Are you a fan of rotisserie chicken? Ever wondered how rotisserie air fryers came to be? Turns out, these appliances have a pretty intriguing history. Before their invention, individuals would physically turn meat placed on metal rods over an open fire. The people spinning these metal rods were referred to as “spit jacks”. This is how rotisserie spits got their name.
Fast forward to the 21st century, and we now have rotisserie spits. So rather than rotating the meat physically, this piece of equipment does the spinning for you. This results in succulent and crispy fried foods. Air fryers with these rotisserie spits are particularly handy as they can be used to both air fry and cook rotisserie-style. In this post, we’ll highlight everything you need to know about the best air fryers with rotisserie.
Table of Contents
How a Rotisserie Air Fryer Works
Rotisserie roasting is a pretty straightforward cooking technique. It involves placing food, mostly meats, on what is known as a rotisserie spit. The rotisserie spit is then placed in an air fryer, to allow the food to cook.
During the cooking process, the spit constantly rotates, allowing the food item to cook evenly to a beautiful crisp on the outside and a succulent interior. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to use the rotisserie in an air fryer:
- First, pat the food dry
- Insert the rotisserie spit into the food
- Slide the rotisserie forks on the rotisserie spit, from opposite ends and lightly tighten the thumb bolts
- Brush the meat with a bit of oil and season accordingly
- Finally, place the spit into the air fryer and align it in the allocated slots
- Turn the dial on the exterior of your fryer to select the rotisserie function
- Adjust time settings, then press start
- Once the food is cooked, ensure you use a retrieval tool to carefully remove the rotisserie set from the air fryer
- For the best outcome, give the meat time to rest. Afterwards, you can loosen the screws and remove the food item from the rod. It’s now ready to serve.
Benefits of Air Fryers with Rotisserie
A rotisserie, on its own, is a superb investment. It allows you to enjoy the rich flavor and crunchy texture of fried foods, but without the health risks associated with consuming these foods. This is the technique of air frying that uses little to no oil.
But, an air fryer with a rotisserie gives you even more value for your money. Such an air fryer includes a rotisserie kit, enabling you to roast foods using this piece of equipment. So of the perks you get from spit-roasting are:
- Locks moisture in food, resulting in juicy, succulent, and tender meat
- Allows for beautiful caramelization and browning on food, especially meats
- Cooks food evenly
- Facilitates self-basting since the melting fats and juices circulate over the food as it cooks
Top 7 Best Air Fryers with Rotisserie
Product | Capacity | Dimensions | Rotisserie Basket | Number of Rotisserie spits | Warranty |
Oster Air Fryer Oven & Multicooker | 10.5 quarts | 16.89 x 16.89 x 16.93 inches | No | 1 | 1 year |
Instant Vortex Plus Air Fryer | 10 quarts | 17.75 x 15.75 x 15.5 inches | Yes | 1 | 1 year |
GoWise USA Deluxe Air Fryer | 12.7 quarts | 11.5 x 12 x 14 inches | Yes | 1 | 1 year |
Chefman Air Fryer Plus Rotisserie | 6.3 quarts | 11 x 10.5 x 14.75 inches | Yes | 1 | 1 year |
Cosori Air Fryer Toaster Oven with Rotisserie | 32 quarts | 22.99 x 19.84 x 16.93 inches | No | 1 | 1 year |
Emeril Lagasse Power Air Fryer | 16 quarts | 23 x 17.5 x 13.5 inches | No | 1 | 90-day money-back guarantee |
Power XL Air Fryer Pro 6/8QT | 6 quarts | 14.96 x 13.4 x 14.56 inches | Yes | 1 | 60-day money back guarantee |
Now to the nitty-gritty…
#1: Oster Air Fryer Oven & Multicooker 10.5QT – Best Overall
Looking for an air fryer that strikes a great balance between pricing and features? If you are, the Oster Air Fryer Multicooker is just what you need!
Though it’s only available in black color, it has an elegant design that will make a great addition to any kitchen. The fryer measures 16.89 by 16.89 by 16.93 inches, meaning it takes up quite a bit of space on your kitchen counter. On the bright side, it has a door that retracts upon opening, an aspect that helps to save space.
Oster Air Fryer offers a solid performance when it comes to the rotisserie. It includes a rotisserie spit and handling fork, making it easy to get started with this cooking technique.
Moreover, this oil-less fryer has a limited but handy selection of accessories. Simply put, the manufacturer has provided the most essential attachments you’ll need to prepare hearty meals. These include 3 airflow trays, a 3.3-quart air fryer basket, and the rotisserie kit.
These attachments make it easy to use one of the four pre-programmed settings of the air fryer, namely, fries, wings, veggies, and steak. When it comes to cooking functions, the Multicooker is designed to air fry, bake or dehydrate.
PROS
- Generous capacity of 10.5 quarts
- Retractable door to save on counter space
- Comes with an array of accessories, including an air-fry basket
- Detachable door and drip tray make for an easy cleanup
CONS
- Compared to other air fryers, it does not offer a wide variety of cooking functions
Warranty: 1 year
The Oster Multicooker is suitable for homeowners interested in a simple, no-frills rotisserie air fryer. It’s not too expensive, and it offers basic cooking functions, namely, air frying, baking, dehydrating, and rotisserie cooking.
Check out today’s price on the Oster Air Fryer Oven
#2: Instant Vortex Plus Air Fryer Oven 10QT – Best Value
The Vortex Plus, which is the latest invention from Instant Brands, has every feature you’d ever want in a rotisserie oilless fryer. It’s pretty similar to our top pick too so if you didn’t like the Oster for any reason, check this one out.
The Instant Air Fryer measures 17.75 by 15.75 by 15.5 inches, which makes it slightly smaller than the Oster. Thus, it will fit better on a smaller kitchen counter. Its squarish shape is another feature that makes it more compact. What I like most is that even with smaller dimensions, it offers a generous capacity. The Vortex offers 10 quarts, which is just slightly smaller than the Oster model.
Like the Oster Multicooker, this one also comes equipped with a rotisserie kit. The kit comprises a rotisserie spit and forks, making it easy to get started on your rotisserie cooking. Furthermore, the interior chamber is big enough to rotisserie a 4-pound chicken. However, this might be a bit small if you’re planning to cook larger birds or cuts of meat.
The rotisserie kit aside, Vortex Plus, comes with various other accessories, which increase its range of use. In fact, you’ll get a couple more accessories than what the Oster package includes. This entails two air-fry trays, an air-fry basket, baking sheets, and the rotisserie kit. With these attachments, you can easily use the 7 built-in smart programs that include air-fry, bake, toast, broil, roast, rotisserie and dehydrate.
PROS
- Sizeable capacity; hence allows you to cook more food
- Equipped with overheat protection to enhance user’s safety
- Dishwasher-safe attachments for easy cleaning
CONS
- Getting the temperature and time settings right is a bit of a learning curve
Warranty: 12 months
The Instant Vortex Plus is ideal for homeowners looking to get maximum value on their investment. The fryer comes with several accessories- such as air fry trays, air-fry basket, baking sheets, rotisserie- to increase its functionality.
Take a look at the price of the Instant Vortex Plus Air Fryer Oven
You might also like to read our reviews of the Best Oil Less Air Fryers
#3: GoWise USA Deluxe Air Fryer Oven with Rotisserie 12.7QT – Budget Pick
If you’re looking for a purse-friendly air fryer oven with rotisserie, the GoWise Deluxe is your best bet. Even with such a low price tag, the appliance touts an elegant design and comes fully-equipped with a range of accessories.
Measuring 11.5 by 12 by 14 inches, this is one of the more compact rotisserie air fryers on our review. This makes it perfect for those looking to buy space-saving cooking appliances. And, it comes in multiple colors too. This gives you the freedom to pick one that complements your kitchen decor. Choose from black, silver, red, and white.
Interestingly, this oilless fryer has a higher capacity than Instant Vortex Plus and Oster models. You get 12.7 quarts, providing more space to hold food. Thus, you can prepare bigger portions of food at once.
Another thing that makes GoWise stand out is the fact that its rotisserie kit is more comprehensive than any other. With Instant Vortex, for instance, you only get a rotisserie basket, spits, and forks. But GoWise goes an extra mile by providing a skewer rotisserie, a rotisserie cage, and a rotisserie steak cage too.
Compared to other air fryers, the Deluxe also offers way more cooking functions. It has 15 pre-programmed settings, which helps to take the guesswork out of cooking durations and temperatures.
These presets include popcorn, fries, frozen food, baked potato, steak, chicken, vegetables. wings, pizza, and fish. Apart from rotisserie cooking, other functions this fryer offers are: baking, keeping warm, dehydrating, and defrosting.
PROS
- Affordable
- Large capacity of 12.7 quarts
- Numerous accessories for rotisserie cooking
- Preset controls for easy cooking
CONS
- Instructions on the manual and cookbook are not clear
Warranty: 1-year warranty along with free lifetime support
If you’d like to prepare meals using an air fryer with a rotisserie feature but have a limited budget, GoWise Deluxe is designed for you.
Check out the price of the GoWise Deluxe Air Fryer Oven now
TIP: If you’re willing to spend a little more and you love grilling as well as cooking rotisserie-style, then it might be worth considering GoWise’s top-of-the-line stainless steel air fryer – the 14.7Qt Ultimate Air Fryer and Grill. New to the market in February 2020, it’s already getting very positive reviews from consumers.
#4: Chefman Air Fryer Plus Rotisserie 6.3QT – Best Compact Unit
If you want to be able to make your own rotisserie chicken but have a small kitchen, then you’ll need to invest in a compact, but highly functional appliance like Chefman Air Fryer.
This oilless fryer measures 11 by 10.5 by 14.75 inches, making it the smallest model in our review. As such, it takes up very little countertop space. You can even store it inside a cabinet when it’s not in use.
But even with a smaller footprint, this piece of cooking equipment can be used for a number of cooking techniques. It has a total of 8 preset buttons, allowing you to air-fry, bake, cook rotisserie-style, dehydrate or prepare meat, chicken, shrimp, fish, and fries.
Now, there aren’t as many functions as those in GoWise Deluxe. But for its size, it’s a pretty decent offering.
Speaking of, the rotisserie function is one of my favorites. A spit is included in the package to help you rotisserie your favorite birds. And according to the manufacturer, the fryer’s 6.3-quart capacity is enough to fit a small chicken.
PROS
- Simple setup process
- Compact design
- Includes a window to help you monitor the rotisserie process
CONS
- It may take a while to cook some foods
Warranty: 1-year warranty
Individuals looking for a small-sized oil-less fryer with rotisserie will find the 6.3-quart Chefman Air Fryer an excellent choice.
Have a look at today’s price on the compact Chefman Air Fryer
#5: Cosori Air Fryer Toaster Oven with Rotisserie 30L – Best Large Capacity
The Cosori Air Fryer is a great pick for those with big families. Featuring a capacity of 30 liters (about 31 quarts), this rotisserie air fryer is the biggest in our review. Need to prepare large batches of food in one go? No problem!
This also implies that you can rotisserie big birds with ease. According to the manufacturer, you can easily fit a 5-pound chicken in the appliance. Besides, the package includes a rotisserie fork set and handle. It means you have everything you need to rotisserie your favorite foods.
Air-frying and rotisserie cooking aren’t the only functions that this unit offers. In fact, it has the second-highest number of cooking functions after the GoWise Deluxe fryer. These include baking, dehydrating, broiling, keeping warm, fermenting, roasting, and toasting. You can also use the fryer to make cookies, bagels, and pizza.
On the downside, this air fryer is quite big. It measures 20.1 by 16.5 by 12.1 inches. This means that you’ll have to set aside a chunk of space for this air fryer.
PROS
- Generous capacity to prepare large portions of food
- Equipped with an oven light for easy notifications
- Simple-to-navigate display
- 12-in-1 air fryer; ideal for multiple cooking techniques
CONS
- Takes up a lot of space on your counter
Warranty: 1-year warranty and lifetime support
The Cosori Air Fryer is best suited for homeowners with large families. With its 32-quart capacity, it can be used to prepare big portions of food for a group of friends or during family gatherings.
Look up the price of the 32Qt Cosori Air Fryer with Rotisserie
#6: Emeril Lagasse Power Air Fryer 360 Deluxe – Most Versatile
Have you been looking for an air fryer that can do a ton of functions? Well, the Emeril Lagasse Power Air Fryer 360 is highly versatile equipment. What makes this rotisserie air fryer so different is that it comes with a wider range of accessories to support every function it claims it can do.
For instance, it has a premium-quality rotisserie built into it. Installing and using the rotisserie spit is pretty straightforward, meaning you can enjoy rotisserie chicken whenever you want. It also has a built-in dehydrator, making it incredibly easy to dehydrate fruits, vegetables, and meats.
Other accessories include a pizza rack, baking pan, drip tray, and crisper tray. With these attachments, the 1500-watt fryer can air-fry, toast, bake, broil, make pizzas, warm, slow-cook, make bagels roast and reheat.
Almost every appliance in our review can be used to toast bread. But only the Power Air Fryer 360 allows you to customize this setting. Determine how light or dark your toasted bread will be with a single click of a button.
That said, it’s crucial to note that the Emeril 360 is almost as big as the Cosori. At 19 by 15 by 9.5 inches, this one also takes up a significant amount of counter space. So this is not the kind of rotisserie air fryer you want to get if you’re looking to save on space.
PROS
- Quick cook technology and five heating elements to cook food uniformly
- Includes an array of accessories increasing its functionality
- Dishwasher-safe parts for easy cleaning
- Stainless steel build for maximum durability
CONS
- Instructions on the manual can be a little more comprehensive
Warranty: Comes with a 90-day money-back guarantee
The Power Air Fryer 360 is designed for those who want an air fryer that will take the place of many cooking appliances. It doubles up as a convection oven, toaster oven, dehydrator, and more.
#7: Power XL Air Fryer Pro 6QT – Most Popular
Do you prefer to buy appliances from reputable brands? If you do, the Power XL Air Fryer Pro is a safe bet. Measuring 14.96 by 13.4 by 14.56 inches, it’s the ideal size for most kitchen counters. Plus, you get to pick between two fancy colors: red and black. Incidentally, the black model is quite a bit cheaper, and it is often on sale.
The Pro is a 7-in-1 cooking appliance. Once you purchase this, it will take the place of your deep fryer, dehydrator, convection oven, oven toaster, pizza grill, and rotisserie oven.
Speaking of rotisserie, this unit comes equipped with a rotisserie spit. So if you want to use this function, all you have to do is swap out the air-flow racks with this rotisserie rod. And if you’re more into kebabs or kabobs, the manufacturer also provides 10 stainless steel skewers that you can work with.
The only thing you might not like about this air fryer is its capacity. The Power XL has a capacity of just 6 quarts, which is fine for your average household. But if you’re worried it’s too small to meet your needs, you’d be better off with the 10Qts of the Oster Air Fryer Oven or even the Instant Vortex Plus.
PROS
- Comes with preset buttons for ease of use
- Preheats and cooks fast
- Easy cleanup thanks to the dishwasher-safe parts
- Multipurpose with 7 different functions
CONS
- Small capacity
- Short warranty
Warranty: 60-day warranty
The Power XL Air Fryer Pro (see my full review here) is an excellent choice for homeowners looking to buy a reliable rotisserie air fryer. Even though it has a minimalist design, it boasts 7 different cooking functions, which include roasting, air frying, baking, steaming, sautéing, grilling, and rotisserie cooking.
Check out today’s price on the Power XL Air Fryer Pro
Things to Consider When Shopping for Air Fryers with Rotisserie
Size
When it comes to the size of an air fryer rotisserie oven, there are a few things you should take into account. For one, think about the size of the food items you’ll be cooking with this function.
Two, consider the amount of space you have on your kitchen counter. The majority of these air fryers come in a standard size, which can easily fit on any kitchen countertop. The drawback of ultra-compact models, however, is that they can’t hold a whole turkey or big chicken.
So, if you have a big family or have to cook larger birds often, ensure you purchase a bigger air fryer. But, be ready to devote enough countertop space to accommodate your new appliance. Otherwise, an air fryer that can fit a whole chicken or a 5-pound turkey will suffice.
Temperature
Another aspect you’ll want to check before making any purchases is the temperature setting. Some rotisserie air fryers offer a variety of temperatures. Others give you the freedom to configure a specific temperature in degrees.
The advantage of pre-programmed settings is the convenience they offer. You don’t have to memorize the different temperatures that go with particular foods. On the end of the spectrum, air fryers that require temperature setting allow for more accuracy.
Therefore, choosing between the two boils down to your personal preferences. Do most of your recipes require you to cook at specific temperatures? Or would you rather enjoy the convenience of preset controls?
Number of Spits
This one is pretty straightforward- you can opt for an air fryer rotisserie with either one or multiple spits.
With multiple spits, you can prepare several pieces of meat simultaneously. However, these will have to be in very small portions to fit. With a single spit, you can cook one large-sized piece of meat.
Thus, multiple spit fryers are suited for items like kebabs, while single spit models are suitable for whole chicken or turkey.
Accessories
Given that you’ll be using your air fryer primarily for rotisserie, there are a couple of attachments you should look for. One of these is a removable drip tray or pan, which traps any oil that drips from the food item during cooking.
If you love kabobs as much as I do, skewers are a great investment too. On the same note, an air-fry basket is a must-have if you plan to cook delicate meats, such as fish.
Other accessories you can look for are:
- Oven gloves
- A cookbook
- Roasting rack
Frequently Asked Questions about Air Fryers with Rotisserie
How often should you clean an air fryer?
It’s crucial that you clean this appliance, between recipes or when you prepare something particularly messy. For instance, if you rotisserie pork kabobs and they drip excess fat all over the drip pan, consider cleaning your air fryer before reusing. Luckily, most attachments are dishwasher-safe, son cleanup is a breeze.
How do I prevent food from sticking on the rotisserie kit?
If you’re preparing food that has a tendency to stick, brush it with a bit of oil before starting the rotisserie process.
Wrap Up
An air fryer and rotisserie, you can cook rotisserie-style without it being a big drama. Plus, you’ll get a really multi-purpose appliance that brings great versatility to your home-cooking. And it will be fun getting the whole family involved.
Now you just have to choose the model that’s right for you!
That said, one of the best quality air fryers with rotisserie is the Oster Oven & Multicooker. It’s a 10.5-quart air fryer with a good selection of accessories, such as a rotisserie spit, handling forks, air-flow racks, and mesh basket. It sports a square design, which allows it to occupy just a small space on your counter. Apart from cooking rotisserie-style and air frying, it can also bake and dehydrate.
Now, if you’re looking for a fryer that is a little more affordable, go with the GoWise Deluxe, which offers extra functions, such as defrosting and keeping warm.