Best Air Fryer Without Teflon

Glass is the cleanest answer to this keyword, and this is the model we'd start with. The cooking bowl is borosilicate glass, so there is no coating to chip or flake, and owners who switched after a nonstick basket started peeling describe that as the reason they chose it. The clear bowl and viewing window also let you watch fries or steak brown without opening anything and letting heat out.

The 5.8-quart size suits a household of two to four, and the 1200W element, 360-degree airflow and presets for shrimp, steak, fries, wings, fish, chicken and defrost cover most weeknight cooking. Temperature tops out at 390°F, which owners say is still enough to crisp food well, and the timer runs up to 60 minutes. Owners also report no plastic smell on first use and easy cleanup.

The trade-off is weight. A common complaint is that the glass basket is heavy and awkward to lift out, so a silicone pad for the hot glass and a steady grip help. A common complaint is also that the controls take getting used to, since you press the power button to start after keying in time and temperature. One wrinkle for strict buyers: the tray is also described as non-stick, so confirm what that tray is made of if you want nothing coated anywhere.

Next to the NutriChef 5.8 Quart Air Fryer, this system is a different idea: a palm-sized 1500W PowerPod that sits over borosilicate glass containers, a 6-cup one for single meals and a 4-quart one that fits a whole 4-pound chicken with vegetables. Both containers are free of PFAS, PTFE and nonstick coatings, and snap-lock lids let you cook, store and carry food in the same dish.

Owners report that it cooks evenly, crisps well and heats fast, and the small container is a favorite for one person. The pod nests inside the glassware, which keeps storage tidy on a tight counter, and the glass pieces and crisper plates are dishwasher safe.

There are real caveats. A common complaint is durability, with reports of the unit failing within months and of a glass container cracking during use, which matters more with a glass-first design. Each mode also runs in a fixed temperature range rather than letting you pick an exact number, and because the base is fixed to the bowl, the underside takes a little more care when you wash it by hand.

Buyers who find the glass bowl on the NutriChef 5.8 Quart Air Fryer too heavy to lift will like that this unit is lighter overall, at 14.1 pounds against 15.75, and keeps a familiar basket with a large grip handle. The structure is stainless steel and the cooking surfaces carry a PFAS-free ceramic nonstick coating, made without PFAS, PTFE or BPA, so it is Teflon-free but not coating-free, and that distinction matters here.

The 6.5-quart basket has a roughly square footprint that lets you spread vegetables in a single layer, and a 450°F ceiling, five fan speeds, a shake reminder and app control round out the feature set. Owners report quiet operation, quick cooking, evenly crisp chicken and fries, and basket and crisper plate that wash well in a dishwasher. Owners report sticking to silicone utensils to protect the ceramic surface, which is worth copying.

Two gripes come up. A common complaint is that the controls take a couple of tries to learn, and the openings in the crisper plate are large enough that small vegetable pieces can drop through. A 5-year manufacturer warranty adds some reassurance.

Think of this as the family-sized sibling of the Ninja Crispi Glass Air Fryer : the same pod-and-glass idea, scaled up to 1800 watts and a 6-quart borosilicate container that is meant to feed up to 10 people and roast a 7.5-pound chicken, plus a 2.5-quart container for everyday meals. A modular stainless base also fits 4-quart containers, so you can scale to the meal.

Glass here is PFAS-free, PTFE-free and BPA-free on every food-contact surface, and it is made to take a thermal shock, so food can go from freezer to cooking without thawing. Six functions (Max Crisp, Air Fry, Bake/Proof, Roast, Recrisp and Dehydrate) cover jerky as well as weeknight dinners, and the snap-lock lids double as storage.

Owners report that it cooks food to a good crisp, from frozen fries to chicken tenders, wings and toast, and they find the controls intuitive and the glass bowls well sized. The 6-quart bowl is large enough for a crowd yet small enough to live on a counter.

Anyone eyeing the Ninja Crispi Glass Air Fryer for a one- or two-person kitchen should also weigh this Cuisinart, which keeps a conventional slide-out basket but makes it from borosilicate glass, with a clear top window and interior light so you can watch food crisp. Both the glass basket and the crisper plate are described as PFAS-free, and heat and airflow pause automatically when the basket is pulled out and resume when it slides back in.

Five functions (Air Fry, Bake, Broil, Recrisp and Keep Warm) and two custom presets run up to 450°F in 5-degree steps, and a 3-year warranty is included. The glass basket can go in the dishwasher, and owners report it is easy to use, quiet and quick, and that it slides out partway for checking without losing its position. It also works as a prep-and-store dish with a plastic lid.

Know its limits. The basket is only about 3.5 inches deep, so owners say it suits single layers for one or two people better than roasting a whole chicken, the glass gets hot even though the side handles stay cool, and pressing start/stop to pause wipes your settings (pulling the basket out is the safe pause).

Set beside the Cosori Stainless Steel Air Fryer 6.5Qt, which says plainly that its ceramic coating is free of PFAS and PTFE, this Ninja offers a nonstick basket and crisper plate with no statement of what the coating is made of. That does not make it unsafe, but it does mean we can't present it as a Teflon-free choice. If a stated coating material is a firm requirement, the best teflon-free air fryer is a better starting point than this one.

On cooking, owners report an air fryer that is fast, roomy and simple. The 5-quart basket has a squarish shape, 1750 watts, 400°F air crisping and four functions (Air Fry, Roast, Reheat and Dehydrate), and it weighs 10.34 pounds. Owners cook everything from fries and wings to bacon, pizza and ribs, and say the basket and crisper plate wipe clean.

Common complaints are practical: small items can fall through the finger hole in the crisper plate, the fan runs loud, there is no preheat, and the unit keeps running when you pull the basket out, so you have to pause it. Cleaning the top of the interior near the element also takes some attention. Temperature adjusts in 15-degree steps.

Capacity is the story here: at 8 quarts the Chefman Crispinator is the roomiest of the seven, well ahead of the Ninja Air Fryer Pro 5 Qt, and it pairs that volume with a nonstick ceramic-coated basket that is PFAS-free and dishwasher safe. So it is a Teflon-free route that stays in the familiar basket format, though like the Cosori Stainless Steel Air Fryer 6.5Qt it is a coated surface, not an uncoated one.

The features are generous: seven functions (air fry, bake, broil, dehydrate, reheat, keep warm and cooking from frozen), five fan speeds, a range up to 450°F, a viewing window with an interior light, shake and flip reminders, and dial controls. It weighs 11.46 pounds and carries a 5-year assurance.

Owners report that it cooks evenly, needs no preheating, is simple to clean, and is big enough for large portions or a small crowd, and simple controls.