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 UK's 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 Amazon UK
• 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 with your air fryer for a family of four. 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
Best overall
Russell Hobbs/AmazonOffering a choice of seven cooking functions in one handy air fryer, you can cook chips, fish, chicken and steak to perfection as well as bake up sweet and savoury treats with the Russell Hobbs 26500 SatisFry Small Digital Air Fryer. With a 1.8 litre capacity, it is one of the smallest on our list but it can still hold 700g of chips at maximum capacity, which is more than enough for individual meals and side dishes.
Customer review: "My daughter recommended this but I thought I didn’t need one. Had a voucher so decided to use it on this. I have used it every day since and couldn’t do without it now. Highly recommend this little model for single person."
Pros
- Choice of preset cooking functions
- Dishwasher safe tray
Cons
- Fairly weighty for an air fryer of its size
Best budget small air fryer
Salter/AmazonNot only is this space-saving Salter EK2817 2L Air Fryer small in size but it's also small in price as it's currently on offer for just under £40! It is both compact and convenient, preheating to the ideal temperature in just five minutes. With an adjustable timer and temperature settings of between 80 and 200 degrees for up to 30 minutes at a time, it's also super easy to use.
Customer review: "Really happy with purchase. 2 l Air Fryer just right for some who doesn’t really want to spend much time cooking for one person. Easy to use easy to clean, no mess. Definitely recommended 😁"
Pros
- Straightforward and simple to use
- Quick preheat time
Cons
- Cooking performance isn't as good when filled to full capacity
Best small Ninja air fryer
Ninja/AmazonWith a capacity of 3.8L, this Ninja Air Fryer is at the larger scale for a small air fryer but it's still small enough that it won't overcrowd your kitchen counters. An air fryer of this size is great for couples as the basket is more than big enough for a 1.35kg chicken or 900g of chips. It offers four cooking functions so you can air fry, roast, reheat and dehydrate and the digital control panel makes it easy to use.
Customer review: "When I purchased my Ninja AF100UK air fryer, I fully expected that I would be using it to cook a few chips a little more healthily. How wrong I was. Yes, the chips are excellent but so are many other things. Steak is incredible because you are cooking from the outside in, it tasted as good as any steak I have ever eaten in a restaurant. I have even cooked a 1.5 kg chicken in it. I put a little oil over the chicken, used my usual seasoning and cooked it for 50 minutes breast side down, turned it over and cooked it for a further 10 minutes, it tasted as if it had been spit roasted. I am a keen cook and have really enjoyed experimenting. Roasted chickpeas, part baked bread, bacon and sausages, toasted sandwiches and so much more. Anything you can cook in an oven or under a grill, you can cook in an AF but you need to check the times, AF cooks a little more quickly and use a meat thermometer to check internal temperatures. This trendy little gadget is brilliant. We are a retired couple and find it a perfect size for the two of us."
Pros
- Four cooking functions
- Larger capacity for a small air fryer
Cons
- May take a while to figure out timings as it cooks things more quickly than a traditional oven
Best small air fryer for fast cooking
Tower/AmazonIn just 15 minutes, you can have deliciously crispy golden chips when using the Tower T17023 Vortx Manual Air Fryer to rustle them up. The 2.2-litre basket offers plenty of space to cook small meals, side dishes and snacks yet it's compact enough to either be neatly stored away when not in use or displayed on your kitchen sides without taking up too much room.
Customer review: "I've had this for a few days now, I've used it every day for various "tests" and am extremely pleased with my purchase. By the time my cooker oven has reached temperature the air fryer has cooked my food! And the taste seems to be better too, especially home made chips! It's very easy to wipe clean but I've bought the silicone liners to protect the non stick. There are only two manual dial, one for temperature and the other for time so it's really easy to use. It's compact and perfect for one. I like it very much and in a few weeks I'm sure I'll love it"
Pros
- Compact size
- Good temperature range
Cons
- Some may prefer an air fryer with a digital operation
Best small air fryer for convenience
Lakelandwww.lakeland.co.uk
This sleek Lakeland Digital Compact Air Fryer is ideal for smaller kitchens. It has a slimline design with simple digital controls, including five pre-set cooking programs as well as a manual mode so you can control the temperature from 60 to 200 degrees as well as the timer. The pause function automatically stops cooking and the timer if you need to pull the basket out to check progress and the cool-touch body and handle will keep you from burning yourself.
Customer review: "Never used one of these before but it was one of the things that they were recommended for saving energy and money. I was a little sceptical but I have been proven wrong. I wish I had bought one years ago, it's so easy to use with perfect results. I therefore cannot recommend this highly enough, best thing Iv purchased in a long time."
Pros
- Simple to use LED digital control panel
- Safety features such as cool-touch body and handle
Cons
- Some reviewers have commented that their coated tray has lost its coating after time
Lightweight small air fryer
Tefal/AmazonWeighing just 0.6kg, you can easily pop the Tefal Easy Fry Compact Digital Health Air Fryer into storage after every use or move it elsewhere in your kitchen after you've finished cooking. Like most air fryers, it uses hot air circulation to give your food that crispy and crunchy texture. It offers a large digital touchscreen display so you can easily see what you're doing, with pre-programmed cooking settings for chips, chicken and even cakes!
Customer review: "I bought this air fryer to help keep my electric bills down. I bought this compact machine in case I couldn’t get on with it, but very easy to use and to clean. Very pleased with my first attempt. Roast veg and chicken breast which was very juicy. Just the right size for one greedy woman."
Pros
- Large digital touchscreen for simple use
- Six pre-programmed cooking settings
Cons
- Some reviewers have mentioned it was louder than they expected
Best small air fryer for versatility
High Street TV/AmazonSome air fryers offer more than just healthily fried foods and the Power XL Vortex HF-5096TS Air Fryer is a great example of one of them as not only can it air fry, it can roast, reheat, dehydrate and bake all in one appliance. Not only that, it has eight pre-set cooking functions so you can cook all your favourites at the ideal temperature every single time. When it comes to clearing up, the bowl is removable and it includes dishwasher-safe parts for ease.
Customer review: "So much quicker than using the oven. Makes cooking for one or two people so much easier. So glad I bought this."
Pros
- Five different cooking modes and eight pre-set functions
- Includes a recipe book
Cons
- Some reviewers found it a little complicated to use
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.