Making jerky needs sustained low heat over several hours, not high-heat crisping, so the feature that actually matters is a genuine low-temperature dehydrate or dry setting rather than raw capacity. All three picks below list a dedicated function for it.
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Best air fryers for dehydrating compared
| Model | Dehydrate function | Format | BestTop Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cosori 9-in-1 TurboBlazeBest basket option |
"Dry" function | Basket | 9.0 | Check price |
 Ninja Air Fryer Toaster Oven (SP151)Best oven-style capacity |
Dehydrate function | Oven-style | 8.8 | Check price |
 Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer ProBest premium oven |
Dehydrate setting | Oven-style | 9.3 | Check price |
1. Cosori 9-in-1 TurboBlaze — Best Basket Option
Cosori’s “Dry” function reaches down to 90°F, the low end needed for slow dehydrating rather than crisping, in a compact 6-quart basket.
Read our full Cosori TurboBlaze review for verified specs and details.
2. Ninja Air Fryer Toaster Oven (SP151) — Best Oven-Style Capacity
An oven-style rack format gives more surface area to lay out jerky strips in a single layer than a basket, with a dedicated dehydrate function among its eight modes.
Read our full Ninja SP151 review for verified specs and details.
3. Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro — Best Premium Oven
Breville’s Element iQ System distributes heat across 5 independent elements, which Breville states helps eliminate cold spots — useful for evenly dehydrating multiple trays of jerky at once.
Read our full Breville BOV900BSS review for verified specs and details.
Tips for dehydrating jerky in an air fryer
Use thin, even slices. Uneven thickness means some pieces finish drying before others.
Leave space between pieces. Airflow needs to reach all sides, the same principle as crisping, but over a much longer, lower-heat cycle.
Check doneness by texture, not time alone. Jerky is done when it bends without snapping and shows no visible moisture; times vary by meat thickness and air fryer model.
Frequently asked questions
Can any air fryer dehydrate, or does it need a specific function? Some models can approximate it at their lowest temperature setting, but a dedicated dehydrate or dry function is designed specifically for the low, sustained heat jerky needs.
Does an oven-style rack work better than a basket for jerky? Generally yes, since flat racks give more single-layer surface area than a basket shape.
Final verdict
For a compact basket with a genuine low-temperature dry setting, the Cosori TurboBlaze is the top pick. For more surface area, the Ninja SP151 or the premium Breville BOV900BSS oven-style racks handle larger jerky batches.
See how we calculate the BestTop Score for our rating method.