We Tested 27 Turkey Fryers and Found the Best Ones for a Perfect Bird

Our Top Pick

Bayou Classic 1118 32-Quart Turkey Fryer

$110 at Amazon $107 at Walmart $123 at Wayfair

The sound conduction and thoughtful accessories are two reasons why we love this Bayou Classic turkey fryer. The kit contains a pot, basket, rack, lift hook, seasoning injector, skewers, and a thermometer range of 50 to 750°F. This doesn't come with a burner, so assembly is a snap. However, you would have to incur the extra cost of the burner to set this up entirely.

Even without a temperature setting, it took us just under 45 minutes to heat the oil to 350°F, and once we dropped the bird in, it bounced back quickly and hit 350°F again after 22 minutes. But most importantly, the meat was delicious and the skin was very crispy with no residual oil, which is exactly what you're looking for with a deep-fried turkey.

The pot itself is deep, but the walls are thin. This might be an issue if you're pushing the 18-pound limit. Otherwise, we could see someone using this for more than just frying; it'd be the perfect vessel for seafood boils and home brewing.

The Details: 14 x 14 x 18 inches; 32-quart capacity; works with propane

Best Budget

Bayou Classic 30-Quart Aluminum Turkey Fryer Pot

$86 at Amazon $84 at Walmart $104 at Houzz

If you're looking to dip your toe into the wild world of turkey-frying, but aren't sure if you'll use it for years, a budget-friendly pick like this Bayou Classic 30-Quart Aluminum Turkey Fryer Pot is a great choice. For under $100, you get a pot big enough for a 13-pound turkey or any other large-scale frying project. Plus, we loved how easy it was to put together.

One drawback during our tests was we noticed that the ignition shut off several times. We had to relight the ignitor three times due to its internal timer and auto shut-off feature. Once on, this fryer heated consistently and quickly. It did take an average amount of time to come to temperature initially, and again after we dropped the turkey, but the oil temperature was highly accurate.

The Details: 11.6 x 15.4 inches; 30-quart capacity; works with propane

Best Indoor

Masterbuilt Electric Fryer Boiler Steamer

$130 at Amazon $189 at Walmart $129 at Lowe's

Up until recently, it may have seemed like the only way to get that perfectly cooked and deep-fried turkey was with a colossal propane setup outdoors, leaving anyone without outdoor space in the dust. Enter the Masterbuilt XL Electric Fryer. This absolute mammoth of a deep fryer is here to solve all your indoor turkey frying woes. This model fits comfortably on your tabletop but can accommodate up to a 20-pound bird. It is an excellent value if you enjoy entertaining or just love having more than enough turkey.

This has some extra features that sealed the deal for us. The fryer notifies you when the set temperature is reached with a green light—there's a red light when it's heating—making it easy to know when to drop your turkey. We loved the built-in oil filtration system and spigot but, once clean-up came around, we realized that not all the oil came out. We ended up having to detach the bowl, making clean-up more difficult.

Most importantly, when it came time to taste, we were thrilled! This fryer created a crispy skin, with super juicy meat when we cut into it.

The Details: 16.46 x 18.43 x 14.8 inches; 10-liter capacity; works with electric; 1650 watts

Best Outdoor

King Kooker 29-Quart Turkey Frying Cooker Package

$120 at Amazon $130 at Walmart $107 at Wayfair

Look no further than the King Kooker Outdoor Turkey Fryer for a full outdoor turkey-frying experience. It has all you need to fry the perfect turkey, including a lid, rack, and temperature gauge. Not only does it fry a mean turkey, but we loved how versatile this fryer is. Not only can it handle a 20-pound turkey, but it can also handle the large amounts of water necessary for a seafood boil. So it'll come in handy for more than just Thanksgiving. The setup was also super easy, so it's suitable for beginners and culinary professionals alike.

What disappointed us was how much this struggled to maintain temperature. In our tests, it took a while for the fryer to reach the desired temperature, and it dropped almost 60 degrees once we put in the 10-pound bird. Then, it took 20 more minutes to get back to the desired temperature with the turkey inside.

The Details: 13.38 x 13.38 x 27.5 inches; 29-quart capacity; works with propane; 38,000 BTUs

Best Big Bird

Bayou Classic 44-Quart "Big Bird" Kit

$329 at Amazon $319 at Walmart View on Shop.com

This fryer got five stars for size; it impressed us by accommodating the bird in stride with no overflow or spillage. It was also the only fryer we tested that received a 5 out of 5 in our heat-retention tests. It reached the desired 350°F temperature much faster than we expected. It also only dropped about 20 degrees once we added the bird. Shockingly, it only took about 10 minutes to climb back up to 350, something many other fryers struggled with. Once the bird was out, we were very satisfied with the quality of the meat—moist but not oily, with extra crispy skin. Because of this, We absolutely would recommend this fryer to family and friends. Its performance was bolstered by its functionality, heat retention, size, and 'bang for your buck.'

Once you get this fryer up and running, it's a snap to use. But getting to that point is a feat. Setting up this fryer was frustrating due to the complexity of assembling the stand. It took us much longer to set up than the instructions said, and in the end, the stand was still not as secure as they had hoped.

The Details: 16 x 16 x 21 inches; 44-quart capacity; works with propane

Best Small Bird

CreoleFeast Turkey and Fish Fryer Boiler Steamer Set

Orig. $150 $110 at Amazon $198 at Walmart $130 at Overtons.com

When you think of deep frying a turkey, you might conjure a picture of a massive turkey in front of a table of 20 or more. But you can still enjoy a deep-fried turkey for only a few people. This CreoleFeast Turkey Fryer Set is best suited for a 10-12 pound turkey or smaller—perfect for a smaller table. Plus, it comes with an additional 10-quart pan and strainers that can be used for seafood boils and more.

This fryer yielded one of the juiciest results, and it's great for other smaller dishes, like fish and chips. It's perfect for any level of home cook! We also loved this model's safety features; it has a lip on the base, so it can't be easily knocked over. However, we weren't impressed with its heat retention. The temperature dropped significantly when we added the bird, and it never returned to 350°F though it stayed consistent throughout the cook, just under temperature. In under 45 minutes, the turkey reached a safe internal temperature of 165°F, about average for the fryers we tested.

The Details: 18.98 x 16.69 x 13.86 inches; 30-quart capacity; works with propane; 50,000 BTUs

Best Oil-Less

Char-Broil Infrared Oil-Less Turkey Fryer

Orig. $160 $140 at Amazon $150 at Walmart $194 at Macy's

If you're a lover of air-fryers or just interested in a crispy-skinned turkey without the oil, then the Char-Broil "The Big Easy" Oil-Less Turkey Fryer is the fryer for you. Since this fryer is oilless, it can double as an outdoor roaster for things like pork tenderloin or even ribs, making it perfect for summertime outdoor parties. In addition, omitting the oil makes this fryer cheaper in the long run, and saves time by eliminating the oil draining step. The result of oilless frying was a moist turkey with no flavor imparted by the fat.

We loved the large baskets noting that they could accommodate many different sizes of turkeys and other meats, earning it a 4 out of 5 in both our sizing and features metrics. In terms of safety, we were disappointed in how hot the exterior of this setup is. There were several places on the fryer where one could get burned, especially the top of the fryer.

The Details: 16.3 x 20.8 x 23.5 inches; work with propane; 16,000 BTUs