Best Large Air Fryers for Families: Which Size Do You Actually Need?
If you’re looking for the best large air fryer for families, one of the biggest things to consider is capacity.
We learnt pretty quickly that capacity matters. We’ve owned several different air fryers over the years, from our original Breville Halo to a Tefal Actifry, but the one that has had the most use in our house is our Ninja Foodi MAX Dual Zone 9.5L.
In fact, there are weeks when our air fryer gets used far more than our oven.
A large air fryer can make family dinners much easier, but bigger isn’t automatically better. You also need to think about whether you want one large cooking basket or two separate drawers, how much worktop space you have and the type of food you normally cook.
In this guide, I’m sharing what we’ve learnt from using air fryers as a family, along with three large-capacity models worth considering.
Our family pick: Ninja Foodi MAX Dual Zone 9.5L
If I was choosing again for our family, I’d still pick the Ninja Foodi MAX Dual Zone. Having two independent drawers means I can cook two foods at different temperatures and have them finish together, and the 9.5L capacity gives us much more flexibility when cooking family meals.
The downside is its size. It takes up a fair amount of worktop space and the individual drawers aren’t always wide enough for foods such as larger pizzas or garlic bread.
Check the latest Ninja Foodi MAX Dual Zone price on Amazon
Large family air fryers compared
| Model | Capacity | Type | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ninja Foodi MAX Dual Zone AF400UK | 9.5L | Two drawers | Larger families & cooking two foods |
| Philips 3000 Series NA332/09 | 6.2L | Single basket | Families wanting one roomy basket |
| COSORI Dual Blaze | 6.4L | Single basket | Families wanting smart features & even cooking |
Quick tip: Don’t choose an air fryer based on litres alone. A large single basket can be more useful for some foods, while two separate drawers make it much easier to cook different parts of a meal at different temperatures.
Ninja Foodi MAX Dual Zone 9.5L – best for our family
This is the air fryer we actually own, so it’s the model on this list I can talk about from long-term experience.
Ours has been used for everything from quick midweek dinners to helping cook Christmas dinner when we needed extra oven space. The feature I find most useful is having two independent cooking zones, as you can cook different foods using different temperatures or timings and use the SYNC function so they’re ready together.
Each drawer also has its own crisper plate and the removable parts are straightforward to clean.
Pros –
- 2 Independent cooking zones – With 2 air fryer baskets you are able to cook your foods at different functions, temperatures or time
- Cooks quickly – It can cook up to 75% faster than fan ovens, which when you have a hungry brood to feed is perfect.
- Easy controls – Although it comes with 6 cooking functions, all of them are easy to use and set.
- Easy to cleanup – I simply pop out the draws, add some hot water and washing-up liquid and leave for 5-10 minutes before rinsing.
- Crisper plate – This may not be the name for them but each air fryer basket comes with a tray that lifts the food off the bottom of the basket, allowing it to crisp and cook from underneath.
Cons –
- Not wide enough for some food – For example, some larger 1-basket air fryers can fit a pizza or garlic bread and these draws won’t take them.
- It is large – It is a large air fryer, so needs some side space.
For our family, the flexibility of the two drawers outweighs the amount of worktop space it takes up. If you regularly cook different foods at the same time, this is the model I’d look at first.
Check the current Ninja AF400UK price on Amazon
Philips 3000 Series 6.2L – best if you prefer one large basket
Not everyone wants two separate air-fryer drawers. If you’d rather have one larger cooking area, the current Philips 3000 Series NA332/09 has a 6.2L basket.
Philips says the capacity is enough for up to 1kg of vegetables, eight chicken drumsticks, five pieces of salmon or seven muffins, which gives you a better idea of usable capacity than litres alone.
It also has a cooking window, which is a feature I can see being useful if you’re forever opening the air fryer to check whether dinner is done!
There are 16 cooking functions and 12 presets, so it offers considerably more settings than our Ninja. Whether that’s a benefit will depend on how you cook — personally, I tend to prefer keeping things simple.
Pros
- 6.2L single basket
- Cooking window
- Good option if you don’t want separate drawers
- Wide range of cooking functions
Things to consider
- Smaller overall capacity than the 9.5L Ninja
- Lots of functions if you prefer very simple controls
- One basket means you can’t independently cook two foods at different temperatures
Check the current Philips 3000 Series 6.2L price on Amazon
COSORI Dual Blaze 6.4L – best for a large single basket with smart features
Another single-basket option is the COSORI Dual Blaze, which has a 6.4L capacity.
Its interesting feature is the use of heating elements at both the top and bottom rather than relying solely on heat from above. It also works with COSORI’s VeSync app for recipes and smart controls.
This could suit someone who wants a good-sized single basket but likes having more technology built into their kitchen appliances.
Pros
- 6.4L capacity
- Upper and lower heating elements
- 12 cooking functions
- VeSync app integration
- Single basket gives you one uninterrupted cooking area
Things to consider
- Not a dual-drawer model
- Smart features won’t be particularly valuable if, like me, you tend to use straightforward manual controls
Check the current COSORI Dual Blaze 6.4L price on Amazon
What size air fryer do I need for a family?
Choosing the right size air fryer depends on more than just how many people you’re feeding. It also depends on whether you’re planning to cook complete meals in it or simply use it alongside your oven.
From our experience, I’d always rather have a little more capacity than discover that the air fryer is too small once you start using it regularly. Our 9.5L Ninja might sound large, but when you’re cooking for a family the space soon gets used.
What size air fryer for a family of 4?
For a family of four, I’d generally look at an air fryer of around 6 litres or more. A large single basket can work well if you tend to cook one main food at a time, while a dual-drawer model gives you more flexibility to cook different foods simultaneously.
If you plan to use your air fryer for most family dinners rather than occasional sides, I’d be tempted to choose the larger option if you have the worktop space.
What size air fryer for a family of 5?
For a family of five, capacity becomes even more important. I’d look towards the larger 8–10 litre models, particularly if you want to cook several portions at once.
This is where we’ve found the 9.5L capacity of our Ninja useful. Even with a large air fryer, though, there will still be some meals where you need to use the oven or hob alongside it.
What size air fryer for a family of 6?
For a family of six, I’d concentrate on the largest practical models rather than trying to squeeze six portions into a smaller air fryer.
A large dual-drawer air fryer can be particularly useful because you can split different parts of the meal between the two cooking zones. Alternatively, an extra-large single basket may suit you better if you regularly cook larger pieces of food.
Is a dual-drawer air fryer better for families?
For us, the biggest advantage of a dual-drawer air fryer isn’t simply the capacity – it’s the flexibility.
Being able to cook one food in each drawer at different temperatures makes family dinners much easier. You can cook chicken in one side and chips or vegetables in the other, for example, without trying to find one temperature and cooking time that works for everything.
The disadvantage is that each individual drawer is narrower than one huge basket. We’ve found this particularly noticeable with things such as pizza and garlic bread.
So if you mostly cook separate foods at the same time, I’d choose dual drawers. If you regularly cook larger individual items, I’d consider one large basket instead.
Things to consider before buying a large air fryer
Before choosing an air fryer for your family, there are a few practical things worth considering.
Capacity: Think about how many portions you usually cook rather than simply choosing the biggest number of litres you can find. For larger families or if you want to cook most of a meal in the air fryer, extra capacity is usually useful.
Single basket or dual drawer: Dual drawers are brilliant for cooking two different foods at different temperatures, while one large basket can be more practical for bigger items.
Worktop space: Large air fryers are not small appliances. Our 9.5L Ninja takes up a fair amount of room, so check the dimensions and where you’re actually going to keep it before buying.
Cleaning: Look for removable baskets and crisper plates that are easy to wash. If you’re going to use your air fryer several times a week, easy cleaning makes a big difference.
How you’ll actually use it: Don’t be swayed by dozens of cooking programmes if you won’t use them. Think about the meals you cook regularly and choose the features that will genuinely make those easier.
What can you cook in an air fryer?
One of the reasons our air fryer gets so much use is that it isn’t just an appliance for cooking chips. We use ours as another small oven and, particularly on busy evenings, it can make getting dinner on the table much easier.
If you’re looking for inspiration, I’ve also put together 60 easy air fryer recipes to try, covering everything from quick family dinners to sides and sweet treats.
Some of the things you can cook in an air fryer include:
- Chips and wedges – probably the obvious one, but homemade chips and wedges are quick and easy to make.
- Chicken – from chicken breasts and drumsticks to wings and even a whole chicken if your air fryer is large enough. For even more ideas, have a look at our 50 best air fryer chicken recipes
- Nachos – quick to put together and ideal when you want something easy.
- Toad in the hole – depending on the size and shape of your basket, you can cook it in a suitable tray inside the air fryer.
- Cakes and bakes – many air fryers can also be used for baking, which is handy when you don’t want to heat the full oven.
For me, this versatility is one of the main reasons it was worth buying a larger air fryer. The extra capacity means we’re much more likely to use it for family meals rather than just cooking a side dish.
One recipe we make in ours is our honey and mustard air fryer gammon, which is a great example of how a large air fryer can be used for a proper family meal rather than just sides and snacks.
More air fryer recipes and ideas
Once you’ve invested in a large air fryer, the next step is making the most of it. We use ours for far more than just chips, and it has become one of the most-used appliances in our kitchen.
If you’re looking for some inspiration, take a look through our air fryer recipes for easy family-friendly ideas, from quick dinners and sides to baking and reheating favourites.
What is the best large air fryer for families?
For our family, the Ninja Foodi MAX Dual Zone 9.5L has been the best fit.
The capacity is large enough to make it genuinely useful for family meals, but the biggest advantage for us is having two separate drawers. Being able to cook different foods at different temperatures and have them finish at the same time makes it much more practical than the smaller air fryers we’ve owned previously.
It isn’t perfect. It takes up a fair amount of worktop space and there are occasions when I’d prefer one huge basket rather than two narrower drawers. However, having used ours regularly, I’d still choose the dual-drawer design for the way our family cooks.
If you prefer one large cooking area, the Philips or COSORI options we’ve covered above may suit you better. But if you’re looking for a large air fryer with plenty of capacity and the flexibility to cook two different foods at once, the Ninja remains my pick.
Check the current price of the Ninja Foodi MAX Dual Zone 9.5L on Amazon.
