Best size air fryer for family of 4

They make cooking crispy, deep-fried-like food quick, easy, delicious, and without using a ton of fats or oils. Like the Instant Pot before them, these kitchen appliances are making dinner time a breeze. 

If you’re cooking for a family of four there are certain things you will want to look for in your air fryer to make sure that you have everything you need to cook delicious meals for everyone. 

What makes the best air fryer for a family of four? The best air fryers for a family of four should not only be large enough to feed your family. It should also have helpful preset cooking options, good air flow, and a shake food reminder. Ideally it should be easy to clean with dishwasher-safe parts.

There are a couple different styles of air fryer to choose from depending on your preference. You can go with a basket air fryer or one of the air fryers with different racks and trays that you can insert. 

I find the basket doesn’t cook some foods quite as evenly, but is still a great option, so I’ve included a few of both styles on my list. The fryers that are oven style may be the best choice for feeding a larger family.

So let’s look at air fryers in more detail. Read on to learn more about the best air fryers for a family of four!

How To Choose The Best Air Fryer For A Family Of 4 

When it comes to choosing the best air fryers for cooking for your family of four, there are a few things you will want to be on the lookout for to make sure it’s meeting all of your needs.

Here are some things to consider to help you pick the perfect air fryer so you can start frying like a pro.

What Will Use Your Air Fryer For?

Some air fryers might be better at cooking different foods than others.

My mother actually has two air fryers. She thinks one is better for making crispy potatoes and veggies, while the other one is better for reheating leftovers and cooking chicken and seafood. 

Figuring out what you’re looking for in an air fryer will help you decide whether or not it’s the right fit for you.

I find the basket air fryers are better for veggies and such while the air fryers that have racks and trays are better for reheating leftovers and cooking meat and seafood. 

You can also get some air fryers that have a rotisserie attachment and even a dehydrator function. So if you want to make your air fryer your three-in-one, go-to appliance, look for one with all the extras. 

I personally have one with these functions and use it 2-3 times a day for various functions, from dehydrating kale chips to cooking a rotisserie chicken or roasting up delicious veggies. 

Is It Big Enough To Feed The Family?

If you’re feeding a family of four, or more, then you will want to make sure that the air fryer is actually big enough to cook dinner for four at once!

You’ll likely want to get an air fryer that has at least 5 quarts of space to make sure you have enough room to cook all your delicious food in one go. 

You can also look for air fryers that can accommodate a whole roasted chicken or something of a similar size. You may not always be able to cook a whole dinner in an air fryer, but you should be able to cook the biggest, slowest item at least.

Air fryers come in many sizes, and we always suggest going bigger than you think you actually need. 

It’s easy enough to just not fill your air fryer all the way and, in fact, this might make your food cook quicker.

But it’s very annoying to have to make your dinner in batches while your family sits around waiting and the first batches get cold as you cook the next one. 

We also have a full guide to choosing air fryers by size, in case you need more help finding the best one for you.

Look For One-Touch Preset Buttons

Sometimes learning how to program and use a new kitchen appliance can prevent us from ever taking it out of the box, keeping it in a closet until it eventually makes its way to a yard sale or donation bin. 

Having preset buttons for things like fries, fish, meat, vegetables, etc. makes using your air fryer as easy as can be.

Many high-quality air fryers will have an LED screen with a selection of one-touch preset buttons so you can choose the one that works for whatever it is you’re cooking.

I do always recommend giving the manual or cooking guide a quick read before you use it, just to be safe.

Some models do have a preheating time and beep to get you to flip and turn your food. Usually there’s a quick reference page that you can skim before using the one-touch buttons.

How Good Is The Air Flow?

Air fryers use hot air, much like a convection oven, to create that delicious crispy fried texture that we love, without the use of tons of oil.

To make sure that your food crisps up as much as possible, you will want to look for models that have air vents, fans, or other air circulation methods. 

Look For A “Food Shake” Reminder Function

When you’re busy getting dinner ready for the family, it can be easy to get distracted and forget to shake the food in your fryer basket. Look for models that beep to tell you when it’s time to add, shake, or remove your food. 

Having this little beep will help you. You don’t want to forget about your air fryer and burn the contents or overcook them on one side, while the other is still soft and under cooked!

There are also some models that don’t require you to flip and shake your food. That includes the models that have trays as opposed to baskets. In that case, all you need is the timer on the model to tell you when your food is ready to eat. 

Most models will give you exact times for different items. So you don’t have to hover over the air fryer watching the food to make sure it’s cooking properly. 

Look For A Drips & Crumbs Catcher Insert

Keeping your air fryer clean and free of debris can make sure you food cooks evenly and tastes great every single time. It also prevents the crumbs from burning and smoking as you keep cooking them. 

To keep your food fresh and delicious tasting and your air fryer clean as can be, you will want to make sure that your air fryer comes with a removable insert that you can take out for quick and easy cleaning.

This insert will catch all those drips and crumbs for you, making it easier to clean your air fryer. Bonus points if the insert is dishwasher safe. 

Are The Parts Dishwasher-Safe?

When you have a family you’re trying to feed, cleanup is the last thing you want to do after cooking a big meal!

But finding an air fryer model that has dishwasher-safe baskets, inserts, and components, will make clean-up a breeze. 

You won’t be putting the whole air fryer into the dishwasher since it is an appliance. But if you can put the fryer basket, trays, or inserts into the dishwasher it will cut down on cleaning time.

Give the outside of your air fryer a quick wipe down once in a while and you’ll be ready to relax after dinner. 

Best Air Fryers For A Family Of 4

Now that you know what to look for in terms of the best air fryers for a family of four, you can take a look at the brands below to find the one that best fits your needs and budget.

Remember the basics when scoping out these choices: make sure it’s large enough for your family, able to cook your favorite things, and easy for you to use.

1. Kalorik 26 QT Digital Maxx Air Fryer

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This air fryer really is the Cadillac of all the models on this list. Not only does it look absolutely stunning, but it has all the little extras you could ever need in an air fryer.

It is one of the mini convection oven style of air fryers, which means it can air fry, dehydrate, and cook rotisserie-style.

To make cooking a breeze, it includes an air frying basket, air rack, bacon tray, baking pan, crumb tray, rack handle, rotisserie handle, rotisserie spit, and steak tray.

It also includes a cookbook with 40 recipes and 21 presets you can use for quick and easy cooking.

It reaches temperatures of 500°F so you can have dinner on the table in a flash.

To do this, it uses highly efficient Turbo MAXX airflow system produces air temperatures up to 500°F to cook food faster than other leading air fryer ovens and up to 50% faster than standard conventional ovens.

The MAXX’s extra-large, 26-quart cavity can roast a whole chicken, bake a 12” pizza, or toast 9 slices of bread with room to spare, which is perfect for preparing breakfast, lunch, or dinner for the whole family. 

That’s big, in case you couldn’t tell!

Though it is a bit of an investment, you really are getting a lot of value for your dollar. Based on how often I use my air fryer, which is a similar model, you will get your money’s worth in no time. 

2. Instant Vortex Pro 9-in-1 Air Fryer Oven 

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The only other kitchen appliance I use nearly as often as my air fryer is my Instant Pot. This air fryer from the Instant Pot brand meets the same high standards and efficiency.

It is a multi-purpose air fryer, so you can use it for tons of applications in the kitchen.

To make cooking simple it comes with 9 built-in smart programs such as air fry, roast, broil, bake, toast, reheat, proof, dehydrate and rotisserie, all in one easy-to-use appliance.

It circulates super-hot air around your food so it cooks evenly and locks in moisture for a deliciously crispy texture.

It comes with a drip pan, cooking trays, rotisserie basket, rotisserie spit and forks, all of which are dishwasher-safe. So you can throw them in the washer to clean as soon as you’re done cooking!

This model also doesn’t require any preheating time, which means you can get your meals on the table sooner. So there’s more time to eat and enjoy your family’s company around the dinner table. 

The Instant brand also sells a great air fryer with a 6-quart basket option that makes enough for 6 portions, enough for family of four. For context, it can fit a 4-pound chicken or 2 pounds of french fries.

But if you have really big eaters in the family, then you may want to go for one of the larger models, just to be on the safe side. 

It has 6 smart programs for things such as reheating, baking, dehydrating, air frying, roasting, and broiling. The basket is non-stick, which makes cleaning up easy as can be. And you can adjust the temperature easily. 

If you want this air fry in a basket design as opposed to the trays with the rotisserie, you can check it out here!

3. WowChef Air Fryer Oven Combo

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Next on the list is another great air fryer oven. We put so many of them on the list because their size makes them really useful for family cooking.

You can generally fit so much inside of them that you won’t have to worry about cooking things in batches when you’re trying to feed everyone at once. 

Like the previous two air fryers on the list, this one includes an air fry, rotisserie, dehydrate, and baking function. It doesn’t have quite as many presets (only 10) as the Instant or Kalorik brands. But it is a solid contender for one of the top spots. 

This air fryer has a 20-quart capacity and 1800 Watt working power. This allows this convection air fryer to cook more food, faster at once.

It can easily make enough food for 7-9 servings including a 5-pound chicken, 10-inch pizza, or a maximum three layers of food on the baking trays. 

To cook your food crispy on the outside and moist in the center, this air fryer uses a large fan and top heating element working together to circulate the hot air from top to bottom.

The air fryer oven comes with stainless steel attachments, which are durable to use and easy to clean with dishwasher.

It includes three baking trays, a drip catcher, a rotisserie fork, three rotisserie skewers, a frying cage, a mesh basket, and a fetch rack to remove the attachments without burning.

4. WQQ Air Fryer Oven

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The awesome air fryer from WQQ does it all.

It functions as a rotisserie oven, microwave oven, toaster, dehydrator, hot air oven and electric griddle in one convenient appliance.

Up to five layers of grills can be placed in the oven when it is in dehydrator mode.

It comes in a 20-quart capacity, super large size that is ideal for the extended family, or a big party. You definitely won’t run out of room with this one!

It comes with 10 preset cooking programs including french fries, meat, fish, shrimp, pizza, chicken legs, cakes, roast chicken, dehydrate, and reheat.

This 1800 Watt air fryer heats up the air quickly, forming a 360° circulating heat flow to achieve even, fast heating of all your food. 

All nine of the attachments and tools are made from stainless steel and are dishwasher safe.

It comes with a rotisserie basket, a rotisserie fork, two air flow racks, one mesh basket, one drip tray, one toast rack (the only one to include this feature), gloves, and a rotisserie fetch tool. 

5. Whall 13QT Air Fryer

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This air fryer oven is a littler smaller than some of the other choices.

But that doesn’t mean it isn’t a good model! It just means this little air fryer might not fit quite as much food as some other brands. Still, it’s bigger than the Instant Vortex air fryer, and it’s a great fryer overall.

The Whall fryer can still hold almost three pounds of french fries and a 3-4 pound whole chicken. So family meals should still be a breeze.

It comes with two crisper trays, a drip tray, a round basket, a rotisserie fork, two skewer racks, eight skewers, a rotisserie fetch tool, a protective glove, and a cookbook so you will be well-prepared to cook anything your heart desires.

All the stainless steel attachments are dishwasher safe.

It also includes nine preset cooking functions and three assist functions to make cooking your favorite foods quick and easy.

6. COSORI Smart WiFi Air Fryer

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In first place for basket-style air fryers is the Cosori Smart Air Fryer. It has a large 5.8 quart basket, which can hold a 6 pound rotisserie chicken or make enough food for 3–5 people.

It is also dishwasher safe and easy to clean. 

This air fryer is Alexa and Google Assistant-enabled. You can remotely control your fryer through the VeSync app or voice commands with Alexa or Google Assistant.

There are over 100 original pre-programmed recipes in the VeSync app to get you started. New recipes are added every week.

It comes with 11 built-in, one-touch presets, including steak, poultry, seafood, French fries, vegetables, desserts, and more. You can click a preset or pick a recipe in the app and the settings will automatically adjust for you!

If you don’t need your air fryer to be a smart appliance that you can set from your phone, they offer a model that has virtually all the same functions and qualities, aside from the WiFi capabilities.

It has 5.8 quarts of cooking space with multiple preset cooking functions. Plus, it’s dishwasher-safe, and made with safe materials for handling food.

7. NuWave Brio 6-Quart Air Fryer

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Taking the second spot of our basket air fryers is the NuWave Brio, which is the perfect size for cooking 2 pounds of fries or a 3.5-pound chicken, making it the perfect choice for small families.

It also includes a basket divider so you can cook more than one type of food at once. 

The NuWave Brio’s unique cooking chamber ensures that the super-heated air generated by the Brio circulates around your food, cooking it from all sides at the same time.

It even checks the temperature 120 times per minute to make sure it is always cooking at the optimal heat. That’s pretty fancy.

To make it even easier to use, this model features reheat and preheat buttons as well as a menu of 6 popular dishes that have been pre-programmed into the unit for added convenience.

The non-stick basket is also dishwasher-safe to make cleaning a breeze.

8. Whousewe Air Fryer XL

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The 5.8-quart basket of this fryer cooks enough food to feed two to seven people depending on their appetite.

The Whousewe air fryer cooks by 360°circulating hot air for an even crisp and tender center, no matter what you cook. 

It comes with 8 preset menus with precise time settings and temperature control for easy cooking.

The fryer basket and drip tray are both dishwasher safe. And don’t worry. There’s an alarm to let you know when it’s time to shake your food or take it out of the basket.

9. KITCHER 6.8QT Air Fryer

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The Kitcher Air Fryer is another great choice to feed your family. It has a large 6.8-quart basket and uses 360° high-speed hot air circulation technology for a crispy cook every time.

The Kitcher air fryer can hold a 3.3-pound whole chicken, a 9-inch pizza, or 16 average sized chicken wings.

It comes with 8 preset functions and an easy-to-use LED screen so you can manually set your cook time.

The cooking basket is non-stick and dishwasher safe. It comes with an automatic shut-off function. That means this air fryer will turn off automatically if it begins to overheat, keeping your kitchen safe. 

Last, but certainly not least, this air fryer is a great choice if you’re looking for a basket-style model.  

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