PlateCooking tips9 min read
How to convert oven recipes to the air fryer, step by step
Convert an oven recipe to the air fryer: about 25°F (15°C) lower, about 20% less time, one layer in the basket, then check doneness with a thermometer.
To convert an oven recipe to an air fryer, lower the temperature by about 25°F (15°C) and cut the cooking time by about 20 percent. Cook in a single layer, shake or turn the food halfway, and start checking early. For meat, poultry and eggs, a food thermometer decides when it's done, not the timer.
We make Plate, a recipe keeper for iPhone, and many recipes people save from TikTok, Instagram and YouTube are air fryer recipes. This guide covers a conversion chart, the foods that don't convert, batch size, packaged food and the reverse direction.
How do you convert an oven recipe to an air fryer?
Start from the oven recipe's conventional temperature and time, then apply a widely used rule of thumb: about 25°F (15°C) lower and about 20 percent less time. It isn't an official rule, but it matches how the appliance works. The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), in Air Fryers and Food Safety, calls air fryers "essentially countertop convection ovens" that cook food faster than ovens, and says most foods need 5 to 25 minutes at 350°F to 400°F. So an oven recipe at 400°F for 30 minutes becomes 375°F for about 24 minutes. Arrange the food in one layer with space around each piece, because the hot air has to reach every surface. Shake the basket or turn the food at the halfway point. Check a few minutes before the converted time, since every air fryer runs a little differently. Then confirm doneness with a food thermometer, especially for meat, poultry, fish and eggs.
Here's the whole method in order:
- Note the oven temperature and time. For a fan temperature, see the note below the chart.
- Subtract about 25°F, or 15°C.
- Multiply the time by 0.8.
- Spread the food in a single layer, with gaps.
- Shake or turn it halfway through.
- Check early, with a thermometer for meat, poultry, fish and eggs.
Air fryer conversion chart: oven temperature and time
Temperature and time convert separately, so the chart comes in two parts. Round to the nearest setting your air fryer offers. First, temperature:
| Oven recipe says | Air fryer starting point |
|---|---|
| 325°F (160°C) | 300°F (145°C) |
| 350°F (180°C) | 325°F (165°C) |
| 375°F (190°C) | 350°F (175°C) |
| 400°F (200°C) | 375°F (185°C) |
| 425°F (220°C) | 400°F (205°C) |
| 450°F (230°C) | 425°F (215°C) |
Then time, at about 20 percent less:
| Oven time | Air fryer time, check from |
|---|---|
| 10 minutes | 8 minutes |
| 15 minutes | 12 minutes |
| 20 minutes | 16 minutes |
| 30 minutes | 24 minutes |
| 45 minutes | 36 minutes |
So 350°F in an oven recipe becomes about 325°F in the air fryer. Anything that needs much more than 45 minutes in the oven is usually a large or deep dish, and it may not suit the basket at all.
What about 180°C fan? The chart assumes a conventional oven. Fan temperatures are already set lower for circulating air, which is how an air fryer cooks too. 180°C fan is roughly 200°C conventional, and the 15°C rule brings that to about 185°C, close to the fan figure itself. So keep the fan temperature and cut the time by about 20 percent. Our oven temperature conversion guide covers fan, conventional and gas mark.
Which foods convert well, and which don't?
Small pieces that roast or crisp in the oven convert best. The FSIS lists chicken nuggets, meatballs, pork chops and chicken wings among the foods air fryers handle, and says they can bake, roast and reheat food "without the food becoming soggy." Loose wet batters, big roasts and crowded baskets convert poorly.
| Food | How it converts | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Wings, meatballs, chops, nuggets | Well | Small pieces with space around them crisp evenly |
| Cut vegetables | Well | Nebraska Extension air fries green beans at 375°F for 10 minutes, shaking at 5 |
| Cookies, muffins, small bakes | With the right pan | Dishes and muffin tins work if they fit the basket |
| Loose, wet batters | Poorly | The batter can drip through the basket before it sets |
| Large roasts and whole birds | Poorly | They may not fit, and an oven holds more food |
| Raw, stuffed, breaded chicken breast products | Don't | The FSIS says not to cook them in an air fryer |
Baking needs the most adjustment. Nebraska Extension's Food Safety Tips for Electric Air Fryers says glass baking dishes and muffin tins that fit the basket can be used, and cookies can be baked on parchment paper. Depending on the air fryer's size, that's usually 3 or 4 cookies at a time.
How do batch size and basket space change the time?
A fuller basket cooks slower and less evenly. The FSIS says overcrowding "can prevent enough air circulation to properly cook the food" and suggests cooking a large amount in batches. Nebraska Extension adds that an overfilled fryer won't cook evenly or reach the proper temperature, and that overfilling interferes with browning.
The converted time is per batch, not for the whole recipe. If a doubled recipe needs two batches, each takes about the same time. A half-full basket may finish sooner, and so can a second batch, because the appliance is already hot. When a family-size oven recipe won't fit, cook fewer servings instead of piling the food up.
In Plate, Cook Mode opens with a servings card above the ingredient checklist. Tap minus and every amount recalculates, so a recipe for six can become one basket for two. Our guide to scaling a recipe up or down covers what a multiplier can't fix.
How do you convert packaged food instructions?
Look for air fryer directions on the package first and follow them. The FSIS says that "when available, consumers should follow manufacturer's instructions on food packages to ensure food is safely cooked." If the box only gives oven directions, apply the rule, cook in one layer and check early.
A few cases need care:
- Air fryer directions on the box. Use them. They were written for that product.
- Oven directions only. Go about 25°F (15°C) lower with about 20 percent less time, and turn the food halfway.
- Raw or precooked meat. The FSIS says to follow the manufacturer's instructions either way. The safe internal temperature is the same.
- Raw, stuffed, breaded chicken breast products. Don't air fry them. The FSIS says to follow the manufacturer's cooking instructions instead.
How do you know air-fried food is cooked safely?
With a food thermometer. Nebraska Extension says "using a food thermometer is the only way to ensure safety of meat, poultry, and egg products when air frying." Put the probe in the thickest part of the food, without touching bone, fat or gristle. A converted time is only an estimate.
The FSIS explains why: "Each air fryer will have varying cooking times due to the size and power of the appliance, but the safe internal temperature is always the same." Color can't tell you the temperature in the middle, either. The USDA's Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart puts all poultry at 165°F (74°C), and our meat temperature chart has the rest.
Don't leave cooked food sitting in the basket. The FSIS says leftovers should be refrigerated within 2 hours, otherwise they can enter the Danger Zone: 40°F to 140°F, where foodborne illness bacteria multiply. Reheating leftovers in the air fryer works well, and our guide to how long leftovers last in the fridge covers when to keep them.
The timer still has a job: it tells you when to start checking. In Plate's Cook Mode, timed steps get a step timer, and a Live Activity keeps the countdown on your Lock Screen while you deal with the basket. Our guide to keeping your phone screen on while cooking covers the rest of that setup.
How do you convert an air fryer recipe back to the oven?
Run the rule backwards. Raise the temperature by about 25°F (15°C) and allow about 25 percent more time, because undoing a 20 percent cut means dividing by 0.8. A 16-minute air fryer recipe becomes about 20 minutes in the oven. If you use the oven's fan setting, which also circulates hot air, keep the air fryer temperature and adjust only the time.
Spread the food on a sheet pan in a single layer, preheat the oven fully and turn the food halfway. Use the same thermometer check at the end.
This direction comes up often, because so many recipes saved from social video are air fryer recipes. Plate imports them by link or through the share sheet and builds a written recipe with ingredients and steps. It doesn't convert between oven and air fryer settings, so apply the rule yourself when you'd rather use the oven. Our video to recipe guide explains what to check in a recipe copied from a video. More guides are in the Plate category.
FAQ
Can you use oven recipes in an air fryer?
Yes, for most small pieces. The USDA describes air fryers as essentially countertop convection ovens. Start about 25°F (15°C) lower with about 20 percent less time, cook in a single layer and check early. Skip loose wet batters, large roasts and raw, stuffed, breaded chicken breast products.
What is 350°F in an air fryer?
About 325°F, using the common starting rule of 25°F lower. Cut the oven time by about 20 percent as well, so 30 minutes becomes about 24. Start checking a few minutes before that, and confirm meat and poultry with a food thermometer.
What is 180°C fan in an air fryer?
About 180°C. A fan temperature is already lowered for circulating air, and 180°C fan is roughly 200°C conventional, which the 15°C rule brings to about 185°C. Keep the temperature, cut the time by about 20 percent and start checking early.
How do you know when air fryer chicken is done?
Use a food thermometer in the thickest part, away from bone, fat and gristle. The USDA puts all poultry at 165°F (74°C). The timer can't confirm it: the FSIS says cooking times vary with each air fryer's size and power, but the safe temperature doesn't.
Get started
Pick one oven recipe you make every week, run it through the chart once, and note on paper what your air fryer actually needed. If your saved recipes live in videos and screenshots, Plate is free to start on the App Store, and the Plate page shows what else it can do.
