The Cosori Pro LE L501 air fryer is an Amazon bestseller — I put it to the test to see if it's truly worth it

Of all the textures, I'm a crispy food gal. So when the Cosori Pro LE L501 Air Fryer came up for review, you best believe my hand was raised *high.* This sleek operator claims to cook food with up to 85% less fat than deep frying. Plus, rumor has it, you can slash prep times in half with this amazing air fryer.

If you're an avid Amazon shopper, you might have noticed that some of the best small air fryers are produced by Cosori. Yes, there are bigger, more well-known names out there (ie: Ninja and Instant to name a few). But, this Chinese brand is getting highly-rated reviews left, right, and center.

So, come to Chez Christina as I cook up some savory staples you'd find in your refrigerator and freezer. Think bacon, fries, and chicken wings (#teamflats, always) — essentially everything you'd need for watching sports or having a sleepover and hot snacks with your besties.

Cosori Pro LE L501 air fryer review

TLDR: What I thought of the Cosori Pro LE L501 air fryer

Looks alone, the Cosori Pro LE air fryer is probably my favorite. Its matte gray aesthetic is what MAC's Velvet Teddy is to lipsticks. But with a 5-quart capacity, it can feed one to four people, so it's defo not style over substance. In fact, according to Amazon's Best Seller data, it's currently the #2 most popular air fryer (with the Ninja AF101 taking the top spot).

Whether you've just marinated chicken or got a li'l batter/breadcrumb on your hands, you'll want clean digits to operate the touchscreen control panel to clean it in tip-top condition. It's best to keep a microfiber cloth (available on Amazon) nearby to get rid of any greasy streaks.

However, I'm yet to find an air fryer that evenly browns food as well as an oven, but for speed, power, appearance, and quietness — this one's a winner.

Testing the Cosori Pro LE L501 air fryer

Reviewed by

Reviewed by

Christina Chrysostomou

Christina is our e-commerce editor who specializes in reviewing and testing our small kitchen appliances. She's currently weighing up which of her two air fryer models to give a permanent home to. ATM, it's between the Ninja AF101 and Cosori Lite, but could the Cosori Pro LE L501 widen this appliance love triangle into a square? You'll have to read to find out!

The techy stuff

• Model: CAF-L501-KUS
• Capacity: 5 qts
• Weight: 10 lbs
• Dimensions (in): H14.4 x W10.8 x L12
• Temperature: 170°F–450°F
• Modes: Chicken, chips, frozen, steak, seafood, veggies, bacon 
• Power (watts): 1500 W
• Power supply: 120 V
• Cost to run air fryer (per hour): $0.22
• Cooking modes: Nine one-touch cooking functions on a tempered glass display
• Price: $98.49
• Color(s): Gray

Unboxing the Cosori Pro LE L501 air fryer

Unboxing the Cosori Pro LE L501 air fryer took less time than I'd thought. Aside from a little (read: minimal) styrofoam mold and some plastic wrap (literally everything you can see below), it was a piece to cake to take out.

The removable film on the display panel talked you through setup with clear pictograms and easy-to-understand plain English. This also has a secondary role of keeping your tilted glass screen both scratch and smudge-free. There was even a QR code you could scan to get access to the VeSync App (available on Apple's app Store) and recipes.

Excuse the lighting here, but it just goes to show how clean and shiny the tempered glass display can look if you maintain your Cosori Pro LE L501 air fryer and give it a proper wipe-down after each use. More on cleaning later.

Using the COSORI Pro LE L501 air fryer

Unlike any other air fryer I've tested before, the drawer handle featured a button that must be depressed to push the basket into place. This definitely gave the Cosori Pro LE L501 air fryer that high-end feel. I defo felt that this plastic puck made the whole thing feel more secure. It's the little things right?!

Cooking sweet potato fries

Sweet potato fries are one of my all-time favorite carby sides. Especially served with a li'l barbecue sauce on the side. Though there's a preset for fries, I've learned from past experience that you'll want to keep an eye on timings when you first "get to know" your air fryer.

These pics were taken ten minutes of cooking, and despite the scorched ends, they were still crispy on the outside and fluffy in the middle.

Cooking wedges

Our head of reviews, Millie Fender cooked up some freshly-cut potato wedges when she tested the Cosori Pro LE L501 air fryer. She popped these into the air fryer pan for 20 minutes at 375°F. As you can hopefully see from the pics she provided, the results were golden. BTW, if you're cooking frozen readymade wedges, you'll probs want to use the fry preset (which will cook at the same temperature, but for an additional 10 minutes).

Cooking bacon

NGL, a picture of flabby bacon isn't going to whet your appetite, so I'm not going to show you the before image here. However, having conducted the bacon-cooking test, our head of reviews said that the preset (330°F for eight minutes) felt too low.

The after pic is the result of being cooked at 375°F for eight minutes. I wouldn't turn these down (especially served alongside some pancakes or atop waffles).

Cooking frozen fish sticks

You'll probs have guessed by now that I'm pretty particular about food. So when it comes to frozen fish sticks, I like mine coated in batter *not* breadcrumbs. So, as light as these look, girl did good by setting these at 375°F for eight minutes. Note (again) — not the 12–15 minutes as suggested on the cardboard carton.

Cooking veggies

I know neutrals go down in the fashion and home sectors. But beige in excess is so not a vibe when it comes to eating a healthy balanced diet. So in the spirit of introducing a pop of color into my weekly shop, I opted for some mixed Mediterranean veggies.

Forget "50 shades of greige," these veggies retained their bright but natural traffic-like shades of green, red, and yellow. It's a go from me! Especially if you're not one of those people who CBA to slice and dice veg. Gone are the days of a veggie graveyard in your refrigerator.

Cleaning the Cosori Pro LE L501 air fryer

As with the other Cosori air fryers we've reviewed, the Cosori Pro LE air fryer is easy to clean. The basket and the crisper plate are both dishwasher-safe, which makes it easy to degrease (especially if you've cooked bacon in it). My top tip is to slide the crisper accessory into the place where your plates go.

Is it right for you?

I do have a preference for square baskets versus the cylindrical versions on the market. So this might just trump the Ninja AF101 in my eyes.

Apples to apples, I know two 5-quart air fryers should (in theory) hold the same amount of food. But arranging raw food in the pan is just easier in a boxy basket. IDK how to explain it. It's just like asking someone how they cut their sandwiches. Cut diagonally always taste better. I'll say it until I'm blue in the face, ok!

If you're a little more tech-savvy (and don't mind a smaller air fryer), I'd recommend the Cosori Lite. It's got a similar matt finish (available in white/sage green/blue) and can be synced up to your Wi-Fi for smart cooking.

And, if you're a kitchen loiterer, and won't be able to get past a basic-looking machine — girl, get it. This Cosori air fryer is actually really competitively priced given what's available, and how much you could potentially spend. It's not too big, or small — it's the perfect mid-size air fryer to tackle all sorts of social scenarios.

And, with Black Friday fast approaching, defo look out for deals on this air fryer. If you're a bit of a clean freak, grab some air fryer liners while you're at it. FYI, it has historically appeared in Amazon's Black Friday deals so the chance of it being on APD promotion is strong. Bookmark our Prime Day page to stay updated.

Where to buy the Cosori Pro LE L501 air fryer

As well as using our handy shopping widget above, you can also find the Cosori Pro Le L501 air fryer at the following outlets:

• Shop Cosori Pro LE L501 air fryer on Amazon
• Shop Cosori Pro LE L501  air fryer direct from Cosori (Use HAPPYJULY for 15% off)
• Shop Cosori Pro LE L501 air fryer on Walmart

How we test air fryers

While you might assume that I gorge on fries for a living, it's a li'l more complicated than that. Our air fryer testing methodology ensures that you can make the right buying decision and that you're happy with your purchase for years to come.

We'll track everything from delivery to clean-up (being completely transparent in the process). And don't think that unboxing is pretty as the TikTok/Insta videos you see. If there's too much plastic, or if a box has been dented in transit... we'll show you.

An awkward-shaped box is hard enough to get into a large home, let alone a shoebox-sized apartment. So we'll also share our thoughts on packaging (and we're pretty blunt when it comes to boxes that could've been better designed).

One of the main reasons to buy an air fryer is that it's less fussy (and energy-consuming) than a traditional oven. So we'll assess how suitable the size of the model is for a small apartment kitchen, and if it's powerful enough to cook quickly and safely. Because no one is #teamsalmonella.

To keep things fair when comparing air fryers, we'll tend to cook the same foods each time, sticking to the same air fryer recipes so we can keep the variables consistent. Of course, if you fancy being a bit more experimental (outside of bacon, fries, and fish sticks), do check out our piece on what foods you can cook in an air fryer. This includes boiled eggs (without using water!)

In the case of this COSORI air fryer, we had two people test it for us.

Reviewed the Cosori Pro LE air fryer

Reviewed the Cosori Pro LE air fryer

Millie Fender

Millie is our head of reviews for the Future Homes team. A dedicated foodie, she's tested dozens of the top air fryers on the market, including the Cosori Pro LE air fryer, from her own home. 

"The Cosori Pro LE is her favorite air fryer I've tried from Cosori. It does away with a lot of the overly complicated pre-sets and sticks to the essentials: temperature and time controls, and a reminder to shake your food halfway through cooking. It's easy to use, easy to clean, and a great pick for compact kitchens. Just keep in mind that the glass control panel will need regular cleaning to keep it free of greasy fingerprints" she says.