Best Microwave Air Fryer Combo – Ultimate Buying Guide

Finding the Best Microwave Air Fryer Combo is no small task, which is why we’ve much easier with this easy to follow buying guide. We have all heard about microwave ovens, toaster ovens, convection ovens, and microwave toasters, but have you ever heard of air fryer microwaves? Don’t worry, because these appliances are quite new to the market!

But, are they worth the hype? Is this just another marketing ploy to get us to buy more, or do these actually add value to your kitchen?

Air fryer microwaves, in our opinion, are definitely worth it if you buy the right model!

They offer the best of both worlds by being able to quickly heat food using the microwave setting but also being able to brown and crisp up dishes with the air fryer setting.

So, what are the best air fryer microwave combos? The best models are those that allow you to make the correct amount of food you need, offer you a ton of convenience with pre-set functions or adjustable power settings, and those that actually function as well as their stand-alone counterparts.

Today, we will be looking at exactly what air fryer microwaves are, how they work, their pros and cons, and also offer some fantastic tips when it comes to choosing a great model.

Then, we will show you some of our favorite air fryer microwaves online and discuss exactly why they stand out above others!

Air Fryers Vs Microwaves – What’s The Difference?

Okay, so bear with us, because it is important to understand exactly what the differences are between an air fryer and a microwave for many reasons. First, it will help you determine whether it is worth buying a combo-appliance.

Next, understanding the features will help you know what to look out for when buying an air fryer microwave.

And lastly, it will also help you understand how your air fryer microwave works and when to use which feature. So, let’s get right to it!

While you have definitely heard of air fryers and microwaves before, very few people actually understand the differences. The biggest difference is the way they produce heat.

How They Work

Air fryers work with a coiled heating element. Electric currents help heat the coiled element and a built-in fan helps distribute the heat evenly throughout the cooking chamber.

It works similarly to convection ovens and is actually a type of convection cooking, only on a much smaller scale.

Air fryers can produce extremely high temperatures very quickly (much quicker compared to regular ovens) and because of the evenly distributed heat, cook food very evenly.

It is also an excellent way to brown food or caramelize it without overcooking it.

Air fryer helps dehydrate food which is why it creates such a crispy texture similar to the deep-frying method. 

Microwaves on the other hand work with electromagnetic radiation—fancy!

But the way that actually works is that the appliance produces tiny waves (microwaves) that make the water molecules inside the food vibrate. These vibrations create heat and essentially heat your food.

Microwaves work extremely quickly (arguably the quickest heating appliance available), but unfortunately, they don’t make your food crispy or even brown.

This is because they use moisture to help heat the food and don’t aid in evaporation (drying).

Design

The design of each of these appliances also differs considerably! Both are available in different sizes, but microwaves tend to be more space-efficient (despite being bigger) compared to an air fryer.

This is a controversial statement, but allow us to explain!

Because microwaves have a box design, many kitchens have specific shelves for them, saving you some counter space. You can also buy a stackable shelf for the counter so that you can place items above the microwave.

Air fryers on the other hand are very bulky for the amount of food they can actually cook. You cannot stack anything above them and no kitchen is designed with an air fryer shelf.

Functions

Another noteworthy difference is their functions. Microwaves are made to reheat, not necessarily cook. Air fryers on the other hand are made to cook, not necessarily reheat.

In general, what the one appliance lacks the other makes up for, which is exactly why an air fryer microwave combo was inevitable!

Microwaves cannot crisp up food, but air fryers can. Air fryers cannot thaw food nicely, but microwaves can—see what we’re getting at?

What Are Air Fryer Microwaves?

If a microwave and an air fryer had a baby, think of it as a dream come true! This is a kitchen appliance that offers you the features of a microwave and an air fryer.

As we have briefly mentioned before, what the one appliance lacks, the other makes up for!

So, if you need to reheat your food, use the microwave setting, and if you then want to give it a bit of color, you can simply switch it over to the air fryer setting.

But, these appliances are far more impressive than that! They also regularly come with pre-set functions.

What this basically means is that you can set a function to defrost for 10 minutes on the microwave setting, then switch over to an air frying setting for 7 minutes to help cook and brown the food.

The appliances also often have sensor technology that can determine the exact time your microwave or air fryer needs to cook and at what power setting. This is measured according to the weight of the item.

Another great feature that these appliances often have is a built-in convection oven.

What we will say about this though is that convection cooking and air frying are almost exactly the same and usually only differ in the amount of food they can cook.

What the convection setting does allow you to do (that the air fryer doesn’t) is set it to convection baking or convection roasting. You sometimes can even set it to broiling.

Convection baking roasting uses only the baking heating element to heat the air, which is then circulated using the fan.

Convection roasting (very much like air frying) uses both the baking and broiling heating element (sometimes even a third element at the back of the oven) to produce extremely high circulated heat and crisp food from the top.

Benefits of Air Fryer Microwaves

• One of the biggest benefits of having an air fryer microwave is that it saves a ton of space! You essentially have two (sometimes three or four) appliances all packed into a single design. They also come in countertop form or can be built into a cupboard.
• These appliances also offer much healthier food thanks to the air circulating technology, especially when using combination cooking.
• They come in a ton of sizes, from 0.6 cubic feet all the way to 2 cubic feet! This makes it a versatile appliance and allows you to air fry more food than most stand-alone air fryers.

Downfalls of Air Fryer Microwaves

• The biggest downside to these appliances is the price, especially considering most households probably already have at least one of the two. These are quite pricey, but in our opinion, worth it.
• Another downside to the air fryer microwaves is that sometimes (not always though!) one of the two doesn’t function as well. This is usually the air fryer and if you buy a model that cannot crisp food nicely, what’s the point of even having these?

Buyer’s Guide

When looking at a good-quality air fryer microwave, there are a couple of things to take into consideration. It all basically comes down to what you want it to do – its technological features if you will.

Functionality

Okay, so obviously this is the most important feature of the appliance. If the microwave part doesn’t work well, then the entire appliance is worthless—the same goes for the air fryer or convection oven part.

Make sure that the appliance has the correct heating elements and read as many reviews as you possibly can. This is the best way to determine how well they work without having to buy a specific model first.

Power Settings And Usage

In general, when choosing any type of appliance, most people look at how much power it uses. Most air fryer microwaves use about 120 watts, however, some models do potentially use more.

You can however find some that come with an eco-setting that will save you power when the appliance is on stand-by.

The other power-related choice you have to make is how high or low you can set it to.

Most come with 10 adjustable power settings that allow you to essentially adjust the intensity of heat used. For defrosting, you will naturally use a lower intensity. 

We highly recommend choosing an appliance that offers this adjustable feature, or at the very least, has a ton of pre-set features that vary in power intensity.

Size

This is especially important because air fryer microwaves do come in quite a lot of sizes. Make sure to choose one that will fit your needs.

For single or double portions, you can use a 0.6 cubic feet model. However, the larger your family is (or the more food you need to prepare), the larger appliance you should choose. The biggest we have seen is a 2 cubic feet model.

Design

When it comes to design, the most important thing to look at is durability. Most air fryer microwaves are made from stainless steel.

Then, you can look at the glass. We prefer scratch-resistant glass that is see-through. A bonus is an internal LED light so you can monitor your food.

Other than that, you can look at different colors, different styles, and countertop or built-in models available.

Best Microwave Air Fryer Combo – Quick List

1. Toshiba ML2-EC10SA – Best Overall
2. Panasonic NN-CD87KS – Best Panasonic
3. Cuisinart AMW-60 – Best Cuisinart

Best Microwave Air Fryer Combo – Reviews

1. Toshiba ML2-EC10SA – Best Overall

This air fryer microwave from Toshiba can truly do everything!

It has 25 pre-set menus. This includes 10 air fryer settings that will produce crispy and evenly cooked dishes.

They also include a broiling setting (which will create extra crispy and even charred products) and a baking setting (which will aid with even rising of baked goods like cakes). 

It also has 4 low-temperature settings for dehydrating fruits and vegetables, helping ferment ingredients like yogurt, and even aid dough in rising. Then, naturally, it has up to 11 microwave settings including defrosting pre-sets.

This is a 1000 watt microwave, however, because of the many functions, there are about 10 different power settings you can use. It even has an eco-setting that will help you save energy when the appliance isn’t being used.

This large air fryer microwave can roast whole chickens and even 12-inch pizzas! It has a beautifully sleek and stylish design and will fit into any kitchen seamlessly!

2. Panasonic NN-CD87KS – Best Panasonic

This model is basically 4 appliances in one! It can function as a microwave, an air fryer, a convection oven, and a broiler!

And, what makes this appliance even better is that you can use each of these functions alone, or in combination with each other!

You can make deliciously crisp and juicy food with the air fryer mode and even set the exact temperature and time you need. And, like regular air fryers, you don’t have to use any oil with the food, making it a very healthy cooking method.

The convection oven has two settings including baking and roasting. Convection baking is great for recipes that need a ton of rise, whereas the roasting convection setting will create beautifully browned or caramelized dishes.

And finally, the microwave function can reheat, defrost, cook, and warm food in minutes and comes with some pre-set functions.

3. Cuisinart AMW-60 – Best Cuisinart

This 3-in-1 microwave oven is the perfect compact option that won’t take up your whole kitchen.

You can use it as an air fryer, a convection oven for larger pieces of food, and a microwave for quick heating!

The microwave already has pre-set heating options, comes with 11 different power levels, has an auto-cook feature, and has a defrost setting that calculates the defrosting time according to the weight of the item.

The one downside we have with this specific product is its size, although, that’s just us. It only has a 0.6 cubic feet capacity and works perfectly for someone that lives alone or even a couple.