The Best Air Fryer Accessories (And What Each One Actually Does)
A practical guide to air fryer accessories organized by what you're trying to solve — sticking, oil control, baking, cleanup, and more.
2026-04-28
Most air fryers come with one basket and nothing else. That's fine for fries or reheated leftovers — but the moment you try to bake, roast a large cut, or cook anything delicate, the limitations become obvious. The accessories in this guide solve specific problems. Some are worth buying on day one; others you'll want once you've run into the issue they fix.
Keep Food from Sticking
The air fryer basket's non-stick coating works well at first, but repeated high-heat cooking degrades it faster than most manufacturers admit. Once it starts sticking, cleanup goes from "wipe with a cloth" to "soak and scrub."
Perforated parchment paper liners are the cheapest fix. They sit in the bottom of the basket, let hot air circulate through the holes, and peel off with whatever you cooked on them. Buy liners cut to match your basket shape (round or square) and sized slightly smaller than the basket so air can still flow around the edges. A 100-pack typically costs under $10.
Perforated Parchment Paper Sheets for Ninja Foodi Dual Air Fryer DZ201
Silicone basket liners are the reusable version. Same perforated design, but you wash them instead of throwing them away. They're slightly more expensive upfront (~$8–12) but pay off quickly. Look for food-grade silicone rated to at least 450°F (232°C).
Reusable Liners for Ninja Air Fryer
Control Your Oil
The point of an air fryer is using less oil — but "less" still means some, and pouring from a bottle makes it easy to overshoot. An uneven coat also leads to patchy browning.
An oil mister gives you a fine, even spray over the surface of your food. Fill it with any neutral oil (avocado, canola, light olive oil) and use two or three short bursts. The result is a thinner, more even coat than you'd get from drizzling. Look for misters with a glass or stainless steel body — plastic ones can crack or absorb odors over time.
One important note: avoid aerosol cooking sprays like PAM directly on your basket. They contain propellants and additives that degrade non-stick coatings. A refillable mister sidesteps this entirely.
Bake and Roast Better
The stock basket is designed for loose food — fries, wings, vegetables. It's not shaped for baked goods, and a single layer limits how much you can cook at once.
Silicone muffin molds sized for air fryer baskets let you bake individual portions without overflow or uneven heat. Silicone conducts heat differently than metal — expect to add a minute or two compared to a standard oven muffin tin. Check with a toothpick rather than relying on color alone.
Webake 3PCS Silicone Air Fryer Muffin
A multi-layer rack insert doubles your cooking capacity without changing settings. Useful for cooking two layers of vegetables or reheating multiple items simultaneously. The main limitation: items on the bottom layer may brown faster. Rotate halfway through or accept some unevenness.
Air Fryer Rack Compatible with Ninja DZ201
Skewer racks are worth it if you cook kebabs regularly. A rack holds skewers horizontally so all sides brown evenly without the skewers resting against the basket walls.
Air Fryer Grill Accessories Kit with 24 Skewers
Cook Meat Safely
The air fryer's biggest trap: it browns the outside fast. A chicken thigh can look perfectly done while the center is still at an unsafe temperature. The only way to know for certain is a thermometer.
An instant-read thermometer is the one accessory that's genuinely non-negotiable if you cook meat regularly. Insert it into the thickest part of the cut, away from bone. Target temperatures: 165°F (74°C) for poultry, 145°F (63°C) for pork and fish, 130–160°F (54–71°C) for beef depending on doneness. A good instant-read thermometer reads in 2–3 seconds and costs $15–30.
TempPro TP03B Digital Instant Read Meat Thermometer
For more on air fryer temperature settings by food type, see our Oven to Air Fryer Converter.
Clean Up Fast
Grease accumulates in the basket, the drawer below it, and the heating element above. Most of it drips down and sits in the bottom drawer — if you let it build up, it starts smoking on the next cook.
Disposable paper liners placed in the bottom drawer (not the basket) catch dripping grease before it bakes on. Not all air fryers have a removable drawer separate from the basket — check your model before buying.
Air Fryer Liners, 125Pcs Disposable Parchment
A cleaning brush kit with both stiff-bristle and soft-silicone brushes handles the corners and mesh of the basket without scratching. Most baskets are dishwasher safe, but high-heat cycles shorten the life of the non-stick coating. Hand washing with a brush is faster than it sounds.
Accessories to Skip
A few categories exist mainly to fill product listings, not to solve real problems.
"Air fryer-specific" tongs are regular tongs with a different label. Silicone tips are useful so you don't scratch the basket — but any silicone-tipped kitchen tongs already do that.
Pizza pans and baking pans marketed for air fryers often don't account for the variation in basket sizes across brands. A 7-inch pan fits a Cosori but not a Philips XXL. Measure your basket before buying, or use silicone molds that flex to fit.
Multi-piece accessory kits (typically 6–10 pieces) look like value. In practice, most pieces go unused because they don't fit your specific basket or only serve one recipe. Buy for a specific problem you have, not for coverage.
Example Multi-Piece Air Fryer Accessory Kit
The one thing worth adding before anything else: parchment liners and an oil mister. Everything else depends on what you actually cook. If you do a lot of meat, add the thermometer. If you bake, add the silicone molds. Start there.
For settings that match your specific air fryer model, the Brand Converter adjusts for temperature differences between brands.