From Hype to Habit: How the Air Fryer Market Keeps Evolving

Air fryers have been one of the biggest consumer product success stories in recent years. They started as a viral, health-focused trend and soon became a staple in millions of homes.

It might seem the air fryer market has peaked. Most people know how they work, adoption is high, and the category feels crowded.

But the market is still changing beneath the surface.

As always, this newsletter is designed to be a light, easy read on this week’s topic. For deeper insight into individual markets, we cover 200+ equipment markets on our market intelligence platform, dataportl.

The early growth phase was driven by novelty. Air fryers offered a new way to cook that was faster and cleaner, often positioned as a healthier alternative. Social media played a huge role, turning simple recipes into repeatable trends. Now, that initial wave has settled into something more practical.

Air fryers are increasingly treated as a default appliance rather than an optional extra. In many households, they sit alongside microwaves and ovens as part of the core kitchen setup. That shift changes how demand behaves. Instead of relying on first-time buyers, the market is now supported by upgrades.

Consumers who bought early models are moving toward larger-capacity units, more powerful devices, and increasingly multifunction products that combine several cooking methods. What was once a single-purpose device is now positioned as a central cooking tool.

This article is based on dataportl’s ongoing tracking of global device and equipment markets. dataportl provides structured visibility across 200+ markets, helping teams understand where demand is forming, how it’s changing, and which players are active in each vertical.

For teams that need to stay close to how demand is shifting across multiple markets, dataportl acts as a single reference point for ongoing analysis and planning.

With that, back to the article.

There are far more brands in the market than a few years ago. Alongside established names, a growing number of smaller and white-label manufacturers offer lower-cost alternatives, especially through online channels.

What’s interesting is how established brands respond to increased saturation. Being relevant is everything, and that’s what SharkNinja is doing. They’ve moved from single-zone air fryers to dual-zone, double-stack designs, and now to glass-based designs, evolving the product to cover more use cases and maximize market coverage.

In more mature markets, demand is increasingly driven by replacement and upgrade cycles. In other regions, adoption is still catching up, providing a steady source of new demand.

At the same time, air fryers are no longer competing only with each other. They belong to a broader kitchen appliance ecosystem, where consumers are choosing between different ways to simplify cooking, not just different versions of the same product.

The next phase of the air fryer market is unlikely to be defined by another surge in first-time buyers. Instead, it will be shaped by how the category continues to evolve in the kitchen.

Larger devices, clearer segmentation between budget and premium, and a stronger role in everyday cooking will determine where value sits. Meanwhile, increasing competition within and outside the category will continue to pressure pricing and differentiation.

This market forms part one of dataportl’s 200+ device coverage. Displayed on our dashboard and used by teams to track how demand evolves over time, where volume is concentrating by region, and which brands/OEMs are driving scale. Market Data. Made Simple.