In my previous post I was exploring if air fryers use a lot of electricity. Now that we have that one clear let’s learn a bit more about air fryer wattage. What it is, why does it matter and what are the typical wattage of the hundreds of air fryers out there.

I have gathered the information on 33 of the most well-known air fryers in every category.

Let’s see how their compare from an air fryer wattage point of view.

What is wattage and how it is related to air fryers

The simplest explanation is that the watt is the unit of measurement for electrical power. It represents the amount of work done by an electrical unit. It is the product of the voltage and the current (Source).

So it is basically the power so in terms of air fryer wattage it means how powerful our air fryers is. If it is more powerful it will reach the desiered temperature easier and could hold that temperature steadily. If it is lower our electricity bill will be lower although not always.

Why does air fryer wattage matter

Air fryer wattage matters because with its help you can easily calculate how much electricity it will use so you can calculate your electricity expenditure of your air fryer.

The higher the wattage the more electricity your air fryer will consume. But it’s not that simple. This is only the highest amount of electricity your air fryer is able to consume.

So only if all the functions are working at full capacity. But with electrical appliances this is not the case. Regarding the air fryer the ventilation is usually going continuously while cooking with an air fryer but the heating element is not working on full capacity all the time.

Also it is worth noting that with other type of air fryers like the air fryer oven if we don’t use the air fry function then we are not using the machine on full capacity. Or in case of an air fryer microwave oven the wattage use depends on if we use the air fry or the microwave function.

So you should just go for the lowest air fryer wattage possible to save some money on your bill? Wrong! Manufacturers use a higher air fryer wattage for a reason. A bigger air fryer needs more power to ensure a steady air flow of 400 degree (or sometimes even 500 degree) temperature inside.

For example an air fryer indoor grill combo can be used in a way to grill your food for nice outer texture and at the same time air fry your food so it is well cooked. In this case a higher power is needed to ensure both functions can operate at the same time.

Where do I find the wattage of an air fryer

To find the wattage of an air fryer that you already own just try to find the product tag sticker. On the sticker it usually shows the air fryer wattage next to the Voltage. Here is an example of a Ninja Air Fryer product tag:

If you don’t own an air fryer yet then it should be indicated in the specifications of the webshop. If you are using Amazon then most air fryers usually specify it in either their title, their product description or the product information table:

Sometimes there is no information on the wattage on Amazon’s page which is a shame I think because it is an important metric when comparing the different air fryers.

If you can’t find any information on air fryer wattage then you should look for the user manual.

Let’s see an example:

This Gourmia air fryer doesn’t have any information about the air fryer wattage. In this case I’ll try to find the user manual for it online (most of the models have their user manual uploaded).

So I type into google: Gourmia GAF686 user manual. The first search result directly takes me to the user manual in pdf. Most user manuals provide the air fryer wattage information on them. In this very case you can find this information on page 7:

What is the average wattage for an air fryer

Air fryers usually have a wattage range from 1000 watts to 1700 watts. Of course there are exceptions on both ends.

For example the lowest watt air fryer that I could find has 700 watts (it is the Elite Gourmet 1QT). It is also the smallest air fryer I’ve seen so probably doesn’t need that much energy anyway.

Smaller air fryers (below 3QT) usually have a wattage range between 1000 watts and 1400 watts.

Bigger air fryers (more than 4QT) range from 1400 watts and 1700 watts usually.

The biggest ones (10 quarts or more) don’t use more than 1800 watts.

There is usually a correlation between the size of the air fryer and the wattage it uses but it is not always the case. For example the Bella 2.9QT uses 1400 watts whereas the AllCool 4.5QT uses 1400 watts to despite it is more than 50% bigger.

This could be because of various reasons but I’d be cautious to buy an air fryer that has a high capacity and a low wattage because it could under perform during its usage which could have an effect on your air fryer cooking quality.

Basket-style air fryer wattage

Basket-style air fryers are the traditional air fryers where we put our foods in a food basket that can be inserted into the machine. These air fryers usually range from 1QT to 10QT capacity. Let’s compare the wattage of each one

In the table below I have gathered the wattage and quart information on the most well-known air fryers:

I have came up with a new metric: watts/quart. I simply divided the air fryer wattage with its basket capacity. I’d like to stress it that it doesn’t mean that one air fryer is better than the other simply because this number is higher or lower. It is just a metric so you can get a clearer picture of the energy usage of different air fryer brands and sizes.

As you can see bigger air fryers are more energy efficient because they have a lower watts/quart. This is simply because it is the same technology that needs just a bit higher energy power.

In case you go for a higher air fryer it will only be energy efficient if you use it at full capacity. So if you air fry the same 2 chicken breasts for dinner it won’t be more energy efficient.

I say the best experience plus some energy efficiency lies in the golden middle road of this metric.

Air fryer oven wattage

Air fryer ovens have a lot higher capacity than basket style air fryers so their air fryer wattage is usually around 1700 watts. This means that they will preheat a few minutes slower but they will hold the temperature while cooking just fine. Lets see the air fryer wattage of the most well known air fryer ovens:

Air fryer microwave combo wattage

Air fryer microwave combos have two wattages. The one you see on the webshop is usually 1000 watts but that’s only the microwave output. The air fryer wattage is usually higher. This is because microwaves are more energy efficient.

Let’s see the air fryer wattage of the best ones:

As you can see from the table air fryer microwaves have a rather big capacity and quite a low wattage compared to it. Therefore I would advise anyone who is buying such an appliance for its air fryer function to get a separate air fryer and a microwave.

If you mainly use the microwave function and occasionally use the air fryer function to add some crispiness to your food then these machines should work

Air fryer grill combo wattage

Air fryer grill combos are great machines. You can air fry and grill your food separately or at the same time. They usually have a bigger capacity than basket style air fryers and can heat up to a higher temperature and therefore they have a high air fryer wattage.

Let’s see the wattage of each model:

Lowest wattage air fryers

The air fryer with the lowest wattage that we could find is the Elite Gourmet 1QT. Most air fryers at least start from 1000 watts but the Elite Gourmet is so small with its 1QT capacity that it doesn’t require that much power. Even with this low air fryer wattage it is not as energy efficient than bigger air fryers.

By the way we have put together a list of low wattage air fryers if you are interested.

Complete air fryer wattage table of the 33 air fryers analyzed

In this section I have merged the different air fryer type tables into one so you can analyze it as a whole:

It is interesting to see how size and the type of air fryer changes the watt/quart metric. It seems that microwave ovens have a huge capacity but a rather low wattage if solely used as an air fryer.

The golden middle road are the middle to bigger size basket-type air fryers. They are rather energy efficient and have a lot of power.

But keep in mind that just because the air fryer ovens have a lower watt/quart it doesn’t mean it won’t do the job. It might need just a little more time.

I love air fryer ovens because you can prepare a lot more food in them and still a lot faster than with traditional ovens.

Conclusion

As you can see air fryer wattage matters but you shouldn’t choose your air fryer solely on that metric.

Its not good if its too low and if the watts/quart is too high it can consume more electricity then needed (although keep in mind that it won’t use a lot either way)

Depending on what you use your air fryer for always try to aim at the golden middle road