The eternal question — What’s for dinner? — is a much more complex one when you’re feeding a family of five or more. So anything that makes cooking easier is a win, and though initially air fryers initially appeared on countertops in more compact versions, air fryers are now roomier than ever. The best air fryers for large families have enough capacity to feed your entire crew — cooking delicious food quickly and conveniently.
What To Consider When Shopping For The Best Air Fryer For Large Families
When you have many hungry (or hangry) mouths to feed, you know that time is of the essence. Here are some features to look for in a large-capacity air fryer to ensure you’re maximizing efficiency:
- Size: In general, the best-sized air fryer for a family of five should be at least 7 to 8 quarts, though a 6-quart air fryer does fit a whole chicken, and it can be a great option for lighter eaters. If there are extra hungry people in your family (think teenagers) or if you want to cook multiple dishes at once, a 10- to 15-quart air fryer might better suit your cooking needs. As a rule of thumb, having more room is better than too little and can save you the hassle and money of having to upgrade down the line.
- Trays or baskets: While bigger is sometimes better, there’s more to consider when choosing the right family-size air fryer to fit your needs. In addition to size, think about how your family eats. Do you tend to eat one-dish meals, like generously topped pizzas and casseroles, or do you lean into a main protein and a couple of side dishes? Air fryers with multiple trays and racks are ideal for cooking several different foods at once while baskets tend to offer a deeper space for cooking something like a whole chicken.
- Features: A good air fryer is an investment, and those that serve more than one function can save you money — and counter space as well. If a multifunction air fryer sounds like a good fit for your family, look for options with multiple presets. Some air fryers can also rotisserie, broil, toast, and even dehydrate food.
Now, let’s get to the best air fryers for your large family. Specs, including capacity, dimensions, and temperature range will all come in handy when choosing the right air fryer, and we’ve made it easy by noting this info for each pick below.
In a hurry? Here are the top picks for the best air fryers for large families.
1. This Cult-Fave Air Fryer With 2 Baskets: Ninja Foodi XL 2-Basket Air Fryer
2. This Extra-Large Air Fryer That Fits 2 Pizzas: Oster French Door Air Fry Oven
3. This Budget-Friendly Air Fryer For Large Families: Chefman Multifunctional Air Fryer+
1. This Cult-Fave Air Fryer With 2 Baskets
The Ninja Foodi XL Air Fryer doesn’t just have two baskets, it has two independent baskets. That means you can cook at two different temps and two different cook times — simultaneously. Or you can take advantage of the amazing “match cook” feature that will cook the contents of each basket to perfection and ensure they’ll finish at the same time. Each basket is designed to hold up to 5 quarts of food (that can hold a 6-pound chicken in each or a total of 8 pounds of wings!). And this large air fryer maintain a near-perfect overall rating on Amazon after a whopping 17,000 reviews. It comes with six custom functions that include: air broil, air fry, reheat, dehydrate, roast, and bake. Reviewers say it’s quiet, too.
Helpful Review: “I have a smaller air fryer which has been nice but not when you are trying to make larger family meals. The option of having two sides is fantastic. Not only am I able to make larger portions but can also do various sides.”
Capacity: 10 Quarts | Dimensions: 13.9 x 17.1 x 12.8 inches (L x W x H) | Temperature Range: 105 – 450 degrees Fahrenheit | Presets: 6
2. This Extra-Large Air Fryer That Fits 2 Pizzas
If the elegant French doors aren’t enough to sell you, this air fryer can cook up to two 16-inch pizzas at a time thanks to its double racks and spacious interior. It even has a pizza preset so you can set it and forget it. Of course, the best air fryers for large families need to be able to cook more than just pizza. This one has 10 presets, including settings to bake dehydrate, and slow cook, and it can even accommodate up to a 12-by-15-inch baking pan for those family-friendly casseroles. It’s designed to heat up quickly and with three available rack positions, you have plenty of versatility in terms of what you cook up. Plus, this pick comes with an air fry rack, broil rack, baking pan, and crumb tray.
Helpful Review: “I am very pleased with this purchase. I have looked at many of these over the course of the last several months and decided to go with this one after much deliberation. I love the French doors, and the many different ways to use this…it is fairly large, but we have a large family and I felt something smaller would be frustrating to use. I have used the toaster, the air frying and the baking features thus far. I would highly recommend this.”
Capacity: 37 Quarts | Dimensions: 20.71 x 24.61 x 17.01 inches (L x W x H) | Temperature Range: Warm – 450 degrees Fahrenheit | Presets: 10
3. This Versatile Air Fryer With 100 Presets
Extra large is an accurate description of this air fryer that can cook practically anything. In fact, it boasts a whopping 100 presets that include air fry, bake, broil, roast, dehydrate, defrost, and even a grill mode. The ultra-nonstick grill pan is reversible so you can achieve Instagram-worthy grill marks every time or whip up diner-style hamburgers while your sides cook on the two stainless steel mesh racks or stainless steel mesh tray. This pick also comes with a rotisserie skewer, stainless steel rotisserie basket, and non-stick drip tray. For just over $150, this air fryer offers a lot of bang for your buck (just take a look at the 4,000+ perfect five-star ratings).
Helpful Review: “So far, we love it! We replaced a smaller, basket-style fryer that took one too many falls off the counter. This one gives us 3-4 times the capacity to feed the family in one cooking session.Love it for bacon (9mins), reheating anything (so much better than microwave), making frozen chicken, fries, bacon wrapped jalapeños, grilled cheese, etc.”
Capacity: 15.5 Quarts | Dimensions: 13 x 15.4 x 16.9 inches (L x W x H) | Temperature Range: 50 – 425 degrees Fahrenheit | Presets: 100
4. This Easy-To-Use Stainless Steel Air Fryer With Great Accessories
This is the best stainless steel air fryer, offering plenty of space, versatility, and functionality. Its settings include air fryer, convection bake, bake, convection broil, and broil; it can toast up to six slices of bread at a time, air fry up to 3 pounds of chicken wings, and even cook a 12-inch pizza or small 4-pound whole chicken. This winner from Cuisinart comes with an oven rack, baking pan, air frying basket, and grill pan. Choose it in the all-steel look or a black or white version.
Helpful Review: “I’ve looked at all the air fryers. This one is biggest without a bunch of digital electronics, think VW of air fryers. I can make a pizza, roast a chicken, toast my bread, bake lasagna, make cookies, make crispy French fries minus the grease!!, etc. This is easy to use for all family members. I like that there isn’t anything digital. Digital electronics seem to break often on things that heat up. I have a large family and this air fryer has been a perfect fit for us.”
Capacity: 17.9 Quarts | Dimensions: 12.25 x 15.75 x 13.75 inches (L x W x H) | Temperature Range: Warm – 450 degrees Fahrenheit | Presets: 8
5. This Compact, Budget-Friendly Air Fryer
Here’s a great air fryer for large families on a budget. Although it holds a good amount, it doesn’t have a huge footprint and is a space saver thanks to its tall design. With 17 touchscreen presets, including dehydrate and rotisserie, this air fryer is a one-stop shop for big families. It comes with three mesh racks, stainless steel rotisserie oven spit and forks, stainless steel rotating basket and retrieval tool, and a drip tray. The manufacturer advises you can cook a 3.5-pound whole chicken in here.
Helpful Review: “This is my first air fryer, and I compared many different ones before selecting this one. What made me choose it are the fact that the trays are made of stainless steel, which is healthier than the non-stick material in some of the other ones. Also, the fact that you can put in multiple trays, so it has a larger capacity than some other air fryers. I also liked the fact that it doesn’t take up that big a footprint on my counter, though it is tall.”
Capacity: 10.5 quarts | Dimensions: 11.81 x 12.2 x 14.56 inches (L x W x H) | Temperature Range: Warm – 400 degrees Fahrenheit | Presets: 17
6. This Beginner-Friendly Basket Air Fryer
Here’s a smaller option for trying out an air fryer without committing too much money or counter space. Still, at 6 quarts, this one offers enough cooking space to feed your family, and it comes with a cookbook featuring 75 recipes to get you started. You’ll also appreciate the dishwasher-safe basket, eight presets for cooking, and digital display.
Helpful Review: “This is our first air fryer. Pretty happy with our choice, we’ve made mozzarella sticks, chicken tenders, fries, and mini corn dogs since it was delivered. Cooks everything very quickly, learning the correct cooking times is new for us. Operating the device and learning the controls are very easy. Everything we pulled out has been perfectly crispy. We love it!”
Capacity: 6 Quarts | Dimensions: 12.5 x 15 x 15 inches (L x W x H) | Temperature Range: 200 – 400 degrees Fahrenheit | Presets: 8
