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Best Time to Buy an Air Fryer

2026 Buying Guide

Best Time to Buy an Air Fryer

Best in November30-50% off
Quick Answer

The best time to buy an air fryer is Black Friday in November, when basket-style and oven-style models drop 30-50%. Amazon Prime Day in July is the second-best window. January is a hidden gem -- retailers run new year, new kitchen health promotions with 20-35% off air fryers specifically, a discount pattern unique to this category.

Best MonthNovember
Top Savings30-50% off

Air fryers are one of the most heavily discounted kitchen appliances throughout the year, but the discounts are not random. They follow a predictable calendar driven by three forces: holiday gift-giving (November-December), Amazon sale events (July and October), and a unique January health-resolution spike that no other kitchen appliance category enjoys. Understanding these windows lets you save 30-50% on a purchase you would make anyway.

The market is fiercely competitive -- Ninja, Cosori, Instant Pot, Chefman, Philips, and Breville are all fighting for kitchen counter space. This level of brand competition is excellent news for buyers: when six brands compete during the same two-week sale window, prices drop to near-cost to win volume. Even premium options like the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer, which holds its price stubbornly most of the year, see meaningful discounts during Black Friday.

The air fryer market in 2026 is also shifting. Dual-basket models (led by Ninja's DualZone) are the fastest-growing segment, and oven-style air fryers are replacing traditional toaster ovens in many kitchens. This means older single-basket models get clearanced more aggressively, while newer designs debut at competitive price points to win market share.

Looking for a specific recommendation? See What Air Fryer Should I Buy? for our tested picks at every budget. Not sure if you need an air fryer, toaster oven, or convection oven? Start with our comparison guide. Already decided? Read on for the exact months when prices drop lowest and where to find the best deals.

Month-by-Month Price Calendar

When prices are lowest throughout the year

Jan
Great
20-35%New Year health resolutions drive air fryer promotions
Feb
Wait
5-10%Post-resolution lull; minimal discounts
Mar
Wait
5-10%Spring new model releases at full price
Apr
Wait
5-10%Between major sales; some Easter promotions
May
OK
10-20%Memorial Day sales include air fryers
Jun
Wait
5-15%Summer grilling season overshadows air fryers
Jul
Best
25-45%Prime Day: Ninja, Cosori, Instant Pot hit yearly lows
Aug
Wait
5-10%Back-to-school focus; quiet for kitchen
Sep
Wait
5-15%Labor Day has minor kitchen deals
Oct
OK
15-25%Prime Big Deal Days: preview of Black Friday pricing
Nov
Best
30-50%Black Friday and Cyber Monday: deepest discountsBest
Dec
Great
20-35%Holiday gift deals; post-Christmas clearance
Best Great OK Wait

The Best Months to Buy an Air Fryer

November -- Black Friday and Cyber Monday (Rating: 5/5)

Black Friday is the single best time to buy an air fryer. Every major brand participates, and the competition between them drives prices to their absolute floor. Ninja basket models that retail for $100-130 drop to $55-70. The Ninja DualZone (the most popular model in the category) typically drops from $180 to $100-120. Cosori Pro models go from $90-120 to $50-70. Even the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer, which rarely discounts, sees $50-80 off during this window.

Amazon, Target, Walmart, Kohl's, and Best Buy all compete on air fryer pricing this week. Kohl's frequently offers the best effective price when you factor in Kohl's Cash -- a $70 air fryer that earns $15 in Kohl's Cash is effectively $55. Target Circle offers and the RedCard 5% discount stack similarly.

Cyber Monday extends the deals online. Some retailers hold pricing through the full Thanksgiving-to-Cyber Monday stretch, while Amazon introduces fresh Lightning Deals on Monday for models that sold out during the weekend.

July -- Amazon Prime Day (Rating: 5/5)

Prime Day rivals Black Friday for air fryer deals, and for Amazon-dominant brands, it often beats Black Friday. The Ninja AF101 and Cosori Pro have both hit their absolute lowest-ever prices during Prime Day, not November. Instant Pot Vortex and Chefman models see 30-45% off. Target and Walmart run competing sales the same week, extending deals to shoppers without Prime memberships.

Prime Day is also the best time to buy air fryer accessories -- silicone liners, parchment rounds, multi-layer racks, and skewer sets are discounted 30-50%, often as add-on deals when purchased with an air fryer.

January -- New Year Health Sales (Rating: 4/5)

This is the air fryer's unique advantage over every other kitchen appliance. Retailers position air fryers as a healthier alternative to deep frying during New Year health campaigns. Ninja, Cosori, and Instant Pot all run "cook healthier" promotions in the first two weeks of January, with 20-35% off. Target, Walmart, and Amazon all participate. No other kitchen appliance -- not blenders, not pressure cookers, not slow cookers -- gets this kind of targeted January promotion.

If you received cash or gift cards over the holidays, January is an excellent time to buy. The discounts are not as deep as Black Friday, but the selection is better because holiday inventory has been restocked and January-specific bundles appear.

When to Avoid Buying

The worst times to buy an air fryer are March-April and August-September. Spring is a dead zone -- no promotions, new model announcements at full MSRP, and outdoor grilling season pulls attention away from indoor cooking appliances. Late summer is equally bad because retailers are holding inventory and promotions for the holiday season.

June is a particularly poor time. It is the pre-Prime Day lull when retailers deliberately pull deals to make Prime Day pricing look more impressive. Father's Day promotions exist but rarely include air fryers at meaningful discounts -- the focus shifts to grills and outdoor cooking. If your air fryer breaks in June, buy the cheapest replacement you can find and upgrade properly during Prime Day.

February is also weak. The New Year health promotions end in mid-January, and no sale event fills the gap until Memorial Day in May. February represents the longest drought between significant air fryer sales.

Secondary Windows

  • October (Prime Big Deal Days): Amazon's fall sale previews Black Friday pricing on air fryers. Discounts of 15-25% are common and the timing is good for early holiday gifting.
  • December (post-Christmas): Overstock and gift returns create clearance deals. Models that were popular holiday gifts get restocked at reduced prices. Target and Walmart in-store clearance can beat online pricing.
  • May (Memorial Day): Kitchen bundles include air fryers at modest discounts (10-20%), but the savings are thin compared to November, July, or January. Only buy during Memorial Day if you cannot wait another 6-8 weeks for Prime Day.

Market Dynamics: Why Air Fryer Prices Keep Falling

Air fryer pricing benefits from a virtuous cycle for buyers. The category is growing rapidly -- penetration in US households went from under 10% in 2020 to over 40% in 2025 -- which attracts more brands and more competition. Each new entrant (Cosori, Chefman, Instant Pot Vortex) undercuts the incumbents on price, which forces Ninja and Philips to discount more aggressively during sale events to defend market share.

The technology is also mature. There are no meaningful performance differences between a $60 air fryer and a $120 air fryer when it comes to the core function of circulating hot air around food. The price premium on expensive models comes from capacity, build quality, controls, and extra features (dual baskets, dehydrating) -- not better cooking results. This means budget options are genuinely good, not stripped-down compromises.

For buyers, the takeaway is simple: never pay full retail for an air fryer. The category is competitive enough that significant sales happen every 2-3 months. If your air fryer dies in a non-sale month, buy the cheapest functional replacement at Walmart ($25-35 for a basic Chefman or Bella) and plan your real upgrade around the next sale window.

Where to Buy by Price Tier

Budget (Under $50)

Amazon and Walmart for Chefman, Dash, and Bella. Target for store-brand options and Dash models. These are perfectly functional for basic air frying -- the difference between a $35 Chefman and a $100 Ninja is features, build quality, and capacity, not cooking performance. A budget air fryer is an excellent first purchase if you are unsure whether you will use one regularly.

Mid-Range ($50-$150)

Amazon for Ninja and Cosori -- best Prime Day and Black Friday pricing on the two dominant mid-range brands. Target and Kohl's for Ninja deals with stackable store promotions that can beat Amazon's price. Costco for Ninja bundles that include extra accessories (silicone liners, recipe book, parchment rounds) worth $20-30 that you would buy separately.

Premium ($150-$350)

Amazon or Williams-Sonoma for the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer -- Amazon for the lowest price, Williams-Sonoma for their own promotional events and personalized advice. Best Buy for Ninja Foodi oven-style models and open-box deals. Wait for Black Friday -- premium air fryers rarely discount meaningfully outside of November. The exception is Amazon Lightning Deals, which occasionally drop a Breville or Ninja Foodi to near-Black Friday pricing on random weekdays.

Key Sales Events for Kitchen

Full calendar

New Year's Sales

January 1 - 5

Ended

Memorial Day Sales

May 23 - 25

Happening Now

Amazon Prime Day

July 15 - 16

53 days away

Amazon Prime Big Deal Days

October 7 - 8

137 days away

Black Friday

November 27

188 days away

Cyber Monday

November 30

191 days away

Air Fryer Buying Tips

Choosing the Right Size and Style

  • Bigger is almost always better. A 2-3 quart air fryer can only cook for one person at a time. Even if you live alone, a 5-quart basket lets you cook a full meal (protein + vegetables) in one batch without crowding the basket. Crowded baskets produce soggy food, not crispy food. The price difference between a 3-quart and 5-quart model is usually under $20.
  • Basket-style vs oven-style is the real decision. Basket air fryers are compact, heat up in 2-3 minutes, and are easy to clean -- shake the basket, toss it in the dishwasher. Oven-style models (like the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer) can toast, bake, broil, dehydrate, and air fry, but take more counter space, heat up slower, and are harder to clean. Choose basket if air frying is the primary use. Choose oven-style if you want to replace your toaster oven entirely. See our comparison guide for help choosing.
  • Dual-basket models eliminate the biggest frustration. Cooking chicken at 400 degrees and broccoli at 350 degrees simultaneously (instead of in sequence) cuts meal prep time in half. The Ninja DualZone is the category leader -- each basket has independent temperature and time controls, and they sync to finish at the same time. If you cook full meals regularly, a dual-basket model is worth the $40-60 premium.

Smart Buying Strategies

  • Ignore wattage marketing. Higher wattage does not mean better cooking. A 1700W air fryer does not cook meaningfully better than a 1400W one. The fan design and basket shape matter far more than raw wattage. Focus on capacity, ease of cleaning, and controls.
  • Dishwasher-safe baskets save real time. You will use your air fryer 3-5 times per week if cleanup takes 30 seconds (remove basket, dishwasher). If the basket requires hand washing with a sponge, that frequency drops to 1-2 times per week. Every major brand now offers dishwasher-safe baskets, but check the specific model -- some budget units have hand-wash-only components.
  • Check the return policy before buying. Air fryers are a "try it to know it" product -- counter space, noise level, and cooking performance are hard to evaluate from reviews. Target (90 days) and Costco (unlimited for most electronics) have the most generous return windows. Amazon is 30 days. Buy from a retailer with easy returns if you are unsure about size, style, or whether you will actually use it.
  • Silicone liners are a game-changer accessory. Reusable silicone liners ($8-12 for a 2-pack on Amazon) prevent food from sticking without the waste of parchment rounds or aluminum foil. They also make cleanup trivially easy. Buy them with your air fryer -- they are one of the few accessories worth buying immediately.

Pro Tips for Maximum Savings

  • Last year's model is the value sweet spot. When Ninja or Cosori releases a new version of a popular model, the previous generation drops 25-40% permanently and still appears in Prime Day and Black Friday sales. The feature differences between generations are typically cosmetic -- a new display, a slightly different button layout, or one additional preset. The cooking performance is identical.
  • Buy accessories during separate sales. Air fryer accessories (silicone liners, skewer racks, multi-layer inserts, parchment rounds) have their own sales during Prime Day and Black Friday. Bundles that include accessories at purchase time mark up the accessory cost. Buy the air fryer at its lowest price, then add accessories selectively during the next sale.
  • Set price alerts for premium models. The Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer and Ninja Foodi XL have unpredictable flash sales on Amazon -- Lightning Deals can drop them to Black Friday pricing on a random Wednesday. Use CamelCamelCamel or Keepa to set a target price and get email notifications when it hits.
  • Costco bundles are often the best total value. Costco's Ninja air fryer bundles include accessories worth $25-35 (silicone liners, recipe book, extra crisper plate) at a price that is within a few dollars of the Amazon sale price for the machine alone. If you have a Costco membership, check their kitchen section before buying elsewhere.
  • Consider a refurbished Breville for premium at mid-range pricing. Breville sells factory-refurbished Smart Oven Air Fryers on their website at 25-35% off with a full warranty. A refurbished unit at $200 gives you premium build quality and performance at a price that competes with mid-range Ninja models.

Recommended Reading

How-To

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Frequently Asked Questions

Black Friday in November consistently delivers the lowest air fryer prices -- 30-50% off across all brands. The Ninja AF101, Cosori Pro, and Ninja DualZone have all hit their deepest discounts during Black Friday. If you cannot wait until November, Amazon Prime Day in July offers comparable discounts, and for brands like Cosori and Chefman, Prime Day has actually beaten Black Friday pricing in some years.
Yes, for anyone who eats fried, roasted, or crispy foods regularly. An air fryer uses 70-80% less oil than deep frying while producing similar crispiness. It preheats in 2-3 minutes vs 10-15 for a full oven, and cooks most foods 20-30% faster. At $55-70 on sale for a quality Ninja or Cosori, the cost is recovered within a month of eating at home instead of ordering out. The only people who will not use one: those who rarely eat crispy foods or who already have a convection oven they love.
An air fryer is better for speed and small batches -- it preheats in 2-3 minutes vs 10-15 for an oven, uses less energy, and produces crispier results on foods like wings, fries, and vegetables. An oven is better for large family meals, baking (cakes, bread, casseroles), and cooking multiple dishes simultaneously. Most households benefit from having both. If you cook for 1-2 people, an air fryer may replace your oven for 80% of meals.
Yes, absolutely. January is uniquely strong for air fryers because retailers run health-focused New Year promotions. Air fryers are positioned as a healthier alternative to deep frying, making them a centerpiece of these campaigns alongside blenders and fitness equipment. Expect 20-35% off, especially from Ninja and Cosori. No other kitchen appliance category gets this kind of targeted January promotion.
If you have counter space and want to replace your toaster and air fryer with one device, an air fryer toaster oven (like the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer) is the better long-term investment -- it does toast, bake, broil, dehydrate, and air fry. If counter space is tight or you primarily want to air fry, a basket-style air fryer is cheaper ($60-100 vs $200-350), heats up faster (2 min vs 5 min), and takes less room. See our <a href="/article/air-fryer-vs-toaster-oven-vs-convection-oven">comparison guide</a> for a detailed breakdown.
Yes, but with caution. Place the foil in the basket (never near the heating element above), weight it down with food so it does not blow around from the fan, and avoid using foil with acidic foods (tomatoes, citrus, vinegar) as the acid can react with the aluminum. Parchment paper or reusable silicone liners ($8-12 for a 2-pack) are generally better options -- they are easier to use and do not carry the reaction risk.
Air frying itself does not cause cancer. Air fryers produce significantly less acrylamide (a potential carcinogen formed when starchy foods are cooked at high temperatures) compared to deep frying -- studies show 70-90% less. The only health consideration applies to all high-heat cooking methods: cooking any food above 250F produces some degree of acrylamide, and air fryers are no exception. But they perform meaningfully better than deep fryers on every health metric.
For one to two people, a 4-5 quart basket handles full meals without crowding (avoid 2-3 quart -- too small for anything beyond snacks). For a family of four, a 5-6 quart basket avoids cooking in batches. If you regularly cook for more than four people, consider a dual-basket model like the Ninja DualZone (8 quart total) or an air fryer toaster oven. When in doubt, go bigger -- a half-empty air fryer works fine, but a crowded one produces soggy food.
An air fryer uses 800-1,500 watts and costs roughly $0.15-0.25 per hour to run at average US electricity rates. A typical meal takes 15-25 minutes, costing $0.06-0.10 in electricity. By comparison, a full-size oven costs $0.20-0.35 per hour and takes longer to cook the same food. Over a year of regular use (4-5 times per week), an air fryer saves $50-100 in energy costs compared to using an oven for the same meals.
If you cook full meals (protein + side) in your air fryer, the DualZone pays for itself in time savings. Cooking chicken at 400 and vegetables at 350 simultaneously instead of in sequence saves 10-15 minutes per meal. At 4 meals per week, that is an hour per week or 50+ hours per year. The $40-60 premium over a single-basket Ninja is well justified for regular cooks. If you mostly air fry single items (frozen fries, wings), a single basket is fine.
Budget air fryers ($30-60) handle basic air frying perfectly -- wings, fries, vegetables all turn out great. Premium models ($150-350) add features like dual independent baskets, digital controls with presets, dehydrating, rotisserie, and faster preheating. The core air frying performance is nearly identical. If you air fry 1-2 times per week and make simple recipes, budget is fine. If you cook full multi-component meals 4-5 times per week, premium features save real time. See our <a href="/article/what-air-fryer-should-i-buy-2026">buying guide</a> for picks at every price point.
A quality air fryer (Ninja, Cosori, Breville) lasts 3-5 years with regular use (3-5 times per week). Budget models (Chefman, Bella, Dash) last 2-3 years. The heating element rarely fails -- the most common failure points are the non-stick coating wearing down, the fan motor losing power, and digital controls malfunctioning. At sale pricing ($55-70 for a Ninja), the cost per year of ownership is $15-20.

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Last updated: April 2026All Buying Guides