Choosing the best air fryer toaster oven is incredibly easy.

All you have to do is to answer three questions. What size air fryer do you need? Do you prefer analog or digital controls? How many cooking functions is the air fryer toaster oven offering?

The first question’s answer can be found in the size of your household. Those of you with a family of 4 need an air fryer that offers at least 4-quart capacity.

Models that range from 3 to 5 quarts capacity are well suited for 5 member families. Up to 3-quart Air Fryers are best for 2 family members.

The answer to the next two questions depends on your preference. Some of you might prefer digital controls’ functionality; others might be blown away by the simplicity of analog ones.

And the number of cooking functions you want depends on how much time you spend in the kitchen.

Top 5 Best Air Fryer Toaster Oven 2021 – Consumer Reports

Here are the top five best air fryer toaster oven consumer reports in 2021.

1. Cuisinart TOA-60 – Best Air Fryer Toaster Oven 2021 – Consumer Reports

The Cuisinart TOA-60 air fryer offers many outstanding features. Foremost among them is its incredibly user-friendly control panel. It contains three dials that let you activate a dial, set the temperature and roast, toast, bake, broil as well as air fry your food, respectively.

Then comes the auto-shutoff function. It ensures the safety of this model’s users by not letting its cooking chamber’s pressure go above a safe predetermined limit. The auto shut-off feature does that via its built-in sensor, which turns the whole thing down the moment the pressure shoots up.

Equally useful is the bevy of pre-programmed functions. There are seven of them, to be precise, and all you have to do to select any of them is rotate the dial. It’s because of this user-friendly operation that the Cuisinart TOA-60 is one of the most easy-to-use models out there.

Cuisinart hasn’t stopped at that. The American manufacturer also supplements the air fryer’s package with accessories, at no extra cost to the buyer. You get a baking pan, an air frying rack and an oven rack without paying one penny extra. And the best thing about this unit? It’s backed by a 3-year warranty.

Pros

• 6.5 cubic foot interior space.
• 7-in-1 functionality.
• Auto-shutoff and adjustable thermostat.
• Offers multiple accessories at no extra cost.

Cons

• Heavy.

2. Instant Omni Plus Air Fryer Toaster Oven – Consumer Reports

Most high-end air fryers that you see on the market cost a ton. Others that are available in your budget do so only after cutting corners in providing features. The Instant Omni Plus belongs to the first category. Its asking price does leave a dent in your bank account but in return for some excellent features.

Take the example of its button-laden control panel. Starting from left to right, there are thirteen of them, all epitomes of utility. The first 11 – air fry, toast, bake, broil, roast, slow cook, reheat, proof, dehydrate – are dedicated to cooking. The last two let you start cooking sessions or bring them to an end.

Above the buttons is an easy-to-read LCD display. It puts white letters against a black background and displays all the information you need. That includes the current time and temperature, the cooking mode you may have selected, the dish you’re preparing inside the model, and more.

The fact that all of its parts are dishwasher safe means you don’t have to spend hours scrubbing this unit’s interior. Also on offer is a drip pan that captures the oil and grease particles left behind by the air-fried dishes. And it too is dishwasher safe. What more can you ask for!

Pros

• 11-in-1 multi-function toaster.
• Easy to use dials.
• One touch cooking functions.
• Massive 24 liters capacity.

Cons

• Pricey.

3. COSORI CO130-AO Air Fryer Toaster Oven – Consumer Reports

Cosori is one of those manufacturers whose products ooze quality. The CO130-AO is no different. This air fryer is available at a budget asking price yet offers all the bells-and-whistles you can ask for. You can thus use it to air fry, roast, bake, toast, broil, keep warm, dehydrate and ferment your food.

That’s where things start getting delicious. The unit is exceptionally roomy and measures 14.2 inches wide, 9.8 inches high, and 13.9 inches deep. You can exploit this space by baking a 13-inches pizza, toasting six slices of bread, or roasting a whole chicken in one go. That isn’t where the good news ends.

Every moving part of this unit’s interior is made of stainless steel and is dishwasher-safe. The former characteristic makes both the trays as well as racks more resistant to rust and corrosion. The latter, meanwhile, makes then a cinch to clean. What more can you ask for!

Perhaps you’re in a hurry and want to speed up the cooking process. This model will let you do just that with its high-speed setting which will cook your meals in a jiffy. Or perhaps you are alone at home and want things to go slowly. You can then keep on using this air fryer at its built-in fan setting.

Pros

• 24-hour adjustable timer.
• 12 cooking functions.
• User-friendly control panel.
• Comes with a recipe book.

Cons

• The fan is quite loud at the high-speed setting.

4. Ninja SP101 Foodi 8-in-1 – Consumer Reports

Do you count yourself among the food lovers? Those who find it almost impossible to pass up a plate of crunchy and delicious chicken wings? Then you might not be able to find any fault with this model’s functionality—one which lets it magically transform any dish placed in its cooking chamber.

The Ninja SP101 relies on a combo of ‘Crisping Lid’ and ‘Tender Crisp’ technologies to prepare all kinds of dishes that would tantalize your taste buds. The former plays its part by supplementing all your recipes with an eye-catching golden fish, one which you might only have seen in the commercials.

The ‘Tender Crisp Technology,’ meanwhile, increases the rate of heating to decrease the cooking time. You can think of it as your savior when the guests are at the gate and you are still a few dishes short of serving the dinner table. This technology will make sure no one has to wait for their meal.

Pros

• 6.5-quart basket.
• Stainless steel reversible rack.
• Gives meals a golden finish.
• Includes a removable crumb tray.

Cons

• Pricey.

5. Breville BOV900BSS Smart Oven Air Convection – Consumer Reports

Breville has always been one of the most dependable air fryer brands on the market. Models like this are the main reason why. It comes with an externally-controlled interior light that lets you check on the food without opening the lid – and disturbing the entire cooking process.

Also on offer are 13 preset cooking functions. The first five – air fry, toast, slow cook, roast, and broil – are those you get in every toaster oven worth its salt. The final two, which let you reheat your meals and keep them warm until the dinner is served, are those that you don’t.

Breville further sweetens the deal by offering an LCD display. One which shows all 13 cooking functions, bolds the name of the one you might have selected, and the time and temperature inside the chamber. What more can you ask for!

Pros

• Two-speed convection fan.
• Huge interior space.
• 2-year limited warranty.

Cons

• Extremely heavy.

What is an air fryer toaster oven

Air fryer toaster ovens are precisely what their name implies. They have a built-in strip of heating elements that lets them air fry, toast, bake, reheat, grill, and roast.

Also on offer is a fan that induces a convection effect and ensures even heat distribution throughout their interior.

The resulting circulation of hot air in the cooking chamber not only allows the food to cook evenly.

But it also brings down the overall cooking time by raising the temperature in the chamber. You can also credit the hot air for supplementing your dishes with a crispy outer layer.

How to Choose the Best Air Fryer Toaster Oven?

What is that you must consider when choosing air fryer toaster ovens? Are there features that separate the high-end models from their humble peers? How many dishes can you cook in your air fryer toaster oven at once?

We’re going to answer all these questions in this section.

1. What size air fryer toaster oven do I need?

Air fryer toaster ovens are available in the following size ranges:

Less than 3 quarts

Such units are ideal for a household of 1 to 2 persons. They offer enough space to cook enough vegetables for two people or up to half-a-dozen chicken wings at a time.

3 to 5 quart

Three to 5 member families would do well with air fryers that provide between 3 and 5-quart capacity. You can count on these devices to help you prepare dinner and dessert in record time.

More than 5 quarts

Do you have an open-door policy for guests in your household? Then go for 6 to 10-quart units. Their extra-large basket size won’t let any member of the party go home with an empty stomach.

2. Do you want analog or digital controls?

Use the upcoming piece of information to answer this question:

Analog controls

Air fryers with analog controls offer three specific benefits. They are available in a budget, are incredibly easy to use (even for the elderly) and come with dials that let you set their time and temperature.

That’s where their plus points end. Since these units lack an LED display, preset programs and multiple cooking functions, they aren’t quite as user-intuitive as their digital counterparts.

Digital controls

The majority of air fryer toaster ovens you see in this review are equipped with digital controls. Want to know why that is the case? Because only then they can offer all the features which foodies love.

Examples of such features include a control panel with more cooking functions than you’d ever be able to use, touch controls that let you air fry, bake, broil, toast and grill, and an LCD display.

Must-have Features

Make sure your air fryer toaster oven possesses all these characteristics:

Auto shut-off feature

Although not common among air fryer toaster ovens, this feature is fast becoming a necessity.

It ensures your and your loved ones’ safety by turning off the unit the moment its pressure crosses a preset safe limit, thereby minimizing the risk of any explosion or blast.

Manual interior light

The microwave oven in possession of your grandparents had an interior light as well. What differentiates it from the one you’re going to get in the toaster oven is that this one can be manually switched on/off from outside. You can thus check on the food’s progress from outside.

Dishwasher-safe parts

Imagine you have two products right in front of you. The one on the left requires that you manually clean its dishes after each cooking session. The one on the right has dishwasher-safe parts. Which of the two would you choose? We think we know your answer.

Extended warranty

Almost all the models you see in this review are backed with a 2-year warranty. Some go the extra mile by piling one year on top. Make sure you check the warranty document’s language to see whether it’s ‘limited’ or otherwise.

Conclusion

Air fryer toaster ovens are fast becoming a staple of every home for multiple reasons. They let you prepare your meals without dousing them in liters of oil. This ‘hands-off’ approach towards oil allows these units to make sure that you only eat healthy food. That is not all.

The air fryers you might have purchased two decades ago were small and skinny. They lacked all the features which their oil-frying counterparts might have possessed at the time. The tables have now turned and the best air fryers can rival oil fryers on almost every count.

Need proofs to believe in this claim? Then check out the features of the abovementioned best air fryers toaster oven combo consumer reports. Some of them might weigh lightly on your pocket. Others might leave a dent in your bank account. Yet all possess features that make them a must-have.