Find out if it’s time to join the hype for the best small air fryer in the UK

Cook a whole roast chicken in the Instant Vortex Plus 6-in-1 Air Fryer. Just like an oven, there's a window to watch your food cooking and its generous capacity can serve up to four people. Emily from Yours tested this air fryer. What stands out with this model is the OdourErase air filter (that limits food smells), its clear window and its Quiet Mark award.

Emily was new to air fryers but found this a doddle to use. In particular, she thought the ClearCook window was super useful for monitoring food as it cooks. Also, it was so easy to clean as the cooking tray and basket can go in the dishwasher. Although there are cheaper air fryers on the market, this Vortex Plus has more functions and features that makes it worth the money. We also tested the previous Instant Vortex Plus 6-in-1 Air Fryer, which is cheaper but it doesn't have the OdourErase filter.

Read Emily's full Vortex Plus 6-in-1 Air Fryer with ClearCook & OdourErase review

With simple-to-use dial controls that have clear numbers and icons, this Salter air fryer is a great option for someone who finds it easier to use manual controls. It's a great value-for-money appliance at less than £40. A larger version is available for family-size meals. Some customers have used this two-litre model in their campervan, and it's ample for one or two people. Cook from frozen, but do bear in mind that this air fryer has a five-minute preheating phase, which some newer models have done away with.

The adjustable timer and temperature settings range between 80 and 200°C for up to 30 minutes at a time, it's also super easy to use. Customers say it's ideal if you want an easy-to-use appliance that cooks for one or two people. Additionally, customers have purchased it for elderly relatives who find the controls much easier to see and use than digital models.

With a capacity of 3.8 litres, 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. Use it for crispy bacon, sausages and even hard-boiled eggs. What did our tester think?

Irene has had her Ninja for more than a year now – and uses it weekly. From snacks to evening meals, Irene says it's “more economical than using [the] main oven”, which seems to be a huge plus. Not only does it cook small quantities well, but it saves time and has good results, with little oil. For those looking for a healthier alternative to deep frying, consider an air fryer.

However, Irene does mention that the fan can be a little noisy. So, it may not be the best for open-plan living. Our tester suggests not to overcrowd the air fryer when cooking chips and roasties. For perfectly cooked tatties, you can part-boil, spray with oil and give the basket a little shake halfway through cooking. We just know that this will ensure evenly-cooked results.

She adds that it’s great for couples – as you can cook small, from chips to sausages to fish. As for value for money and build quality, Irene gives it full marks. She loves the very neat design which doesn’t take up too much space and it seems durable. Performance, too, is praised – from the simple instructions to the recipe book to cooking time to easy cleaning.

This air fryer met our tester's expectations and finds it a perfect single-drawer appliance for two.

Ideal for one person, this Russell Hobbs SatisFry Small Air Fryer has a choice of seven cooking functions. You can cook chips, fish, chicken and steak to perfection as well as bake sweet and savoury treats. With a 1.8-litre capacity, it is one of the smallest on our list but it can still hold 700g of chips, which is more than enough for individual meals and side dishes.

Customers love that it's small, easy to use and cooks fast. One comments that it's a little bigger than a large kettle, as it's a neater alternative to a microwave. To preserve the lifespan of the non-stick coating, use air fryer liners; this makes it easier to clean too.

Emily from Yours reviewed this air fryer and was impressed with how quickly it heated up. She used it for reheating sausage rolls, baking cookies, hard "boiling" eggs, roasting chicken and roast potatoes. She says this is a less bulky air fryer than others, but it can still accommodate a small chicken.

Read our full Russell Hobbs SatisFry Air Fryer review

Instant's 3.8L Air Fryer is a marvel. Fast, versatile and manual for ease of use, it's a special appliance. We were lucky enough to try out this stylish appliance. See what our tester thought below...

Jackie Cairns bought her Instant Air Fryer around 6 months ago and now uses it weekly, for all meals. Her main reason for using an air fryer is that it's cost-efficient and quicker for single households. Whether to bake frozen croissants and pain au chocolat for breakfast, toasted sandwiches for lunch and a whole host of goodies for her evening meals, it's a versatile pick.

Her Instant Air Fryer's quick and energy-efficient cooking of food is her favourite aspect of this gadget. Yes - an air fryer means you don't have to waste money on running the oven and get great results. Not only that, salmon, in particular, retains its moisture but has a gorgeous crisp. Sounds heavenly. She adds that it's "very easy to clean after use" - and I wish she'd bought it sooner.

So far, there hasn't been anything to dislike, says Jackie. As she's mostly cooking for one, it's perfect for a salmon fillet and some potatoes (which come out lovely and crispy) or even garlic bread, which cooks in five minutes. Super efficient, with no hassle of the oven or grill. Washing takes seconds, too.

Not only was it a budget-friendly option, but it also had good reviews and lots of buzz around it. On her kitchen worktop, it's compact and doesn't take up too much space with its sleek design. Functionality, too, is smart - with a simple temperature dial and timer for flexibility and accessibility.

Jackie says she "generally [takes] five minutes off the oven cooking time" - and, as it doesn’t need much time to preheat, cooking is super quick and quiet, too. Some wise advice from Jackie: "I usually open the drawer towards the end of cooking time to make sure not overcooked". Though Jackie is not known to eat fried food, she was convinced to purchase it by a friend, after a thorough research.

She adds: "I’m pleased with it and tend to buy foods that I can cook in it. It’s more energy efficient as I’ve looked at my energy meter when using it. It’s simple to clean and a good size for what I need."

Another air fryer with manual controls, this Tower Vortx Manual Air Fryer has a simple timer and temperature dials. It's ideal for reheating pastries in minutes or for cooking chicken by turning the timer up to 30 minutes. In just 15 minutes, you can have deliciously crispy golden chips. 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.

Customers really like the speed and convenience of this air fryer. One comments that they had been able to fully cook their food in the time it takes their oven to heat up. Many people say that chips taste so crispy on the outside yet soft and fluffy inside – better than an oven. Again, it's recommended to buy some silicone or paper air fryer liners to preserve the non-stick.

Bear in mind, at 1,000W, it's not the most powerful air fryer, but it's ample for crisping up some croissants (plus much more) and saves turning on the oven. This Tower air fryer is an Amazon's Choice recommended product with over 13,000 reviews rating it 4.4 out of 5.

This compact Lakeland Digital Compact Air Fryer is ideal for smaller kitchens. It has a slimline design with simple digital controls, 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.

Natalie from the Yours team owns this air fryer. She says she uses it all the time for chips, crisp curried cauliflower and jerk tofu. It's her partner's favourite kitchen appliance because it's so easy to use and convenient. Bear in mind, that the capacity is a bit small, but you can double the vertical space by purchasing seven-inch diameter air fryer racks. Additionally, Natalie uses silicone bakeware to separate items and stop breaded frozen foods from leaving crumbs in the drawer.

Because it's small, chips need a shake halfway through cooking to ensure the ones at the bottom get a chance to crisp up. But, other than that, this little air fryer is utterly dispensable and saves putting the oven on.

As well as air frying, you can bake, roast, slow cook and much more in the Haier I-Master Series 5 Multi Air Fryer. This versatile small appliance can replace an oven in so many instances, plus it's an oil-free and cheaper way of cooking. Michael tested this Haier multifunctional air fryer for Yours.

This is one of few air fryers that comes with racks and two baking dishes; along with the cooking basket these are dishwasher safe. Our tested tried out silicone trays and paper liners in the air fryer too and said food cooked just as well and the basket was much easier to clean as a result.

This appliance has a double glass window so you can watch your food cooking without any heat loss. While the body of the air fryer stays cool to the touch.

Customers love its compact design and versatility. This air fryer can grill, roast and even dehydrate, so if you're short on space this is an ideal replacement for an oven.

Read our full Haier I-Master Series 5 Multi Air Fryer review

Weighing 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.

Customers have used this small air fryer in a range of ingenious ways, even cooking fish and chips in it. Consider it like a mini oven that can cook from frozen, and the possibilities are endless. This model is recommended for single-person households, and it's ample for cooking a pie or roasting a chicken breast.

Tefal invented the air fryer with their original ActiFry appliance that has a paddle to push food, such as chips, around the cooking area to get an even crispness. Should you want a larger air fryer, there is a new model of the Tefal ActiFry available.

This is the 2.8-litre version of the Power XL Vortex Air Fryer, in particular customers are praising it for cooking chicken to perfection, whether that's crispy chicken strips or juicy chicken fillets. Some air fryers offer more than just healthily fried foods, and the Power XL Vortex 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.

Customers say this is ideal for one or two people, and it's much quicker than using the oven. Whether it's fried snacks, roast chicken or pie, customers found their food was done in half the time it takes in an oven. This Power XL Vortex Air Fryer has 393 reviews rating it 4.6 out of 5.