Best small air fryer for individuals and couples in the UK

If you've been thinking about getting a good-quality air fryer, but don't have the space in your kitchen for a huge appliance, the best small air fryers are perfect for the job of serving up delicious meals without taking up too much room on your countertops.

Air fryers are everywhere at the moment and they're fast becoming an essential for households across the UK. One of the main reasons it seems like the whole world is going crazy for them is that they deliver a faster preheating and cooking type compared to your traditional oven. This level of convenience is just what you need when life gets busy. You may think that air fryers are built just for families, but that's simply not the case. You can get some great small air fryers that are designed to whip up solo snacks or multiple meals for one to two people.

Best small air fryer UK at a glance:

• Best overall: Russell Hobbs 26500 SatisFry Small Digital Air Fryer – view on Amazon UK
• Best budget small air fryer: Salter EK2817 2L Air Fryer – view on Argos
• Best small Ninja air fryer: Ninja Air Fryer - 3.8L – view on Amazon UK

Just because you choose a small air fryer doesn't mean you have to compromise on features and you can still cook for a family of fourwith your air fryer. Many of the best small air fryers come packed with features to help make cooking that simple, whether it's pre-programmed settings so you can perfectly cook chips, chicken or vegetables every time, or different cooking modes that you can grill steaks, roast potatoes or even bake sweet treats.

As they're more compact in size, small air fryers usually come with a smaller price tag. In fact, a couple on our list are air fryers retailing under £100. Whether you're after one of these little gadgets to cater to the size of your household or need a space-saving option for your kitchen, we've rounded up all the best small air fryers you can get in the UK.

Best small air fryer UK

Our verdict: What is the best small air fryer?

In our opinion, the Russell Hobbs 26500 SatisFry Small Digital Air Fryer is more than worthy of the top spot for the best small air fryer in the UK. If you're new to air frying, there is a choice of seven pre-set cooking functions that are already set to the right time and temperature so you can enjoy perfectly cooked chicken, chips and steak from the get-go. The 1.8L capacity is perfect for solo meals or to create sides as part of bigger meals for multiple people.

Best small air fryer UK FAQs

What is the ideal capacity of a small air fryer?

The ideal capacity for a small air fryer will depend on what you typically cook and the number of people you usually make food for. The beauty of small air fryers is that they take up less room compared to larger models, such as dual air fryers, so the overall capacity tends to be smaller. Small air fryers in the UK can range from 1.5 litres to 3.8 litres so they can cater for individual meals, side dishes or preparing food for two.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of cooking in a small air fryer?

As with any new kitchen appliance, you should weigh up the pros and cons before you buy a small air fryer to make sure it's right for your cooking preferences and the needs of your household. Here’s a breakdown of just some of the advantages and disadvantages:

Advantages

• Convenient for small meals and quick snacks as they don’t take very long to preheat compared to traditional ovens.
• Offer a shorter cooking time and lower energy consumption compared to conventional ovens as they’re smaller in size and use convection technology to circulate hot air around your food, so your meals will be cooked faster.
• Require minimal preheating time compared to traditional ovens and cook your food faster, too, so they’re extremely convenient.
• Compact size means they won’t take up loads of room on your countertops, making them ideal for households with limited space and smaller kitchens.

Disadvantages

• Smaller cooking capacity won’t be ideal if you’re cooking a large amount of food at once or have a larger family to cater for at mealtimes.
• Due to their compact size, they might not be suitable for all types of foods, like a large chicken for example. You may need to cook certain foods in smaller batches, which will ultimately take longer for you to dish up everything.
• Small air fryers can be limited in cooking styles compared to some of the larger models. They may only have a fryer mode whereas larger models could have modes for grilling, roasting and baking, too.

Rosie Floyd is a Pets, Homes and Garden Product Writer for Yours, specialising in home appliances, décor and furnishings, as well as all things dogs. After completing her Journalism & Media degree from Coventry University back in 2015, she started her career writing about must-visit holiday destinations, moving on to creating content around outdoor living and garden buildings, before joining the team at Bauer.