Find the best dual-zone air fryer for your kitchen with this tried and tested guide, which is complete with favourites we've reviewed from Ninja, Instant, and more. Our findings? This is the air fryer type that busy families or keen cooks need to make the most of their kitchen space.
After reviewing a host of these larger, two-basket versions of the best air fryers, we're sold on just how revolutionary these appliances are. But how do they differ from normal air fryers? Rather than being limited to one drawer, you'll have at least two spaces (and sometimes more with multi-zone models) to use. And more space to cook with can never be a bad thing.
With a low cost to run due to their energy-efficient designs, investing in one of these dual-basket air fryers is a decision that will pay for itself in the long run, with hundreds of pounds worth of energy likely saved from ditching your oven.
Thanks to the usefulness of these appliances, we suspect the air fryer hype isn't going anywhere fast. But if you're not sure whether you want a single or double-drawer model but know you need to cook for a crowd, then be sure to check out our guide to the best air fryers for a family of 4.
Best dual zone air fryers 2024
The best dual zone air fryers - The quick list
Not much time to spare on your hunt for the best dual-zone air fryer? That's where our quick guide comes in. Click the text at the bottom of the listing if you want to find out more before you buy.
Best overall
This is the best dual-zone air fryer on the market. Two equal-sized drawers, supreme cooking power, easy-to-use controls, 6 functions (!) and a sleek design that goes further than any other we've tried. Overall we think that the newer Ninja FlexDrawer (at #3) is the best air fryer ever, but this is the best if you want to keep it simple with just separate 2 drawers.
Best affordable
Lakeland air fryers are a great affordable alternative to Ninja and Instant, and for your money, you get two cooking zones here which can cook at two different temperatures simultaneously and has handy viewing windows to boot. The drawbacks? It's not dishwasher safe, and it's a little less time efficient than other more expensive options here.
Best air fryer with windows
Our favourite feature with this air fryer is the two windows located on the front panels so that you can monitor the cooking progress without letting any heat out. This Instant model isn't quite as powerful as the Ninja at #1 and lacks the same huge temperature range, but it's great to use and the results are almost as impressive.
Best flexible
This can act as both a dual-zone model and a single-compartment air fryer depending on where you place the divider. It's a little different to the classic Ninja Foodi, but we think it's better overall, and essentially makes your oven redundant thanks to its huge capacity. You can't open each drawer individually, however, as you can with the #1 on this list, which is why for 2 zones only, it just loses out.
Best stacked
The release of the Ninja Double Stack was a gamechanger. You'll no longer need to be limited to side-by-side drawers - instead save space on your worktop with the drawers placed one on top of the other. During testing, we found that the included wire racks can maximise cooking space hugely, though there is some hindrance to the evenness of the cooking.
Best alternative to Ninja
If you feel like you're seeing double, that's because this is very similar to our air fryer at #3, but is more affordable. Its capacity isn't as big as the Ninja, but it's equally as easy to use, and the cooking times will beat your oven easily. With an 8.5 litre capacity, however, it'll be too big for single persons to use.
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Best small dual-zone
This is another affordable option and we love that it's a smaller dual-zone option, as not every home will need litres and litres of space. It's designed to work similarly to the Ninja FlexDrawer and Instant VersaZone, and our tester loved the added feature of the shake reminder when testing too. It's less slick than other options here, and you can't control each cooking zone independently, but if it's on sale for a good price, it'll serve you well.
Best uneven drawers
The design of this air fryer is a bit quirky, as it has one drawer that's much larger than the other so that the split is more 2/3 to 1/3 across the drawers. Our reviewer was skeptical at first, but eventually won over by the fact that she could use the bigger draw for a chicken. It's faster than your oven at cooking whatever you'd like and was endorsed by Jamie Oliver in his air fryer television show. You can't say fairer than that.
Best dual zone air fryer overall
The Ninja Foodi MAX Dual Zone air fryer has a huge fan following - and it's easy to see why once you get your hands on one. Ninja is one of - if not the leading air fryer brand on the market, and they've crystallized what is so great about this type of cooking with this dual basket invention, which we also voted as one of our picks of the best Ninja air fryers out there.
In short, you can cook two different foods in two different ways (pick from six functions including the ability to bake) at the same time, and then sync them up to finish at the exact right moment so that everything will arrive at the table still hot. What that allows you to do in reality is to experiment with a range of different food types at home that you might not have even imagined just yet, such as dehydrated fruit snacks or a lemon drizzle cake.
Our expert tester who called this 'one of the best ever' air fryers she'd tried (after testing around 30 of them). She loved just how high the temperature could be set - up to 240 degrees, a feature which makes it so versatile due to the type of things you can cook up. She also found that it was a standout winner for crisping up potato wedges and other fried favourites. The only thing to note with the controls is that it can take a second to adjust to the super quick cooking times. If your chips end up a little charred on your first few attempts, then don't worry, just adjust your timings accordingly.
While it might be too hefty for smaller kitchens, this is the air fryer you should opt for if you can stretch your budget, and if you're cooking for more than one. If the budget is your only concern, then do take a look through our Ninja Kitchen discount codes to make sure that you're getting the best deal possible.
Our full Ninja Foodi MAX Dual Zone AF400UK air fryer review has the full details.
Best affordable dual zone air fryer
This air fryer from Lakeland is our affordable dual-zone go-to. Its RRP is £99.99, but we've regularly seen it on sale for less. It has those viewing windows that we liked so much with our #2 on this list, and it's nice and spacious.
Full disclaimer, it's not quite as quick as the Ninja and Instant options on this list when it comes to cooking, but other than that, our tester and home economist Helen had little to complain about after trying it out for a week. She used it to air fry and bake a variety of foods, from chips to brownies, with great (if albeit a little slower) cooking results.
As this is a cheaper option, Helen did find that the control panel is less straightforward to use than others, and it will take longer for anyone to get used to. The value for money here might just tip the scales on that issue, though dishwasher users should beware – the baskets unfortunately can't go in your dishwasher.
Our Lakeland Dual Basket with Easy View Air Fryer review has the full details.
Best dual zone air fryer with windows
We're not afraid to say that we think the Instant Vortex Plus Dual Drawer air fryer deserves more hype than it currently has. This pick is a real contender to the Ninja for the crowning glory of being the best dual basket air fryer out there, with a design that is understated, clever and better looking than the Ninja (or so we think).
The front of both baskets has those magical ClearCook see-through windows that allow you to check on the progress of whatever is inside without losing any heat at all, a feature that no Ninja has. The interface is a dream to work with - and during testing, we've loved how easy it is to set up.
Just as with the Ninja Foodi, this air fryer is multifunctional, with five other settings made for everyday cooking. The bake function is ideal for bread, the reheat function works for leftovers and you can even dehydrate oranges inside with the ability to set the temperature low for a long period (up to 12 hours).
This is the air fryer that our Kitchen Appliances Editor used for over a year without issue, which is high praise indeed. For a rival to Ninja, look no further than Instant's range of products.
Our Instant Vortex Dual Zone air fryer review has the full details.
Best flexible dual zone air fryer
If you know you want a dual-zone air fryer but don't necessarily need to use two sections all of the time, then the Ninja Foodi FlexDrawer Air Fryer is the one for you. Instead of dithering, why not get both, with this model offering ultimate versatility? You can insert a divider when you want to use the two drawers separately or keep the mammoth single drawer for cuts of meat and larger portions.
Our reviewer and home economist Helen was impressed with everything she cooked in this air fryer, the crowning glory being the leg of lamb that fit spaciously inside. She also made a cake and several easy lunches, like a toastie, proving that anything your oven can do, a Ninja can do better.
This will be too large for single-person households, and you'll need to reserve a lot of space for it on your worktop or in a cupboard if you do invest. Once you've done that though, you'll find this air fryer is wholly worth it, even though it's the most expensive Ninja air fryer out there at the minute.
Our Ninja Foodi FlexDrawer Air Fryer review has the full details.
Best stacked dual zone air fryer
A complaint often levelled at dual-zone air fryers is that they can be serious space hoggers, and limit you to cooking only two foods at a time. The Ninja Double Stack is the answer to your prayers if those conundrums have prevented you from purchasing a dual-zone air fryer so far.
With its innovative design, the Double Stack flips the side-by-side status quo on its head, with the drawers stacked one on top of another to give you that precious worktop space back. It also comes with two wire racks, so that you can stack foods up inside easily. During testing, our reviewer was won over by the design, which solves plenty of space-related problems, but in the end, she thinks that the performance of the original and ever-popular Ninja Foodi MAX Dual Zone air fryer (our #1 on this list) pips it at the post performance-wise.
Depsite that, if you are set on the Double Stack, you'll be happy to hear that our reviewer still thought the performance of this air fryer was fairly solid, with a 4 star rating. She used it to bake brownies and air fry meat, chicken and veggies to great effect, even if the cooking was a little less even than she was expecting from Ninja, who undoubtedly make the best air fryers on the market.
Our Ninja Double Stacked air fryer review has the full details.
Best Ninja alternative
Our expert reviewer Helen said she 'couldn't think of many reasons not to buy this air fryer', which is high praise indeed from our hard-to-please expert.
The premise of the VersaZone is very similar to Ninja's FlexDrawer, with the choice of either one mega compartment or two smaller zones when air frying. After testing, Helen concluded that this is a top-notch air fryer with a capacity that’ll be ample for most families.
The flexibility to use it in either single or dual zone mode immediately solves the dilemma of whether to buy a single or double-drawer air fryer and gives you the best of both worlds.
Another thing we love about this air fryer is its affordability. Though it has an RRP of £199.99, it's often reduced to far less, which is excellent value for money. The only downsides Helen could find are that it might be a tad big for 1-2 person households and that in our review process, it couldn’t fit a chicken in it whole. But all-in-all it cooks well and is easy to use, with a quality that's Ninja-eqsue without the price tag.
Our Instant Vortex Plus VersaZone Air Fryer review has the full details.
The best small dual zone air fryer
The main reason to buy this air fryer from Russell Hobbs is the flexibility that comes with being able to split the basket into two zones, much like the Ninja FlexDrawer, which we've rated above.
Our expert product tester Helen had a mixed bag when reviewing this buy. Whilst she overall liked the idea of the design, having to cook at the same temperature on both sides, combined with the frustrations she experienced with the perforated dividers, left her thinking you might be better off opting for an air fryer without the flexible zones. And instead plumping for either a decent size single zone or a good dual-zone air fryer.
There were positives with testing this air fryer too. Helen found it cooked much better when in the single zone mode, and cooked up an array of foods with it in good time.
On the whole, if you have a specific reason that means the flexibility to split it into two zones would suit your needs better than other air fryers, then it’ll get the job done. But you’ll just have to accept some of its quirks along the way.
Our Russell Hobbs Satisfry Snappi Dual Basket Air Fryer review has the full details.
Best dual zone air fryer with uneven drawers
Tefal is a reliably good cookware and appliance brand, and in this vein, it's no surprise. that this is a reliably good air fryer. It's got a quirky USP too, with one larger drawer with a capacity of 5.2 litres and one smaller drawer of 3.1 litres.
At first, our reviewer Helen was sceptical as to the point of this split but quickly found that it was very useful for cooking large cuts of meat and a side of veg in one fell swoop. She showed that by cooking a whole chicken in the large drawer with ease, alongside some veggies. It certainly gives a different edge to normally split two-drawer air fryers.
It's also equipped with a grill function, which Helen found to be effective for cooking sausages, which emerged well-browned without being dried out. And if you're happy with the grill on your oven, then don't worry as you can also pick up a version of this air fryer without the grill for a bit cheaper too.
Overall, we think this is a solid choice if you regularly cook family meals that will suit the capacity split. It is a little bit pricier for its ability than we think it should be, however, so one to watch out for on sale if you would like it.
Our Tefal Easy Fry Dual Air Fryer & Grill review has the full details.
How we tested the best dual zone air fryers
Every air fryer in this buying guide has either been tested at home, or at our test facility by one of Ideal Home's reviewers for several weeks so that we can adhere to our testing protocol, and reliably tell you what's good and not so good about these products.
We've been putting air fryers all of kinds through their paces now for over a year and a half, which gives us the best idea of what to look for in dual basket iterations. That includes not only the cooking performance after trying them out with a range of foods, but also how they fit into a living space, how intuitive they are to use, and how much they're likely to set you back.
FAQs
When's the best time to buy a dual zone air fryer?
Why you can trust Ideal Home Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
You won't need me to tell you that air fryers are immensely popular, with sales skyrocketing in the last few years.
In that time, there's been one month of the year far better than any other to invest in a dual-zone air fryer. Yep, it's the month in which Black Friday and Cyber Monday fall, particularly near the end of November. If you want to learn more about the sales event itself, our Black Friday deals page has everything you need to know year-round. Another advantageous time to shop is Amazon Prime Day, with the retailer often holding a Prime-style event in July and October, giving you a chance to snap up a bargain if you have a subscription.
How do dual zone air fryers work?
Dual-zone air fryers do everything your usual air fryer can do, times two. So you can cook with the same time and temperatures across both drawers (effectively doubling the capacity of a single drawer use) or you can control either drawer independently.
This means you can air fry your roast vegetables in one drawer, and your chicken breast in an entirely different setting simultaneously.
To do this you can make the most of Sync or Match modes, which will either sync the finish times of your food to make sure everything is ready at the same time or use Match to duplicate the cooking settings from your first drawer across to the second.
How much does a dual zone air fryer cost?
Typically, they are pretty pricey. The models with the cheapest RRPs in this guide are still over £100 - a hefty price to pay for many. However, the bigger price tag of dual zone models is because you get more back from your investment - more space, greater functions, and improved settings to make use of, such as ones that allow you to sync up cooking times.
That's not to say that dual-zone models out there won't be overpriced. Retailers can massively inflate prices past the RRP to sell what they've got, meaning that you can pay well over the odds if you're not careful. Always be aware of the actual RRP of the product by going directly to the retailer (Instant, Tower, Ninja) and checking the price that you're about to pay at Amazon or any other retailer beforehand.
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