Best CruxGG Air Fryer: Every Model Reviewed and Ranked

Here are our ranked picks, from the best all-rounder to the closest alternatives. CruxGG is a Crux and Ghetto Gastro collaboration, so we also include plain Crux models and two rival brands that fill the gaps.

This chart puts the key specs side by side. Prices are approximate because sale and clearance pricing moves week to week and store to store.

We rate each air fryer on the things a busy family notices first: how crisp the food gets, how much it holds, how loud it is, how easy it is to clean, and how simple the controls are for older kids to use on their own. No brand paid for placement.

For the single-basket models we look at frozen favorites and reheated leftovers, the foods a family kitchen reaches for most. For the dual-zone models, the question is whether protein and a side can finish together at different temperatures.

Our ratings are out of five and are ours alone. We give the most weight to cooking results and cleanup, then capacity, then noise and controls. Price breaks ties, not rankings.

The 6QT has a light gray matte finish and a touchscreen that disappears when the fryer is off, keeping the counter looking tidy. It offers five presets (air fry, bake, broil, reheat and roast), a shake reminder and a viewing window. The basket holds up to 5 lbs of food, though the measured space is closer to 5 qt.

Reheated pizza surprised us: the cheese melted and the crust turned crisp without any preheating, making it a quick after-school snack machine. Frozen fries and nuggets crisp the same way.

Baking is the weak spot, since a cake came out severely domed, lopsided and nearly burnt on top, so use this fryer for crisping and reheating rather than dessert. The fan makes a whooshing sound rather than a shrill whine, but it is not quiet.

The paperwork could be better too, because the manual says nothing about tossing food or maximum batch size and the recipe booklet has only four recipes with confusing temperatures.

Pros and Cons

Who It's For

Choose this one if you cook mostly frozen foods, leftovers and simple weeknight proteins for three to five people. It is best for families who want a fryer that is easy to clean and easy to run.

What We'd Change

We would add clear batch-size guidance to the manual and a more useful recipe booklet. We would also fix the baking performance, since a fryer this capable should handle a simple cake.

The 9qt covers six modes, from air fry and roast to dehydrate, and its 1700W rating suits a unit this big. There is no dedicated preheat function, though, so egg rolls needed about 10 extra minutes to crisp, which is worth knowing on a busy night.

Pros and Cons

Who It's For

This is best for big families that regularly cook a protein and a side at the same time. If you usually cook for two, the size and cost are more than you need.

The honest limit is size, because at 3 quarts it is too small for big batches and families of four or more will end up cooking in rounds. It holds up for about 2 years of regular use, which is respectable for the price, and the damp-cloth wipe-down keeps daily upkeep to a minute or so.

Pros and Cons

Who It's For

It is best for singles, couples and students who want a simple fryer for fries, wings and reheated leftovers.

Stepping up from the compact Marshmello, this Crux model, not a CruxGG, has a 5 lbs capacity that feeds five to seven people, and it fit about five breaded chicken breasts while running quietly. Cleanup was easy with the dishwasher-safe PFOA-free nonstick pan and crisping tray, and the controls are half touchscreen and half dial.

It has quirks, though. Seating the basket was fiddly for us, and the power-on touch spot under the knob is easy to miss until you read the manual. The time and temperature knob button can pop out and stop working after about seven months, and that durability worry keeps it at fourth place.

If the CruxGG 6QT is sold out or priced too high, the Instant Pot Vortex Plus is the closest match. It offers 1700W, a 6 quart capacity, six functions (air fry, bake, roast, broil, dehydrate and reheat), a 95 to 400F range, EvenCrisp technology, a nonstick basket and a touchscreen. It has more power and a wider temperature range than the CruxGG 6QT, which tops out at 400F with five presets. We list it from its specifications rather than from a cooking test, so treat it as a like-for-like alternative on paper.

The Chefman gives you 6 quart in total as two 3Qt baskets, with Sync Finish and a 200 to 450F range. It cooked protein and vegetables at once, and Sync Finish brought both to the finish together—useful when dinner needs to reach the table at the same time. It was also surprisingly quiet in our kitchen. The grill plates have small corner stoppers that annoyed us every time we lifted them out, which is the one daily irritation, but the baskets are dishwasher-safe nonstick and there are viewing windows on both. For a dual-zone fryer at a lower price than the CruxGG 9qt, it is a very good deal.

CruxGG is a Crux and Ghetto Gastro sub-line sold mainly at Target and Walmart. Plain Crux, including the x Marshmello model, is the parent brand and is sold on Amazon. The CruxGG 6QT has been sold as a Target exclusive, though that may have changed, and the 9qt and 10qt also appear at Walmart.

In practice, the differences are design and retailer. CruxGG models lean toward a matte finish and touchscreens, while plain Crux models mix dials and screens. The CruxGG site also names 4 QT, 6-Quart and 9-in-1 6 Qt ceramic models, but gives no specs or prices, so we cannot recommend those yet.

Picking a fryer is mostly about matching size and habits to your household. These are the four things we weigh first.

Capacity: 4QT vs 6QT

Capacity decides how often you cook in rounds. A 3 quart basket suits one or two people. A 6QT-class fryer suits three to five. Keep in mind that the CruxGG 6QT measures about 5 qt in real use, so treat the label as a ceiling rather than a promise.

If you have a teen who eats like three adults, go bigger. The 9qt gives you room without cooking in batches.

Cooking Functions That Matter

Presets matter less than you think. The functions we use most are air fry, reheat and broil. Reheating pizza and browning proteins are what the CruxGG 6QT does best, and baking is the one function we would not rely on.

A fryer that crisps frozen food and cleans up fast will earn its counter space, long before a long list of presets does.

A dedicated preheat function is nice but not essential. The CruxGG 9qt has none, and that costs extra minutes on some foods.

Nonstick vs Ceramic Coating and PFAS

Most fryers in this roundup use nonstick baskets. The Marshmello and the Crux 6 Qt state that their coatings are PFOA-free. PFOA-free is a narrower claim than PFAS-free, so check the maker's wording if that matters to your family. For background, see the EPA overview of PFAS health and environmental risks and the CDC ATSDR summary of PFAS health effects.

We could not verify specs for the CruxGG ceramic model, so we do not rank it.

Cleaning and Maintenance

Cleanup is where a fryer wins or loses a place in a busy kitchen. The CruxGG 6QT, the Marshmello and the Crux 6 Qt all have dishwasher-safe baskets and crisping trays. The 3QT also wipes clean with a damp cloth. For the nonstick coating, we hand wash when we can and use soft sponges.

Our top pick is covered above, so here is what we would skip. Skip the 9qt TriZone if you cook for two, because the size and the launch price are more than you will use. Skip the 6QT if you bake often, since the cake we baked came out domed, lopsided and nearly burnt on top. Skip the 3-quart Marshmello if your household is four or more, because you will spend every dinner cooking in rounds.