Air Fryers Are Now in 71% of American Homes — and Frozen & Refrigerated Brands Are Positioned to Win | New Trend shared by EPRO

Tags: airfryer, airfryeroem, US market, household penetration, frozen food, NFRA

【Industry Update】This article is compiled from the National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association (NFRA), published September 23, 2026. Original link: https://nfraweb.org/news-and-media-center/air-fryers-frozen-and-refrigerated

Air fryers have officially crossed the line from kitchen trend to household infrastructure. According to new research released by the National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association (NFRA) on September 23, 2026, the appliance is now present in nearly three in four American homes — about 71% of U.S. households — permanently reshaping how Americans cook and what they expect from the foods they buy. The data points to a clear, largely unmet commercial opportunity for frozen and refrigerated brands.

Two-thirds of air fryer owners say the frozen and refrigerated products they buy still lack clear air-fryer cooking directions, while more than half report the appliance has led them to purchase more frozen foods. That figure rises to 61% among core users, 67% among Millennials and 63% among Gen Z. Only 33% of shoppers say most products they buy include air-fryer directions, yet on-package instructions are cited by 45% of consumers as a top driver of increased air-fryer use — making front-of-pack air-fryer symbols and clear instructions the highest-return, lowest-barrier move for manufacturers right now.

Social media is the top recipe source for 72% of Gen Z and Millennial air-fryer users, outranking packaging and word of mouth, so YouTube and TikTok recipe content have become decisive for conversion. NFRA also found core users over-index for breakfast (+13 points), lunch (+13) and after-school snacks (+10) — occasions most frozen-air-fryer marketing still ignores. "Brands that make it easy to get a great result in the air fryer are earning loyalty," said Tricia Greyshock, NFRA president and CEO.

For appliance OEM/ODM partners, the 71% penetration confirms the U.S. market has matured into a replacement-and-upgrade economy — multi-function, larger-capacity and connected models are where future B2B demand concentrates. Keep paying attention to EPRO for more latest news about air fryer.