If you’re already a fan of air frying, you know it’s all about that crispy texture we love from deep-fried foods – but with far less oil. The air fryer works its magic by circulating hot air around your food, creating that perfect golden crunch, while cutting down on fat.
Despite the name, though, it’s not really a fryer at all; it’s more like a mini convection oven, offering more versatility and benefits than a traditional oven. And with the right air fryer accessories, you can unlock even more potential and expand what your air fryer can do, from baking to grilling.
However, it’s important to keep its limitations in mind – especially the interior capacity. Make sure any accessories you use are heatproof and fit comfortably, leaving enough space for air to circulate freely. Avoid accessories that are too tall, as they could touch the top element and cause burning. If you’re using it to bake, steer clear of light batters or liquid-heavy mixtures, as the powerful air circulation can cause messes or even create a volcano effect on your bake. And watch out for sugary recipes, as they brown more quickly in an air fryer.
What are the different types of air fryer accessories?
The type and size of the machine you choose will impact which accessories it is suited for. But here’s a general list of some of the accessories you may find useful.
Air fryer racks
Most basket-style air fryers come equipped with at least one basic circular rack. Also useful is a toast rack to assist with bread slices sitting upright. A double layer rack can also be useful.
Air fryer pans
Investing in cake pans that fit in your appliance will enable you to get the most out of it. Many small conventional pans will fit. Muffin pans for standard ovens won’t fit, so it is handy to buy a circular tray with muffin inserts.
Air fryer utensils
While most everyday kitchen utensils – tongs, spatulas and lifters – can be used in the air fryer, it is worth investing in ones with silicone ends, if you want to maintain the protective surface of your appliance.
Small silicone mats
Small silicone mats are perfect for lining the base of the air fryer when cooking baked goods, as baking paper will fly up. These inexpensive mats can be bought from budget and homewares shops and can be cut to fit your appliance.
2025’s TOP AIR FRYER ACCESSORIES
- Webake 2PC air fryer silicone muffin pans, $36.97, Amazon (here’s why)
- Avanti air fryer silicone liners, $14.95, Kitchen Warehouse (here’s why)
- Air fryer double layer rack, $18.99, Amazon (here’s why)
The best air fryer accessories to shop in Australia 2025
Below, we’ve rounded up our favourite air fryer accessories, from versatile baking trays to easy-to-clean racks and more.
01
Webake 2PC air fryer silicone muffin pans
from $36.97 at Amazon
Best for: Keen bakers who are short on time
Yes, you can bake in your air fryer! These Webake muffin tins are circular, designed specifically to fit into a cylindrical air fryer, and are made with collapsible silicone handles on either side to protect your hands from burning when removing from the oven. The silicone build also means these tins are easy to clean and are dishwasher safe, taking that extra, stubborn sugar-crusted scrubbing out of the equation.
Test Kitchen Food Director Sophia Young uses her air fryer for denser bakes, saying: “The air fryer works well for robust cakes, like muffins and scones. If you’re making something spectacular like a Basque cheesecake it works especially well, scorching the top evenly for a lovely finish.”
“These are very versatile and easy to use in an air fryer,” one customer also shared in a five-star review on Amazon, where it has an average of 4.5 stars from over 754 global reviews. “I was sceptical trying them, but they work amazingly well. Wonderful value and the tabs make them easy to remove from the air fryer. It’s also easy to clean due to the silicone – nothing has stuck this far.”
Material: Food-grade silicone
Suitable for: Smaller air fryers such as Sunbeam or Philips
Key features:
- Collapsible handles for safer handling
- Made from BPA-free, food-grade silicone
- Naturally non-stick for easy release
- Simple to clean, dishwasher safe
- Includes two seven-cavity moulds (2.5-inch capacity)
- Great for muffins, eggs, burgers and more
02
Avanti air fryer round silicone inserts
$14.95 (usually $26.95) at Kitchen Warehouse
Best for: The mess avoidant
If you’re sick of scrubbing the metal grills at the bottom of your air fryer, then this is the accessory for you. While baking paper is fit for purpose in a regular oven, the high temperature and powerful fan-forced mechanism used by air fryers can make baking paper an unfortunate fire hazard. To combat that problem, these silicone inserts protect your food from sticking to the base of the air fryer’s basket, like baking paper would. Made from silicone and dishwasher safe, you’ll never go back to baking paper with these on hand.
Test Kitchen Food Director Sophia Young uses silicone inserts like these for stickier bakes such as roast chicken or steak. “If you don’t fancy splattering your stove with grease or scrubbing the bottom of your air fryer clean after each use, a silicone mat is a great way to cook fatty foods like steak or salmon without an arduous clean-up,” she says.
Material: 100 per cent silicone
Suitable for: Rectangular air fryers like Tefal
Key features:
- Set of two (20 x 19 x 7.5 cm), suitable for air fryers, ovens and steamers
- Made from 100 per cent food-grade silicone, BPA-free and non-toxic
- Non-stick and heat resistant up to 190C
- Ridges improve air circulation for even cooking
- Grip tabs for easy handling and removal
- Dishwasher safe
Also available at:
- $16.95 (usually $26.95) from Matchbox
- $20.95 from Barbeques Galore
- $21.89 from Amazon
- $21.95 from David Jones
03
Air fryer double layer rack
$18.99 at Amazon
Best for: Frying a lot at once
If your biggest frustration with the air fryer is that you can only do one batch at a time, say hello to this built-for-purpose double layer rack. Designed to fit perfectly in a mid-sized air fryer, this rack is made of stainless steel for safe cooking quality. Machine washable and easy to clean, even the grimiest of fried foods won’t stick, making it the ultimate tool of convenience.
In fact, convenience is a key feature for users, with a five-star reviewer on Amazon writing: “Using this double layer rack has doubled the capacity of my air fryer. Chicken on the bottom, roasted veg on the top. Ideal!”
Another happy reviewer noted that the rack “expands the capacity” of their air fryer and is “very sturdy.” Others love how it allows for multi-layer cooking, with one user sharing that it’s “great for cooking chicken kebabs in minimal time” and is “easy to clean.”
Material: Stainless steel
Suitable for: Smaller air fryers such as Sunbeam or Philips
Key features:
- Made from food-grade 304 stainless steel
- Double-layer design to maximise air fryer space
- Compatible with air fryers 4.2qt and larger
- Dishwasher safe for easy cleaning
- Helps cook with less oil
04
Joseph Joseph Elevate Fusion 2 piece silicone tong set in stainless steel
$29.97 (usually $49.95) at Myer
Best for: Easy extraction
Throw out all of your other tongs, because these ones really take the cake. This set from Joseph Joseph comes with two types of tongs: One set is thin with precision grips, perfect for handling delicate foods, and the second pair is larger with ribbed grips, ideal for wrangling your bulkier items. Most importantly, they are heat resistant up to 270 degrees, making them ideal for high-temperature air fryer use.
It has an impressive 4.9 star average rating on Myer, with one reviewer posting: “Who would’ve thought tongs would be life changing?! These are brilliant! The different shape is awesome for cooking.”
Another five-star reviewer wrote: “Brilliant tongs. Solid to hold and easy to use, clean and store. Love the notches you can rest them on to stop food going on work surfaces. Expensive but totally worth it as they feel like they will last forever.”
Material: Stainless steel with silicone tips
Suitable for: All air fryers
Key features:
- Two-piece set with precision and larger-tip tongs
- Lockable stainless-steel arms with built-in tool rests
- Silicone tips safe for non-stick cookware
- Heat-resistant up to 270C
- Designed for better hygiene and less mess
Also available at:
- $49.95 from David Jones
- $49.95 from Joseph Joseph
- $49.95 from The Iconic
05
Silicone muffin pans
$9.69 at Amazon
Best for: Breakfast on the fly
Say goodbye to caked on, charred pancake batter and grease. These flat, silicone baking tins are great for frying up a quick breakfast, making easy work of pancake batter and even ideal for frying a sunny-side up egg or rounds of bacon, without the need for tough-to-clean pans. As an added bonus, the pans are made of BPA-free silicone and are dishwasher safe, making breakfast times as simple as could be.
Although it only has two reviews on Amazon, both shoppers gave these pans five stars. One reviewer praised it as a “great piece” for their air fryer, perfect for mini omelettes and pancakes. Another found it ideal for frying eggs, noting that while it’s too shallow for muffins, adding a little oil prevents sticking, and clean-up is easy thanks to the silicone material.
Material: Silicone
Suitable for: All air fryers
Key features:
- Food grade silicone
- BPA-free and non-toxic
- Non-stick, durable and easy to clean
- Heat resistant to 230C
- Three-cavity design, perfect for muffins, cupcakes, cheesecakes and chocolate
06
Pyrex air fryer 3-piece set
$28 (usually $40) at Amazon
Best for: Versatility
This three-piece set is a newer addition to the air fryer accessories market from Pyrex. It includes three Pyrex glass containers of different sizes, plus a silicone grip pad so you can safely handle them fresh out of the air fryer. Durable tempered glass promises evenly heated food for consistently tasty results without any nasty surprises!
Amazon customers love the kit for its convenience and quality. One reviewer praised it for making air fryer meals feel more sophisticated, especially for dishes like pasta bakes, cakes and brownies. Another mentioned how compact and solid the dishes are, perfect for single-portion sizes and fitting nicely in smaller ovens like the Sunbeam model.
Others have noted they are ideal for air fryers, with one saying they are a must-have for a Philips XL. While some wish it included lids for storage, overall, it’s received great feedback for its durability and practicality.
Material: High-quality, durable tempered glass
Suitable for: 5.7L and 8L air fryers
Key features:
- Made of high-quality, durable tempered glass
- Includes three baking dishes of varying sizes
- Comes with a silicone grip pad for safe handling
- Air fryer and oven safe to up to 250C
Also available at:
07
Wiltshire mini pans
$6 at Big W
Best for: Single serve baked goods and pizza
These mini-pans made a big splash when they hit the air fryer accessories market last year. The mini loaf pan (15.5cm) is ideal for whipping up a perfectly-sized loaf of banana bread, while the mini pizza pan (17.5cm) is perfect for personal-sized pizzas with all your favourite toppings.
Suitable for: 5.7L and 8L air fryers
Key features:
- Non-stick and oven safe up to 220C
- Mini loaf dimensions: 15.5cm x 8.5cm x 4.5cm
- Mini pizza pan dimensions: 17.5 x 2.5cm
- Both pans are covered by a five-year warranty
What does an air fryer do differently to an oven?
Air fryers take only a matter of minutes to heat or pre-heat, whereas an oven can take much longer. With the average air fryer using only 1500 watts of electricity rather than the 2500-5000 watts used by ovens on average, these powerful little appliances can assist with keeping costs down, as well as cooking times.
Test Kitchen Food Director Sophia Young prefers using an air fryer for quick and convenient meals. “Nothing crisps and browns in quite the same way that an air fryer does,” she says. “Potatoes and other drier vegetables crisp beautifully in the intense heat settings of an air fryer, but it’s not just veggies: Roast chicken is wonderful in the air fryer as the skin browns and crisps evenly and quickly.”
Sophia also uses the air fryer over her oven to heat up leftovers like last night’s pizza. “Pop your sad-looking, soggy pizza in the air fryer and it will be returned to its crisp-bottomed glory in a matter of minutes.”
Do you need air fryer accessories?
You do not need air fryer accessories to use your air fryer, though they certainly help in maximising the uses and efficiency of your device. An air fryer without accessories has one or two baskets without racks, levels or separators, so meals need to be fried in smaller batches. The machine is still totally functional, just a little limited in its scope.
With accessories, you open up the possibilities of your air fryer. A rack allows you to cook a meal with multiple elements simultaneously, and muffin or cake tins made to fit the air fryer baskets make baking a cinch.
Put it like this, a mattress is fully functional and comfortable without sheets, but who doesn’t use sheets?
What accessories can I use in my air fryer?
For a kitchen item or accessory to be safe to use in the air fryer, it must be made of materials safe to use in high temperatures. Most items that are oven safe are fine to use in the air fryer, but due to the size constraints of the air fryer basket, are awkward to use or simply don’t fit. The air fryer accessories included in the round up above are made specifically for using in the air fryer.
Can I use baking paper in the air fryer?
Avoid baking paper as a cover for food, as it will catch fire. Instead, use aluminium foil, which may need to be weighed down with metal spoons. To assist with cleaning, line the pan under the basket with baking paper or foil to catch any oil drippings, and make sure that you clean the air fryer regularly.
How to ensure even browning in the air fryer
To ensure even browning, turn food halfway through the cooking time. To prevent overbrowning, ensure sufficient distance between the top of the food and the cooking element, or cover the food with foil to shield. When using basket-style air fryers to cook items like chips, shake the basket occasionally during the cooking process.
With larger oven air fryers, you will need to swap the top and bottom racks around, as the heat is more concentrated near the element at the top of the air fryer.
Can oil be used in an air fryer?
Use it sparingly or it will burn; aim for one to two tablespoons (either olive or canola oil). No additional oil is required for naturally fattier foods like sausages or meatballs. For battered, floured and crumbed recipes, spray the basket and the food lightly with cooking spray, as some oil is required to assist with browning and taste.
Commercial cooking sprays contain propellants, which are chemicals used to assist with the flow of oil. There are an array of propellants that commercial manufacturers have at their disposal. If you want pure oil, you may want to invest in a simple pump-style bottle and fill it with oil yourself. Extra virgin olive oil offers the best health benefits; however, its taste may not be to your palate or suit the flavour profile of the recipe. You can also use more neutral types of oil, such as canola, grapeseed or rice bran oil.
Related articles:
- 10 easy air fryer recipes to add to your repertoire
- How to make pickle chips in the air fryer
- How to make roast chicken in the air fryer
