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Washing the baskets of even the best air fryers is a pain, and it takes up a whole rack if it's dishwasher safe. Plus, a dishwasher can cause the nonstick coating to wear away quickly. Fortunately, the best silicone air fryer liners make clean-up a breeze so that you can enjoy crispy, delicious foods with minimal hassle. Silicone Mould
I've tested over 50 air fryers and accessories and talked to air fryer expert Samantha Erb, creator of Everyday Family Cooking, to find the best silicone liners. Our top pick is the Wavelu Air Fryer Silicone Pot because it cooks food evenly, features large handles, and is dishwasher-safe. Another option is the Lotteli Kitchen Reusable Silicone Air Fryer Liners. They allow oils to drip through, cutting down on how much you consume, though the basket and crisper plate may still require light cleaning.
Check out our best air fryer guide if you want to buy an air fryer.
Best overall: Wavelu Air Fryer Silicone Pot - See at Amazon The dishwasher-safe Wavelu is one of the best silicone air fryer liners because it keeps ingredients from coming in contact with your basket for an effortless clean-up.
Best for low-fat cooking: Lotteli Kitchen Reusable Silicone Air Fryer Liners - See at Amazon The perforation in the Lotteli helps grease drain out of your food into the air fryer basket, making for a lower-fat meal.
Best flat: Infraovens Air Fryer Liners - See at Amazon The Infraoven liner's structure is flat enough for optimal airflow but has a raised lip to keep grease from dirtying the machine.
Best for easy removal: SmarTake Air Fryer Silicone Pot - See at Amazon The large handles of the SmarTake Silicone Pot make it easy to remove from your air fryer without burning yourself, making it safer.
Best for compact air fryers: Simple Lyfe Air Fryer Silicone Pot - See at Amazon If you have a compact air fryer, the team at Simple Lyfe has created the solution for quick cleanup.
Best baking cups: OXO Good Grips Silicone Baking Cups - See at Amazon You can use this set of durable silicone baking cups to shape muffins, cupcakes, and more expertly. They're nonstick, so they can be washed easily.
Pros: Easy to clean, surface ridges promote even cooking, large handles
Cons: Doesn't allow oils and fats to drain
The main goal of choosing the best silicone air fryer liner is to make cleaning your air fryer easier. Yet, many liners have holes that allow oils and fats to drip through, leaving a mess. The $20 Wavelu Air Fryer Silicone Pot is one of the best silicone air fryer liners because it doesn't have holes and contains oils, so you don't have to clean the air fryer basket and plate.
I was able to test this liner; initially, I was concerned that the food would hold onto its fat and that the silicone pot would hinder even cooking. However, the Wavelu features a silicone grill and slopes to the peripheries of the pot so oils drain to the sides. In my tests, food cooked just as evenly and quickly with the BPA-free silicone pot as without.
The Wavelu comes in two sizes: large, for air fryers between 3 and 5 quarts, and extra large, for units over 5.3 quarts. Lastly, I liked the handles that stick up enough to grab them without oven mitts easily.
Pros: Available in multiple sizes and shapes, keeps debris away from crisper plate
Cons: Perforations allow oil to collect in the basket
The Lotteli Kitchen Reusable Silicone Air Fryer Liners are what Erb uses. They come in a $10 three-pack with a refrigerator magnet listing air fryer cooking times. The liners are flat, perforated pieces of BPA-free silicone that allow for oil drainage and airflow for even heating. The liners come in five sizes to fit an array of air fryers, including round, square, and rectangular baskets.
One downfall of flat, perforated air fryer liners is oils go through the liner and collect in the basket, thus requiring you to clean it. Consequently, the main benefit is you won't end up with debris caked onto the crisper plate, which can be even harder to clean with its many narrow openings.
Pros: Available in multiple sizes, low-profile lip keeps the basket and crisper clean
Cons: Hard to remove the liner when it's hot
The Infraovens Air Fryer Liners set has three mats: a flat black grilling mat, a black mesh mat, and a red mat with raised cylinders. The red is the best silicone air fryer liner because it has a low-profile lip that keeps grease from escaping and making a mess while allowing air to flow around the food.
The low-profile design makes it hard to remove the liner when it's hot, so your best bet is to simply remove the food. You can get a set in five sizes ranging from 6.5 inches to 10 inches square and priced from $10 to $15.
Pros: Comes with mini silicone mitts, structure keeps grease and oils separate from the food and basket
Cons: Only available in one shape
The SmarTake Air Fryer Silicone Pot is like a silicone baking dish for your air fryer. It's similar to our best silicone air fryer liner, the Wavelu silicone pot, only it's square and comes with mini silicone mitts to make removing it from the basket effortless.
The high sides keep grease and oils from escaping into the basket, and the raised lines on the bottom of the pot keep the oils separate from your food and promote airflow. The $14 SmarTake comes in three colors (gray, red, and faded red) and two sizes (8.1 inches and 8.7 inches square).
Pros: Surface ridges allow grease to drain and even airflow
Cons: Only available in one shape
The design of the $15 Simple Lyfe Air Fryer Silicone Pot is pretty similar to that of our other silicone pot picks. The difference is it comes in a small 6.3-inch-diameter size that works well in compact air fryers between 2 and 2.6 quarts, making it the best silicone air fryer liner for our best small air fryer, the Dreo Aircrisp Pro Air Fryer.
The BPA-free Simple Lyfe silicone pot is dishwasher safe and, like the other silicone products in our guide, can handle temperatures up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. It also features surface ridges and an elevated, sloping center on the base to let grease drain and promote airflow.
Pros: Can be used for baking muffins and egg bites, side tabs make them easy to remove
Cons: Can't be filled all the way, ingredients can overflow
Silicone baking cups are useful in any kitchen, even if you don't have an air fryer. I like the OXO Good Grips Silicone Baking Cups because they have little tabs on the sides, making them easier to remove from an air fryer without burning myself or disturbing the contents. Plus, at $12 for a dozen, they're quite affordable.
I like to use the OXO baking cups to make egg bites for breakfast. If you do this, don't fill the cup more than halfway since the contents will expand as they heat. You may want to put a separate liner underneath in case some of the ingredients spill from the cups. I liked how easily the cups released the egg bites, and the clean-up was a snap.
You should consider a few factors when looking for the best silicone air fryer liner.
Size: Air fryer liners come in various sizes. You want to find the largest that still fits your air fryer's basket. This will give you the greatest flexibility in what you can cook.
Shape: Like air fryer baskets, liners are square and round. Pick the shape that matches your basket.
Goal: If you want fats and oils to flow freely out of the food you're cooking, choose a liner with perforations. Perforated liners also help with airflow, producing crispier foods faster. A silicone basket is a smart choice if you're more concerned with simple cleanup. In some models, oil from your food collects at the bottom of the basket, so you don't have to consume it. The downside is baskets reduce airflow, making it harder for foods to crisp up.
Yes, you can put foil in an air fryer — here's how to do it safely.
When to use foil in your air fryer: Using foil in your air fryer serves two primary purposes: facilitating simple clean-up and ensuring easy food removal. Using foil creates a barrier between the food and the basket, eliminating the need to clean them extensively.
Using foil in your air fryer greatly assists when preparing foods that stick to the basket, such as meats, eggs, and breaded dishes. With foil, you can conveniently lift these items by gripping the edges of the foil, preventing any sticking or mess.
Additionally, if you're cooking multiple batches of food, employing foil can be a significant time-saving technique. Keeping the basket clean with foil eliminates the need to pause and clean the air fryer between each batch, allowing you to continue cooking without interruptions.
How to use foil in your air fryer: To ensure safety, placing it exclusively in the air fryer's basket and not in the drawer is important. Placing foil in the drawer can result in it being blown around by the circulating hot air, potentially causing a fire hazard. Never preheat the air fryer when the basket is lined with foil to prevent any potential risks.
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