The 5 Best Air Fryer Toaster Ovens of 2024, According to Our Tests

Our Favorite Air Fryer Toaster Oven

Our vote for the best air fryer toaster oven overall easily goes to the Instant Pot Omni Plus, which offers even cooking, plenty of power, lots of interior space, and a range of functions at a moderate price. Larger families and those who entertain often will love the roomy Ninja Prestige Smart XL Air Fryer Toaster Oven for its spacious baskets and tray, and even crisping.

How We Tested Air Fryer Toaster Ovens

We've done multiple rounds of air fryer toaster oven testing over the years, including more than 25 models in total. When new models come out, or we hear buzz about a particular oven, we test them against our favorites in addition to continuing to test our top picks over the long term. We evaluate general design aspects, size, and ease of use, looking for features that made their models stand out positively or negatively, before performing a series of cooking tests. Our methodologies have varied a bit from test to test but have included some or all of the below.

• Toast test: We assessed the machines' abilities to make toast in several ways. First, we toasted a single slice of bread at the medium-dark setting (or at 450°F for 5 minutes if there was no toast setting) and examined its color and evenness of cooking. Next, we melted a slice of cheese atop a slice of bread using the broil setting. We noted how long it took for the cheese to melt and brown, and whether the exposed parts of bread began to burn. Finally, we toasted six slices of bread (or as many as would fit) at once, checking to see if hot or cool spots made the toast color uneven.
• French fries test: We used the air fry setting to cook 8 ounces of frozen French fries at 400°F for 12 minutes, noting how evenly they cooked and whether they wound up browned and crisp or limp and beige. If the fries were undercooked after 12 minutes, we continued cooking them in 5-minute increments until properly crisp and brown, if possible. We also performed a similar test on some ovens using frozen sweet potato fries, which are more difficult to make properly crisp.
• Cookie test: Using the cookie setting if available (and the bake setting if not), we prepared a batch of store-bought break-and-bake cookies at 350°F. We placed the dough pieces with the recommended 3 inches separating each one. After cooking, we looked at how evenly the cookies browned, examined the bottoms for burning, and noted whether they cooked fully on the inside.
  

• Chicken and pizza tests: For air fryer toaster ovens that claim to fit a whole chicken or frozen pizza, we roasted a whole chicken or baked a frozen pizza following the manufacturer's instructions. (The Instant Omni Plus is the only oven we tested with a rotisserie function, which we used for its chicken test.) We evaluated the outcomes for even cooking, proper browning, and general deliciousness.
  
• Cleaning: Between tests, we cleaned each machine following the user manual. We rated the ease of use of pull-out crumb trays and other removable parts and washed everything by hand or in the dishwasher as applicable. We noted any special difficulties we encountered or design aspects that made things especially simple.

We also considered retail prices to help determine value, looking at them only after completing our other tests. We've tested air fryer toaster ovens ranging from around $80 to over $350, with the average cost being about $200. In general, we've found that price isn't a reliable indicator of quality: Plenty of cheaper ovens outperformed some of the most expensive ones, though there are pricey models worth the cost.

How Do Air Fryer Toaster Ovens Work?

The secret to using an air fryer— whether in a dedicated machine or as part of a combination toaster oven — is a powerful fan. Electric heating elements heat the air inside the appliance, and the fan keeps it circulating rapidly to ensure the entire exterior of the food gets the same amount of heat. The all-around heat provided by air frying is similar to how a deep fryer functions — submerging food in even-temperature hot oil cooks it from all sides at once just as the hot air does in an air fryer. This is where a perforated air fryer basket also comes in handy, as allowing air to flow around the underside of food makes it more crisp than if it's sitting on a flat pan.

An air fryer toaster oven offers independent control of the fan and heating elements to do different types of cooking. With even heat and the fan at full blast, you're air frying, but if you shut off the fan and use only the heating coil on top, you're broiling. Intense heat from top and bottom with no fan is for toasting, while lower temperature and lots of air circulation is good for dehydrating. The air fryer toaster oven is more versatile than a single-purpose air fryer but also usually more expensive.

What We Learned While Testing Air Fryer Toaster Ovens

• Consider your kitchen and crowd when choosing a size. Size is an essential factor to consider — both for capacity and footprint. A small air fryer toaster oven is ideal for kitchens with minimal counter or cabinet space, but since you want lots of room between individual items while air frying, you can't fit very much food inside a compact model. That's fine if you mostly cook for one or two, and a good way to save money without sacrificing features. A bigger oven is a better investment if you have a large family, anticipate cooking for a crowd often, or need tools for meal prep. 
• We prefer digital controls. Some models have an analog dial to select time and temperature, which was imprecise in our testing. A digital display showing you the exact numbers and settings you choose is almost always better. Of course, digital machines are generally more expensive, and some have small screens and buttons that can be tough to use. If you have visual or motor concerns, you should pay closer attention to this.

• We like extra functions, but consider which ones you will actually use. Air fryer toaster ovens are popular for their many cooking capabilities, making extra settings an obvious factor to consider. While most air fryer toaster ovens will bake, toast, and, of course, air fry, some models are equipped with countless other features. Are you looking to slow cook in your oven? Defrost? Rotisserie a chicken? If these features aren’t important to you, they're not worth paying for. Consider a simpler model like our value pick, the Hamilton Beach Sure-Crisp Air Fry Toaster Oven.
• The same goes for racks and accessories. Some ovens are pretty straightforward, while others come with extensive accessories for things like dehydrating or other specialized functions. Whether or not these accessories will be worth it depends on whether you'll actually use them. If you know you’ll likely be a casual user, mainly reheating leftovers or toasting toast, then extra accessories probably aren’t a priority. But for others, things like pizza pans or fry baskets will come in handy every day.
  

Other Air Fryer Toaster Ovens We Tested

Strong Contenders 

Cuisinart Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven TOA-65 ($300 at Amazon)

While we appreciated its clear and concise instructions and felt the fries turned out perfectly crispy, the cookies did not bake evenly in this model, and the bread was not toasted effectively. For an above-average price, this Cuisinart delivered merely pretty-good results.

GE Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven ($219 at Amazon)

We liked the different baskets for air frying that were included and felt this oven was effective at baking; however, we noticed the temperature was inconsistent, fluctuating quite a bit at high heat. If you're going to go with a GE, we say to trade up and splurge on the Profile above instead.

Ninja SP101 Digital Air Fry Toaster Oven ($220 at Amazon)

This air fryer toaster oven is already compact, and it has the additional ability to flip up on its side to tuck into a corner or cabinet. It's a clever space-saving feature but doesn't detract from this Ninja's power. The machine heated fast and did especially well with broiling, but we didn't like that the exterior got quite hot, and we don't love this price for a fairly small capacity.

What Didn't Make the List

The air fryer toaster ovens that wound up at the bottom of the rankings all had trouble with heat control. One toasted bread only on one side while leaving the other merely warmed. Another ran far too hot, overcooking bread and cookies while there was still ample time on the timer. Several had such extreme hot and cold spots that food from the same batch came out burnt and raw. We found some models did well as a toaster but not so much as an air fryer, leaving both burnt and soggy fries in the same basket.

Our Expertise

• Nick DeSimone wrote and compiled this list. A Food & Wine staff writer, Nick has nearly a decade of professional cooking experience and has spent many years of hands-on experience with nearly every appliance imaginable. For this piece, they used insights from our internal product testing. We prioritize unbiased and rigorous testing to give the most precise and thorough results.
• Dana Fouchia updated this piece with new testing insights. She is Food & Wine's associate editorial director of commerce and has over 8 years of experience writing for publications like the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, New York Daily News, Allrecipes, and more.