Welcome back to Air Fryer Bro. Today we are looking at our top small and mini capacity air fryers that are on the market right now. I can remember when air fryers were first out, we only had a handful of models to choose from. Now that the popularity of air fryers has taken off, we are spoiled for choice! This means that the selection of small and mini air fryers is greater than ever!
Why would you need a small or mini air fryer?
Some people may not have a lot of storage and/or counter space in their kitchen’s for a full size air fryer. Others may be thinking of using an air fryer when they go camping or traveling (although be aware that air fryers use a lot of power!). Finally, you may just be cooking for one, or only use an air fryer for small batches and not require much space in your air fryer 🙂
Although, be aware that the mini air fryers shown here really do have an incredibly small cooking area. Unless you have a valid reason not to, I would always recommend sizing up a little if you can. For example, I have an air fryer at home that is around 3.5 quarts in size. Even when I am just cooking for myself I can sometimes struggle to fit everything in 🙂
If you are still not sure, we do have a full article discussing the different air fryer sizes.
Throughout this article, simply click the product image to be taken over to Amazon to view the latest pricing and details.
Let’s start with the mini or micro air fryers….
Our Top Mini Capacity Air Fryers
These are the smallest of the small mini/micro air fryers. I want to double down on what I said above, unless you have a specific use case that requires such a small air fryer, I wouldn’t recommend most people to buy something this tiny 🙂
I would also like to say that quality is unfortunately a major issue with air fryers, usually meaning that the non stick coating of the air fryer will start to flake off. As there are only a handful of mini air fryers, even the top one here is not what I would call top notch quality wise. If you buy any of these, you should treat the non-stick coating with kid gloves 🙂
Black and Decker Purify 2 Liter Air fryer
When going for such a small air fryer, I am looking for something simple and least likely to break. This Black and Decker air fryer fits the bill perfectly, opting for rotary dials over a digital display.
Air fryers are all about pushing hot air around your food to cook it, and Black and Decker boast that this model has two fans to get the best results.
All in all, this is a top quality air fryer from a well known brand, that does well to pack a level of power similar to a full size air fryer into a much smaller package. It has all the qualities that we would expect from a good air fryer, including being easy to clean.
This model also has a full 60 minute timer, something you don’t always see on these mini/ micro air fryers.
Dash 1.2 Quart Compact Air Fryer
This Dash air fryer really is a cute little thing! At 1.2 quart, I think it is almost the smallest air fryer I have ever seen! Just be aware of what you are getting yourself into here, we are literally in 6 chicken wing territory here 🙂
At 1000 watts, this is about the most portable air fryer you are ever going to find. The non-stick coating on this air fryer is not known for being strong, so treat it with extreme care! Clean with hot soapy water and absolutely no scrubbing here!!
Also, this model only has a 30 minute timer. It should be more than enough for most applications, but it might have been nice to have more flexibility here.
Maximatic Elite Gourmet 1 Quart Air Fryer
This really is the smallest (and cheapest) air fryer I have ever seen, at a tiny 1 quart! At 700 watts it is also one of the least power hungry. Just be aware that you may even struggle to cook for one person in some situations!! This one also only has a 30 minute timer.
Only buy this Maximatic air fryer if you really need super small size or low power 🙂
Chefman Turbofry 2 Quart Air Fryer
It’s a shame that this Chefman air fryer has such a cheap and plasticky (is that even a word) design, as underneath lurks a solid product. Although again, this model only has a 30 minute cook timer.
As with most of the models in this category, the quality here is not the best. The non-stick coating is prone to failure and a decent amount of users report a strong plastic smell. I do have an article HERE giving you tips on how to get rid of such smells, if you are interested.
Other than that, it seems to be a strong performer as far as mini air fryers go!
PowerXL Air Fryer Vortex – 2 Quart Version
This PowerXL Vortex is by the best looking air fryer in this category, if that is important to you! It is also the only one with a fully digital display. The downside is that it makes this slightly more power hungry than the competition. The upside is you get some cooking presets, something not usually available on rotary dial models (especially when this tiny!).
I will just say here that I have not always been a fan of the PowerXL brands quality standards on the whole. But you don’t have as much choice at this size!
Our Top Small Air Fryers
This is the size that would be the minimum for most regular people, being able to sometimes cook for 2 people at a slight squeeze 🙂 We also start to get more choice here.
These are the small air fryers that we like….
Philips Viva Air Fryer 3 Quart
Maybe I am a bit biased, as I have owned a Philips air fryer for many years. I just find it to be one of the best among air fryer brands in terms of quality. Will the non-stick coating still flake off if you don’t look after it? Of course! But this is one of the more resilient examples you will find on an air fryer.
With Philips, it really is a matter of you get what you pay for. Yes, this Viva model may be one of the more expensive here, but for me it is totally worth it. I have had my Philips air fryer around 5 years and its still going strong.
The only slight downsides for me are the 30 minute timer (on an almost full size air fryer) and the slightly higher noise it makes.
Amazon Basics 3.2 Quart Air Fryer
Amazon aren’t satisfied just supplying other people’s products around the country, they now want to offer their own range of products too. As you can see here, they have even gone as far as entering the air fryer market.
This Amazon air fryer is one of the biggest air fryers here at 3.2 quart, but (barring the Philips) is one of the most expensive.
I like the simple but effective design here, it will look good in any kitchen. It also comes with a digital display and 7 cooking presets, something you don’t see often in this size bracket.
There is a manual version with knobs, but personally I wouldn’t go with it. The knobs look ugly and highly likely to break (in my humble opinion). If you want a dial style, choose another!
Bella 2.6 Quart Air Fryer
At 2.6 quarts, this Bella air fryer fits nicely between the mini and small sizes we have here. Although this is a fairly small and unknown air fryer brand, it does seem to review well on Amazon (with over 1700 ratings). And guess what? It has a full 60 minute timer! Yay! I also really like the simple design and form factor on offer here.
Just be aware that this is from a small and relatively unknown manufacturer, so its hard to vouch for quality.
Dash Tasti Crisp 2.6 Quart Air Fryer
Dash are all about their small and mini air fryers, having two models in this article. Dash often go for a very unique almost retro style too, which I am sure a lot will like.
Other than the slightly annoying 30 minute timer that is all too common at this size, this Dash Tasti Crisp model is a solid and decent quality air fryer offering!
Imarku 2.6 Quart Air Fryer
This Imarku air fryer has a really distinctive design, I don’t even know how to describe it. It will certainly be a striking feature in most kitchens!
Even though this is from another fairly unknown brand, it again does review very well on Amazon with over 45 users submitting reviews. And these reviews don’t really mention quality issues, which is good to see from an air fryer.
The weird choice here is to have ‘constant temperature cooking’. This means you have no way to change the temperature, which will be a deal breaker for some. If you want to cook a wide variety of different dishes, this may not be the air fryer for you.
