Having all the important cooking appliances at home is a delight if you want easy ways to prepare your food. Two of the most used are air fryers and microwaves. Both are really useful when you want to cook or heat food faster than usual. Nowadays, you can even have both of them in just one appliance. Yes! There are air fryer microwave combos now that can certainly save you space in the kitchen and a few bucks.
If you’re looking for one, it’s your lucky day! In this article, we’ve reviewed 5 of the best air fryer microwave combos. Check them out below and see the right one for your household or business.
Air Fryer Microwave Combo
- FYI: Things to Know About Air Fryer Microwave Combo
- Best Overall – Panasonic HomeChef 4-in-1 Microwave Oven w/ Air Fryer
- Best for Healthier Meals – Galanz 3-in-1 Speedwave
- Best for Budget – GE 3-in-1 Countertop Microwave Oven
- Best for Smart Cooking – COSORI 12-in-1 Convection Countertop OvenBest for Smart Cooking
- Best for Temperature Adjustment – Breville Combi Wave 3-in-1
FYI: Things to Know About Air Fryer Microwave Combo
Before you purchase one, you may need to know some of these things first so you’d know exactly what you’re buying.
What Is An Air Fryer Microwave Combo
An air fryer microwave combo is a 2-in-1 cooking appliance. With it, you can fry food that is usually cooked deep-fried in oil. The only difference is that it uses only a small amount of oil, which makes it a healthier alternative to traditional frying. You can also use an air fryer microwave combo for cooking or heating food using electromagnetic radiation. It can go through paper, glass, plastic, and other materials that are indicated microwavable.
With that, air fryer microwave combos have become quite popular as you can have the best of both worlds in one appliance.
What to Consider When Buying Air Fryer Microwave Combo
Now, if you are planning to buy one air fryer microwave combo, you may need to take these factors into consideration. This way, you can get the best value out of your purchase.
Price
You need to consider your budget. It’s the first thing you should check when buying an air fryer microwave combo. You see, such an appliance can be quite expensive, but you don’t have to always buy the pricier ones. Sometimes, the price can dictate the features and quality of the product. Nevertheless, you should always pick the one within your budget.
On average, the cheapest ones range from 100-300 USD; the mid-level combos are around 400-1000 USD; and those in the high-end category sit at 1500-2000 USD.
Size
Size matters when it comes to appliances, especially if your kitchen can only fit enough. That’s why it’s also important that you know the dimensions of the air fryer microwave combo to plan where they could fit perfectly. The standard dimensions for such an appliance are 20-25″ W, 12-15″ H, and 16-20″ D.
But no matter the size of your air fryer microwave, the most important is the clearance/space around it when you put it on the countertop. The recommended clearance is at least 1″ at the back and 3″ on both sides and at the top. This allows adequate airflow and heat dissipation, ensuring the longevity of the appliance.
Features
The features of the air fryer microwave combo are also important if you want to get the most out of it. Some combos have remote operation features, automatic temperature adjustments, and more. So, you better check all the features so you’d know what you are getting.
Wattage
The power consumption of air fryer microwave combos varies from unit to unit. Some models are power-hungry while others are power-efficient. So, if you care about your electricity bill, you may need to look at the wattage of the appliance. The higher the wattage, the higher the consumption.
On average, such an air fryer microwave combo is rated at around 1500 watts, and it takes a significant chunk of your total electric consumption. Good thing! There are combos that consume less at around 1000 watts. However, lower wattage could slow the heating/cooking time. So, weigh what’s more important for your needs: speed or power efficiency.
Capacity
The last factor to consider is the capacity of the air fryer microwave combo. Ideally, if you live alone or you’re in a household with few members, the average ones at 1.1 cubic ft. are enough. Otherwise, you may need a larger capacity so you can fit bigger portions of food.
1. Best Overall – Panasonic HomeChef 4-in-1 Microwave Oven w/ Air Fryer
- Price: 530 USD
- Store: Amazon
- Size: 14.97″D x 15.36″ W x 9″ H
- Material: Stainless Steel
- Wattage: 1000 watts
- Capacity: 1.2 cubic ft.
Well, if you want the best out of this list, we recommend this Panasonic air fryer microwave combo. It not only has a reliable air fryer and a microwave, but it also offers a broiler and a convection oven. That’s many appliances in one, which is why this combo is one of, if not, the best on this list.
The broiler can be used for toasting, crisping, and even just simple browning thin cuts of meat. On the other hand, the convection oven this appliance has can go 100º to 425º, which is an excellent temperature range for roasting and baking. You don’t need to buy separate appliances for these things.
Apart from that, this one has Inverter Technology that works with Genius Sensor. This sets the power levels automatically depending on what you are doing: defrosting, reheating, cooking, melting, and keeping the food warm/hot.
As per our review of the product, we’ve found that its air fryer can cook food quickly without overcooking. The broiler included can also be used to make certain food products caramelize perfectly to bring out more flavor. Apart from that, you can also rely on its inverter microwave that can heat and cook meat and other food products evenly.
In addition, you may also use this combo as an oven for roasting chicken or even baking. Yes! You basically have an all-around cooking machine if you get this one. Not to mention, you can save energy thanks to the inverter technology that only consumes power up to 1000 watts.
Verdict:
This air fryer microwave combo is really excellent if you’re into combination cooking. It even includes a cookbook out of the box and some recipes on the drop app. With the combo are an air fryer basket, an enamel tray, and a wire rack.
However, we’ve found that the light inside the appliance is quite dim as compared to others in this list. But if you are only going to consider its cooking performance, this one is top-notch. Well, that’s only fitting as it’s the most expensive here, too.
2. Best for Healthier Meals – Galanz 3-in-1 Speedwave
- Price: 280 USD
- Store: Amazon
- Size: 21.75″D x 22.94″ W x 12.69″ H
- Material: Stainless Steel
- Wattage: 1500 watts
- Capacity: 1.6 cubic ft.
Aside from microwaving your food, frying is one of the most common things to get a quick meal. We all know that frying with so much oil from time to time is unhealthy, but that stops with this Galanz 3-in-1 Speedway. As per our tests, we’ve found that the air fryer doesn’t need much oil to fry meats and other food products evenly, thanks to the Totalfry 360 Technology. In some cases, you can air fry without using oil at all.
Yes! You can enjoy your favorite fried food such as tempura, chicken, squid rings, etc., without worries of cholesterol build-up. And the best thing is that the Easy-Clean Air Fry Kit allows you to use a much bigger surface area, which improves the air circulation to fry food evenly.
Despite that, you can still make sure that the food you are frying doesn’t feel or taste dry. And since most food products that need frying are frozen, the appliance has a defrost function so you don’t have to wait for hours to thaw them. With that, it can be effective in heating cold leftovers or cooking any food.
As for the microwave oven, it works like any other microwave. It has time and temperature settings that you can easily adjust. In fact, you can even make presets so you can easily heat or cook the food you usually have.
Verdict:
If you want healthier frying, this one is definitely good for you. The fact that it only uses little to no oil is already great. Not to mention, you can do combination cooking on this one. However, you must know that the turntable can be quite loud at times. We’ve found that it sometimes makes grinding noises.
3. Best for Budget – GE 3-in-1 Countertop Microwave Oven
- Price: 199 USD
- Store: Amazon
- Size: 16.6″D x 20.6″ W x 11.88″ H
- Material: Glass, Stainless Steel
- Wattage: 1000 watts
- Capacity: 1 cubic ft.
Most air fryer and microwave combos are expensive, but it doesn’t mean you can’t get a reliable one within a budget. At under 200 bucks, you can now have a decent one in your kitchen with GE 3-in-1 Countertop Microwave Oven.
But despite it being the cheapest on the list, this combo feels solid, thanks to its stainless steel material. Well, the value is really with the necessary features to have convenient cooking and heating at home. Both the air fryer and the microwave can cook food thoroughly and evenly.
That’s all thanks to the combination of Auto Cook and Auto & Time Defrost functions that allow the machine to cook food as needed. You won’t fear undercooking or overcooking. However, you may also use the control panel to cook or heat food manually.
Verdict:
Because this combo sits in an affordable price range, it’s one of the most popular ones today. It’s a countertop, which makes it easier to place in any kitchen. Also, it only has a wattage of 1000 watts, which can save you some energy and money. Besides that, you also get two oven racks that are removable. However, the design is quite cheap-looking.
4. Best for Smart Cooking – COSORI 12-in-1 Convection Countertop Oven
- Price: 200 USD
- Store: Amazon
- Size: 16.5″D x 20.1″W x 12.5″ H
- Material: Stainless Steel
- Wattage: 1800 watts
- Capacity: 1.06 cubic ft.
Well, if you are into smart appliances that you can control using your phone, you may be interested in using a smart air fryer and microwave combo by COSORI. This one can connect to a dedicated VeSync app via WI-FI, which makes cooking hands-free and easier for you. This is especially important if you’re usually away from the appliance when cooking.
You can even connect the oven via Alexa or Google Assistant to further improve smart cooking. How cool and futuristic is that? Well, as for its cooking performance, it works just like any other combo, but it does have 11 presets such as air fry, broil, roast, cookies, pizza, bake, toast, bagel, rotisserie, ferment, and dehydrate. That’s a lot of presets for different purposes, which makes it good for combination cooking.
Aside from that, you’d also get six accessories: a food tray, wire rack, fry basket, crumb tray, rotisserie handle, and fork set. You don’t get a lot of free accessories these days, and that’s a big plus for this combo.
Verdict:
As for our review, we like that this appliance is easy to clean, thanks to the non-stick surface inside. Yes! You can easily wipe any fallen food or stains. There’s also a year of warranty for parts and repairs and a lifetime of customer support. However, we’re kind of disappointed that the machine needs a power of 1800 watts.
5. Best for Temperature Adjustment – Breville Combi Wave 3-in-1
- Price: 490 USD
- Store: Amazon
- Size: 20.4″D x 21″ W x 21 ” H
- Material: Brushed Stainless Steel
- Wattage: 1400 watts
- Capacity: 1.1 cubic ft.
In case you are bad at finding the right temperature for the food you’re cooking, you may need Breville Combi Wave 3-in-1 to adjust it for you. Yes! It has a feature called Element IQ system that allows the appliance to automatically adjust the temperature according to what’s needed to cook the food perfectly.
Besides automatic temperature adjustments, you may also enjoy the Fast Combi Mode feature that allows you to heat or cook food in no time without overcooking or undercooking it. This is achieved by combining the functions of the convection oven, microwave, and grilling, allowing the temperature to go from 150 to 230 degrees quickly. This is useful when you use the appliance for fast food services or if you’re always in a hurry.
There are also 3 smart settings that you can use depending on what you use this air fryer microwave combo for. You can activate Smart Defrost if you are dealing with frozen food; you may use Smart Cook if you’re trying to cook food from scratch; and Smart Reheat for leftovers.
Verdict:
You can never go wrong with your food with this one, thanks to the Element IQ system that helps cook and heat evenly. However, we’ve found that the air fryer part of this combo is a bit short. It’s not as effective as the others in this review. But still, it’s better than most budget models.
Should You Buy An Air Fryer Microwave Combo
To decide whether you should buy an air fryer microwave combo, you need to weigh the pros and the cons. That way, you can evaluate whether such an appliance is worth your money.
Pros:
- You can save kitchen space. Instead of having a separate air fryer and microwave. This makes the appliance ideal for college students or those who have small apartments.
- If you don’t have either of the two appliances, you can save a few hundred bucks with a combo.
- Some air fryer microwave combos have other features that can do convection baking, broiler, etc., which makes the appliance virtually capable of cooking any food you could think of.
Cons:
- Air fryer microwave combos typically have a smaller capacity than individual air fryers and microwaves. because of that, you may resort to cooking the food in batches if necessary.
- Because it’s a combo, the features, and functions are going to be confusing, especially for first-time users.
- On average, an air fryer microwave combo can be more expensive than a regular air fryer or microwave. There are even sketchy brands that only add the air fryer as a gimmick.
With that in mind, we’ve tested many air fryer microwave combos, and those five are the best ones we’ve seen so far. They have different and unique features that could be an advantage depending on your kitchen situation.
