Beautiful by Drew Barrymore air fryer review: the best budget pick of 2026

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• Top budget pick: The Beautiful by Drew Barrymore air fryer cooks fast and looks cool for under $70.
• Honest performance: Excels at veggies and wings, but frozen fries can turn out slightly dry.
• Tested & verified: Beat out 60+ models to win best budget air fryer in our best air fryers guide.

I'm wary of any kitchen appliance a celebrity is hawking, especially when it's tied to the air fryer trend. Yet, I was pleasantly surprised to find the Beautiful 6-quart Touchscreen Air Fryer by Drew Barrymore not only lived up to its name, but it's also one of the best air fryers I've tested, sporting an affordable $70 price tag.

Editor's Note

After testing over 60 air fryers — including our latest round of testing in May 2026 — the Beautiful 6-quart air fryer by Drew Barrymore continues to hold the title of best budget pick in our comprehensive guide to the best air fryers. It held its top spot because it successfully bridges a massive gap in the market: delivering fast, even cooking at a sub-$100 price point, without sacrificing countertop aesthetics.

The Business Insider Reviews team has put over 60 units through several objective tests. The Beautiful Air Fryer earned a spot in our best air fryers guide because it cooks evenly and quickly, is easy to clean and use, and is available in seven color options, so you're sure to find a hue that matches your kitchen decor. Below are the details of my Beautiful Air Fryer testing.

Getting started

The Beautiful Air Fryer is ridiculously easy to set up: just remove the packaging and plug it in. I didn't need any instructions to get going. It might be unclear when you first look at the air fryer because you can't see the buttons. Yet, when you plug it in, the power button lights up and pulses.

Once you press the power button, you can choose from four cooking modes: air fry, roast, reheat, and dehydrate. After you select, the time and temperature adjustment buttons illuminate, and the start/pause button pulses to show you how to start your cook. Easy peasy.

Cooking performance

Frozen fries

In every air fryer we test, we cook a pound of Ore-Ida french fries at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. After eight minutes, we check to see if the fries are done, and we continue to add more time until the fryer achieves golden-brown fries. Few air fryers are done in eight minutes, and the Beautiful air fryer was no different. It ranked average with 13 minutes cook time. The fries were evenly cooked and crispy, though a little dry.

Hand-cut fries

We also make fries from scratch in each air fryer. After 15 minutes at 350 degrees, we check the fries and give them more time if they're not crisp yet. This is a difficult test for most air fryers, and while the Beautiful wasn't perfect, it was among the best. The fries were ready in 15 minutes and about as evenly done as an air fryer gets. The texture and flavor were on point: crisp and not dried out.

Broccoli

We put a pound of broccoli florets in the air fryer basket, spray them with olive oil, and cook them at 375 degrees until the broccoli is tender. After eight minutes, we check for doneness and add more time if needed. 

The Beautiful Air Fryer made excellent broccoli in just 10 minutes, while most models take at least 12. Before the stems can get tender enough, air fryers usually burn the florets. This was not the case with the Beautiful. Instead, the broccoli was pretty even, with tender stems and lightly crispy florets, and it wasn't too dry.

Chicken wings

We've found that air fryer chicken wings are always great. We test this by cooking a pound of wings at 400 degrees for 16 minutes, turning them over halfway through. When time is up, we evaluate how evenly cooked, crispy, and juicy the wings are.

The Beautiful Air Fryer passed with flying colors. The wings were up to temp after 16 minutes. While I could see some were more done than others, they were pretty evenly cooked. They were incredibly juicy and mildly crispy, though not as crispy as I prefer. 

Cleaning

The crisper plate and basket of the Beautiful Air Fryer are dishwasher-safe, and I found the dishwasher gets them clean. However, with the handle jutting out, the basket takes up a lot of space in the dishwasher. I prefer to wash everything by hand because it's easy to clean, thanks to the nonstick surfaces. Plus, washing nonstick items by hand will extend the lifespan of the nonstick coating.

Read about how to clean an air fryer. Or, consider buying the best silicone air fryer liners to skip cleanup altogether.

Cons to consider

Seeing the Beautiful Air Fryer's screen in a brightly lit room is hard. The light-up screen isn't bright enough to overcome sunlight. I tested the white model, and there just wasn't enough contrast between the touchscreen and the air fryer's body; I had to get really close to see the buttons and settings.

I'll revisit two nitpicks I've already mentioned. First, the frozen fries came out a little dry, not the restaurant quality I look for, but they were still evenly cooked and yummy. Also, the air fryer basket takes up a lot of space in the dishwasher. Fortunately, it's easy to wash by hand.

What are your alternatives?

While the Beautiful 6-quart air fryer is our top budget pick for its unique design and performance, it might not fit everyone's aesthetic or interface preferences. If you're looking for a standard 6-quart basket-style air fryer, here's how the Beautiful compares to its two closest rivals.

The feature-packed rival: If you have a bit more room in your budget and want maximum cooking versatility, the Cosori TurboBlaze 6-quart air fryer is a stellar choice. While it trades the pastel aesthetic for a utilitarian dark gray finish, it was crowned best overall in our guide to the best air fryers. Features include a 5-speed fan system for faster cooking and nine different preset functions, making it a true kitchen workhorse.

The performance rival: If you are willing to spend almost twice as much for a sleek footprint and slightly better crisping performance, the Instant Vortex 6-quart air fryer is a fantastic alternative. It features a similar modern touchscreen interface but trades the pastel finish for a minimalist black exterior.

The Beautiful by Drew Barrymore product ecosystem

If you want the Instagrammable Smeg look for a fraction of the price, we recommend checking out the rest of the Beautiful by Drew Barrymore appliance collection at Walmart. The brand excels at bridging the gap between budget appliances and premium aesthetics by utilizing soft matte finishes, gold accents, and hidden touch-activated displays across its entire line, which also includes furniture and bedding.

The bottom line

Beautiful is one of the few air fryers available in nonstandard colors, like cornflower blue, lavender, or sage green. Of the sub-$70 models I've tested, it's far and away the best. Its roomy six-quart interior makes it great for most tasks. This is the air fryer to get if you want to try air frying without breaking the bank or if you want an appliance that complements your kitchen's interior. 

Pros: Intuitive controls, cooked food evenly and quickly, seven color options, crisper plate and basket are dishwasher-safe

Cons: Basket takes up a lot of dishwasher space, fries came out dry

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