Which air fryer accessories do you need? These ones.
- 8 min reading time
Which air fryer accessories you need depends on what you're cooking. Discover which ones are truly useful, which are redundant, and what to look out for.
You don't need to buy a drawer full of loose attachments to get more out of your air fryer. The main question is: which air fryer accessories do you need for your cooking style? Someone who mainly makes fries and snacks needs something different from someone who also bakes rolls, roasts vegetables, or wants to make mini oven dishes.
Many people start enthusiastically and immediately buy a complete accessory set. Sounds convenient, but in practice, half of it remains unused. A waste of money and kitchen space. It's smarter to see which accessories genuinely add convenience, ease of cleaning, and suit the type of dishes you often make.
Which air fryer accessories you need varies by household
An air fryer is not a standard appliance that everyone uses in exactly the same way. In a single-person household, a simple insert or baking pan is often sufficient. In a family, you're more likely to want accessories that help you cook faster, neater, and more variedly.
Therefore, there's no universal "must-have" list. There are accessories that are genuinely practical for most users, and there are products that mainly look appealing on the packaging. The difference lies in how often you grab them. If an accessory makes your weekly routine easier, it's a good purchase. If you have to come up with special recipes for it, usually not.
The accessories that are almost always useful
A silicone insert or air fryer basket
For many households, this is the first accessory that truly makes a difference. A silicone insert helps to catch crumbs, fat, and burnt-on bits, making cleaning the drawer quicker. Especially if you regularly bake marinated products, rolls, or snacks, this saves time.
However, there's a trade-off. A solid silicone pan can slightly restrict air circulation if it doesn't fit properly or is too high. Therefore, choose a model suitable for the size of your air fryer and pay attention to openings or a shape that allows sufficient space for hot air. Otherwise, you'll sacrifice crispiness for convenience.
A baking pan for cake, quiche, or oven dishes
Anyone who uses the air fryer more broadly than just for snacks will benefit greatly from a compact baking pan. Think of small lasagnas, brownies, savory tarts, or a reheat dish. This quickly turns your air fryer into a small oven, without having to preheat the large oven.
It's important that the pan fits well in the basket and still leaves space along the edges. Too large means poorer airflow and thus less even results. Round or square are both fine, as long as the size is correct.
A rack or riser
A rack is especially useful if you want to create multiple layers, for example, for vegetables at the bottom and rolls or a piece of fish above. In smaller air fryers, this can sometimes be tight, but with a more spacious basket, it really provides extra capacity.
Use a rack judiciously. Not every dish benefits from stacking. Anything that loses a lot of fat, cheese, or marinade can end up on the bottom layer. For dry products, it usually works better than for wet or heavily seasoned dishes.
Tongs made of silicone or heat-resistant material
This sounds simple, but it's precisely such a practical tool that you'll use most often. With good tongs, you can more easily remove vegetables, rolls, chicken, or snacks from the hot basket without damaging the non-stick coating. With metal kitchen utensils, you run a greater risk of scratches.
Tongs are not a spectacular accessory, but a smart purchase. Especially if you use your air fryer daily.
Accessories that are useful, but not necessary for everyone
Baking paper or paper air fryer liners
Baking paper seems like the ultimate solution to cleaning, but it's not always the best choice. For light products, loose paper can blow away due to air circulation, especially if you preheat the appliance without contents. This is not only inconvenient but also bad for the baking result.
Paper liners are especially useful for greasy or sticky preparations. For fries, bake-off rolls, or breaded snacks, they are often less necessary. So use them as a tool, not as a standard for every dish.
Skewers or a grill rack
For those who love making satay, vegetable skewers, or grilled snacks, skewers and a grill rack can be a nice addition. But honestly, in many households, they disappear into the back of a drawer after a few tries.
These types of accessories are especially interesting if you genuinely enjoy variety and often use the air fryer for party snacks or small meals. Otherwise, you can easily do without them.
An oil spray bottle
Strictly speaking, this is not an air fryer accessory for inside the appliance, but a useful addition to the kitchen. A fine mist of oil helps to get vegetables, potatoes, and breaded products crispier without using too much too quickly.
Pay attention to the type of spray bottle. Not every bottle atomizes evenly, and thick oil can sometimes splatter more than spray. For daily use, it can still be a practical tool.
Which air fryer accessories are needed and which often turn out to be superfluous
Complete sets with eight or ten parts look attractive. You often get a pizza pan, cupcake tray, skewer rack, toast rack, cake pan, and some loose parts in one package. On paper, it's economical, but in practice, you usually only use two or three pieces frequently.
Especially very specific accessories quickly become superfluous. A cupcake tray is nice if you regularly make small baked goods, but for occasional use, a regular small baking pan is often sufficient. The same applies to a special pizza pan. If you rarely bake pizza in the air fryer, such an accessory mainly takes up space.
The best rule of thumb is simple: first buy for your regular cooking habits, not for dishes you might want to try someday. This prevents impulse buys.
What to pay attention to before buying accessories
The size of your air fryer
This is the most important factor. An accessory can be ever so practical, but if it fits too snugly, it blocks airflow. And if it's too small, it slides inconveniently back and forth. Therefore, measure the internal dimensions of the basket or carefully check for which type and capacity the accessory is suitable.
Don't rely solely on terms like XL or XXL. These vary by brand and model. The exact measurements are much more reliable.
Material and heat resistance
Silicone, coated metal, and heat-resistant glass or ceramic are common. Silicone is easy to clean and flexible to use. Metal baking pans often provide sturdy results for baking and roasting. However, it's important that the material is suitable for the temperatures of an air fryer.
Cheap accessories without clear specifications are less smart. Then you're not sure how they will react to high heat or intensive use.
Easy to clean
An accessory should not only be handy during cooking but also afterward. If you have to extensively scrub a rack with many corners after each use, you'll naturally use it less often. Smooth surfaces and dishwasher-safe materials are usually the best choice in busy households.
A smart basic set for most users
For most households, a small, practical base is more than enough. Think of a silicone insert for less cleaning, a baking pan for oven dishes and baked goods, and good silicone tongs for safe use. With these three, you often get further than with a large accessory set.
If you use your air fryer multiple times a week and want more variety, you can expand with a rack or paper liners. Only then does it become interesting to look at specialized accessories. This way, you keep things manageable and only buy what truly adds value.
At a webshop like Seprio.nl, that's precisely the practical approach many customers are looking for: no unnecessary items, but accessories that are immediately useful at home.
When extra accessories truly make a difference
There are situations where extra accessories are indeed a smart purchase. If you have limited oven space, a good baking pan can help you prepare small meals faster. If you live in a compact space or often cook for one or two people, it makes the air fryer much more versatile.
With young families or busy evenings, convenience also weighs heavily. A silicone insert or liner simply means less washing up and getting through tasks faster. That may seem like a small advantage, but precisely that kind of time-saving makes an accessory worth the money.
Those who mainly bake snacks occasionally don't need to overdo it. Then it's perfectly fine to start small and only add later if you find you're missing something.
The best choice is therefore not the largest set, but the accessory you'll use again next week. That's what you'll truly benefit from at home.