’ve found that one of the biggest headaches of the air fryers we’ve tested is their trickiness to clean, often because of a lack of removable parts.
Glass air fryers went viral a while back and the hype has continued this year. Models like the Ninja Crispi 4-in-1 Portable Glass Air Fryer have glass baskets so you can watch as your food cooks, and they’re a low-toxicity alternative to plastic baskets.
A big plus of glass is that it’s a lot easier to clean, less likely to stain and more resistant to scratches. And let’s be real: easy-to-clean is at the top of most people’s list when it comes to choosing a kitchen appliance.
