The best air fryer accessories are the ones that make the machine easier to use, not the ones that just fill a drawer.

If you use an air fryer more than a couple times a week, cleanup becomes the most repetitive annoyance. Silicone liners help more than almost any other add-on because they cut down on stuck-on residue without turning into another disposable habit.

Reusable heat-safe silicone trays or inserts that sit inside the basket and catch grease, crumbs, and drips while still allowing airflow around the food.

This is the easiest quality-of-life upgrade for everyday air fryer cooking. It solves a real problem people run into constantly, not just a once-in-a-while edge case.

Review summary: This is the accessory most people end up appreciating the fastest. You notice it every time you do not have to scrub the basket after wings, salmon, or roasted vegetables.

Skip this if: Skip these if you strongly prefer maximum direct-crisp contact on the basket surface for every recipe and do not mind cleaning after each use.

Parchment liners are less elegant than silicone, but they are hard to beat when convenience matters most. They are especially useful for greasy foods or quick weeknight meals where the goal is to eat and move on.

Single-use perforated parchment liners shaped for round or square air fryer baskets, designed to catch crumbs and oils while still letting hot air circulate.

They give you the easiest cleanup path possible, which is why they remain popular even among people who already own reusable gear.

Review summary: These are best for the messier end of air fryer cooking. They are not the greenest option, but they are undeniably convenient when you are cooking sticky or fatty food.

Skip this if: Skip them if you are trying to minimize kitchen disposables or if you already like and use reusable liners consistently.

A light, even coat of oil is one of the easiest ways to improve browning and texture in an air fryer. A proper sprayer works much better than trying to drizzle oil with a spoon and hoping for the best.

A refillable misting bottle for neutral oil, avocado oil, or olive oil, made for even surface coverage on vegetables, proteins, and reheated leftovers.

It directly affects cooking results. This is not just about convenience; it helps food come out better and more evenly crisp.

Review summary: This is one of the accessories that actually changes the food instead of just changing cleanup. If your fries or vegetables look patchy, this usually helps.

Skip this if: Skip it if you already use a cooking spray you like and do not mind stocking cans separately.

A rack is one of the most useful accessories for anyone trying to get more food through a smaller basket. It adds a second level for reheating, vegetables, or lighter items without needing a larger machine.

A metal raised rack or multi-level insert sized to sit inside the air fryer basket and create extra cooking surface above the main layer.

This is one of the few accessories that truly expands what the air fryer can do rather than just making it neater.

Review summary: A rack is especially handy if your air fryer feels one size too small for your household. It does not work for every recipe, but when it works it is genuinely helpful.

Skip this if: Skip it if you mostly use the air fryer for single-layer foods that need maximum direct airflow and space, like wings or large breaded items.

Skewers are one of those air fryer ideas people dismiss as gimmicky until they actually try them. They work well for shrimp, vegetables, small chicken bites, and party-food style cooking that benefits from quick turning and easy portioning.

A compact metal rack with short skewers sized for the air fryer basket, keeping food lifted and evenly exposed to heat from multiple angles.

It expands the air fryer into more snack and small-meal territory without asking much in return.

Review summary: This is not an everyday tool for everyone, but it is much more useful than a lot of the random baking inserts that come in giant accessory kits.

Skip this if: Skip it if you almost never cook small proteins or bite-size vegetables in the air fryer and want to keep accessories minimal.

Using the wrong utensil is one of the fastest ways to scuff or chip a nonstick air fryer basket. Silicone-tipped tongs let you flip, lift, and serve without treating the basket like a disposable surface.

Heat-safe kitchen tongs with silicone tips gentle enough for coated baskets but sturdy enough for turning chicken pieces, fries, vegetables, and reheated foods.

This is a very small purchase that protects the actual appliance while making everyday use easier.

Review summary: These feel basic, but they are part of what makes an air fryer stay easy to use over time instead of gradually looking abused.

Skip this if: Skip it if you already own a good pair of silicone tongs you regularly use in the kitchen.

Air fryers cook fast, which is great until you start guessing doneness by color alone. A quick thermometer removes that uncertainty for chicken, salmon, pork, and reheated leftovers that you do not want to underdo or overdo.

A compact digital thermometer that gives a fast internal reading so you can pull food at the right moment instead of drying it out while playing it safe.

This improves results across many recipes, especially for proteins where precision matters more than visual instinct.

Review summary: A thermometer is not glamorous, but it is one of the smartest kitchen tools you can buy if your air fryer gets used for meat regularly.

Skip this if: Skip it only if you already own and use a reliable instant-read thermometer elsewhere in your kitchen.

Silicone cups are one of the more versatile air fryer add-ons because they let you portion and contain small foods cleanly. They work especially well for egg bites, mini desserts, and anything that would otherwise spread or drip awkwardly.

Flexible reusable cups that hold individual servings inside the air fryer basket without sticking the way some batter or egg-heavy foods do on bare metal.

They add a genuinely different cooking use case and make small-portion recipes much less messy.

Review summary: These are surprisingly handy if you like breakfast prep or snack-size cooking. They are much more practical than they first look.

Skip this if: Skip them if you never make egg bites, mini bakes, or other small contained portions in the air fryer.

Air fryer food often gets brushed with marinade, butter, or glaze either before or after cooking, and a dedicated silicone brush makes that much neater than improvising with a spoon.

A heat-safe brush for applying oil, melted butter, barbecue sauce, or finishing glazes to food without shedding bristles or absorbing too much flavor.

It helps with a specific but common part of air fryer cooking, especially if you do proteins, roasted vegetables, or sweet finishes regularly.

Review summary: This is a small supporting tool, but it makes a difference whenever you want more controlled flavor application instead of blotchy brushing.

Skip this if: Skip it if you already have a good silicone pastry or basting brush in your kitchen drawer.

Air fryers may keep most grease contained, but they still create enough mess around the sink, prep area, or nearby countertop to justify a simple splatter screen in some kitchens. It is especially useful if you finish or transfer greasy food right away.

A fine-mesh screen designed to block splatter while still venting steam, useful for nearby finishing steps or protecting the area where hot basket foods get handled.

It is not an air-fryer-only tool, but it supports the messy end of air fryer cooking better than niche basket gadgets do.

Review summary: This is more of a kitchen-support accessory than a basket insert, but it earns its place if your air fryer tends to create a greasy orbit around where you use it.

Skip this if: Skip it if your air fryer routine is already tidy and your prep and plating area rarely gets messy.

A good cookbook is not really about the recipes themselves anymore; it is about getting more range out of the machine before your air fryer falls into a nuggets-and-reheat-only routine.

A recipe guide built specifically for air fryer timing, texture, and workflow, ideally with enough variety to cover vegetables, proteins, sides, and lighter baked items.

This accessory helps you get more practical value out of the appliance itself, which matters more than owning a drawer full of metal inserts.

Review summary: If you are the kind of person who bought the air fryer with good intentions and then settled into five repeat meals, this is actually one of the more useful “accessories” you can buy.

Skip this if: Skip it if you already rely mostly on saved digital recipes and never use physical cookbooks in your kitchen.

A compact baking pan turns the air fryer into a much more useful small-batch oven for brownies, baked oats, casseroles, and other recipes that need a contained vessel rather than an open basket.

A small metal or silicone baking pan sized for common air fryer baskets, giving batters and softer bakes a stable shape and easier removal.

It expands the machine beyond crisping and reheating into true small-batch baking territory.

Review summary: This is one of the most worthwhile add-ons for anyone who wants the air fryer to do more than just act like a tiny convection basket.

Skip this if: Skip it if you never bake in the air fryer and only use the machine for savory basket foods.

Air fryer times and temperatures are easy to forget because the machine gets used for such a wide mix of foods. A simple magnetic chart cuts down on phone-checking and turns the appliance into a more intuitive weeknight tool.

A quick-reference timing and temperature chart that sticks to the fridge or nearby appliance area, giving a fast starting point for common air fryer foods.

It reduces friction every time you cook, which is exactly what the best accessories should do.

Review summary: This feels a little obvious, but it is genuinely helpful if you want the air fryer to feel fast instead of like a guessing game every time you use it.

Skip this if: Skip it if you already know your machine well enough that you rarely need a time-and-temp prompt.

Air fryer baskets collect crumbs in places that are annoying to reach with just a sponge. A soft cleaning brush helps keep the little edges and creases cleaner without scratching coatings.

A soft-bristled kitchen cleaning brush suitable for nonstick baskets, racks, and accessories that need more precision than a dishcloth gives.

Maintenance matters if you want the appliance and accessories to stay pleasant to use over time.

Review summary: This is another unglamorous pick that earns its spot through repetition. Better cleaning tools usually mean more consistent use, because less dread builds around the mess.

Skip this if: Skip it if your current dish brush already works well for basket cleaning and you are not struggling to reach residue.

The worst part of air fryer accessories is often not using them, but storing them. A simple storage bin keeps the genuinely useful pieces together and makes it easier to avoid turning a cabinet into a pile of forgotten inserts.

A compact kitchen bin or organizer sized to hold liners, racks, cups, cheat sheets, and smaller tools in one easy-to-grab zone.

The right accessory system only works if you can actually find the accessories when you need them.

Review summary: This is a practical final pick because it addresses the exact reason many accessory purchases go stale: they become too annoying to keep organized.

Skip this if: Skip it if you only own one or two accessories and already have a clear storage spot that works.