Best Electric & Propane Outdoor Deep Fryers for Ultimate Outdoor Cooking
Updated: Mar. 23, 2024
Outdoor deep frying is a fun way to cook, but with so many fryers available, choosing can be confusing. Here are six of the best for you to consider.
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Deep fryers are cooking appliances designed for submerging and frying food in boiling oil. They use electricity or propane to heat the oil and come in many shapes and sizes. All are fine for outdoor cooking; never use a propane deep fryer indoors. These are the six best outdoor deep fryers on the market, and the features that set them apart. If you’re shopping online, look for listed product dimensions and grab a tape measure to help visualize the size of different models. Some fryers are larger than they look.
6 Best Outdoor Deep Fryers
- Best Overall: Bayou Classic Four-Gallon Fryer
- Best Value: King Kooker Outdoor Cooker
- Best for Beginners: Bayou Classic Fish Cooker
- Best for Large Groups: Bayou Classic Three-Basket Deep Fryer
- Best Turkey Fryer: Enterprises Turkey Deep Fryer
Best Overall Outdoor Deep Fryer
Bayou Classic 4-Gallon Fryer
Maximum frying efficiency when cooking for small or medium-sized groups is what sets this Bayou Classic fryer apart. Its V-shaped bottom means only the hottest oil contacts the food frying in the dual baskets, making cooking faster and more energy efficient. The entire fryer is made of stainless steel, which means this unit is built to last, too.
Pros
- High quality
- Easy to clean
- Maintains temperature well
Cons
- On the pricier side
- Can be loud
Best Value Outdoor Deep Fryer
King Kooker 24-in. Outdoor Cooker
At just over $100, this King Kooker outdoor fryer is one of the most economical models around. It features two aluminum cooking baskets, impressive cooking capacity, a powerful burner and a two-foot-tall, four-legged stand for convenient use. There are cheaper fryers available, but quality often drops with price. Not in this case.
Pros
- Affordable
- Two cooking baskets
Cons
- Pan is flimsy
Best Outdoor Deep Fryer for Beginners
Bayou Classic Fish Cooker Set
If you value simplicity, the single-pot Bayou Classic Fish Cooker is the one for you. It features a tripod stand, a 10-quart aluminum deep fry pan and cooking basket, a single 32,000 BTU/hour burner and a 12-3/4-in. cooking surface. There’s nothing confusing about this unit, making it the perfect option for beginners. It also comes with a handy stainless steel probe thermometer for monitoring oil temperature.
Pros
- Ease of use
- Easily portable
- High quality
Cons
- On the smaller side
Best Outdoor Deep Fryer for Large Groups
Bayou Classic Three-Basket Deep Fryer
If you require a huge deep frying capacity to feed large groups, the Bayou Classic Three-Basket Deep Fryer is what you need. Sold as a commercial unit, its three cooking baskets are each 13-in. x 5-3/4-in. x 5-1/2-in., and it can hold up to nine gallons of cooking oil. Its stainless steel construction ensures maximum longevity, and its 43-in. height makes cooking in bulk as convenient as possible.
Pros
- Large capacity
- Stainless steel material
Cons
- Uses a lot of oil
Best Outdoor Deep Fryer for Turkey
Bayou Enterprises Oversized Turkey Deep Fryer
If you’re interested in deep frying food items larger than fish fillets and French fries, check out the Enterprises Turkey Deep Fryer. Designed to handle a whole turkey, the deep, 44-quart pot and round cooking basket can also accommodate roasts, steaks and enormous batches of fries, chicken, fish or anything else you want deep-fried.
Pros
- Fits up to 25 pounds of turkey
- Stainless steel material
- Easy to assemble and use
Cons
- Pricey
- Pot wobbles on the burner
