Air fryer or oven: which is cheaper?
By Lukas · Last checked:
For small amounts the air fryer is cheaper: in tests it often uses only half the electricity per dish, or even less. At 37 cents per kWh you save around 13 to 33 cents per dish. If a large amount needs several batches, the oven is just as good or even cheaper.
How much electricity a dish uses
Several tests and comparisons show how much electricity the same dish uses in an air fryer and in an oven. I worked out the costs at 37 cents per kWh, the average in Germany. In Austria and Switzerland electricity costs around 30 cents, so each dish costs a little less there.
| Dish | Air fryer | Oven | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chips, 2 portions | 0.29 kWh (11 cents) | 0.86 kWh (32 cents) | Which?, 2026 |
| Chips, 1 portion | 0.35 kWh (13 cents) | 0.7 kWh (26 cents) | inside digital, 2025 |
| Jacket potato | 0.39 kWh (15 cents) | 1.08 kWh (40 cents) | Which?, 2026 |
| Whole chicken | 0.54 kWh (20 cents) | 1.16 kWh (43 cents) | Which?, 2026 |
| Chicken wings | 0.2 to 0.3 kWh (7 to 11 cents) | 1.0 to 1.2 kWh (37 to 44 cents) | stromguide.com via VOL.AT, 2025 |
Why the air fryer uses less
Its cooking space is small, and the hot air is there quickly. Usually you don't need to preheat at all, or only for a few minutes, whereas an oven takes about 10 to 15 minutes. The cooking itself is usually shorter too. According to Stiftung Warentest, air fryers are faster than ovens and use less electricity.
When the oven catches up
The advantage holds as long as everything fits in the basket in one go. If you cook for lots of people and need two or three batches, the saving shrinks, and for large amounts the oven is just as good or cheaper.
For pizza, traybakes or a big bake, the oven is the better choice anyway. There, space is what counts, and the air fryer doesn't have it.
What it adds up to in a year
If you cook a dish in the air fryer instead of the oven four times a week, my calculator says you save around 42 euros a year at 37 cents per kWh. At 30 cents per kWh it's around 34 euros. If you only cook a hot meal once a week, it's just over 10 euros.
So electricity alone is hardly a reason to buy an air fryer. You gain more in time: no preheating, no scrubbing baking trays and hardly any washing-up, about 18 minutes per dish according to my calculator.
“Since I got my air fryer, I haven't used my frying pans. And everything tastes better: vegetables come out crunchier and taste more intense, chicken turns out perfectly tender every time. On top of that, I have practically no washing-up any more. Nothing ever burns on, and I simply put the baskets in the dishwasher or wipe them out with a damp cloth at the end.”
Lukas, author of this siteIf you stick with the oven
You can save electricity with the oven too. For most dishes you don't need to preheat it, only for some doughs such as sponge cake or biscuits. With fan mode you set the temperature about 20 degrees lower than with conventional top and bottom heat, and so use less electricity. And with long cooking times, switch it off 5 to 10 minutes early: the residual heat keeps cooking.
- You usually cook for four or more people at once and would need several batches in the air fryer.
- You mainly bake pizza, traybakes or big bakes.
- You only want to save electricity: it's a matter of cents per dish, and it takes a while before that pays back the purchase price.
- You rarely cook hot meals: then you only save a few euros a year.
- There's no room on your worktop for another appliance.