Guide
How to find the best air fryer for you
by Stephan Lamprecht
Food manufacturers catering to the air fryer trend
11.3.2026
Translation: Jessica Johnson-Ferguson
Food producers have recently started to label products as «air fryer suitable». While some consumers are calling this marketing nonsense, an analysis carried out by Galaxus paints a different picture: air fryers now account for 90 per cent of all fryer sales. In fact, sales have increases sevenfold over the course of the last four years.
«Air fryer potatoes» from German retail chain Rewe recently caused quite a stir in the media and on social networks. Customer opinions published in German-language newspapers «Hessische Allgemeine» and «Niedersächsische Allgemeine» ranged from «marketing nonsense» to «amazing idea».
But manufacturers aren’t only rebranding staple foods such as potatoes as air fryer products, they’re even creating new ready-made meals catered to these kitchen appliances. For example, the Airfryer Snack from Wagner, Airfryer Snack Balls from Bürger and many more as German trade publication «Lebensmittel Praxis» shows.
Sales figures from Galaxus suggest that the trend isn’t just hot air. After all, nine in ten fryers sold by the online retailer in 2025 were air fryers. Meanwhile, the market share of traditional deep fryers that use oil has plummeted by three quarters since 2021. Last year alone, Galaxus sold 630 per cent more air fryers than in 2021. In other words, sales have increases sevenfold over the course of the last four years.
Nicola Brand, Senior Category Manager at Galaxus, says: «Air fryers dominate our fryer product category, and food manufacturers are meeting customer needs with their product.»
Gen Z’s Thermomix
Air fryers have become something of a Thermomix of generation Instagram. This is because young people in particular draw cooking inspiration from hacks and recipe ideas posted on platforms including TikTok and Instagram. One third of buyers are under 35s. Hashtags such as #airfryer are used by the millions, which demonstrates how strongly community and influencer marketing are fuelling the trend.
The numbers speak for themselves. Air fryers are no longer a niche product, but an integral part of state-of-the-art kitchens, and the food industry has picked up on this. So whether the label «air fryer-suitable» is marketing nonsense or an amazing idea is ultimately up to consumers to decide. And they’re increasingly going for hot air over hot oil.
Daniel Borchers
Senior Communications Manager
Daniel.Borchers@galaxus.deA soft spot for good series, loud music, science fiction and (second division) football. As PR Manager, I am available to answer journalists' questions about Galaxus and honest e-commerce.
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