This affordable air fryer has a filter built-in to get rid of gross cooking smells – I rated it a straight 5 stars

I've tested plenty of air fryers — from a tiny 2L single-drawer model to a large 5.5L air fryer oven — and it's safe to say that there's no one-size-fits-all when it comes to this admittedly handy appliance.

The best air fryer is a great investment if you're fed up with waiting for your oven to preheat, and if you want to speed things up in the kitchen. A year ago, I was using my air fryer daily, but then I moved house and didn't have the countertop space for it, so it was put in a cupboard and forgotten about. Recently, I was sent the newest compact air fryer from Instant Pot, and since then, my oven has been out of business.

The Instant Pot Vortex Compact 5L Air Fryer ticks all our boxes. It features brand-new technology, and in comparison with the first version of the Instant Vortex Air Fryer, it's seriously impressive. All for less than £100. As a family of three, it's the perfect size and even better? Its basket and tray are dishwasher safe — finally! Here's what I cooked in this all-new air fryer that has earned a spot on my kitchen countertop as I've used it several times a day since unboxing it...

In a nutshell

A great choice for smaller families and those with limited countertop space, the Instant Pot Vortex Compact 5L Air Fryer offers nothing but convenience. Design-wise, its drawer features a built-in glass window and inside sits a light, allowing you to check on your food without having to open the drawer. The same drawer and the tray inside it are both dishwasher-safe to save you from scrubbing after each use, while built in is a special OdourErase filter — to banish stronger odours after cooking foods like fish. And it truly works.

When it came to cooking and most importantly, functions, this air fryer wowed in more ways than one. It can air fry, bake, reheat and dehydrate. Its touchscreen controls are easy to use, and you can set four favourite programmes for ease of use while cooking staple dishes. It alerts you to turn food halfway through cooking, plus it preheats fast. Another thing I loved in comparison to other air fryers I've tested before: it's whisper quiet. In fact, you sometimes forget that it's even on.

Product specs

• Type: Single-drawer
• Dimensions: W26.7cm x L34.8cm x H27.9cm
• Cooking area: D21cm x W20cm
• Weight: 3.91kg
• Maximum temperature: 205°C
• Cooking modes: 4
• Power: 1,500W
• Size: 5L
• Colour: Black/ Truffle
• Material: Exterior - Plastic. Interior: Aluminised steel with a PTFE coating (PFOA-free)

Who tested this air fryer?

Annie Collyer

Annie was previously Deputy Ecommerce Editor at Ideal Home but is now in a freelance role. She has reviewed everything from hot tubs to pan sets and even a hot tub for Ideal Home. Annie used this air fryer in her family kitchen for over a week, to help cook the regular meals she cooks for her family of three.

Annie used this Instant Pot air fryer to cook bacon, hash browns, fish fingers and various styles of potatoes from hash browns to homemade chips. She also used it to cook eggs, Mediterranean vegetables and croissants.

Annie was allowed to keep this air fryer and plans on doing so. It's now in a permanent spot on her countertop.

Unboxing

This air fryer arrived in one box, which was pretty lightweight. The packaging was minimal — two cardboard inserts to ensure the air fryer didn't move in transport, and some recyclable plastic around the wire and main unit.

My first impressions were overall positive. I reviewed the first ever Instant Vortex Air Fryer so I had that to compare it to, and although this air fryer doesn't come in any fancy colourways, it offers so many extra features. The basket isn't heavy, either, and its handle is comfortable. I loved how easy the touch screen is to use, too.

The only thing I could moan about was that upon unboxing, the basket and tray had a strong chemical odour. After reading the instructions, I noticed that you need to run the air fryer before first use to burn off these smells. You also need to wash the basket and tray ahead of first use. Just something to bear in mind, as you won't be able to use it for about 20-30 minutes after unboxing.

I was impressed that the manual explained where to put your air fryer in your kitchen, as placing it in the wrong spot can potentially lead to a fire hazard. BTW, these are the worst places to put your air fryer.

Testing

I used this air fryer to cook so many different foods, fresh and frozen. I really enjoyed how easy it is to work and once you know what each programme means, you won't need to refer to the instructions. I love that you can set favourite settings, too, which is handy for the things I cook on rotation — croissants, fish fingers, etc.

Another feature I noticed (but haven't used yet) is the replacement filter light. This alerts you when your filter needs replacing, instead of leaving it to you to guess.

The buttons are pretty self-explanatory, but essentially the first one on the left is air fry and the second is bake. On the other side, from left to right is reheat and then dehydrate.

The maximum temperature for this air fryer is 205°C. The maximum time limit you can set is 1 hour.

I used this air fryer to cook four types of potato. First up, hash browns! I avoid eating these if I have to oven them as I find they take so long and never go nice and crispy. Handily enough, the ones I bought had air fryer instructions on the back of the packet. They were crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and its 5L capacity meant I could fit 5-6 in there at a time.

Next, I cooked some frozen roast potatoes from Cook. I usually oven cook these in a layer of oil, for 45-50 minutes. Again, these had air fryer instructions on the packaging, and they cooked in almost half the time they take in the oven. They were nice and crispy, but a few of them looked a little less cooked than the others. They tasted great, the only thing I will do next time is add some oil as they were a tad dry.

I also made jacket potatoes, having pre-cooked them in my microwave for 8 minutes before, to cut down cooking time. They took minimal time to crisp up and tasted great. I also used the reheat function to warm through one of the potatoes later in the day, and this works very fast!

Lastly, I made air fryer chips. I tossed them in oil before putting them in the air fryer at 180°C for 15 minutes. They were definitely cooked at 15 minutes, but they could've done with a couple more minutes for crisping.

One of the foods we always cook in an air fryer, for testing purposes, is bacon. I managed to squeeze 3 rashers on the tray and I set the air fryer to 200°C for 6 minutes, as per the packet instructions. It cooked evenly and was perfect at 6 minutes, any longer it would've been super crispy.

I also thought I'd give air fryer eggs a try, but I'll be honest: I won't do this again. While the egg did cook perfectly and it was easy to do, the taste just wasn't the same. My toddler wasn't impressed at all!

I cooked some Mediterranean veg in this air fryer, too, which was tossed in a little oil. It cooked so fast and tasted so good — I'll definitely do these in the air fryer again, instead of the oven.

I also used the bake function for croissants, and seriously: I'll never use my oven for croissants again. They took minutes, including pre-heating time! I usually cook cheese and tomato croissants, and the cheese was perfectly melted.

Cleaning

Cleaning the basket and tray is so easy thanks to the fact both have a PFOAS-free non-stick coating. They easily wipe clean, though if you've used oil, you'll obviously need to use more washing-up liquid. My top tip for air fryer owners: clean it after every single use. It's easy to miss a clean in between cooking, if you know you'll be using it again in a few hours, but this is how to break your air fryer 101. And then it becomes a total nightmare to clean, trust me!

The basket and tray are dishwasher safe. I won't lie: it felt almost criminal to put these in my dishwasher, but I did, after using it to cook bacon. I truly couldn't believe how well it cleaned both the basket and tray. They were both sparkling clean!

You need only wipe the exterior down with a cloth when it needs it. And the OdourErase filter does need replacing — a light will display on the screen when this needs changing. These filters cost £9.99 for two on the Instant Pot website.

How does it compare to similar models and its predecessors?

There's simply no comparison of this model and the first-ever version of the Vortex Compact. This one has so many added features that soon become a game-changer in your kitchen such as OdourErase and the cooking window and light, plus the fact it's dishwasher-safe. Price-wise, this one is more expensive though as the first model was just £59.99 — but it's no longer sold.

Instant Pot designs several types of air fryer, all of which are called the Instant Pot Vortex. They're different in size and design — there's the regular Vortex which is 4-in-1 and costs £99.99 for a 5.7L size. As per our previous review of it, this air fryer is their most basic design without a viewing window or OdourErase. It offers four cooking modes, including air fry, bake, roast and reheat. It doesn't have a dehydrate function. Its basket and tray are dishwasher safe. At the same price as the Compact model but with fewer features and functions, if you're not so bothered about the 0.7L of cooking space you'll lose, I'd go for the Vortex Compact version.

At £89.99, which is the brand's cheapest air fryer, is the Instant Vortex Plus 6-in-1 Air Fryer at 3.8L. It can do all of the cooking functions (air fry, bake, grill, roast, reheat, and dehydrate) plus its basket is dishwasher-safe. The real difference, other than the £10 price drop, is that there's no window or light, nor is there the OdourErase filter. It's also a lot smaller at 3.8L vs 5L.

Also at £99.99, the Instant Vortex Plus 6-in-1 Air Fryer with ClearCook 5.7L, which is slightly different from the Compact 5L model. It does have a cooking window and light, but doesn't feature OdourErase. It offers 6 cooking modes, including grill and roast. It also has a dishwasher-safe tray, but the basket needs washing by hand. Its capacity is slightly larger at 5.7L.

At £119.99 is the Instant Vortex Plus Air Fryer Oven 13L. For an extra £20, it offers a huge amount of cooking space plus a rotisserie spit. It can also air fry, roast, grill, bake, toast, reheat, plus bonus dehydrate & proofing. It doesn't have a basket; instead, it has a door, but its trays and accessories are dishwasher-safe. It has a viewing window and light, but no OdourErase.

The Instant Vortex Plus 6-in-1 Air Fryer with ClearCook and OdourErase 5.7L also costs £129.99 and it is the exact same as the Vortex Compact 5L, except it has two extra cooking functions — grill and roast — and it's 0.7L larger.

The Instant Pot Vortex Dual 8L Air Fryer is £129.99 and comes in your choice of truffle or black. It has a larger capacity at 8L, but otherwise, its real difference is its dual baskets. It offers 8 cooking functions, but it doesn't have cooking windows or OdourErase.

Coming in at £149.99 is the Instant Vortex Plus Dual Drawer 8-in-1 Air Fryer with ClearCook. It offers two cooking zones, baskets with windows and 6 cooking modes.

Then comes the Instant Vortex Plus VersaZone Air Fryer 8.5L, also at £129.99, which is sizeable with 2 cooking baskets, each 4.2L. No windows or OdourErase but it does have 6 cooking functions.

At the highest price is the Instant Vortex Plus Dual Drawer 8-in-1 Air Fryer with ClearCook Stainless Steel, which has all of the added features plus two drawers and 6 modes. This is 7.6L. The Instant Vortex Plus VersaZone Large Air Fryer with ClearCook Stainless Steel 8.5L sits at the same price, the only difference between the two (other than capacity) being that one has two baskets and the other one, but with a divider.

Should you buy the Instant Pot Vortex Compact 5L Air Fryer?

If you're after an easy-to-use air fryer for cooking the basics, then this is a great choice. It's not going to replace your oven, but it is the perfect size for cooking side dishes or mains for two, and it offers so much versatility.

Its feature range in comparison to its price is impressive, with added features such as a viewing window on its basket and an OdourErase filter to banish strong cooking smells. Its dishwasher-safe basket and tray make cleaning easy for busy households, not to mention the four favourite programmes that you can set, too.

While you might not use the other features, such as bake and dehydrate a lot, you will find the reheat function to be super handy, and sometimes it can replace your microwave. For less than £100, it's a total steal, and its compact size means it won't take up too much worktop space. Oh, and it's nice and quiet while in use. A big win!