For small batches, yes — a smaller cavity heats in minutes and the fan moves more air past the food. For a full tray, a 12-inch pizza or a casserole, a toaster oven keeps up and holds more.
Why an air fryer is faster
A smaller cavity. A drawer air fryer heats a few quarts of air; a toaster oven heats a box several times that size, with more metal to warm. Preheating takes 2 to 5 minutes instead of 5 to 10.
Faster-moving air. A strong fan right above the food strips away the cool, moist layer around it, so the surface browns sooner. That is the same reason convection beats a still oven.
Where the gap closes
A full load. Once the basket is packed, the air cannot move round each piece and the advantage shrinks — see why a single layer matters.
Food that does not need moving air. A casserole, a gratin or a cake in a dish cooks at about the same pace in either.
An air-fry toaster oven, which has a fan of its own.
Where the toaster oven wins
Capacity and shape. A flat, wide tray holds a quarter sheet pan, four slices of toast or a 9- to 12-inch pizza in one layer. The Elite Gourmet French-door oven at $84.99 takes a 12-inch pizza across three rack positions; the BLACK+DECKER 5-in-1 and the Hamilton Beach take a 9-inch pizza and air fry too.
Toasting, broiling and baking in normal pans — see can I toast bread in an air fryer and can I bake bread in a toaster oven.
The honest comparison
Speed claims are usually made against a full-size oven, not a toaster oven, and on small loads of frozen food that suit a basket. Against a toaster oven with a fan, the difference is minutes, not halves.
What decides it for you
How much you cook at once. One or two people and crisp food: an air fryer. A family, sheet-pan dinners and toast: a toaster oven — or an air-fry toaster oven that does both. See the toaster ovens page.
Check your own manual before you follow anything here. Temperatures, fill limits and pressure ratings differ from model to model, and the manufacturer’s figures take precedence over anything written on this site. We report what makers publish — an oven’s range in degrees, a cooker’s maximum fill line, whether a part is declared dishwasher-safe — and we never turn those figures into food-safety guidance. Cooking temperatures and holding times for particular foods are set by manufacturers and by your national food safety authority, and this site points you to them rather than restating them.
Prices quoted in this text were read on 2026-10-18. The live price is at the top of the page.
What readers want to know
How much faster is an air fryer than a toaster oven?
A few minutes on small batches of crisp food, and more once preheating is counted: a drawer air fryer warms in 2 to 5 minutes, a toaster oven in about 5 to 10. The gap shrinks with a full load, and disappears with something that does not need moving air, such as a casserole.
Is an air-fry toaster oven as fast as an air fryer?
Close, for one layer of food. It has a fan, but a bigger cavity and usually a gentler airflow, so a basket air fryer still crisps a handful of fries a little faster. The BLACK+DECKER 5-in-1 at $61.99 and the Hamilton Beach at $59.95 both air fry on a flat tray, which holds more in one layer.
Which uses less electricity?
Usually the air fryer, for small loads, because it runs for fewer minutes. Most draw 1,400 to 1,800 W, about the same as a toaster oven; the saving is the shorter preheat and cooking time, not the wattage.
Last reviewed 18 October 2026