The best air fryers for crispy chips with hardly any fat

Many kitchens now come with an air fryer, yet the results can be worlds apart: from perfectly crisp chips to sad, pale potato batons. A recent laboratory test of 29 appliances shows which hot-air fryers really deliver for chips - and what matters most when buying one and using it every day.

A detail that is easy to overlook is batch size. Even an excellent machine will struggle if the basket is packed too tightly, because the food needs room for the hot air to circulate. For the same reason, a long preheat is not always the answer; in practice, a quick shake midway through cooking often has a bigger effect on browning.

Why some air fryers produce perfect chips - and others do not

All air fryers work on the same basic principle: a heating element brings the air up to temperature, and a fan pushes it forcefully through the cooking chamber. In theory, that creates an effect similar to a convection oven - only more focused and faster.

The key to good chips is not the theoretical maximum temperature, but how evenly and powerfully the air stream moves through the basket.

The test showed that a figure such as “up to 230 degrees” tells you very little about whether the chips will turn out crisp. Far more important are the basket design, the airflow pattern and how quickly the appliance regains temperature after the basket is pulled out briefly for shaking.

Top air fryers in the test: these models deliver the best chips

Best all-rounder: Philips NA555/00 Steam Airfryer

The Philips NA555/00 Steam Airfryer came out near the top of the test field. It combines hot air with steam, bringing a feature that makes a noticeable difference in day-to-day use.

• Test result: Very good (1.5)
• Performance: Very good (1.2)
• Ease of use: Very good (1.4)
• Features: Good (1.9)
• Main drawer: 6 litres, secondary drawer: 3 litres, usable separately
• Temperature range: 40 to 200 degrees

Thanks to the integrated water tank, the appliance can also steam-cook. That is especially useful for delicate foods, but for chips the standout feature is the strong airflow: in the test, chips, pretzel rolls and croissants all browned quickly and evenly, without much need to fine-tune the settings.

Control is handled through a large number of symbols and 12 automatic programmes, which can be adjusted. You cannot save your own programmes, but for everyday use the selection is more than sufficient. After cooking, the baskets and inserts can simply go into the dishwasher.

Drawback: the unit is large, takes up a lot of worktop space and does not offer Wi-Fi or app connectivity.

Best value for money: Philips Airfryer 5000 Series XXL

Anyone who wants to spend less but mainly cares about outstanding chips will quickly end up looking at the Philips Airfryer 5000 Series XXL.

• Test result: Good (1.6)
• Performance: Good (1.6)
• Ease of use: Good (1.6)
• Features: Good (1.7)
• Large frying basket, suitable for families
• Temperature from 40 degrees - also suitable for dehydrating fruit
• With Wi-Fi and app control

This model scored particularly well for chips: they were among the best in the test, with a clearly crisp outside and a soft middle. Baked items such as croissants also came out evenly. If you use your air fryer a lot, you will probably appreciate the smartphone control - starting recipes, changing times or adjusting the temperature during cooking is easy through the app.

The downside is energy use: this air fryer consumes noticeably more electricity than some rivals. A simple pretzel roll costs just over four pence in electricity on average - not huge, but measurably more than with more efficient appliances.

More affordable dual-basket option: Philips NA352/00 Airfryer 3000 Dual Basket

The Philips NA352/00 Airfryer 3000 Dual Basket is another model worth considering, particularly for families.

• Test result: Good (1.7)
• Performance: Very good (1.4)
• Two baskets with 6 and 3 litres of capacity
• Temperature from the low range, dishwasher-safe inserts
• Many direct-access buttons, eight programmes

The two compartments can be used for different foods at the same time - for example chips in one drawer and chicken in the other - or synchronised with the copy function. That turns the air fryer into a real “chip monster”: a large portion can be cooked in both baskets using identical settings.

In the test, it produced chips very quickly and very crisp. Only when reheating pretzels did it become clear that the heat distribution needs a little more time. There is no Wi-Fi, but the button-and-symbol layout is pleasantly self-explanatory.

For XXL portions: Ninja AF500EU Foodi Flex Drawer

Anyone who regularly cooks for lots of people or likes to prepare roasts, chicken or whole trays of vegetables in an air fryer should take a look at the Ninja AF500EU Foodi Flex Drawer.

• Test result: Good (1.9)
• Large cooking chamber with 10.4 litres
• Chamber can be divided into two zones using a separator
• Temperature range: 40 to 240 degrees
• Seven programmes, dishwasher-safe inserts

The clever part is that the huge drawer can be split into two equal sections with an insert. Using the sync function, both zones can be set so that everything finishes at the same time, even if the settings differ. Chips and reheated bakery items came out quickly and well browned in the test.

However, the machine weighs around nine kilograms and takes up a broad section of worktop space. It is also fairly loud, and when the unit is used in divided mode the display shows only the temperature, not the remaining time.

Design favourite: Cosori Iconic

Anyone who values appearance and plans to keep the appliance permanently on the worktop should know about the Cosori Iconic.

• Test result: Good (1.7)
• Capacity: 6.2 litres
• Stainless-steel casing with a retro look
• Ceramic non-stick coating, PFAS-free
• Temperature range: 30 to 230 degrees
• With Wi-Fi and app connectivity

The Cosori Iconic stood out immediately in the test: stainless steel, rounded edges and a large touch display on the top. Thanks to its low minimum temperature, it is also suitable for keeping food warm or for gentle cooking. Chips and baked goods performed very well in the laboratory.

The combination of smart design, app control and strong chip performance makes the Cosori Iconic a good choice for anyone who wants looks and function in one appliance.

On the other hand, it is fairly noisy, and the glossy body shows fingerprints easily.

What buyers really need to look for if they want perfect chips

Looking at the advertising claims and the text on the box, you will notice that almost every appliance promises “crispy chips with little fat”. The test data paints a more nuanced picture. Some factors are far more helpful when choosing a model than others.

Criterion	Why it matters
Basket size and shape	Shallow, wide baskets brown chips more evenly than deep, narrow containers.
Airflow	Specially shaped bases, such as star patterns, improve air circulation.
Minimum temperature	Lower starting temperatures also allow drying and keeping food warm.
Automatic programmes	Well-tuned chip programmes reduce beginner mistakes.
Cleaning	Dishwasher-safe inserts mean the appliance is more likely to be used often.

A very high top temperature helps chips surprisingly little on its own. Many of the best appliances stop at 200 degrees and still achieve the best browning. Much more important is not overfilling the basket so that the air can move freely.

If you mostly cook frozen chips, rapid heat recovery becomes especially important. The moment the basket is pulled out, the temperature drops - and a machine that bounces back quickly is less likely to leave you with limp results.

Five practical tips for genuinely crisp air fryer chips

Even the best appliance can be let down by poor technique. The following five points come directly from the kinds of mistakes seen in the test laboratory:

• 1. Do not cram the basket full: Chips should form a single layer, or at most lie loosely on top of one another. Fill it too much and you will end up with steamed potatoes rather than chips.
• 2. Skip the baking paper: With chips in particular, cut pieces of paper block the airflow underneath. It is better to cook them straight on the insert.
• 3. Remember to shake: Shake the basket firmly once or twice during cooking so the heat spreads evenly and the chips brown more uniformly.
• 4. Always lightly oil fresh potatoes: One teaspoon of oil is enough for a large bowl of potato batons. Without oil, the surface stays dull and does not become properly crisp.
• 5. Choose the right temperature: In practice, most people end up using 180 to 200 degrees. Too low makes the chips soft; too high burns the outside before the inside is cooked.

A small amount of seasoning can also help, but it is best added at the right moment. Salt applied after cooking keeps the surface drier than salt added too early, which can draw moisture out of the potatoes and work against crispness.

How healthy are air fryer chips really?

Compared with a traditional deep fryer, the fat content drops significantly. Instead of swimming in a litre of oil, the potatoes are cooked with only a thin layer of fat - or, in the case of frozen chips with a fat coating, sometimes without any added oil at all. Depending on how they are prepared, the calorie difference can be in the double-digit percentage range.

Even so, one point remains: chips are still a starchy snack cooked at high temperatures. If you use the appliance very often, it is sensible to stay towards the lower end of the recommended temperature range and avoid making the cooking time any longer than necessary.

More than chips: what air fryers can do in everyday life

Many people buy one for chips and only later realise how versatile their air fryer is. The models tested can also toast bread rolls, cook vegetables, brown frozen croissants, prepare chicken legs or dry apple slices.

Appliances with two baskets or divider walls show their strengths here: potatoes can cook in one compartment while vegetables or meat go in the other. Thanks to sync or copy functions, everything reaches the table at the same time. If you often cook different components in parallel, these appliances save you from juggling several pans and using the full-size oven.

App-connected models add recipes, cooking times and push reminders to shake the food. Beginners in particular benefit from that, because they often have little feel at first for timings and quantities. With a bit of experience, it quickly becomes clear that really crisp chips are usually no accident, but the result of a good appliance, a sensible amount of food and one or two determined shakes.