An air fryer is only as versatile as the gear you put inside it. Straight out of the box, most models come with a single perforated basket and maybe a crisper tray — enough to reheat fries, but nowhere near the full range of baking, roasting, dehydrating, and batch-cooking these machines are capable of. The right add-ons change that overnight. In 2026, a small shelf of well-chosen air fryer accessories turns a one-trick countertop gadget into something closer to a compact convection oven: oven-style baskets that let you air-fry on multiple levels, silicone and parchment liners that make cleanup a two-second job, protective mats that save your counter from scorch marks, stacking racks that double your capacity, and magnetic cheat-sheets that end the guesswork on time and temperature. This guide walks through every category that actually matters, explains what’s safe (and what quietly ruins your results), and helps you match each accessory to the way you really cook.
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Quick answer: For most people in 2026, the best air fryer accessories is the Oven-style air-fry basket — our #1 rated choice. See the full ranked comparison, alternatives and buying advice below.
What the best air fryer accessories actually do
Before spending a cent, it helps to understand the job each accessory is hired to do. Air fryers cook by blasting hot air around food at high speed, so anything you add to the basket either has to work with that airflow or it will drag down performance. The best air fryer accessories fall into a handful of clear categories: capacity expanders (oven baskets and racks), cleanup helpers (liners and mats), and workflow aids (magnetic cheat-sheets, tongs, and thermometers). Buy across those categories and you cover roughly ninety percent of what a home cook needs. Buy five identical silicone baskets and you’ve just cluttered a drawer. Below we break the categories down one at a time so you can build a kit that fits your kitchen rather than someone else’s marketing bundle.
Comparison table: top air fryer accessories in 2026
| Accessory | What it does | Best for | Price | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oven-style air-fry basket (Best Overall) | Adds a second cooking level and a perforated tray so hot air reaches food from all sides | Batch cooking, wings, roasted veg, families | $24.99 | 4.8 |
| Reusable silicone liner | Catches drips and crumbs; lifts food out in one piece | Sticky glazes, baked goods, quick cleanup | $12.99 | 4.6 |
| Perforated parchment liners | Disposable, pre-cut sheets with airflow holes | No-cleanup nights, delicate fish, single use | $9.49 | 4.5 |
| Heat-resistant countertop mat | Protects surfaces from the hot basket and residual heat | Small counters, laminate or wood tops | $14.99 | 4.7 |
| Magnetic time & temp cheat-sheet | Sticks to the machine with settings for common foods | Beginners, quick reference, shared kitchens | $8.99 | 4.4 |
Replacement and oven-style air-fry baskets
The single biggest upgrade for most people is a second basket — and specifically an oven-style air-fry basket. If your air fryer is the large oven or toaster-oven style, these drop-in baskets and perforated trays let you cook on two levels at once, roughly doubling how many wings, fries, or Brussels sprouts you can crisp in one go. Because the mesh or perforated design keeps air moving underneath the food, you get even browning without flipping every three minutes.
Replacement baskets for basket-style fryers
For pod-shaped fryers, a replacement basket is less about capacity and more about longevity. The nonstick coating on the original basket is the first thing to wear out, and once it starts flaking you want a fresh one rather than scraping degraded coating into dinner. When buying a replacement, matching the model number matters more than matching the brand — plenty of third-party baskets fit popular units at half the price. We cover coating care in more detail in our guide to protecting nonstick cookware, and the same principles apply here.
Silicone liners vs parchment liners
Liners are where most shoppers get confused, so let’s settle it. Both silicone and parchment liners catch grease and crumbs so your basket stays clean, but they behave very differently.
Reusable silicone liners
Silicone liners are molded trays that sit inside the basket. They’re washable, last for years, and are brilliant for sticky foods — think honey-glazed salmon or anything with a sugary marinade that would otherwise weld itself to the mesh. The trade-off is airflow: a solid-bottomed silicone liner blocks the air that’s supposed to circulate under the food, so the underside browns less and can steam instead of crisp. Look for liners with raised feet and perforations, and never use one that covers the entire basket floor edge to edge.
Parchment liners
Perforated parchment liners are the disposable option: pre-cut rounds or squares dotted with holes that let air pass through. They’re cheaper per use is higher over time, but on a busy weeknight the appeal of tossing the liner and skipping the scrub is real. Crucially, buy the pre-perforated kind made for air fryers, not plain baking parchment you cut yourself. For more on when to reach for reusable versus disposable, see our notes on cutting kitchen waste.
Mats for the countertop
Air fryer baskets and the base units get genuinely hot, and many people set them straight down on the counter mid-cook to shake or refill. A heat-resistant countertop mat — usually silicone or a woven fiberglass weave — gives you a safe landing zone and protects laminate, butcher block, or stone from thermal shock and scratches. The better mats also grip the counter so a vibrating fryer doesn’t creep toward the edge. They roll up for storage and double as trivets when the machine isn’t in use.
Racks, skewers, and stacking accessories
Multi-layer racks are the trick to cooking a full meal at once. A simple stainless rack lets you elevate a second tray of food above the basket floor, so you can crisp bacon on top while potatoes roast below. Skewer racks hold kebabs upright for even cooking, and toast racks keep bread from flopping into the fan. As with liners, the rule is airflow first: choose open wire designs over solid shelves, and don’t overload a rack so tightly that air can’t move between pieces.
Magnetic cheat-sheets and small tools
The least glamorous accessory might save you the most ruined dinners. A magnetic time-and-temperature cheat-sheet sticks to the side of the machine and lists settings for dozens of common foods, which is invaluable when a household shares the fryer or when you’re still learning your model’s quirks. Round out the kit with silicone-tipped tongs (metal scratches coatings), a slim instant-read thermometer for anything with bones, and a soft brush for cleaning the heating element. None of these are expensive, and together they remove nearly all the friction from everyday air frying.
Fit and sizing: measure before you buy
The most common return reason for air fryer accessories is a simple size mismatch. Basket-style fryers are measured by quart capacity and internal diameter; oven-style units are measured by rack dimensions. Before ordering, measure the internal width and depth of your basket at its narrowest point and leave at least a centimeter of clearance so air can still circulate around the edges. A liner or rack that’s jammed in tight not only chokes airflow but can be a burn hazard to remove. Our small-appliance sizing primer has a printable measuring checklist if you want to be precise.
Cleaning your air fryer accessories
Most silicone liners, mats, and stainless racks are dishwasher-safe, but the top rack is gentler and preserves grip coatings longer. For baked-on grease, a soak in warm soapy water beats aggressive scrubbing, which can pit metal and shred silicone. Never use steel wool or abrasive powders on anything nonstick. Let every accessory dry fully before it goes back in the machine — trapped moisture is the fastest route to odors and, over time, corrosion on cheaper metals.
What’s safe: airflow is the whole game
Every safety question with air fryer accessories comes back to one idea: the machine cooks with moving hot air, and blocking that air is both a performance problem and a fire risk. Loose, lightweight items — plain parchment, paper towels, a stray liner with no food weighing it down — can lift into the heating element and ignite. Always weigh liners down with food, keep at least an inch of clearance around the element, and use accessories rated for the temperatures air fryers reach (up to around 400°F / 200°C). Stick to those rules and the rest is easy. For broader kitchen safety habits, our kitchen safety basics guide is a good companion read.
Frequently Asked Questions
What accessories do you need for an air fryer?
You don’t strictly need any — but a small starter kit dramatically expands what your air fryer can do. Most cooks are well served by three things: a set of liners (silicone or parchment) for easy cleanup, a heat-resistant mat to protect the counter, and either a second oven-style basket or a stacking rack to increase capacity. A magnetic cheat-sheet and silicone-tipped tongs round out the essentials. Skip novelty accessories until you know how you actually use the machine.
Are silicone liners safe in an air fryer?
Yes, provided they’re food-grade silicone rated for high heat (typically up to about 450°F / 230°C — comfortably above air fryer temperatures) and you use them correctly. The key rule is that a liner must have food in it before you start cooking; an empty, lightweight liner can be blown into the heating element by the fan. Choose liners with perforations or raised feet so air still circulates, and never let one cover the entire basket floor edge to edge.
Can you use parchment paper in an air fryer?
You can, but use parchment made or cut for air fryers — the perforated kind with holes that let air pass through — rather than solid baking parchment. Always place food on top to hold it down, and keep the paper well clear of the heating element. Never preheat the machine with an empty sheet of parchment inside, since the loose paper can lift into the element and catch fire. Used sensibly, perforated parchment is one of the cheapest ways to keep cleanup to nearly zero.
Do air fryer liners affect airflow?
They can, and that’s the single most important thing to understand about them. A solid-bottomed liner blocks the hot air that’s meant to circulate beneath your food, which leads to softer, less crisp undersides and longer cook times. Perforated liners and raised silicone trays minimize this by letting air move through or under the food. To keep results crisp, choose liners with holes, avoid covering the whole basket, and don’t stack liners on top of one another.
Top picks from this guide
PremiumCookingPicks360 Pcs 8” Square Unbleached Heavy Duty Air Fryer Paper…$26 \xc2\xb7 98/100
PremiumCookingPicks360 Pcs 6.5” Square Unbleached Heavy Duty Air Fryer Paper…$22 \xc2\xb7 98/100
PremiumCookingPicks360 Pcs 8.7" x 5.5" Unbleached Heavy Duty Air Fryer…$24 \xc2\xb7 98/100
BakersSignatureAir Fryer Paper Liners, 125Pcs Air Fryer Disposable Liners, Non-Stick…$9 \xc2\xb7 98/100
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