Cholesterol Nutrition / Diet

Are air fryers healthy?

Many sources claim that air fryers offer a healthful alternative for making fried foods. But what are the benefits and risks of cooking with an air fryer?

Air fryers have had a recent surge in popularity due to a growing awareness of healthfulness and continuing demand for fried foods. People in America eat more potatoes than any other vegetable, with 40 percent of this total coming from frozen products, such as french fries.

Makers of air fryers advertise this appliance as a route to making and enjoying fried foods without the adverse health effects of oil-fried foods. Air-fried foods have a lower fat content than deep-fried foods, which means they may be more healthful.



Air fryers vs. other cooking methods

Air fryer


Deep-fried foods tend to contain a lot more fat than foods cooked in other ways.

While 100 grams (g) of fried and battered chicken breast contains 13.2 g of fat, compared to just 0.39 g of fat in an oven-roasted chicken breast, many people prefer the flavor and texture of fried chicken.


This is desirable since lowering oil intake can be hugely beneficial for a person’s health. Scientists have linked intakes of fat from vegetable oil to a variety of health conditions, including but not limited to an increased risk of heart disease and higher rates of inflammation.

None of this is guarantees that air-fried chicken is more healthful than roasted, grilled, slow-cooked, or pan-seared chicken. There are many other appliances capable of providing healthful, delicious foods. They just do not result in the fried crispy texture that air fryers provide.

How do air fryers work?

Air fryers work by circulating hot air around a food item to create the same crispiness as in traditional fried foods.

Air fryers accomplish this by removing high-fat and high-calorie oils from the cooking process.


Researchers state that air fryers use heated air that contains fine oil droplets to take the moisture out of the foods. The result is a product that has similar characteristics to fried foods, though with significantly lower levels of fat.

Like many other cooking methods, air-frying triggers a chemical reaction — the Maillard effect — that improves the color and flavor of air-fried food.

Benefits of air fryers

When used properly, air fryers offer many healthful benefits:

Using air fryers can promote weight loss

A higher intake of fried foods has direct links with higher obesity risk. This is because deep fried foods tend to be high in fat and calories.

Switching from deep-fried foods to air-fried foods and reducing regular intake of unhealthful oils can promote weight loss.

Air fryers can be safer than deep fryers

Deep-frying foods involves heating a large container full of scalding oil. This can pose a safety risk. While air fryers do get hot, there is no risk of spilling, splashing, or accidentally touching hot oil. People should use frying machines carefully and follow instructions to ensure safety.

Air fryers reduce the risk of toxic acrylamide formation

Frying food in oil can cause dangerous compounds to develop, such as acrylamide. This compound forms in certain foods during high-heat cooking methods, such as deep frying.

According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, acrylamide may have links to the development of some cancers, including endometrial, ovarian, pancreatic, breast, and oesophageal cancer. Additional studies have also suggested a link between dietary acrylamide and kidney, endometrial, or ovarian cancers, though the results are uncertain.

By switching to air frying, people can lower the risk of having acrylamide in their food.

Cutting down on deep-fried foods reduces disease risk

Cooking with oil and consuming traditional fried foods regularly has links to many adverse health conditions. Replacing deep frying with other cooking methods can reduce a person’s risk of these complications.

Adverse effects of air fryers


Air frying does not guarantee a healthful diet

Fried food
A person should limit their fried food intake rather than replace deep-fried foods with air fried foods.

While air fryers are capable of providing more healthful food options than deep fryers, limiting fried food intake altogether can significantly benefit a person’s health.

Just replacing all deep-fried foods with air-fried foods in no way guarantees a healthful diet.


Air frying can create other harmful compounds




Scientists need to do additional research to clarify exactly how air frying and these compounds correlate.

Air fried food is not guaranteed to be healthful

Air fryers are capable of making foods that are healthier than deep-fried food, but keep in mind that fried food is still fried food. When cooking excessively with oil, there will always be associated health effects.


Research on the effects of air-fried food is currently limited, but experts generally recommended that people should limit their intake of fried food in general.

Just because someone has cooked food in an air fryer does not mean it is more healthful than all other food. Be sure to include other methods of cooking into regular dietary routines for optimal health.


Other cooking options include oven roasting, grilling, baking, and pan-searing foods. Maintaining a variety of foods and cooking methods will help people obtain a more healthful diet.

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