Quick answer
Air fryers without Teflon: which makers say so?
Most air fryer baskets are coated. The useful question is which makers tell you what the coating is, and which have none.
Only one air fryer we have scored states it has no food-contact coating: Fritaire (81), a glass bowl with bare 304 stainless. Next come ceramic-coated baskets sold as PFAS- or PTFE-free, made without PTFE per the maker. Instant, Philips and T-fal disclose PTFE.
It is a disclosure score out of 100, not a safety rating: what it is made of, who tested it, where it is made, whether the claim matches the evidence. A product can score 20 and be perfectly fine to cook in. What a low score means is that nobody outside the company can check. The rubric is here.
Uncoated, ceramic-coated and PTFE
Fritaire Glass Air Fryer 5qtGlass bowl, bare 304 stainless. Coatings stated as none.81/100See the full entry →
Nuwave Brio Plus 7 qtCeramic basket sold as PFAS-free. Chemistry not named.54/100See the full entry →
Cosori Iconic Stainless Steel 6.5qtStainless outside; the basket is ceramic-coated.47/100See the full entry →
On the Ninja Crispi the glass is the container. Ninja’s own FAQ says the basket, divider and crisper plates are coated, and the food sits on the plate. Glass air fryers compared.
No coating
| Product | Score /100 | What touches the food | Our call |
|---|---|---|---|
| 81 | 60/60 | Best material |
- 81/100
Ceramic-coated, sold as PTFE- or PFAS-free
| Product | Score /100 | What touches the food | Our call |
|---|---|---|---|
| 64 | 47/60 | Fine | |
| 54 | 26/60 | Read the caveats | |
| 53 | 53/60 | Fine | |
| 47 | 34/60 | Read the caveats | |
| 47 | 26/60 | Read the caveats | |
| 43 | 26/60 | Read the caveats | |
| 34 | 34/60 | Read the caveats |
- No maker photo64/100Cuisinart ClearView 4 qt Glass Basket · US
“Transparent glass basket”, glass type not named
The full entry → - 54/100Nuwave Brio Plus 7 qt · US
“PFAS-free ceramic basket” with a “100% non-toxic, all-metal interior” — substrate under the ceramic not named, chemistry not named
The full entry → - No maker photo53/100
- No maker photo47/100Ninja Air Fryer Max XL 5.5 qt · US
“The basket and crisper plate are both made of aluminium and have a Ceramic Non-stick coating, It is Teflon and PFOA Free” — SharkNinja support
The full entry → - 47/100
- 43/100
- No maker photo34/100Ninja Foodi Smart XL Grill & Air Fryer AG551 · AU
Grill grate, crisper basket and cooking pot: ceramic coating, stated PTFE- and PFOA-free
The full entry →
PTFE disclosed by the maker
Naming PTFE earns points: you know what you are buying. Is Teflon safe?
| Product | Score /100 | What touches the food | Our call |
|---|---|---|---|
| 38 | 14/60 | Read the caveats | |
| 38 | 14/60 | Read the caveats | |
| 33 | 14/60 | Fine |
- No maker photo38/100Philips Airfryer HD9650 series · US
Coating chemistry named in a statutory filing: tetrafluoroethylene (the PTFE monomer)
The full entry → - No maker photo38/100T-fal Infrared Air Fryer 7.3 qt · US
“This product contains PTFE for its nonstick properties” — stated on the product page
The full entry → - 33/100
Questions people ask
Which air fryer does not have Teflon?
Fritaire (81) states its food-contact coatings are “None”: a glass bowl and 304 stainless accessories. Several ceramic-coated models are sold as PTFE- or PFAS-free per the maker, including Cuisinart ClearView, Nuwave Brio Plus and Ninja’s AF160 and AG551.
What is the least toxic air fryer?
We do not lab-test, so we cannot rank toxicity. On disclosure, Fritaire scores highest (81): it is the only one we have found with no food-contact coating at all.
Does every air fryer have Teflon?
No. Many use ceramic coatings sold as PTFE-free, and Fritaire uses none. Some do use PTFE and say so: Instant’s disclosure names PTFE, PFA and FEP, and T-fal’s product page states its infrared fryer contains PTFE.
Is a Ninja air fryer Teflon free?
It depends on the model. Ninja’s Australian support says the AF160 basket is aluminium with a ceramic coating, “Teflon and PFOA Free”, and the AG551 is “PTFE/PFOA-free ceramic coated”. For the US Crispi, Ninja says only that the coating is “PFOA free and non-toxic”.
Related
Sources
- Fritaire Glass Air Fryer 5qt — maker or retailer page. fritaire.com
- Cuisinart ClearView 4 qt Glass Basket — maker or retailer page. www.cuisinart.com
- Nuwave Brio Plus 7 qt — maker or retailer page. www.nuwavenow.com
- Kogan Portable Glass Air Fryer 2.5L & 5L — maker or retailer page. www.kogan.com
- Ninja Air Fryer Max XL 5.5 qt — maker or retailer page. ninjakitchenapac.zendesk.com
- Cosori Iconic Stainless Steel 6.5qt — maker or retailer page. cosori.com
- Ninja Crispi Portable Glass Air Fryer — maker or retailer page. ninjakitchenapac.zendesk.com
- Ninja Foodi Smart XL Grill & Air Fryer AG551 — maker or retailer page. sharkninja.com.au
- Philips Airfryer HD9650 series — maker or retailer page. us.home-appliances.philips
- T-fal Infrared Air Fryer 7.3 qt — maker or retailer page. www.t-fal.com
- Instant Vortex Plus 6qt — maker or retailer page. instantpot.com
- MessyPig materials rubric. MessyPig materials rubric
One useful email a fortnight
New scores, brands that finally answered, and any rule change that affects what you can buy. The list is not open yet — email us and we will add you when it is.