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 there are three main things you'll want to look for when shopping for the best air fryers for French fries. First, look for a model with a large surface area for cooking, allowing you to arrange fries in a single layer for optimal results. Fan speed is also a key factor, so look for models with a wide range of fan speeds, and particularly, a high maximum fan speed for quick crisping. Finally, you'll want a model with a high power draw, as this allows for faster temperature recovery each time you open the drawer to toss your fries.
We've tested more than 35 air fryers, and below, you'll find our recommendations for the best air fryers for French fries and other crispy air fryer 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. Want a frosty beverage to go with your snacks? Check out the best blenders for frozen drinks. Alternatively, if you're planning a more extensive kitchen upgrade, consider our recommendations for the best fridges and the best microwaves.
Quick Look
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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 and makes it easier to follow a recipe. 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 using both baskets, you can use Ninja's 'Smart Finish' feature to have everything finish at the same time, so you can pop a side of fries in one side and expect them to be crispy and hot whenever your main is ready.
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Best Budget 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're looking for a way to make crispy snacks at a lower price point, consider the COSORI TurboBlaze. It's a powerful 6.3-quart air fryer that offers impressive performance. While it can't quite compete with the Ninja Foodi DZ550's frying performance, it comes very close. Each batch of fries, popcorn chicken, or Brussels sprouts comes out evenly cooked and crispy, with only a small handful left undercooked or burnt. Compared to our top pick, it takes an extra minute or so to finish preheating and cooking, but it's still faster than most other models.
Inside the square cooking 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, since air passes over the heating element too quickly to properly heat up. Luckily, COSORI lists the fan speed for each setting, and while you can't adjust it manually, this info makes it easy to experiment and find the right setting for your recipe. There's also a dedicated preheat mode, so it's easy to know when to add your food. 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 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)The best cheap air fryer we've tested for home fries, onion rings, and other air-fried snacks and sides is the Beautiful 6qt Digital. Like the COSORI TurboBlaze, it makes very good-quality fried food, which is impressive considering it's 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. As you might expect at this price point, however, the Beautiful takes longer to cook than the picks above. Still, it preheats quickly, and overall, you don't have to wait too long for results.
This air fryer doesn't reach quite as high a temperature as the other options on this list, and its temperature fluctuates slightly during cooking. Its top fan speed isn't particularly fast either. 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 for a simple option that matches your decor and accommodates quick snacks.
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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 modest 5.7-quart measured capacity might not seem like a lot, this model's wide design allows for plenty of surface area in its shallow basket. In fact, it has significantly more cooking surface area than our top pick, the Ninja Foodi DZ550. Because it's so roomy, we decided to test it with both our typical 250g 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 when cooking the double batch, the quality was nearly the same, with more than 75% of the fries being crispy and golden brown, making it a great choice for large-batch cooking.
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 for dehydrating or proofing dough. It features 10 preset cooking modes, allowing you to start air frying, toasting, or baking quickly and easily. Unfortunately, it takes a while to preheat and then reheat after adding food to the drawer, which also affects its 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 Foodi DZ071:
The Ninja Foodi DZ071 is part of the same lineup as the Ninja Foodi DZ550, and, as you might expect, it performs similarly, although not quite as well. It features one large basket that can be divided into two, which may be preferable for its versatility.
See our review
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.