The Best Air Fryer Toaster Oven of 2025

Air fryer chicken wings

Chicken wings are loved by almost everyone and are a very popular item for air frying. An air-fried wing is all about crispy skin on the outside and juicy skin on the inside. To test the air fryability of each oven, I cooked three frozen wings at 450 F for 30 minutes in the air fryer setting, turning every 10 minutes. I let each oven fully heat up before putting the wings in and took a picture right after I took them out. Of course, I tasted them when they were cool enough to eat.

Success here depends on high heat and good fan circulation of that hot air, which means faster cooking. The faster the fryer cooks and the more effective the super convection is, the faster the outer skin will crisp up and the less likely the chicken will dry out on the inside.

The Ninja Foodi oven won the big wing war by a feather with the crispiest wings after 30 minutes. They were also perfectly juicy inside and there was no real visible burning. The Cuisinart also nailed the wing test, but I had to pull them after about 25 minutes because they were completely done. They even had a little burnt skin, but not enough to bother me. The Breville and Crux also did well with good browning and crispy skin, while the KitchenAid came in sixth and the Calphalon seventh, with just enough browning or crisping for my taste.

Air Fryer French Fries

This second air fryer test is designed to highlight the sheer power and speed of an individual oven’s air fryer function, while also providing even cooking. I placed a handful of frozen French fries (McDonald’s style) on a 450 F broiler and timed how quickly each one reached that golden brown we all crave. Since quick cooking and convenience are the main features of a countertop air fryer, faster equals better. All oven subjects (except the Cuisinart) eventually reached the desired readiness, but some completed the task more quickly and consistently than others.

The Breville won the frying test with perfect golden fries in six minutes. I set the Ninja to a slightly lower temperature (390 F) per the instructions and had perfect fries in eight minutes (it was a very close second and probably would have been a win or tie if I had set it at 450 F). The KitchenAid also took eight minutes at 450 F, while the Crux took nine minutes to get there and the Calphalon took 12 minutes. The Cuisinart was the fastest at just three minutes, but burned the edges of the fries and didn’t cook evenly. At this point, I began to suspect that the Cuisinart, for better or worse, had an unusually intense air fryer function.

Fried salmon

To test the broiler, I brushed a 4-ounce salmon fillet with a mixture of mustard, olive oil, and brown sugar. Once the oven was preheated, I tucked the salmon under the broiler about 2 inches from the top and held it there for four minutes before removing it from the oven for the photo shoot.

The main thing I was looking for here was how well each broiler imported the caramelized crust on top of the fish. Some ovens like the Calphalon and Cuisinart showed almost no signs of browning, while the Ninja and Breville gave a nice color and the beginnings of a good crust. I decided they would share the blue ribbon for this test. KitchenAid and Crux both darkened slightly, relegating them to third and fourth place.

Plain old toast

This test was to see how accurate a particular oven’s toaster presets were and how fast it toasted. I put a slice of bread in each toaster and toasted to medium. I didn’t take this test as hard as the others because really, any of these ovens will get you to the roast you want, it just might take more (or less) time, a bit of work, or learning about the presets to get it. how you want

How long each cook time was for the preset “medium” in each oven varied from six minutes for the Calphalon to just three and a half for the Ninja. As it happened, these two made the most even and attractive toast that matched the preset, but Ninja (the winner) did it in half the time. The Breville, KitchenAid, and Crux barely toasted the bread when set to medium — which means you’ll need to use a darker setting — while the Cuisinart over-toasted the bread.

Baked cookies

Next, I wanted to see how accurately and consistently each oven could reach and hold a temperature, and baking cookies is a perfect test for that. I dropped a spherical tablespoon worth of Toll House cookie dough onto parchment paper and stuck one in each oven on the middle rack for the recommended time and temperature (350 F for 10 minutes).

The cookie race was a photo finish between Ninja and Breville, both of which produced near-perfect results. The Cuisinart cookie was overbaked (albeit slightly), as was the Crux, and the KitchenAid cookie was slightly underbaked.

Preheating test

Another big draw to using a countertop oven over a large oven is the speed at which it preheats. I timed each oven to see how quickly it came up to 350 F while baking the cookies.

The Ninja Foodi blew all the others away, heating up to 350 F in a lightning fast 50 seconds. Most of the others ran in about three and a half minutes, while the larger Breville took five minutes to warm up. I didn’t do a formal air fryer preheat test, but I noticed that the Calphalon took significantly longer than the others to reach 450 F when air frying.

Temperature accuracy and consistency testing

This is one of the most important functions for any oven, especially if you plan to bake light bread in the oven. If the oven can’t maintain a precise and consistent temperature, it makes the following recipes even more difficult, and you’ll always be adjusting and pounding your food to make sure it doesn’t burn. I used thermocouples to read the internal temperature of the oven while it was baking at 350 F for 10 minutes. I was able to get an average temperature reading for the cooking time, but I also looked at the real-time thermometer to see what it was like. there were many fluctuations during the cook.

The KitchenAid won this test with an average reading of 350 F at the nozzle and very little fluctuation. The Ninja (343 F average temperature), Cuisinart (346 F) and Breville (345 F) also did well, although the Breville started out hot and then dropped back. The last two finishers were Crux with hot (365 F) and cold running Calpahlon (337 F). Both were most inconsistent throughout the buns.

Cleaning and maintenance

Except for the Ninja (more on that in a second), there’s nothing unusual about maintaining or cleaning these ovens. They have standard box interiors of various sizes made of stainless steel that require regular scrubbing and wipes. Each oven also has a removable, dishwasher-safe crumb tray to catch fallen fries and fried slices.

Now back to Ninja. Because of its compact interior, this oven is more prone to splatters and stains, especially when cooking oily and greasy foods like wings. Thankfully, the Ninja oven has a clever design feature that allows the entire bottom floor to fold away so you can reach in and wipe it down with a cloth or Brillo pad. I’m sure the Ninja will require more frequent cleaning than the others. If it’s not something you strive for, it’s definitely something to consider.