Air Fryer Conversion: Oven Recipe Times and Temps

To convert an oven recipe to an air fryer, lower the temperature by about 25°F, cut the cooking time by about 20%, and check the food early. That is the starting point university extension services and appliance makers agree on. Your own machine, the size of the batch and the type of food then decide how far to adjust. Below you will find the formula, a chart, worked examples, baking rules, safe doneness temperatures and a way to keep your tested settings.

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TL;DR

• Start with oven temperature minus 25°F and oven time times 0.8. Use a wider range (25–50°F lower, 20–50% shorter) for small or thin foods.

• Preheat, cook in a single layer, and shake or flip halfway. Overcrowding makes food steam instead of crisp.

• Finish by internal temperature, not the timer: 165°F for poultry, 160°F for ground meat, 145°F for fish and whole cuts of meat.

• Wet batters and cake batters need special handling. Breaded foods convert best.

• Write down the settings that worked and credit the original recipe when you share your version.

Table of Contents

• Why an air fryer cooks differently from an oven

• The basic conversion formula

• A quick conversion chart

• Worked examples

• How to convert baking recipes

• Adjusting for food, portion size and your machine

• Check doneness with a thermometer

• Common conversion mistakes

• Our perspective: a conversion is a fork

• Keep your tested settings in one place

• Credit the original when you share your version

• FAQ

• Sources

Why an air fryer cooks differently from an oven

An air fryer is a compact convection oven with a powerful fan. EatingWell explains that the small cooking space and perforated basket circulate hot air faster, which shortens cooking time. The British Heart Foundation describes it in similar terms, as a small, fast fan oven.

Three practical things follow from that.

1. Heat reaches the food faster. Surfaces brown and crisp sooner, so the same temperature as the oven can scorch the outside before the middle is done.

2. The space is small. A 9x13-inch sheet pan of potatoes will not fit in a basket. You will cook in smaller portions or batches.

3. Moisture escapes quickly. That is great for crisp skin and fries, and less kind to lean meat or anything that relied on a long, gentle bake.

One caution before you start. Air fryers generally cook foods at 350–400°F for 5 to 25 minutes, according to USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service. If a package or your manufacturer gives air fryer instructions, follow those first and use conversion math only when there are none.

The basic conversion formula

Sources differ a little, which tells you this is an estimate, not a law.

• The University of Illinois Extension says to reduce temperature 25–30°F and cooking time 20% for most conventional-oven recipes.

• NC State Extension gives a wider band: lower the temperature 25–50°F and the time 20–50%, then calibrate to your appliance.

• EatingWell’s convection-style rule is 25°F lower and 20–25% less time, with a full preheat and close monitoring.

A workable rule that sits inside all of them:

1. Take the oven temperature and subtract 25°F.

2. Multiply the oven time (in minutes) by 0.8.

3. Set the timer for that, but plan to look at the food about three-quarters of the way through.

4. Add a few minutes or 10–15°F if it is pale or underdone. Write down what you changed.

If you cook in Celsius, the equivalent is about 20°C lower and 20–25% less time. Instant Pot Australia’s example turns 180°C for 25 minutes into 160°C for 20 minutes.

A quick conversion chart

These rows apply the 25°F and 0.8 rule. Treat them as your first attempt, not a final answer.

Oven setting	Air fryer starting point	First check
350°F, 20 min	325°F, 16 min	12 min
350°F, 30 min	325°F, 24 min	18 min
375°F, 40 min	350°F, 32 min	24 min
400°F, 20 min	375°F, 16 min	12 min
425°F, 25 min	400°F, 20 min	15 min
450°F, 15 min	425°F, 12 min	9 min

The 350°F, 20 minute row matches the example in Cosori’s official recipe book, which lands on 325°F for 16 minutes.

Some machines top out at 400°F, so a 450°F oven recipe may need to run at the maximum for slightly longer than the chart suggests. Check your model’s manual.

Worked examples

Roasted potato wedges, 425°F for 35 minutes. Drop to 400°F and 28 minutes. Toss the wedges with a light coating of oil, spread them in one layer, and shake at the halfway mark. If your basket holds only half of the recipe, cook two batches and keep the first warm.

Chicken thighs, 400°F for 40 minutes. Start at 375°F for 32 minutes. Skin-on thighs are high in fat and often need no added oil. Pull them when a thermometer in the thickest part reads 165°F, even if the timer says you have minutes left.

Frozen nuggets, package says 400°F for 20 minutes. Frozen food is the exception to the temperature drop. For frozen food, Instant Pot Australia suggests keeping the temperature the same and cutting the time by about 50%. Start at 400°F and look at 10 minutes.

Roasted broccoli, 425°F for 20 minutes. Go to 400°F and begin checking at 10 to 12 minutes. Florets are small and cook fast, so use the wider end of the time reduction.

How to convert baking recipes

The bake-to-air-fryer question is where most conversions go wrong, because a batter is wet and the fan is strong.

The principle is the same. Eater’s guide to baking in an air fryer treats about 25°F lower and 20% less time as the general rule, and it warns against simply making less of a cake recipe. It suggests a first check at 30% of the original baking time on a first attempt, so you can see how fast your machine browns the top.

Practical tips for baking:

• Use a pan that fits with room around it. Air needs to move around the pan. Small cake pans, ramekins and silicone muffin molds work well.

• Shield the top. If the surface browns before the center sets, cover loosely with foil, weighted down so the fan does not lift it.

• Skip loose, wet batters unless the recipe was written for an air fryer. Cake batter needs a container, and thin batter will leak through the basket holes.

• Expect smaller yield. A full 9-inch layer cake will not fit. Halve the recipe by weight rather than eyeballing it, and test the doneness with a toothpick.

For coated foods, Food Network notes that breaded foods work best and wet beer or tempura batter can drip through before it sets. Use the standard flour, egg and breadcrumb sequence instead.

Adjusting for food, portion size and your machine

A formula cannot see your basket. Adjust for these four things.

Portion size. Less food in the basket cooks faster. A half batch of cookies may need the full 20% reduction or more, while a packed basket needs less reduction and more shaking.

Crowding. NC State says overcrowding makes food steam rather than air-fry. Illinois Extension also recommends avoiding it because it prevents even cooking. Cook in batches when in doubt.

Oil. You need much less than in a pan or oven. Mississippi State Extension suggests a light spritz up to 1 tablespoon of oil. Food Network recommends spraying the food rather than the basket, and notes that fatty foods like wings may need none.

Machine design. Basket and oven-style air fryers behave differently, and wattage varies. That is why NC State suggests recording the settings that work, since air fryers can cook at different temperatures and times.

Preheating, shaking and food that falls through

Preheat for 3 to 5 minutes. Illinois Extension typically recommends 3 minutes, and NC State says 3 to 5. Shake or flip at least once halfway. Mississippi State also warns against cutting vegetables so small that they fall through and burn, so keep pieces larger than the basket holes.

Check doneness with a thermometer

Shorter times make guessing riskier. For meat, poultry and fish, USDA FSIS says to verify doneness with a food thermometer:

Food	Safe internal temperature
Poultry	165°F
Ground meat	160°F
Fish and whole cuts of meat	145°F, then rest 3 minutes

The same page says not to overfill the basket, and not to air-fry raw, stuffed breaded chicken breast products. Insert the thermometer in the thickest part, away from bone.

If the food is done outside but not inside, lower the temperature by 25°F and extend the time rather than leaving it at high heat. If it is dry, Instant Pot Australia suggests adding oil, lemon juice or sauce to non-breaded foods.

Smoke

Some smoke is a fat issue, not a malfunction. Illinois Extension says white smoke indicates burning grease or fat, and that adding 1 to 2 teaspoons of water to the drawer can help when cooking high-fat foods. Black smoke points to food stuck on the heating element, so unplug the machine, let it cool and clean it.

Common conversion mistakes

• Using the oven time as written. The most frequent error. Set the timer to 80% and look early.

• Skipping the preheat. The first minutes of cooking then happen at the wrong temperature, and your time estimate drifts.

• Stacking food. Layers trap steam. Use a single layer, or flip and rotate if you must stack.

• Trusting the clock over the thermometer. The converted time is a starting point only.

• Not blocking airflow. Mississippi State advises leaving 5 inches behind the appliance for airflow.

• Not taking notes. You will repeat the recipe, and you will forget what you changed.

Our perspective: a conversion is a fork

A converted recipe is a new version of someone else’s work. You changed the temperature, the time, the batch size, perhaps the oil. Those changes are valuable, and they are exactly the sort of knowledge that gets lost when you scribble them on a printout.

We built RecipeFork around that idea. A cook finds a recipe, adapts it, and shares the adaptation with the original credited and still connected. For air fryer conversions that matters twice over: the next person sees what the original author intended and what you learned from testing it in a basket. Recipes get better through accumulated tweaks, and no one’s authorship disappears along the way.

Our advice for anyone converting recipes is to keep two things in each note: the original settings, and the settings that worked in your machine. You will thank yourself the third time you make it.

— RecipeFork

Keep your tested settings in one place

The best conversion chart is the one built from your own machine. On RecipeFork you can fork an oven recipe, change the temperature and time for your air fryer, add notes on what happened, and keep the source credited. Then collect your adaptations into a personal cookbook you can share with family.

Browse public cookbooks for ideas, look at the recipes from the RecipeFork team, or start on the RecipeFork home page. There are no traditional ads in the way while you cook.

Credit the original when you share your version

Publishing your air fryer adaptation is good for other cooks, as long as you are straightforward about where it came from.

University of Nevada, Reno Extension’s guidance is to credit the source of inspiration, and to remember that recipe images and creative written expression may be protected. Attribution and copyright are separate questions.

David Lebovitz offers a clear rule of thumb. A recognizable modification is labeled “Adapted from” with a link to the original. When you have changed a recipe substantially, “Inspired by” may be more accurate. When unsure, give credit, and write the method in your own words rather than copying someone else’s.

The Family Cookbook Project adds a point for anyone building a family collection: personal notes should include the original source, and photographs from online recipes should not be copied into a shared cookbook without the owner’s permission.

A simple template for a shared air fryer adaptation:

1. Title it plainly, for example “Air Fryer Chicken Thighs.”

2. Add “Adapted from [name and link]” right under the title.

3. List the original settings, then your air fryer settings.

4. Note the machine type and basket size.

5. Record doneness: final internal temperature, color, texture.

6. Say what you would change next time.

News outlets follow the same habit. NYT Cooking’s roundup of air fryer recipes names the creators each dish was adapted from.

FAQ

How do I convert an oven recipe to an air fryer?

Lower the temperature by about 25°F and multiply the cooking time by 0.8. Preheat the air fryer, use a single layer, and check the food before the timer ends. Add a few minutes if needed and note the final settings.

Do I always lower the temperature?

Not always. Fresh food generally cooks well at about 25°F lower, but frozen food is often cooked at the same temperature for roughly half the time. Package directions for air fryer use come before any formula.

Can I bake a cake in an air fryer?

Yes, in a small pan that fits the basket with space around it. Lower the temperature about 25°F, reduce the time about 20%, and check early. Do not just scale a full cake recipe down by guesswork. Halve it by weight and check the center with a toothpick.

Do I need to preheat?

In most cases, yes. Illinois Extension typically recommends preheating for 3 minutes and NC State says 3 to 5 minutes. A hot start makes your converted time more reliable.

How do I know the food is safe to eat?

Use a food thermometer in the thickest part. USDA FSIS lists 165°F for poultry, 160°F for ground meat and 145°F for fish and whole cuts, with a 3-minute rest for whole cuts. The timer is only an estimate.

Sources

• What’s the Difference Between a Convection Oven and an Air Fryer? (EatingWell)

• Are air fryers healthier to cook with? (British Heart Foundation)

• Air Fryers and Food Safety (USDA FSIS)

• Air Fryers (University of Illinois Extension)

• Air Fryers 101 (NC State Extension)

• Air frying 101: How to convert oven cooking times (Instant Pot Australia)

• Cosori recipe book and quick start guide

• Everything You Need to Know About Baking in the Air Fryer (Eater)

• How to Convert Recipes for Air Fryer (Food Network)

• Nutrition and Wellness: All about Air Fryers (Mississippi State Extension)

• All About Recipes Part I (University of Nevada, Reno Extension)

• Recipe Attribution (David Lebovitz)

• Using Recipes Found Online in Your Family Cookbook (The Family Cookbook Project)

• Best Air Fryer Recipes (NYT Cooking)

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