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Even the best air fryers' baskets are difficult to wash, and if they're dishwasher safe, they take up a whole rack. 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 you can enjoy crispy, delicious foods with minimal hassle.
I've tested over 60 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're in the market for an upgrade.
Learn more about how Business Insider Reviews tests and researches kitchen products.
Our top picks for the best silicone air fryer liners of 2024
Best overall: Wavelu Air Fryer Silicone Pot — See at Amazon
Best for low-fat cooking: Lotteli Kitchen Reusable Silicone Air Fryer Liners — See at Amazon
Best flat: Infraovens Air Fryer Liners — See at Amazon
Best for easy removal: SmarTake Air Fryer Silicone Pot — See at Amazon
Best for compact air fryers: Simple Lyfe Air Fryer Silicone Pot — See at Amazon
Best baking cups: OXO Good Grips Silicone Baking Cups — See at Amazon
Best overall
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.
- Easy to clean
- Surface ridges promote even cooking
- Large handles
- Doesn't allow oils and fats to drain
The main goal of silicone air fryer liners 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 $23 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 tested 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 sticking up enough to easily grab them without oven mitts.
Best for low-fat cooking
The Lotteli's perforations help grease drain from food into the air fryer basket, making for a lower-fat meal.
- Available in multiple sizes and shapes
- Keeps debris away from crisper plate
- Perforations allow oil to collect in the basket
Erb uses the Lotteli Kitchen Reusable Silicone Air Fryer Liners. 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. They come in five sizes to fit an array of air fryers, including round, square, and rectangular baskets.
One disadvantage of flat, perforated air fryer liners is that oils pass through the liner and collect in the basket, requiring cleaning. Consequently, the main benefit is that debris won't end up on the crisper plate, which can be even harder to clean with its many narrow openings.
Best flat
The Infraoven liner's structure is flat enough for optimal airflow but has a raised lip to keep grease from dirtying the machine.
- Available in multiple sizes
- Low-profile lip keeps the basket and crisper clean
- 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. The set is available in five sizes, ranging from 6.5 inches to 10 inches square, and priced from $10 to $15.
Best for easy removal
The large handles of the SmarTake Silicone Pot make it easy to remove from your air fryer without burning yourself, making it safer.
- Comes with mini silicone mitts
- Structure keeps grease and oils off the food and basket
- 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).
Best for compact air fryers
If you have a compact air fryer, the team at Simple Lyfe has created the solution for quick cleanup.
- Surface ridges allow grease to drain and even airflow
- Fits in small air fryers
- 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 smart choice 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.
Best silicone baking cups
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.
- Can be used for baking muffins and egg bites
- Side tabs make them easy to remove
- Can't be filled all the way
- Ingredients overflow easily
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 ingredients overflow the cups. I liked how easily the cups released the egg bites, and the clean-up was a snap.
What to look for in a silicone air fryer liner
You should consider a few factors when looking for the best silicone air fryer liner.
Size: Air fryer liners come in various sizes. 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 smart 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.
Can you put foil in an air fryer?
Yes, you can put foil in an air fryer — here's how to do it safely.
When to use foil in your air fryer: Foil serves two primary purposes: facilitating simple clean-up and ensuring easy food removal. It 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, it is important to place foil exclusively in the air fryer's basket and not in the drawer. 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 potential risks.
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