'A basic, no-frills air fryer' - our expert gives her verdict on the Magic Bullet Air Fryer

Magic Bullet is part of the Nutribullet family and while it’s a brand you might consider for smoothie makers and blenders, it’s not the first name that springs to mind when choosing one of the best air fryers.  This is not surprising - because Magic Bullet only makes this one air fryer. 

The Magic Bullet Air Fryer is inexpensive, compact, has very uncomplicated dial controls, that are so simple they’re verging on old fashioned. But that does make it an interesting model if you're buying an air fryer for someone who struggles with technology and touch screen menus, or gets overwhelmed if there are too many settings.

I’m a huge air fryer advocate, I think they’re great and use mine all the time. But I was keen to see if this smaller, lower power air fryer could cope with the needs (greedy portion sizes) of our two person household. And whether it would crisp foods as quickly as my usual Ninja air fryer, the Ninja AF100UK.

Magic Bullet Air Fryer specs

• Watts: 1300
• Capacity: 2.5 litres
• Temperatures: 80-200C
• Timer: Up to 60 minutes
• Dimensions: 29 x 22 x 30cm

Who reviewed this air fryer?

Helen McCue

After completing a Home Economics degree, Helen went on to work for the Good Housekeeping Institute and has been reviewing home appliances ever since. She lives in a small village in Buckinghamshire in the UK, where she reviews all sorts of home and garden appliances using her wealth of experience. 

Helen reviewed the Magic Bullet air fryer in her own home for a week and used it to cook everyday meals for herself and her husband. She tried a variety of foods to see how well it cooked them in comparison to the larger Ninja air fryer she usually uses. She was allowed to keep the Magic Bullet air fryer after the review.

Unboxing, setting up and first impressions

The Magic Bullet air fryer comes packaged in recyclable cardboard and lifts out of the box fully assembled. There's a perforated crisping tray to slot into the main drawer and the manual advises giving everything a quick wash before using, then you’re good to go.

The temperature sits on the top of the air fryer, and the temperature settings range from 80 - 200C. My big issue with this dial is that it’s tricky to set it accurately. The temperature markings are at 80/ 120/ 160/ 200C and there are lines to indicate the halfway points between each of the numbers. But if you want to get any more accurate than that, it’s a bit of guesswork to get the dial positioned very accurately.

The dial on the front is for the timer. It’s an analogue timer that, once turned, automatically starts the air fryer. It makes a ticking sound which is pretty old school. And the air fryer automatically turns off when the timer runs out - a welcome safety feature. Alternatively you can manually turn the dial to the off position if you want to stop it sooner.

Again, like the temperature dial the lines are at two minute intervals, so you can’t be super accurate with it. I found it easier to set for longer than I needed and then use the timer on my phone when I wanted a very specific time.

Above the timer there are two lights, the green one on the left illuminates when it’s heating up. And the orange one on the right turns on when the unit is running. For reference, on the top of the air fryer, there are guideline time and temperature settings for six foods;  vegetables, fries, chicken wings, frozen chicken wings, fish and poultry. There isn’t an automatic preheat setting, but the manual does advise that you can preheat for three minutes if required.

Overall, my first impressions are that the controls are some of the most straightforward I’ve seen, if a little too basic when it comes to accuracy. The shiny plastic exterior does to some extent give away the fact that it’s not the most premium appliance. But that said, the compact size means you can easily tuck it in a corner and it doesn’t take centre stage. It’s also very lightweight, so you can move it in and out of a cupboard if you don’t want to leave it out.

What’s it like to use?

I used this air fryer to cook a variety of different foods, but I started with the humble baked potato. After 5 minutes in the microwave, I oiled my baked potato and sprinkled it with salt, then popped it into the air fryer without bothering to preheat it. I set the temperature to 190C and the timer to 30 minutes. 

I checked on it and turned it a couple of times, then took it out after 25 minutes. The skin had crisped up just enough, but it’d probably need a further 10 minutes if you want super crunchy skin. I switched it off at the plug and let the timer tick down to a finish. You can manually turn the dial round to zero, but to me it felt like I was turning it the wrong way and was going to break it, so I just let it finish on its own. 

I love air fried veg, and cauliflower is one of those vegetables that gets a serious flavour upgrade when you cook it in an air fryer. I bought a large cauliflower, but when I cut it into florets, I could only fit about half into the drawer.  But this was still plenty for two people, so no complaints here.

I seasoned the cauliflower with salt and pepper and coated it in a small amount of oil. The cooking info on top of the air fryer advises 150C for vegetables. But, I would never normally air fry my vegetables at such a low temperature and I wasn’t about to start now. 

I cooked the cauliflower at 190 for 20 minutes and opened the drawer about every 5 minutes to give it a good shake. The finished cauliflower was lightly charred, cooked but not overly soft, and the crisp roasted bits added loads of flavour.

Having seen a recipe for halloumi fries online I was excited to give it a go. It’s so simple, you cut the halloumi into batons, then coat them in flour, egg, and bizarrely, crushed cornflakes. I added paprika to the crushed cornflakes, but didn’t spritz any oil onto the outside of the batons. 

I cooked the cauliflower at 190 for 20 minutes and opened the drawer about every 5 minutes to give it a good shake. The finished cauliflower was lightly charred, cooked but not overly soft, and the crisp roasted bits added loads of flavour.

Having seen a recipe for halloumi fries online I was excited to give it a go. It’s so simple, you cut the halloumi into batons, then coat them in flour, egg, and bizarrely, crushed cornflakes. I added paprika to the crushed cornflakes, but didn’t spritz any oil onto the outside of the batons. 

Now, it wouldn’t be a proper air fryer review if I didn’t make chips. So I cut potatoes into batons, leaving the skin on, because you know, we all need more fibre, and I’m lazy. I soaked the chips (about 500g)  in water for 30 minutes and while I preheated the air fryer I dried them off and coated in about a tablespoon of oil.

The guide on the top of the air fryer says to cook chips at 190C for 25 minutes, so I used that as a starting point. I gave the chips a couple of good shakes during cooking, but at the end of the 25 minutes, I chose to leave them in for a further 5 minutes to brown and crisp a bit more.  

This amount of chips would cook in around 20 minutes in my usual air fryer, but it has a much bigger capacity so they’re more spread out, which makes a big difference. Nonetheless, the chips were nicely cooked and tasty and the browning was fairly even.

On another occasion I tried to cook three large frozen breaded chicken tenders alongside three frozen quorn nuggets. I set the temperature to 200C and gave the chicken a few minutes before adding the quorn. I couldn’t fit it all in without the pieces overlapping a little. 

I ended up leaving the chicken in for 18 minutes, which for an air fryer is quite a long time, but the crumb took that long to properly crisp. I’m starting to notice that this air fryer is slower to crisp and brown foods than my usual air fryer. And I’m not entirely sure if it’s because it’s a lower wattage or because the smaller capacity means there's less space around the food, either way, it just takes a little longer..

I did also want to air fry some breaded cod fillets, but they were too big to fit in the drawer, despite me buying pieces that were smaller than my usual brand.

It did a good job of cooking sausages and bacon though. It’s a joy to cook these types of meats in an air fryer, there's so much less mess than frying or grilling. I cooked two sausages in 10 minutes at 200C. I could only fit in three bacon slices though, which is barely enough for one sandwich if you’re my husband. The bacon was a little slow to cook, taking 10 minutes at 200C. But, that said, the rind crisped up really nicely without the meat getting dried out or overcooked.

Cleaning

Annoyingly the manual makes no mention of dishwashers, so while it doesn’t explicitly say not to wash the removable parts in a dishwasher, it doesn’t say you can either. And because the cleaning instructions only detail how to wash it by hand, I decided I best stick to the instructions and wash it this way.

But, because of the non-stick coating and the compact size, it’s quick and easy to wash up, so I didn’t mind not being able to put it in the dishwasher. The shiny black exterior of the main air fryer needs an occasional wipe and a buff to remove sticky fingerprints, but all in all, cleaning is pretty simple.

How does it compare?

If you’re looking for a compact air fryer, but you want a bit more in terms of features and capacity, take a look at the Instant Vortex Slim. It manages to offer a 5.7 litre capacity, while maintaining a small footprint. It is a bit pricier at £99.99, but its smart touch control panel offers more accuracy when choosing your settings. Furthermore, it can bake, roast, grill and reheat, in addition to air frying, so it’s a more versatile choice.

Alternatively, the Lakeland Digital Compact Air Fryer is a super space saving design that’s best if you’re cooking for one. At £89.99 it’s pricey for its small size, but the touchscreen control panel makes it easy to be accurate with the time and temperature settings. And if space really is at a premium, this is one of the smallest air fryers you can buy.

Should you buy the Magic Bullet Air Fryer?

If you’re looking for a basic no-frills air fryer that doesn’t take up too much space, it’ll do the job. It’s the perfect air fryer for students or single person households. Whether or not it has the capacity to cook enough food for two people depends entirely on what you’re cooking and how big your portion sizes usually are.

It’s super simple to use, which will be part of the draw for some. But for others it might not offer enough functionality, and the lack of accuracy in the time and temperature settings can be frustrating. It doesn’t always crisp foods as fast as other air fryers I’ve used, but given its size and the budget-friendly price, waiting a few extra minutes for your dinner isn’t the end of the world.