_edited.png)
the midtox files: air fryers
Updated: 1 day ago
The Best Non Toxic Air Fryers at Every Price Point
This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only link to products I researched, and I will tell you when the cheaper option is the smarter one. Prices are current as of September 2026 and they do change.
My toxic trait is seeing a $300 “must-have nontoxic” product and immediately spending three hours trying to prove there’s a cheaper option. 😂 Because here’s the thing: some of us care... just not that much. We want to make a better choice when we can, but we don’t necessarily need the absolute “cleanest,” most expensive product on the market just to feel okay using an air fryer.
So I went way too deep on air fryers for you. You’re welcome. 🫶
This is part of The Mid-Tox Files, where I do the deep dive, read the material specs and FAQ pages, compare the marketing claims with what’s actually touching your food, and give you options at different price points so you can decide where your line is.
The Air Fryers at a Glance
Tier | Air fryer | Price |
One: Good Enough for Me | $79 | |
One: Good Enough for Me | $120 | |
One: Good Enough for Me | $99 | |
Two: Fewer Question Marks | $129.99 | |
Two: Fewer Question Marks | $149 | |
Two: Fewer Question Marks | $299 | |
Three: No Stone Unturned | $79.99 | |
Three: No Stone Unturned | $140 | |
Three: No Stone Unturned | $165 | |
Three: No Stone Unturned | $189 | |
Three: No Stone Unturned | $199 | |
Three: No Stone Unturned | $325 |
So: What Are We Actually Worried About?
Most traditional basket air fryers use a metal basket with some type of nonstick coating, and then we repeatedly heat that surface to pretty high temperatures.
That doesn’t mean every air fryer with a coating is automatically a problem. It means I want to know what that coating actually is before calling something a better option.
Here’s what I looked at:
PFAS / PTFE / PFOA-type conventional nonstick
what the coating is actually made without
exposed aluminum touching food
plastic in the hot food-contact area
lead + cadmium disclosures where relevant
how much the brand actually tells us
what happens when the cooking surface becomes scratched or worn
And this is important: “PFOA-free” alone isn’t enough information for me. A product can be marketed as PFOA-free without necessarily telling us whether the coating contains other PFAS or PTFE.
My baseline for making this list
At minimum, I'm looking for a clearly disclosed PFAS/PTFE-free food-contact coating or a food-contact surface like glass or stainless steel that removes the conventional nonstick question altogether.
I also gave more weight to brands that clearly explained what their basket, tray or cooking vessel was made from instead of just throwing “healthy” or “nontoxic” into the product name.
From there, I divided them based on how many material compromises and unanswered questions remained.
TIER ONE: Good enough for me!
I care, but I’m normal about it.
Price: $–$$ | Brand disclosure: moderate to strong | Mid-tox: ✅ | Extreme crunchy: ❌
This tier is for you if you want a clearly disclosed, PFAS-free option at a normal-person price and you’re comfortable cooking on a ceramic nonstick surface. I'm allowing PFAS-free ceramic coatings, metal or aluminum underneath the coating, plastic exterior components and conventional basket-style construction.
The compromise is pretty straightforward: you're still relying on a coating over metal instead of eliminating coatings altogether.
1. bella 6qt Air Fryer
$79 | SHOP HERE
This is one of the more budget-friendly ways to get a conventional basket-style air fryer with a clearly disclosed ceramic coating. bella uses its EverGood ceramic nonstick across its applicable air fryers and explicitly says it’s made without PFAS, PFOA, PTFE, lead or cadmium.
Features
6-quart family-size capacity
ceramic nonstick cooking surface
digital controls
compact “Slim” footprint
dishwasher-friendly removable parts
made without PFAS, PFOA, PTFE, lead + cadmium
What touches your food: Your food sits in a ceramic-coated metal basket rather than directly on bare metal. The coating is bella’s EverGood ceramic nonstick.
Why it made Tier One: This is exactly what Tier One is for. You're still using a coated basket, but the company gives a much clearer answer about that coating than a vague “PFOA-free” label. If that clears your personal bar, there’s no reason you automatically need to spend another $200.
2. COSORI TurboBlaze 6qt Air Fryer
$120 | SHOP HERE
The TurboBlaze is a good option if you want the familiar basket-style air fryer experience but with a PFAS-free ceramic cooking surface. COSORI specifically identifies the basket and crisper plate as PFAS-free ceramic coated.
Features
6-quart capacity
PFAS-free ceramic-coated basket + crisper plate
multiple fan speeds
up to 450°F
dishwasher-safe basket + plate
automatic shutoff
What touches your food: Your food primarily contacts the ceramic-coated basket and crisper plate.
Why it made Tier One: This is another conventional coated-basket air fryer, just with better material disclosure. I like that COSORI actually identifies the ceramic surface as PFAS-free rather than relying only on “PFOA-free” marketing.
One thing worth knowing: COSORI does carry a California Prop 65 lead warning on this model. A Prop 65 warning doesn't tell us that lead is coating the food-contact surface, but I wouldn't hide the disclosure either.
3. Cuisinart Air Fryer Toaster Oven
$99 | SHOP HERE
If you prefer an oven-style air fryer to a drawer, this is the budget option I found. Instead of food sitting down inside a deep coated basket, you're spreading it across an air-fry rack inside a countertop toaster-oven-style appliance.
Features
air fries + functions as a toaster oven
metal air-fry basket
adjustable temperature
viewing window
includes baking/drip tray + oven rack
compact countertop format
What touches your food: When air frying, the food sits primarily on the metal air-fry basket. Cuisinart's compact oven-style models use removable metal racks and trays rather than a traditional deep nonstick air-fryer drawer.
Why it made Tier One: It's a different route to essentially the same goal. You're moving away from the classic coated drawer, but I'm not giving this the “fewest question marks” designation because Cuisinart doesn't provide the same level of material detail for every component of this particular model that I found on some of the higher-tier options.
TIER TWO: Fewer question marks
I want a little more peace of mind.
Price: $$–$$$Brand disclosure: strongMid-tox: ✅✅Extreme crunchy: ❌
This tier is for you if you want better material transparency, more thoughtful construction or stronger testing/disclosure, but you're still okay with some clearly disclosed coatings or secondary components.
I'm prioritizing steel, stainless or glass where possible and fewer plastics in the immediate cooking area.
But I'm still allowing PFAS-free ceramic coatings, aluminum underneath those coatings and some plastic or silicone components.
1. GreenPan Bistro 7qt Clear View Air Fryer
$129.99 | SHOP HERE
GreenPan is very clear about what its nonstick actually is, which earns it points here. The Bistro uses GreenPan's PFAS-free ceramic nonstick on both the removable drawer and air-fry tray, plus a clear viewing lid so you can actually watch your food cook.
Features
7-quart capacity
PFAS-free ceramic nonstick
13 cooking presets
360° clear-view lid + interior light
up to 400°F
dishwasher-safe drawer + tray
What touches your food: Your food sits on GreenPan's ceramic-coated air-fry tray inside a ceramic-coated drawer.
Why it made Tier Two: It isn't uncoated, so this isn't the answer for someone whose goal is “no coatings whatsoever.” What moves it up for me is GreenPan's stronger disclosure. The brand explicitly addresses PFAS and explains its Thermolon ceramic technology instead of leaving you to guess what “nonstick” means.
2. Livwell 6qt Glass Air Fryer
$149 | SHOP HERE
Now we're starting to leave the traditional air-fryer basket behind. Livwell uses a six-quart glass casserole-style cooking vessel that you can cook, serve and store food in.
Features
6-quart glass cooking vessel
12 cooking presets
pull-out casserole-style drawer
removable storage lid
dishwasher-safe glass container
brand identifies the glass vessel as PFAS + PFOA free
What touches your food: The primary cooking vessel is glass. Livwell also includes an air-fry basket and silicone accessories, but the company gives much more detail about the glass container than it does about every secondary component.
Why it made Tier Two: Glass eliminates a huge piece of the conventional nonstick question. I stopped short of Tier Three because I wanted better disclosure on the entire air-fry setup, not just the glass casserole vessel.
That's kind of the point of these tiers. “Glass air fryer” doesn't automatically tell you what every rack, basket, tray, seal and accessory is made from.
3. Ninja CRISPi Pro
$299 | SHOP HERE
The CRISPi Pro is Ninja's larger countertop version of its glass air-frying system. It gives you a six-quart glass vessel for family-size meals plus a smaller container for sides or individual portions.
Features
6-quart + 2.5-quart glass containers
6 cooking functions
up to 450°F
1,800 watts
dishwasher-safe glassware
PFAS/PTFE-free cooking system
What touches your food: Ninja's CleanCrisp cooking containers are glass, and the company specifically describes the system as cooking without PFAS and PTFE.
Why it made Tier Two: The glassware is a big step away from the conventional coated air-fryer basket, and Ninja gives much stronger materials messaging than it used to. I'm still keeping it here rather than automatically calling a $299 appliance the “cleanest” option because price isn't the tier system. Some much cheaper products below use similarly simple food-contact materials.
TIER THREE: NO STONE UNTURNED
I want the fewest compromises.
Price: $$–$$$ | Brand disclosure: strong | Mid-tox: ✅✅ | Extreme crunchy: ✅
This tier is for you if you'd rather move away from the traditional coated-metal air-fryer basket altogether and prioritize glass, stainless or steel food-contact surfaces. I'm looking for no conventional PFAS/PTFE nonstick, minimal coated food-contact area and clearly disclosed materials.
And once again: “zero question marks” basically isn't a real category.
Someone can always go another layer into heating elements, plastics, silicone, metal alloys, internal components, manufacturing processes and independent testing. At some point you have to decide where your own research stops.
1. Willow 5qt Glass Air Fryer
$79.99 | SHOP HERE
And THIS is exactly why I'm doing this series.
The Willow is the cheapest air fryer in the entire roundup, yet it lands in my most material-conscious tier.
Higher price ≠ “nontoxic-er.”
Features
5-quart glass cooking pot
digital touchscreen
1,500 watts
glass cooking visibility
replaceable glass basket available
brand states no PTFE, PFOA or PFAS
What touches your food: The main basket is glass and the unit includes a separate crisping tray. Willow explicitly says the product contains no PTFE, PFOA or PFAS.
Why it made Tier Three: A $79.99 glass cooking vessel with explicit PFAS/PTFE/PFOA disclosure is exactly the kind of thing I wanted to uncover. You're giving up some of the capacity, features and premium feel of the $300 machines, but you're not necessarily giving up the material standard you're actually paying attention to.
Sometimes you're paying more for materials. Sometimes you're paying for capacity, technology, features, design or brand name. I want you to know which is which.
2. Magnifique 6qt Casserole Glass Air Fryer
$140 | SHOP HERE
Magnifique takes the casserole-style approach but gives much more specific material disclosure. The six-quart cooking dish is borosilicate glass and the air-frying tray is chromium-plated steel.
Features
6-quart borosilicate glass dish
chromium-plated steel frying tray
12 cooking modes
180–400°F range
casserole-style pull-out drawer
storage lid + silicone accessories included
What touches your food: Magnifique says the food-contact surfaces are borosilicate glass and chromium-plated steel, with no PFAS/PFOA coating on those surfaces.
Why it made Tier Three: The material disclosure is unusually straightforward. If your whole goal is getting away from the coated-metal basket, this does that without jumping into premium-appliance pricing.
3. Cuisinart TOA-65 Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven
$165 | SHOP HERE
This is the oven-style answer for someone who'd rather cook on stainless steel than in a glass bowl.
Features
stainless steel air-fry basket
stainless steel baking pan
stainless steel interior
up to 450°F
multiple oven + air-fry functions
1,800 watts
What touches your food: Cuisinart lists a stainless steel air-fry basket and stainless steel baking pan, and the current model documentation says there are no intentionally added PFAS.
Why it made Tier Three: If your priority is avoiding coated cooking surfaces during normal air frying, stainless steel makes that really simple. This is also a nice choice if you want one appliance to replace both an air fryer and countertop toaster oven.
4. Our Place Wonder Oven
$189 | SHOP HERE
This is an important one because it shows why I look at individual components, not just a brand's “nontoxic” label.
The Wonder Oven has a stainless steel interior and steel air-fry basket. Its included bake pan, however, is aluminum with a ceramic nonstick coating.
Features
12-liter countertop oven
steel air-fry basket
stainless steel interior
6 cooking functions
steam-infusion feature
up to 450°F
What touches your food: During air frying, food can sit directly on the steel basket. The wire rack and crumb tray are also steel. The included bake pan is coated aluminum, though Our Place says its accessories are made without PTFE, PFOA, PFAS, lead and cadmium.
Why it made Tier Three: You do not have to use the coated bake pan to air fry. The actual air-frying basket is steel, which is why this still clears the bar. If you're trying to avoid coatings altogether, just understand that one of the included accessories does have one.
5. Fritaire Glass Air Fryer
$199 | SHOP HERE
This is probably the most intentionally designed “nontoxic air fryer” of the bunch. Fritaire uses a glass cooking bowl and 304 stainless steel food-contact accessories, including its rotisserie and tumbler.
Features
glass cooking bowl
304 stainless steel accessories
9 cooking functions
rotisserie + tumbler included
self-cleaning mode
no PFAS, PTFE or BPA on food-contact surfaces
What touches your food: Tempered glass and 304 stainless steel. Fritaire explicitly states that there are no chemical coatings on its food-contact surfaces.
Why it made Tier Three: This is one of the most complete disclosures I found. You're not just getting a generic “PFAS-free” claim. The brand actually identifies the glass bowl, stainless accessories and absence of food-contact coatings.
If you want very few material compromises and care about the extra functionality, this is where spending more starts buying you something tangible.
6. Our Place Wonder Oven Large
$325 | SHOP HERE
If capacity is the reason the smaller glass air fryers don't work for you, this is the premium oven-style option.
The larger Wonder Oven gives you a 28-liter stainless steel interior and a much larger steel air-fry basket.
Features
28-liter capacity
large steel air-fry basket
stainless steel interior
6 cooking modes
dual-speed convection
fits up to a 12-inch pizza
What touches your food: For air frying, you can use the steel basket inside the stainless steel oven. Like the smaller Wonder Oven, the included bake pan is aluminum with a ceramic coating, while the air-fry basket itself is steel. Our Place says the accessories are made without PTFE, PFOA, PFAS, lead and cadmium.
Why it made Tier Three: This is where the price difference is primarily buying capacity and appliance functionality, not a fundamentally “cleaner” air-frying surface than the $80 Willow. That's worth paying for if you need it. It's completely unnecessary if you don't.
So What Is the Best Non Toxic Air Fryer?
Honestly, I think “what's the best air fryer?” is kind of the wrong question.
The better question is:
What do I care about enough to spend money on?
Maybe PFAS-free ceramic is plenty for you.
Maybe you specifically want glass.
Maybe you hate coatings altogether and want stainless steel.
Maybe you need a massive capacity because you're feeding six people and the adorable little $80 glass one would make you air fry dinner in four shifts.
Maybe the $79 Willow checks every material box you personally care about and spending another $250 would get you absolutely nothing that matters to you.
All of those answers make sense.
That's exactly why I don't think “buy this one, it's the nontoxic one” is particularly helpful advice.
My Personal Mid-Tox Line
Because air fryers get hot and we use ours often, I do care about what my food is actually sitting on.
If I were shopping today, I'd personally prioritize:
no conventional PFAS/PTFE nonstick
clear material disclosure from the brand
glass or stainless/steel when it works for my budget
But here's a glimpse of real-life Mid-Tox living:
The air fryer currently sitting in my house doesn't even meet my own criteria.
It's what we have. I'm not freaking out about it, throwing it in the trash tonight and ordering a new $300 appliance on credit because Instagram told me I'm poisoning my family.
When replacing it makes sense for us, we'll prioritize a better option.
Until then? We use what we have.
Do You Need to Replace Your Current Air Fryer?
Not necessarily.
I would be more motivated to replace one if the cooking surface is scratched, peeling, chipped or otherwise damaged, especially if you're dealing with a coated basket that's exposed underneath.
I'd also consider replacing it if you already planned to upgrade and now know which materials you want to prioritize.
But if yours works, the surface is in good condition, replacing it isn't in the budget and this isn't high on your priority list?
You are allowed to keep making chicken nuggets.
Mid-Tox is supposed to help you make a more informed choice when it's time to make one. It is not another list of things you're suddenly required to buy.
Air Fryer FAQ
Are air fryers toxic?
Air fryers aren't inherently “toxic.” The material question mostly comes down to what surfaces are heated and touching your food. Many traditional basket air fryers use nonstick-coated metal, while other models use PFAS-free ceramic coatings, glass or stainless steel.
What is the safest material for an air fryer?
There isn't one universally “safest” air fryer material. Glass and uncoated stainless or steel remove the conventional nonstick-coating question, which is why I put them in my highest tier. PFAS-free ceramic coatings can also be a reasonable middle-ground option if you're comfortable with coated cookware.
What is a PFAS-free air fryer?
A PFAS-free air fryer is one whose relevant cooking surfaces are made without per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, the chemical family that includes PTFE. I prefer brands that explicitly say PFAS-free or PTFE-free rather than only advertising “PFOA-free.”
Are ceramic air fryers nontoxic?
“Ceramic” usually means the metal basket has a ceramic-based nonstick coating. It doesn't mean the basket itself is solid ceramic. I specifically looked for brands that clearly state their ceramic coating is made without PFAS/PTFE.
Is a glass air fryer better?
Glass removes the need for a nonstick coating on the actual cooking vessel and lets you see the food while it cooks. The tradeoff is that some glass models still use separate metal or coated crisping trays, silicone pieces or plastic around the heating system, so I still look at the whole appliance.
Is stainless steel better than nonstick for an air fryer?
If your priority is avoiding coatings, stainless or steel is a very straightforward option. The tradeoff is that it may require a little more cleaning and isn't inherently nonstick.
Do I need to throw away my old air fryer?
No. I would pay attention to the condition of the food-contact surface. If a coated basket is badly scratched, peeling or damaged, that would move replacement higher on my list. Otherwise, you can decide when replacing it makes sense for your budget and priorities.
The Whole Point of the Mid-Tox Files
I'm not here to tell you everything in your house is toxic.
I think we have enough of that.
I'm here to do the research, give you options at different price points and help you figure out what you want to care about, because none of us can do it all.
Sometimes the $300 product really does have something special about it.
Sometimes the $79 option quietly checks more of the boxes you care about.
And sometimes the best choice is to keep using the thing already sitting on your counter.
That's the middle ground I'm interested in.
Next up: if slow cookers are on your list too, I already did the deep dive. Read the Mid-Tox Files: Slow Cookers here.
Cover photo from OurPlace
Comments