If you're searching for an air fryer that can handle family-style meals or replace your full-sized oven on a hot day, 8-quart models are a good starting point. With this amount of capacity, you can serve approximately six people, depending on the dish, and many models in this range have two baskets, making it easy to cook a main course and a side dish simultaneously. The best options have a high maximum power draw, a wide range of temperature settings, adjustable fan speeds, preset cooking modes, and feature baskets with sufficient surface area to spread food out in a single layer. This combination of features enables top models to produce crispy, well-cooked fries, wings, and vegetables quickly, while also providing additional versatility for tasks such as dehydrating, roasting, or broiling.
We've tested more than 40 air fryers, and below, you'll find our picks for the best 8-quart air fryers we've tested. To provide you with more options, we've included models that are slightly larger and smaller than 8 quarts. We also recommend the best 6-quart air fryers if you're looking for something smaller. Alternatively, if you're more interested in performance, check out our picks for the best air fryers overall or the best air fryers for fries.
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Best 8-Quart Air Fryer
Air Frying8.0Large Batch Cooking8.0Frying Performance7.7Cooking Speed8.6See all our test resultsCooking Versatility8.6The best 8-qt air fryer we've tested is the Ninja Foodi DZ201. Models from this lineup feature heavily on our list of the best large-capacity air fryers, so it's no surprise that this impressive dual-basket unit secured the top spot here as well. It makes good-quality air-fried food, leaving nearly three-quarters of each batch well-cooked and crispy, while a fairly small portion is left undercooked or burnt. It also offers excellent cooking speed, preheating, and fast cooking, so snacks and meals are ready in short order.
Beyond its great air-frying performance, this model has a lot to offer. It features a wide range of temperature settings and fan speeds, allowing you to use it for a variety of purposes, from dehydrating at the low end to broiling at the high end. Plus, its impressive temperature stability makes it a great choice for temperamental baked goods or delicate foods like fish. If you plan to make whole meals or prefer to keep vegetarian meals separate from meat dishes, you can set each basket to use different settings and have them finish at the same time. On the other hand, if you prefer to make one big batch of fries or wings, you can quickly program both baskets to use the same setting.
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Best Upper Mid-Range 8-Quart Air Fryer
Air Frying8.0Large Batch Cooking8.3Frying Performance7.9Cooking Speed8.1See all our test resultsCooking Versatility8.5If you want a versatile air fryer but just need one basket, you might prefer the Typhur Sync Air Fryer. This slightly less expensive model has a single basket with a large surface area, so you have plenty of room to cook big batches of your favorite air-fried foods. It's also packed with extra features, making it a good option for home chefs who want to experiment with different recipes. It delivers impressive air-frying performance, so most of your food comes out crispy and golden brown. It preheats and cooks quickly, although it's not quite as fast as the Ninja DZ201.
It's a good option if you plan to prepare full meals in your air fryer, with a wide range of temperature settings and fan speeds. It also comes with a temperature probe that you can use to cook meat and fish to your desired doneness. It also works with a companion app that gives access to a few more recipe presets and lets you monitor cooking and adjust the temperature remotely. However, its temperature stability is just decent, which can make it harder to get good results when following a recipe.
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Best Mid-Range 8-Quart Air Fryer
Air Frying8.0Large Batch Cooking8.2Frying Performance7.8Cooking Speed8.2See all our test resultsCooking Versatility9.2If you're not sure if you need one basket or two, consider the Ninja Foodi DZ201, a great mid-range option that can function as a single or dual-basket air fryer. Being from the same lineup as the Ninja Foodi DZ201, it shares many of the same features. However, instead of two individual baskets, it features one large basket that can be divided into two when needed. Just like our top pick, you can program different settings on each side and have a main and side finish simultaneously, or you can remove the divider to utilize the entire surface area. It cooks a little more slowly, so you'll have to wait an extra minute or two for crispy meals and snacks, but it produces very even results, with most of your food turning out crispy and golden brown.
Beyond its convertible basket, this air fryer offers a wide range of temperature and fan speed settings, making it suitable for a variety of cooking tasks. While it shares the DZ201's maximum temperature and fan speed, it can reach lower settings, making it an even better option for dehydrating, proofing dough, and baking. It maintains a very stable temperature, so it's easy to follow recipes accurately. Just keep in mind that the divider won't insulate your recipes as well as two completely separate baskets, so you may notice some heat transfer between the sides.
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Best Budget 8-Quart Air Fryer
Air Frying7.2Large Batch Cooking7.9Frying Performance7.1Cooking Speed6.8See all our test resultsCooking Versatility8.8Looking for the best 8-quart single-basket air fryer at a lower price? Consider the Beautiful 9QT TriZone, an eye-catching model that stands out for its sleek design and wide range of color options while providing decent performance at a budget-friendly price. Like the Ninja Foodi DZ071, its basket has a divider that allows you to use it as a single or double basket fryer. When it comes to frying performance, it cooks most of each batch to a crispy, golden brown. However, compared to the models above, it leaves a larger portion of each batch undercooked and also burns a few pieces. It can't cook nearly as fast, either, but it preheats quickly.
That said, it stands out for its versatility. It has outstanding temperature and fan speed ranges, making it a particularly good option for dehydrating, proofing dough, and baking. Unfortunately, its maximum fan speed is fairly slow, which helps explain its somewhat slow cooking speed and makes it a less impressive option for tasks like broiling or roasting, which require good airflow for proper browning. Still, if you're looking for a decent air fryer at an affordable price, this one is hard to beat, especially if you're seeking an option that complements your kitchen decor.
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Best Cheap 8-Quart Air Fryer
Air Frying6.9Large Batch Cooking8.6Frying Performance6.9Cooking Speed6.9See all our test resultsCooking Versatility6.9The best cheap 8-quart air fryer that we've tested is the Chefman Multifunctional Air Fryer+. This 9.8-quart air fryer offers a large capacity for a relatively low price. It's also the most compact air fryer listed here, thanks to its slightly different design: instead of a single large drawer, it features an oven-style door and a cooking chamber with three wire racks, giving you plenty of cooking surface area if you use all three at once. While it doesn't air fry as evenly as previous picks, including the Beautiful 9QT TriZone, it still produces reasonably good results, with about half of your food coming out crispy and golden brown.
However, it's not the most versatile option. While it has several presets for methods like dehydrating or baking, it's best suited for plain air frying, since its fan speed remains the same regardless of the setting. It also preheats slowly and lacks a preheat reminder, but it heats up quickly once it's ready.
All Reviews
Based on our standardized test bench, we think the options above are the best 8-qt air fryers for most people. We also take into account feedback from our visitors, availability, and price.
If you'd like to choose for yourself, here's the list of all our air fryer reviews in this size range. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. No air fryer is perfect, but many are good enough to please almost everyone, and smaller differences are often not noticeable unless you look for them.