Air fryer craze drives Nestle and other food giants to reshape product strategies

For nearly half a century, Hot Pocket, the classic quick-food brand, has been closely associated with the metal crisping sleeve used to heat its cheese, meat, and vegetable fillings in the microwave. However, the rapid rise of air fryers has changed how many consumers heat this popular snack, prompting Nestlé, the brand's owner, to completely abandon the sleeve.

"Consumers told us: 'You know what, once I've heated a Hot Pocket in the air fryer, I never want to use the microwave again. The air fryer makes it taste much better, and the crust is crispier.'" said Adam Graves, president of Nestlé USA's pizza and snacks division. "The future is air fryers. This is really a generational shift, and you're going to see it."

Air fryers have quickly become a force in the food industry, disrupting consumers' purchasing choices and cooking methods.

According to data and analytics firm Circana, about two-thirds of American households now own at least one air fryer, a significant increase from 2021. Two years ago, the appliance had already become the fourth most-used cooking device after stoves, microwaves, and ovens. Nestlé notes that more people now own air fryers than coffee makers.

The device's enduring popularity has not gone unnoticed by food manufacturers.

Companies such as Nestlé, Conagra Brands, Campbell Soup, and Perdue Farms are developing a wide range of products designed specifically for air fryers or that can be made in them. More products on shelves now feature air fryer cooking instructions on their packaging. Some packaging has even removed microwave or oven instructions in favor of highlighting air fryer directions.

"The future is air fryers. This is really a generational shift, and you're going to see it."

— Adam Graves, President, Nestlé USA Pizza & Snacks Division

Graves said Nestlé first removed the crisping sleeve from its large-size Hot Pocket products in 2022, after the company observed that consumers preferred the crispy crust achieved in air fryers. Recently, the company removed the sleeve from the Hot Pocket breakfast line and plans to eliminate it from the rest of the brand's product lines by the end of the year.

Other products, such as Stouffer's Mac & Cheese bites and DiGiorno's personal pizzas, now suggest on the front of their packaging that consumers cook them in an air fryer.

Although households still use microwaves more frequently, Graves noted that the highest usage of air fryers is among teenagers and college students. Many college students use air fryers in their dorm rooms instead of microwaves.

Graves said younger consumers "will drive the future growth of air fryers and our business."

A wait-and-see attitude

Dutch inventor Fred van de Wiel is credited with beginning development of the modern air fryer in 2005, when he was looking for a healthier way to fry french fries while avoiding drying out the food.

Air fryers did not catch on quickly at first, with household penetration hovering in the single digits for years. During the COVID-19 pandemic, demand surged as consumers cooked more at home.

Mike Kostyo, vice president of consulting firm Menu Matters, has worked with several food manufacturers to develop air fryer products. He said many companies were initially cautious about investing significant time and money into developing related products.

Kostyo noted that the industry worried that air fryer popularity could plummet as consumers returned to more frequent pre-pandemic dining-out habits, or if interest shifted to the next trendy appliance.

Kitchens are full of appliances once hailed as the next "big thing," such as electric pressure cookers and home sous-vide machines, which often end up gathering dust.

Air fryers faced many challenges early on. Food packaging often lacked cooking instructions, leaving consumers to guess cooking times and temperatures, resulting in overcooked or undercooked food. Additionally, many foods were not formulated or packaged in a way suitable for air fryers.

Around the time of the pandemic, Bob Nolan, senior vice president of demand science at Conagra Brands, recalled that a large national retailer selling both food and appliances told him the company sold a lot of air fryers, but consumers bought them and didn't know how to use them.

The retailer pleaded with the maker of Birds Eye vegetables and Banquet frozen meals to develop more products that could be cooked in air fryers.

Soon after, the packaged food company had its culinary team and chefs review its product portfolio to identify the best candidates for air frying. After selecting several products, employees began setting optimal cooking times, writing instructions, and designing packaging graphics to inform and remind consumers.

Since then, Conagra has not only added instructions and graphics to more existing products but has also launched products designed specifically for air fryers, such as Birds Eye Cauliflower Wings, La Choy Orange Chicken, and Ultimate Plant-Based Chick'N Filets.

"I don't think we need to sell people on whether to use an air fryer anymore—those days are long gone," Nolan added, noting he owns two air fryers at home. "The question now is how to ensure products meet consumer expectations for air fryers."

Some food manufacturers admit they are surprised by the rapid growth of air fryers. Nolan acknowledged that Conagra originally expected consumer adoption of the appliance to be "slower, a gradual migration process."

Perdue Farms launched Air Fryer Ready Crispy Wings in October, its first wing product designed specifically for air fryers. Cody Walter, senior marketing manager at the company, said the move was based on the device's "staying power and continued relevance" after the pandemic. The chicken processor observed not only an increase in consumers owning air fryers but also more frequent use among owners.

Catching up

Once food manufacturers became convinced air fryers were here to stay, they began studying how consumers use them—such as frequency, which meals, preferred food types, whether for sides or main dishes—and then developed new products or adjusted existing ones to make them compatible.

Although food companies have been adjusting their product portfolios to fit air fryers over the past few years, Kostyo said the number of related products on the market still does not match the device's penetration.

"Right now it's just the shelves catching up to all the innovation," Kostyo said. "The tailwind for air fryers is strong. This is a living trend."

Air fryers have several favorable characteristics that make them more likely to endure rather than become obsolete.

The appliance offers a healthier way to cook and may continue to benefit from people's growing health consciousness. The device's popularity among younger consumers will also be a tailwind as this group accounts for an increasing share of food spending.

Finally, the void once lacking air fryer-compatible products is rapidly being filled, and consumers now have a growing array of choices—from chicken nuggets and cauliflower bites to fish fillets and tofu—all cookable in the appliance. Conagra's Nolan said the packaged food giant is even exploring air fryer desserts to expand its Dolly brand, named after the famous country singer, which launched in January.

"The place of air fryers in our diet is likely to continue," said Joe Derochowski, vice president and home industry advisor at Circana. "To surge that much in six to nine years is quite impressive. It's really a good idea for food manufacturers to market to it."

Air fryer foods have proven effective at attracting consumers into certain categories. This provides packaged food companies with another incentive to continue innovating and expanding into underdeveloped areas beyond french fries and chicken nuggets.

"The number of consumers who own and use air fryers is still far greater than the number of products designed specifically for them. Right now it's just the shelves catching up to all the innovation."

— Mike Kostyo, Vice President, Menu Matters

Perdue Farms' Walter said half of the consumers buying its Air Fryer Ready Crispy Wings are new to the frozen fully cooked chicken category or the Perdue brand. So far, the product is selling more than 30% faster in traditional grocery retail channels than comparable frozen fully cooked bone-in chicken wings.

Walter said early wing sales have been "very strong," with initial sales more than double what the Maryland chicken company originally expected.

"Early signs indicate we got it right," he added, noting that air fryers "have brought a lot of exciting changes to the grocery channel and to consumers interested in this product. Whether in our category or other food categories, this has clearly become a huge trend."