Are Air Fryers Healthy?

Air frying is healthier than deep frying mainly because the food takes up less oil, but it is not a health food by itself and it does not reliably cut acrylamide. What you cook matters more than the appliance. This guide sets out what the studies, the FDA, the National Cancer Institute and the USDA actually say, and where the evidence runs out.

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Fat and Calories: Air Frying vs Deep Frying

Fat is the most concentrated source of calories in food. The USDA’s Food and Nutrition Information Center puts fat at 9 calories per gram, against 4 for carbohydrate and protein, so the oil a food absorbs changes its calorie count more than anything else. Source: USDA FNIC.

Studies that compare the two methods point the same way. Air frying lowers the fat a food ends up with, by amounts that depend on the food:

I did not find one percentage that holds across foods, so I would be wary of any single “70 percent less fat” figure. The French fry study also used a machine that heats the potato in hot air containing fine oil droplets, so its result is not the same as air frying with no added oil.

Does Air Frying Reduce Acrylamide?

Not reliably. Acrylamide forms from sugars and the amino acid asparagine when starchy foods are cooked at high heat, whether fried, roasted or baked. The FDA says it caused cancer in animal studies at doses far higher than those found in food, and that it is still researching whether the much lower levels in food are a risk to people. Source: FDA on acrylamide.

Two recent studies found air-fried potatoes at the high end. In a 2024 study of potato sticks, air-fried ones had 12.19 µg/kg, against 8.94 deep-fried and 7.43 oven-fried, though the differences were not statistically significant (Navruz-Varlı and Mortaş).

In a 2025 study, air-fried potatoes without enzyme pretreatment had the highest level of three methods, at 963.83 µg/kg against 785.31 for microwave frying (Esposito et al.). The numbers differ between studies because the methods do.

What lowers it is how you prepare the potato. The FDA says to cook potato products to golden yellow rather than brown, soak raw slices in water for 15 to 30 minutes first, and store raw potatoes outside the refrigerator. It does not mention air fryers.

Other Compounds That Form

Acrylamide is not the only one studied. In fried chicken, Noh et al., 2024 found 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) only in the normally battered samples, at 1.27 µg/mL when deep-fried and 0.41 when air-fried, and the air-fried chicken kept more moisture. The bean chip study above found the reverse for HMF. Neither says what those levels mean for health, so I treat the evidence as mixed and food-specific.

Air Fryer vs Oven

The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service describes air fryers as “essentially countertop convection ovens” that cook faster and use less energy than a full-size oven. I would therefore expect similar nutrition from the same food in either, but I found no study that compares them directly. The practical advantages are speed and a smaller footprint. Source: FSIS, Air Fryers and Food Safety.

Air Fryer vs Grill

The National Cancer Institute says heterocyclic amines (HCAs) form when muscle meat is cooked at high temperatures, particularly above about 300°F, and that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) come from fat and juices dripping onto a flame or hot surface and making smoke. FSIS says air fryers cook at 350 to 400°F, so they are above the temperature NCI flags for HCAs. They have no flame, so I would expect less of the smoke route, but I found no study measuring HCAs or PAHs in air-fried meat.

NCI’s own advice is to avoid long cooking at high heat, turn meat often, and remove charred parts. It also says population studies have not established a definite link between these chemicals and cancer in people. Source: NCI fact sheet.

Reheating: Air Fryer or Microwave?

Choose by texture, not by fear. FSIS says microwaves do not make food radioactive, because microwave energy has a wavelength similar to radio and television waves. FSIS adds that an air fryer can reheat food without it going soggy. Sources: FSIS on microwave ovens and the FSIS air fryer page above.

Keeping Air-Fried Food Healthier

• Use the potato advice above. Golden, not brown; soak sliced raw potatoes; keep raw potatoes out of the fridge.
• Do not overcrowd the basket. FSIS says it blocks air circulation and can leave food undercooked, so cook large amounts in batches.
• Check the temperature, not the clock. FSIS gives 145°F for fish, 160°F for ground meat and 165°F for poultry. See my meat temperature guide.
• Skip raw stuffed breaded chicken. FSIS says not to cook raw, stuffed, breaded chicken breast products in an air fryer.
• Chill leftovers within 2 hours. Do not leave cooked food sitting in the basket.
• Watch what you add. The appliance changes the cooking, not the food; a nugget is still a nugget. If smoke or foil questions come up, see why air fryers smoke and using aluminium foil in an air fryer.

Choosing One

If health is why you want one, an air fryer is a fair replacement for a deep fryer; my air fryer vs deep fryer comparison covers the trade-offs. For the cost, see how much an air fryer costs, and for the choice against a toaster oven, air fryer vs toaster oven. Buying guides: best cheap air fryer and best air fryer for a family of 4.

How This Guide Was Put Together

This is a research-based guide built from the sources linked above; I have not cooked or measured anything myself. I read the abstracts of the six studies cited, the FDA acrylamide page, the NCI fact sheet and the two FSIS pages. Four things I could not establish: a single fat reduction that applies to every food, a direct nutrient comparison between an air fryer and an oven, any measurement of HCAs or PAHs in air-fried meat, and what the HMF levels mean for health. Several of the studies are small laboratory comparisons of one food each.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is air frying healthier than deep frying?

Usually, because the food absorbs less oil and fat has 9 calories per gram. Studies on fries, crayfish and bean chips found lower fat, by amounts that depend on the food. It is not a health food on its own.

Does air frying reduce acrylamide?

Not reliably. Two recent studies found air-fried potatoes at the high end. The FDA says to cook to golden yellow, soak raw slices for 15 to 30 minutes, and keep raw potatoes out of the fridge.

Is an air fryer healthier than an oven?

Probably similar. FSIS calls air fryers countertop convection ovens that cook faster and use less energy. I found no direct nutrient comparison between the two.

Is air frying healthier than grilling?

Unknown. NCI links HCAs to high-temperature cooking above about 300°F and PAHs to fat dripping onto flames. Air fryers run at 350 to 400°F without a flame, and I found no study measuring either in air-fried meat.

Is it safer to reheat food in an air fryer than a microwave?

Not for the reason often given. FSIS says microwaves do not make food radioactive. An air fryer can reheat without making food soggy, which is the real difference.

Does air frying make unhealthy food healthy?

No. It changes how the food is cooked, not what it is made of. A breaded, pre-fried item is the same product in the basket, and portion size still matters.

About Glenn

I'm Glenn, and I started Kitchenware Compare to cut through conflicting product reviews and help readers pick kitchen gear with confidence. I don't own or test the products I write about — these guides are built from verified-purchase reviews, manufacturer specifications, and independent testing where it exists, with the reasoning shown, not just a rating.