61% of UK households now own an air fryer, and majority use it to ‘cook for two’, says Leatherhead Food Research

Respondents were also asked about foods they would like to cook in the air fryer, but don’t due to product size or packaging constraints. More than a third of UK adults (34%) – including those who don’t have an air fryer – would like to be able to use the devices to cook pizza. Nearly a fifth (19%) say the same about ready meals.

Air fryers were added to Leatherhead Food Research’s UKAS-accredited cooking instruction generation and verification services in 2022. Since then, the number of air fryer cooking trials handled by the laboratory has grown exponentially. It’s now the company’s second most requested cooking technique.

“Traditionally, thermal ovens and microwave ovens have dominated our cooking trials, but the percentage of projects involving air fryers has grown four-fold in the past three years,” says Natahsa Burton, Head of Cooking Instructions at Leatherhead Food Research. “We’re now handling more trials for air fryers than for microwave ovens.”

Burton says the latest research findings reinforce the fact that air fryer use is a lasting food sector trend.

“This is the third year we’ve run our consumer survey, and it’s interesting to see how frequently people cook with their air fryers. Consumer expectations are also evolving, and we could see the launch of more ‘best cooked in the air fryer’ or ‘air-fryer-only’ products as well as the adaptation of existing products for air fryer cooking. Science-led cooking instruction development is key to ensure any product consistently meets food safety requirements and achieves the desired sensory qualities when cooked in various air fryer models.”

Additional findings from the survey indicate that most people who buy an air fryer do so because they believe it is cheaper to run than an oven (62%). A similar percentage (61%) say they are looking to cook meals more quickly. More than a third say they bought an air fryer to cut down on the amount of fat they consume (35%) or because of the environmental credentials (34%). Nearly a fifth (18%) use it as an additional oven when cooking for a crowd.

Leatherhead Food Research is a UKAS accredited testing laboratory (no. 9365) for cooking instructions testing (microwave oven, gas and electric thermal oven, electric fan oven, gas and electric hob, gas and electric grill, deep fat fryer, air fryer, defrost).

The air fryer survey was conducted online between 6-7 January 2025, and the total sample size was 2057 adults. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults.