What to Cook in an Air Fryer: 30 Everyday Ideas From Breakfast to Dinner
What can you cook in an air fryer? Far more than chips. Anything that normally roasts, grills or bakes in a small portion will work, from bacon and eggs through chicken, fish and vegetables to cookies and muffins. Wet dishes such as soup and loose batters are the main exceptions.
If you are wondering what to cook in an air fryer this week, this list groups thirty ideas by meal, with the time and temperature from the recipe pages so the numbers agree. Treat them as starting points for a 4–6 litre basket and cook in one layer. If you are new to the machine, the beginner's guide to using an air fryer covers the basics first.
How to choose what to cook
The best candidates are foods that are small, fairly dry and happy to be browned: pieces of meat and fish, potatoes and other vegetables, bread, pastry and small bakes. Frozen food is a particular strength, because the circulating air crisps breadcrumbs and pastry that would turn soft in a microwave. If a food would normally go on a baking tray in a hot oven, it will usually work in the basket, at a lower temperature and for less time.
Think about quantity too. A 4–6 litre basket takes food for two to four people in one layer, and cooking in batches gives a better result than packing it. Foods with similar temperatures can share a basket or follow one another, which makes a whole meal possible without switching on the oven.
Breakfast
Breakfast foods suit the air fryer because they are small, fast and need no pans to wash.
Lunch
- Cheese toastie: 180 °C for 6–8 minutes.
- Cheese on toast: 180 °C for 6 minutes.
- Fish fingers: 200 °C for 8–10 minutes.
- Frozen pizza: 180 °C for 8–10 minutes, packaging removed.
- Halloumi: 200 °C for 8 minutes, turned halfway.
- Omelette: 180 °C for 9–10 minutes for a four-egg one.
Dinner
- Chicken breast: 180 °C for 18 minutes, until 75 °C in the centre.
- Chicken thighs: 190 °C for 24 minutes, bone-in.
- Salmon fillet: 200 °C for 8–10 minutes.
- Pork chops: 190 °C for 12 minutes, cooked to 70 °C.
- Steak: 200 °C for 8 minutes for medium-rare.
- Lasagne: 180 °C for 28–30 minutes.
A whole chicken also fits a large basket and takes 55–60 minutes at 180 °C.
Sides and vegetables
- Roast potatoes: 200 °C for 25–30 minutes once par-boiled.
- Broccoli: 190 °C for 8–10 minutes.
- Brussels sprouts: 190 °C for 12–14 minutes.
- Carrots: 190 °C for 15–18 minutes.
- Sweet potato fries: 200 °C for 15–18 minutes.
Snacks
- Garlic bread: 180 °C for 4–6 minutes.
- Popcorn: 190 °C for 8–10 minutes.
- Chicken nuggets: 200 °C for 8–10 minutes from frozen.
- Roast chestnuts: 200 °C for 20 minutes, scored first.
Sweet things
- Cookies: 160 °C for 8–10 minutes.
- Muffins: 160 °C for 14 minutes.
- Brownies: 160 °C for 22–25 minutes in a 15 cm tin.
Quick comparison
| Meal | Fastest idea | Time | Longest idea | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | Crumpets | 3–4 minutes | Boiled eggs, hard | 15 minutes |
| Lunch | Cheese on toast | 6 minutes | Omelette | 9–10 minutes |
| Dinner | Salmon fillet | 8–10 minutes | Lasagne | 28–30 minutes |
| Sides | Broccoli | 8–10 minutes | Roast potatoes | 25–30 minutes |
| Sweet | Cookies | 8–10 minutes | Brownies | 22–25 minutes |
Planning a whole meal
Start with whatever takes longest and add quicker items later. For example, put roast potatoes in first at 200 °C, and add chicken thighs after about 5 minutes, since thighs need 24 minutes at 190 °C. Broccoli goes in for the last 8–10 minutes. Resting the meat while the vegetables finish keeps everything hot together.
What does not work well
Some things are better left to the hob or the oven:
- Soups, stews and sauces that need to simmer in liquid.
- Loose batters poured straight into the basket, which run through the holes.
- Large joints that do not leave 2 cm of space above the food.
- Leafy greens in loose piles, which blow about in the fan.
The oven to air fryer conversion guide explains how to adapt your own recipes, and the air fryer cooking times chart lists more foods.
Safety reminders
Poultry, minced meat and sausages, as well as anything you reheat, should reach 75 °C in the centre, and pork cuts 70 °C. The Food Standards Agency sets out the rules in its cooking your food guidance. A probe thermometer is the simplest way to check.
Questions and answers
What can you cook in an air fryer for a family?
Sausages, chicken thighs, fish fingers and roast potatoes all work in batches. Cook in a single layer, keep the first batch warm under a clean tea towel and finish the second.
What is the best thing to cook in an air fryer first?
Frozen chips, sausages or bacon. They are forgiving, quick and show what the basket can do.
What can you not cook in an air fryer?
Anything very wet, such as soup, or anything that needs deep liquid, like boiled pasta. Loose batters and very large joints are also better elsewhere.
Can you cook a full dinner in an air fryer?
Yes. Start with the item that takes longest, such as potatoes, then add quicker items, for example chicken thighs and broccoli, towards the end. A two-drawer model makes this easier.
