How Many Amps and Watts Does an Air Fryer Use? (Explained)

Whether you want to admit it or not, deep-fried foods are delicious. But they’re also terrible for you. However, if you’re looking to indulge in fried foods without all the guilt, an air fryer is a great option.

These nifty little appliances use hot air for cooking food, resulting in a crispy exterior and a moist interior – all with far less oil than traditional deep frying.

But before you buy an air fryer, know how much power it will use. After all, you don’t want your new appliance to jack up your energy bill! And with that said, how much power does an air fryer use?

Well, that’s why I’m here.

This blog looks at how many amps and watts an air fryer uses. We’ll even narrow down to examine the power usage of some of the most popular models today. So, read on if you’re in the market for an air fryer or are simply curious about how much power these appliances use!

Read: How Many Amps Does a Mini Fridge Use?

How Many Watts Does an Air Fryer Use (Small, Medium, Large)

The watts an air fryer uses varies depending on the size of the appliance. A small air fryer will use around 800 to 1,000 watts, a medium air fryer will need approximately 1,200 to 1,400 watts, and a large air fryer will use between 1,600 to 1,800 watts.

Airfyer power usage

Before I proceed, let me give you a brief overview of watts and amps. In simple terms, watts refer to the amount of power an appliance uses, while amps refer to the strength of the current flowing through the unit.

Now, back to air fryers, you’ll usually see the wattage listed on the appliance or in the product description. That’s a government regulation for all electrical appliances. And usually, the wattage ranges from around 800 watts to as high as 1800 watts depending on the size of the appliance.

Small Air Fryers

Small air fryers are precisely what they sound like – small! They typically have a capacity of 1 to 2 quarts, making them ideal for single people or couples. On power usage, small air fryers demand between 800 and 1,000 watts.

Medium Air Fryers

Medium air fryers have a capacity of 2 to 4 quarts, making them ideal for small families of up to 4 people. Regarding power usage, medium air fryers use between 1,200 and 1,400 watts. That’s way higher than small air fryers, but still justifiable considering they can accommodate more food.

Large Air Fryers

Large air fryers have a capacity of 4 quarts or more. You can consider this size if you have a family of 4 or more. As you can expect, these air fryers use more power than their smaller counterparts. To be specific, their energy requirements fall between 1,600 and 1,800 watts.

How Many Amps Does an Air Fryer Use?

The amps that air fryers use range from 6.67 amps to as high as 15 amps on a 120-volt circuit. That’s 3.33 amps to 7.5 amps on a 240-volt circuit. But generally, air fryers with a higher wattage have a higher amperage draw, assuming the voltage is the same.

The amperage draw of your appliance is essential when configuring your home’s electrical system. It will help you decide what size of breaker you need and the size and type of wire you should use.

And usually, air fryers will need between 6 amps and 15 amps on average, depending on the wattage of your unit. That means the smaller versions have amp requirements on the lower end, while larger models are on the higher end of the spectrum.

Perhaps you’re wondering, “Just how can I get the amperage of my unit from the provided details?”

Well, it’s easy!

As long as you know the wattage of your air fryer and the voltage of your home’s electrical system, you can easily calculate the amperage draw of your appliance.

Use this simple formula:

Air Fryer Amperage Draw = (Watts of your air fryer) / (Volts in your home’s electrical system)

For example, if you have a 1,000-watt air fryer and a 120-volt outlet, the amperage draw of your appliance will be:

Amps = (1000 watts) / (120 volts)

= 8.3 amps

I used 120 volts because that’s the standard voltage in most homes in the US. If you live in a country with a different voltage, you must use that number in the formula instead.

In the table below, I’ve calculated the amp requirement of some of the most popular wattage settings at different voltages for your convenience.

Air Fryer WattageAmps at 120 VoltsAmps at 240 VoltsAmps at 110 Volts
8006.673.337.3
10008.334.179.1
120010510.9
140011.675.8312.7
160013.336.6714.5
1800157.516.3

As you can see, the table above tells you everything you need to know about how many amps an air fryer uses. All you need is the wattage of your unit, and you can easily calculate the amps. And from there, you’ll know what size of breaker and wire you need for your appliance.

How Many Amps Does a Cuisinart Air Fryer Use?

A Cuisinart air fryer uses about 1800 watts of power on average, which is 15 amps when running on a 120V circuit or 7.5 amps on a 240V circuit. But if your locality uses 110V power, your Cuisinart air fryer will use about 16.4 amps.

Cuisinart is undoubtedly one of the most trusted brands when it comes to kitchen appliances. And their air fryers are no different. They offer some of the best features and performance in the market.

But like all other air fryers of their capacity, their energy requirements are also on the higher side. On average, a Cuisinart air fryer will need about 1800 watts of power to operate. That means if your electrical system is like that of most United States homes, which is 120 volts, your appliance will need about 15 amps.

But then again, remember that start-up surge watts differ from regular or running watts. Don’t expect your air fryer to use only 1800 watts when it’s first turned on. It will need more power during that time to get up and running. Hence, you might want to size your circuit and wire accordingly.

How Many Amps Does a Ninja Air Fryer Use?

A Ninja air fryer’s amps differ from one model to another. But on average, expect your unit to use 12.5 amps to 15 amps when running a 120-volt system. That’s still within the average amperage draw of most air fryers.

Ninja air fryers have varying wattage ratings. For instance, the Ninja AF101, one of their flagship air fryers, uses 1550 watts. That’s lower than that of Ninja AF150AMZ and Ninja AG301, which use 1750 watts and 1760 watts, respectively.

But as you can see, the range is between 1500 and 1760 watts. That’s quite higher than what small and medium-sized air fryers use. But then again, more power means less time spent cooking, and thus, the overall energy consumption may not differ much.

How Many Amps Does the Power Air Fryer XL Use?

The Power air fryer XL uses about 14.16 amps at 120 volts, 7.08 amps at 240 volts, and 15.45 amps on a 110-volt system. That’s because the wattage here stands at 1700 watts, which is quite standard for air fryers of this size.

One advantage of owning a large air fryer is cooking more food. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that it will consume more power. In fact, the overall energy consumption may be lower than cooking multiple batches using smaller unit.

How Many Amps Does a 1500-Watt Air Fryer Use?

A 1500-watt air fryer will use about 12.5 amps when running at 120 volts. But if you’re using a 240-volt system, you can expect the higher voltage to half the amperage draw. So, in that case, your appliance will only use about 6.25 amps.

1500 exceeds most air fryers’ average wattage requirement (1400 watts). And as you can see, the amperage draw is not that high. It will depend on the voltage of your electrical system. But on standard US voltages, the amperage draw will be around 12.5 amps.

That isn’t really that high. In fact, it’s quite low when you compare it to other home appliances. For instance, a clothes iron will use about 10-12 amps. So, an air fryer of 1500 watts isn’t really that power-hungry.

Read: How Many Amps Does a Hot Tub Use?

pancakes-in-air-fryer

Can You Use an Air Fryer on a 15 Amp Circuit?

You can use an air fryer on a 15-amp circuit, provided the appliance doesn’t consume more than 12 amps. Otherwise, a 20-amp circuit is recommended if you want to be safe. It will save you from adjusting your circuit breaker every time it trips.

Before you connect your air fryer to that power outlet, know whether the outlet is adequate to handle the current strength required by the appliance. If not, don’t risk it and look for a better power source instead.

As a general rule of thumb, you should only connect an appliance to a circuit if the appliance’s amperage draw is below 80% of the capacity rating of the circuit. So, if you have a 15-amp circuit, the appliance should only consume 12 amps or less to keep everything running safely.

Circuit breaker

That means you can’t use a 15-amp circuit for an appliance whose amperage exceeds 12 amps. That’s to say, when using a 120-volt system, an air fryer should not consume more than 1440 watts when working with that size of breaker.

The same rule applies when using a 240-volt system. In that case, the appliance should not consume more than 2880 watts. Anything beyond that, and you’ll need to use a higher amperage circuit.

Do Air Fryers Use a Lot of Electricity?

No, air fryers don’t use much electricity, especially compared to home appliances such as ovens. Actually, since they don’t run all the time, you’ll notice that your power bill will hardly change after getting one.

Air fryers use, on average, 1400 watts. That’s a significant difference from traditional ovens’ average of 3000 watts. So, you can see why air fryers are much more energy-efficient than ovens.

To better understand how much power an air fryer uses, let’s calculate the cost of running it for 30 minutes and compare it to the oven’s. We’ll work with 1400 watts as the average for air fryers and 3000 watts for ovens.

In 30 minutes (1/2 hour), an air fryer will consume:

1400 W x 1/2 hr = 700 Wh

In 30 days (1 month), an air fryer will consume:

700 Wh x 30 days = 21 kWh

At 13 cents per kWh, the cost of running an air fryer for 30 minutes daily for a month would be:

21 kWh x $0.13 = $2.73 per month

Now, for an oven:

3000 watts x 1/2 hr = 1500 Wh

In 30 days (1 month), an oven will consume:

1500 Wh x 30 days = 45 kWh

At 13 cents per kWh, the cost of running an oven for 30 minutes daily for a month would be:

45 kWh x $0.13 = $5.85 per month

As you can see, there’s a big difference in the cost of running an air fryer vs. an oven. And that’s without even considering that you’ll most likely use the oven for longer than 30 minutes at a time.

Airfryers are efficient

Factors Affecting Amps Consumption of Air Fryer

Some of the factors affecting the power consumption of an air fryer are the size of the fryer, voltage, usage time, and frequency of use.

Let’s examine each one in more detail:

The Fryer’s Size

A larger fryer will require more energy to heat up and will, therefore, use more electricity. If you only need to cook for one or two people, a smaller fryer is a more efficient option.

Voltage

Air fryers come in distinct voltage models. The voltage of an air fryer will affect its power consumption. A 120-volt air fryer will draw more amps than a 240-volt air fryer. A stronger current is needed to compensate for the lower voltage.

Usage Time

How long you use your air fryer will also affect its power consumption. The longer it’s on, the more electricity it will use.

Frequency of Use

How often you use your air fryer will also affect how much electricity it consumes. If you use it every day, it will obviously use more power than if you only use it once a week.

Read: How Many Amps Does a Crock Pot Use?

Final Verdict

Although they have a higher wattage than some home appliances, air fryers don’t consume much electricity. But that doesn’t mean you can use a 15-amp circuit for every appliance in your home.

You should always check your appliances’ ratings and ensure you’re using the proper circuit for each one. Not doing so might result in a fire or the breaker tripping more often. If you aren’t sure of the ideal appliance breaker, consult a licensed electrician.

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About Rinkesh

A true environmentalist by heart ❤️. Founded Conserve Energy Future with the sole motto of providing helpful information related to our rapidly depleting environment. Unless you strongly believe in Elon Musk‘s idea of making Mars as another habitable planet, do remember that there really is no 'Planet B' in this whole universe.