11 Must Have Air Fryer Accessories! [FOR ANY MODEL]

Welcome back to Air Fryer Bro, your place for the latest air fryer gossip (I mean info!!). Jokes aside, today is an important day. I get to talk about my must have air fryer accessories. These are the best items that I believe will help you get the most out of your air fryer. I have built up this list of accessories since first owning a generic Chinese brand air fryer many years ago!

Now that air fryers are getting more and more popular, the range of accessories you can get for them is expanding all the time. Just go take a look in your local hyper market, you will surely find a section all about air fryers! And these accessories can be bought for any air fryer, just make sure to measure if it needs to fit inside the cooking compartment 🙂 So, whether you have a NuWave, Power Air Fryer or Ninja Foodi please read on 🙂

PLEASE NOTE: If you want to find out more about the accessory I am talking about, simply click the picture of the product and you can check out the details on Amazon.

1. The Oil Sprayer

After using my first ever air fryer for a while, I was noticing that the food I was getting out was sometimes dry and not always crispy in a way that I liked. I actually can’t remember how I found out about spraying oil, but when I started misting this food will oil, it changed my view of air fryers for ever.

Yes, it is true that an air fryer can’t give you the same taste and feeling as food deep fried in oil, but by spraying a little oil, the “air fried” alternative gets a lot closer! If you want all the details on how to deal with dry food in your air fryer, you should read our full article on the subject.

When choosing an oil mister or sprayer for your air fryer, I would highly recommend that you choose a good quality one. This is because oil is a heavy liquid, and therefore it is quite hard to spray with a cheap or low quality mechanism. My first ever oil sprayer died in under a month! For me, it is worth it to invest a little bit more and get something more robust in return.

The oil sprayer I use isn’t available on Amazon, although we have another one over on our recommended products page.

Above, you will see my current oil sprayer. I prefer the pump variety, because they enable you to spray the heavy oil well (if you get a good one) without using aerosol (which can damage your air fryer). When I say pump, I mean you need to manually pump the lid of the sprayer before you can spray the oil.

We live in Hong Kong, so the exact model is not available on Amazon. So, if you click on the images above it will take you to what I think is the best alternative on there. As I said above, I would choose a higher quality one that will last longer.

If, for some reason, you don’t like or can’t find a good oil sprayer, there is another good option that I have used in the past. This is a pastry brush, that would usually be used to put egg wash on baked food before you cook them (for example). If you have no idea what I am talking about, it looks something like this.

I like to go for the silicone variety, as I find them easier to clean up. The only downside compared to an oil sprayer or mister, is the fact that you will probably put more oil on the food. A sprayer can give a fine mist across the food, which is more than enough to get the desired effect in an air fryer. When ‘painting’ oil on, you will be more likely to  add more than a fine mist.

2. The grill pan!

This accessory has been a main stay of my air fryer use ever since we bought it! Those of you that read this blog often, will have probably heard that my first air fryer was a generic Chinese branded one. After this had broken, we then decided to buy a Philips brand air fryer. In the process, we were offered this grill pan accessory for an additional cost! In the shop, I thought it was over priced and not worth it! I was totally wrong!

This accessory was the grill pan, as you can see below.

Having a grill pan for my air fryer turned out to be an amazing buy, and we literally never use the traditional air fryer basket that most traditional air fryers come with.

Why is this? Well, I used to hate cleaning the wire basket. There were so many holes, and the food would get stuck all up in that thing. So, cleaning was a bit of a chore for me. With the grill pan, I simply wipe it off and hey presto the clean up is done. Yes, there are still holes, but they are less and easier to clean than the basket. For me, the grill pan has become an essential part of my air fryer usage!!

If you can find a grill pan made by the same manufacturer as your air fryer, that would be great, as it will come with an attached handle.

3. Silicone tongs

To be honest, this accessory is more usable for someone with a traditional bucket style air fryer. This is because you often have to reach in and turn or pick up food from inside your air fryer. Oven style air fryer users may still find them useful though!

I particularly like the silicone coated tongs, because they are easy to clean up and there is no risk of scratching your air fryer’s delicate non stick surface.

I can’t begin to tell you how such a simple accessory has improved my air fryer cooking experience. Even cooking is essential in an air fryer, and these tongs make it easy for you to turn or adjust the food inside your air fryer.

4. Get a rack!

Again, this is more aimed at the traditional bucket style air fryer users. For most of us, there will be times when the capacity of our air fryer is not enough. Although, this is getting better which much larger sizes of air fryers available on the market, it can still be an issue for some that haven’t upgraded yet.

The solution for us is to get a metal rack that can fit snuggly inside your air fryer to add a second layer of food. This really helps to increase the capacity of your air fryer. Just be aware that the top level is closer to the air fryer’s heating element, so may cook slightly faster. 

I like to choose a rack with longer legs, so that I can still put another layer of food underneath. Just be sure to measure your air fryer basket and find a rack that fits into this snuggly. These days, this should be simple, as there are a wide range of racks available in all different sizes.

5. A meat thermometer

With such a new style of cooking as air frying, there will be times when you are unsure if your meat is cooked or not. Buying a good quality and fast working meat thermometer will take all of the guess work out of this for you.

I can’t tell you how many times my wife and I were debating whether food was properly cooked or not in the air fryer, and quite a number of things we would start eating cautiously, only to find it needs to go back into the air fryer “just to make sure”.

This is very dangerous, as food poisoning is no fun! A meat thermometer takes all the guess work out of this, enabling you to say with confidence whether your meat is cooked or not!

Click the image above to get a detailed list (from a reliable source) of all the correct temperatures for properly cooked meat. By combining this knowledge with a good meat thermometer, you will have piece of mind with all the meat you cook in your air fryer.

6. Parchment paper

A lot of people find it annoying to clean up their air fryer when they are cooking particularly messy food in there. The best solution to this, is to use some non-stick parchment or grease proof paper in your air fryer’s basket.

If you are particularly crafty, you can buy sheets of parchment paper and cut circles that perfectly match your air fryer. However, if you are time poor, you could simply buy pre-cut parchment paper circles. Just make sure they have holes in them to let the air flow through!

We really do live in the age of convenience, as the great thing about these parchment paper products, is you can find one to perfectly fit your own air fryer. Simply measure the basket and hop on Amazon, you will easily find one that matches the measurements you need.

The only thing to think about is to always use these with food laying on top. Otherwise, the parchment paper will end up flying around your air fryer due to the force of hot air. If this parchment gets jammed in your air fryer’s heating element, I can’t imagine what would happen. So if you like to preheat your air fryer, only put in the parchment afterwards.

7. Get a cooking time reference

As air fryers are still so new, there can be many times that you are not sure about how long to cook certain food. Of course, when you cook a complex recipe, you can follow the recipe instructions and be fine. I am talking more about the times when you simply want to cook a piece of meat or vegetable without a particular recipe in mind, and have no idea how to cook in an air fryer!

The product above is simply awesome. It has a magnetic backing, so simply stick in to the front of your refrigerator and you are golden. No more worries about cook times for random food types!! Of course, with so many air fryers out there on the market, it is impossible to make one chart to fit all. However, at least this will give you a good starting point, rather than simply guess work!

8. A good air fryer cookbook!

Yes, air fryers are new and they don’t always cook in the same way as other commonly used kitchen appliances. This is why I would recommend a good air fryer related cookbook to add to your bedtime reading!

If you click the image below, you will be taken to my roundup of my most used air fryer cookbooks!

Don’t worry, these are all cookbooks I actually own and have used! Not some random collection dreamed up by browsing Amazon!!

By having a high quality air fryer cookbook, you will feel inspired to cook more in it and to cook a wider variety of food. We all need inspiration in our lives right!! In my air fryer journey, there was a certain cookbook that really opened my eyes to the possibility of baking cakes and such like in my air fryer!

9. Cover up!!

This may seem like a strange accessory at first, but you would be surprised! I am the kind of Air Fryer Bro that likes a tidy and organized kitchen (if only my wife thought in the same way!!). This is what led me to the idea of a tea cosy for your air fryer. For those of you that are not English, a tea cosy is basically a cover for your teapot, to keep the tea warm.

As you can see from the picture above, this is a similar thing for an air fryer. Well, actually this one is designed for the instant pot pressure cookers that are all the rage now! But, these dimensions would work great for a lot of the traditional air fryers out there. So (again) grab your tape and get measuring, you should be able to find one to fit your air fryer well. Of course, it would be harder if you have an oven style air fryer!

Is it only me that thinks it looks much cleaner in your kitchen like this? Also, because I have to store my air fryer in my cupboard sometimes, this would help to keep off the dust and such like.

10. Get your bake on!

After I got my grubby hands on this baking based cookbook a while back, namely “Air Fryer Delights“, it has opened my eyes to the possibilities of baking in an air fryer. Something I had honestly not considered before. But, in order to bake, you will need some baking accessories that fit into your air fryer well. This is what I have found.

You would be surprised how well you can cook cakes in an air fryer, as long as you have a good recipe. As you can see, it is easy these days to get cake barrels in all shapes and sizes, so getting one to fit your air fryer will be a breeze.

Cupcakes are all the rage these days, with fancy cupcake shops popping up all over the place. As you might expect, you can also make cupcakes in an air fryer.

I like to go for the flexible silicone style cups, as they are easy to clean and simple to pop out the finished product. Any of these could be positioned inside your air fryers basket, or for me on top of my grill pan.

So, if you have a sweet tooth, you have no excuse. I love it, because I am not able to have any type of conventional oven in my kitchen, as it is so small. Therefore, having an air fryer has opened me up to a new world of baking. Granted, I am still pretty bad at it, but at least I can do it if I want!

11. Get your pizza on!

I know that from a marketing point of view it would have been great to stop at 10 accessories and then I could call this the “top 10 best ever super air fryer accessories” ha ha! As you know, Air Fryer Bro is here to give real advice, not just be a marketing genius!

So number 11 better be good, right!! Well, I have to say that I was quite surprised to see how well I could cook pizza inside my air fryer. As long as you have a good pizza pan, you will be golden (literally). In fact a good pizza pan can be any air fryer safe pan that has holes in it to let the bottom of your pizza get crispy. But with enough structure to hold your pizza in place!

If you are happy with making mini pizzas, the above pizza pans are perfect for your air fryer. And they have holes in the bottom, so no more soggy pizza bases for you!

We are all out of accessories!!

Thank you for reading our roundup of our favorite air fryer accessories. A good set of accessories will help you to get the most out of your air fryer.

It is worth noting that any of your current oven ware should work fine with an air fryer, as long as it is rated to withstand temperatures up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. The problem is finding cook ware that fits well in to your air fryer.

That’s the great thing with air fryer specific accessories, they will be designed to maximize every large centimeter of your air fryer’s interior space!

A great thing about Amazon, is they are starting to put together some great sets of air fryer specific accessories. Usually, these accessory sets cost around $30, and would prove to be a great introduction to air fryer accessories for a lot of people. And, of course, by buying a set you will also save money when compared to buying each one individually! An example of such a set is below:

As always, just be sure to buy a set that fits the dimensions of your specific air fryer model. Luckily, a lot of these accessory packs will list the air fryers they are compatible with in the product description. If you are unsure, then break out your measuring tape!

If there are air fryer accessories that you use, we would love to hear all about it in the comments section below! You never know, your ideas may feature in future updates of this article.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, I can easily see what other questions people are asking regarding air fryer accessories. So I will attempt to answer the main ones here.

Can you use a glass dish or bowl in an air fryer?

Generally speaking, any item that will fit inside your air fryer and is oven safe to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, should be fine. If you want more details, I have a full article HERE.

Can you use foil in an Air fryer?

Yes, foil works fine in an air fryer, but you should be aware of two things. Don’t block the air fryer’s air flow by covering the grill pan or basket of your air fryer completely. If there is no air flow, or if the air flow is badly compromised, your food won’t cook well. Also, be careful it doesn’t fly around your air fryer and get jammed into the heating element. This could be dangerous or at the very least break your air fryer!