While you can make all kinds of meals, snacks, and sides in an air fryer, they truly excel at making crispy, crunchy fried foods, and one of the most common must be French fries. In fact, we use fries to determine the frying quality and cooking speed of each air fryer we test since they're a consistent size, shape, and weight, allowing us to easily compare performance between models. We've found that there are three main things you'll want to look for when shopping for the best air fryers for fries: a roomy basket with ample surface area for cooking, a high maximum fan speed, and a high maximum power draw. Together, these factors allow for optimal air flow and even cooking, resulting in a batch of golden-brown fries that's ready fast.
We've tested more than 40 air fryers, and below you'll find our recommendations for the best air fryers for French fries and other crispy favorites. If you want more options to consider, see our picks for the best air fryers, the best budget and cheap air fryers, and the best large-capacity air fryers.
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Best Air Fryer For French Fries
Crispy Fries84.4%Frying Performance8.0Cooking Speed8.8Measured Capacity10.1 qt (9.6 L)See all our test resultsTotal Basket Surface Area99.3 in² (640.6 cm²)The best air fryer for French fries we've tested is the Ninja Foodi DZ550. This 10.1-quart, dual-basket air fryer makes great-quality fried food, so whether you're making fries or another typically air-fried snack like wings or veggies, the vast majority of each batch comes out crispy and golden brown. Of course, the results aren't perfectly even; it leaves a small amount of each batch undercooked and burns a couple of pieces, too, but it's a smaller proportion than most other air fryers. It produces results quickly, too, preheating and cooking food fast.
This model's strong air-frying performance is largely attributed to a few key factors. It has a high maximum power draw and top fan speed, which helps it deliver quick, crunchy results. The temperature doesn't fluctuate much, either, which provides more even results. Plus, this air fryer includes a couple of handy additions. There are a few cooking presets, so you can start baking, reheating, or broiling with just the press of a button. And if you're cooking a full meal, you can use Ninja's 'Smart Finish' feature to have everything ready at the same time, so you can pop a side of fries in one basket and expect them to be crispy and hot whenever your main is ready.
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Best Upper Mid-Range Air Fryer For French Fries
Crispy Fries78.1%Frying Performance7.8Cooking Speed8.2Measured Capacity7.1 qt (6.7 L)See all our test resultsTotal Basket Surface Area97.7 in² (630.4 cm²)The Ninja Foodi DZ071 is a 7.1-quart air fryer from the same lineup as the Ninja Foodi DZ550, and if you're looking to make crispy French fries at a mid-range price point, it's tough to beat. Although it can't match its pricier sibling's frying quality, this air fryer cooks quite evenly, leaving most of each batch of fries crispy and well-cooked. Similarly, it cooks fast, but not as fast as the DZ550, so you'll have to wait an extra minute or so until your fries are finished.
Unsurprisingly, factors similar to those of our top pick also contribute to this model's success; it has a high maximum fan speed and a high maximum power draw, which help it cook quickly and evenly. What sets this air fryer apart is its convertible basket. You can divide the basket to cook a main and a side of fries, and use Ninja's Smart Finish feature to finish cooking them simultaneously, or remove the divider to make one large batch. It also shares the same preset cooking modes as the DZZ550, which adds convenience.
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Best Mid-Range Air Fryer For French Fries
Crispy Fries81.2%Frying Performance7.8Cooking Speed8.0Measured Capacity6.3 qt (6.0 L)See all our test resultsTotal Basket Surface Area75.5 in² (487.1 cm²)If you want crispy snacks, but don't need two baskets to cook in, check out the COSORI TurboBlaze, a powerful 6.3-quart air fryer that offers impressive performance. It matches the Ninja Foodi DZ071's frying quality, so each batch of fries or onion rings comes out evenly cooked and crispy, with only a small handful left undercooked or burnt. And while it takes an extra minute to preheat, it cooks faster, so you won't have to wait long for results.
Inside its basket, you'll find more space than most air fryers with a similar capacity. This allows you to spread food out for better airflow and, ultimately, better results. Its top fan speed is actually a little too fast for optimal performance, as the air passing over the heating element moves too quickly to heat up properly, leading to temperature fluctuations. Luckily, COSORI lists the fan speed for each setting, so it's fairly easy to experiment and find the right setting for your recipe. It takes a little while to heat back up after you open the drawer, and the temperature fluctuates a bit throughout cooking, but it's still relatively easy to follow a recipe accurately.
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Best Budget Air Fryer for French Fries
Crispy Fries71.9%Frying Performance7.9Cooking Speed8.7Measured Capacity5.1 qt (4.9 L)See all our test resultsTotal Basket Surface Area64.9 in² (419.0 cm²)The best air fryer for fries that we've tested at a budget-friendly price is the Ninja Pro AF141, a compact 5.1-quart model. Along with a high maximum power draw and an efficient fan, the roomy basket helps this air fryer produce good-quality air-fried meals and snacks. French fries, chicken wings, and vegetables come out evenly browned and crispy, with a relatively small proportion being under- or overcooked. It also preheats and cooks very quickly, making it an excellent option when you need a snack in a hurry.
Despite its diminutive design, its basket has a good amount of surface area, so you can fit more food in a single layer than with some other 5-quart air fryers, making it a great option if you're short on counter space. While it has fewer functions than the other Ninja air fryers listed here, it still offers great versatility. The four presets (Air Fry, Roast, Reheat, and Dehydrate) give you access to a wide range of temperatures and fan speeds, so you can fine-tune your hand-cut French fries recipe and then reheat leftovers without drying them out.
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Best Cheap Air Fryer For French Fries
Crispy Fries75.0%Frying Performance7.6Cooking Speed8.1Measured Capacity5.9 qt (5.6 L)See all our test resultsTotal Basket Surface Area70.2 in² (452.6 cm²)If you're looking for a way to make crispy snacks at a very affordable price, consider the Beautiful 6qt Digital. This air fryer makes better-quality fried food than the Ninja Pro AF141, which is impressive considering it's often available for less than $70. Most of each batch comes out crispy, while a smaller portion remains undercooked, and just a couple of pieces burn. It preheats and cooks quickly, so you don't have to wait long for results, but as you might expect at this price point, it still takes longer to cook than the picks above.
This air fryer doesn't reach quite as high a temperature or fan speed as our top picks, and its temperature fluctuates a fair bit during cooking. Luckily, it has plenty of cooking surface area in its basket, which improves airflow and helps produce better results. And, unlike most air fryers, it's available in a range of colors, such as 'Cornflower Blue' and 'Sage Green,' making it a solid choice if you want a simple option that matches your decor.
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Best Glass Air Fryer For French Fries
Crispy Fries81.8%Frying Performance7.5Cooking Speed6.9Measured Capacity5.9 qt (5.6 L)See all our test resultsTotal Basket Surface Area53.1 in² (342.8 cm²)The best glass air fryer we've tested for making crispy, evenly cooked French fries is the Ninja Crispi Pro AS101. It has a unique design, with swappable glass cooking chambers (6-quart and 2.5-quart) that also serve as storage, so you can store leftovers without making extra dishes. Using the 6-quart container, it provides very good frying quality. By the time it finishes cooking fries and other air-fried snacks, most of each batch is crispy and golden-brown, while just a few pieces wind up mushy or burnt. It cooks decently fast, but using the smaller container significantly improves the cooking speed while delivering results that are nearly as evenly cooked.
Although this air fryer has a smaller surface area than similar-capacity options, it still provides a reasonable amount of space to arrange food in a single layer for crispier results. Its high maximum fan speed and high maximum power draw both contribute to producing optimal results, while the lower end of the temperature and fan speed ranges also make it exceptionally versatile. That versatility makes this unique glass air fryer ideal for dehydrating, baking, and roasting, as well as air frying. And like the Beautiful 6qt Digital, it comes in a variety of colorways, so you can choose one that suits your taste.
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Best Large-Capacity Air Fryer For French Fries
Crispy Fries79.3%Frying Performance7.7Cooking Speed6.7Measured Capacity5.7 qt (5.4 L)See all our test resultsTotal Basket Surface Area124.3 in² (802.2 cm²)If you're looking for the best way to make large batches of fries, consider the Typhur Dome 2. While its 5.7-quart capacity might not seem like much, this model's wide design provides plenty of surface area. In fact, it has significantly more cooking surface area than the 10-quart Ninja Foodi DZ550. Since it's so roomy, we decided to test it with our typical batch of fries and a double batch. With the regular batch, the Typhur produced very good-quality fries in a decent amount of time, with nearly 80% turning out crispy. While its speed took a significant hit during the double batch, the quality was similar, with more than 75% of the fries coming out well-cooked.
This air fryer also offers impressive versatility, featuring a wide range of temperature settings. Although its top fan speed isn't very fast, its minimum fan speed is lower than that of most other air fryers. This makes it a great choice if you want an option that can make crispy fries, dehydrate fruit, and proof dough. Unfortunately, it takes a while to preheat and reheat after adding food to the drawer, which compromises temperature stability and makes it slightly harder to follow recipes closely. Still, if you don't mind waiting a couple of extra minutes, it's a great choice for making large batches of curly fries, sweet potato fries, tater tots, or even a whole 12" pizza.
Notable Mentions
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Philips 3000 Series Dual Basket NA350/00:
The Philips 3000 Series Dual Basket NA350/00 is a good alternative to the Ninja Foodi DZ550 if you're looking for a dual-basket air fryer at a lower price. While it's slower and cooks less evenly than the Ninja, it produces very good-quality fried food decently fast.
See our review -
Ninja Speedi SF301:
The Ninja Speedi SF301 is a combination air fryer and multi-cooker that cooks very evenly, leaving more of your food crispy than the Ninja Foodi DZ550. Unfortunately, it's been discontinued, but if you can get your hands on one, it's a great choice for French fries.
See our review
Recent Updates
Jan 23, 2026:
We changed this article to list our recommendations by price. We added the Ninja Foodi DZ071 as our 'Best Upper Mid-Range Air Fryer For French Fries,' the Gotham Steel Air Fryer as our 'Best Cheap Air Fryer For French Fries,' added the Ninja Crispi Pro AS101 as our pick for a new category, the 'Best Glass Air Fryer For French Fries,' and added the Ninja Speedi SF301 as a Notable Mention. We also edited the text throughout.
All Reviews
The recommendations above are what we think are currently the top air fryers for French fries for most people. Aside from performance, we factor in feedback from our visitors, price, and availability.
If you'd like more options to consider, here's the list of all our air fryer reviews, sorted by frying performance. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. While no air fryer is perfect, many perform well enough to please most people, and smaller details are often not noticeable unless you really look for them.