Can You Bake In An Air Fryer?

Yes, you can bake in an air fryer! It’s quick, easy, and the finished product is always delicious.

While you have to be a bit selective about the types of things you bake in an air fryer, it’s not difficult or complicated to get really great results.

Quick Links – How To Bake In An Air Fryer

• What Can You Bake In An Air Fryer?
• Air Fryer Baking Tips
• Cake In An Air Fryer
• Cookies In An Air Fryer
• Brownies In An Air Fryer
• Cinnamon Rolls In An Air Fryer
• Bread In An Air Fryer
• Scones In An Air Fryer
• Muffins In An Air Fryer
• Cupcakes In An Air Fryer
• Pastries In An Air Fryer
• Donuts In An Air Fryer
• Biscuits In An Air Fryer
• Baking Times Chart

You might be a bit limited by the size or volume of the things you can bake, but baking in and of itself is not a problem. The only real adjustment is the baking time. It will be about 20 to 25% shorter in an air fryer than in an oven.

Also, baked goods made from scratch can often cook at a slightly higher cooking temp (and therefore less cooking time). But this depends on what you are baking in your air fryer.

If you’re wondering shat can be baked in an air fryer, the good news is, plenty! Some foods will bake better in an air fryer than others. If you want a nice, soft outside to whatever you are baking, then an oven may be better. But if you want a slightly crisp or caramelized outside, then the air fryer is definitely the way to go. This is a general rule of thumb, however. There are always exceptions. Here are some ideas to get your creative juices flowing:

• Cookies
• Scones
• Muffins and mini muffins
• Pastries (sweet or savory)
• Cakes
• Cupcakes
• Donuts
• Brownies
• Blondies

• Smaller items like cookies or mini muffins will cook better in an air fryer than larger items like a cake (although, with the right pan, you can bake a cake in an air fryer too!)
• If you are baking something pre-packaged from the store, you will want to lower the temperature from what the package requires. Air fryers are a bit more intense due to the smaller cooking area and high pressure air. So you’ll want to lower the temperature by about 25 degrees F, and cut the cooking time by approximately 20%.
• If you are baking from scratch, you can follow regular baking temperatures.

Should you want to bake something like cake or cookies or muffins in your air fryer, you’ll need the accessories in order to do that.

Accessories are things like cake pans, muffin cups and parchment paper with holes in it that fit into your air fryer. Air fryers are great for baking small batches of things. Don’t want a huge batch of cookies hanging around the house? Cut the recipe in half and bake them in your air fryer! Don’t need a full sheet of cake staring back at you from the fridge all week? Make a small, single serving cake in your air fryer. (I have these recipes coming, so stay tuned!)

This is our favorite air fryer accessory set.

17 Pcs Air Fryer Accessories with Recipe Cookbook for Growise Phillips Cozyna Fits All 3.2QT – 5.8QT Air Fryer, 7in Deep Fryer Accessories

We give you recommendations for more great air fryer accessory sets here.

But when you are considering which set to purchase, consider also what you actually want to accomplish with air fryer baking. While some things truly are better off baked in a regular oven, small things and small batches typically do well. And if you have a toaster oven air fryer, all the better because they have a bake function. But a regular air fryer will work too.

BAKING IN AN AIR FRYER

Whether you make a cake from scratch, or use a box mix, baking a cake in the air fryer is always the same. Cooking times may vary, but you don’t have to change anything just because it’s from scratch, or from a box.

What you do need to watch for is cake pan size. It has to fit in your air fryer! And if you have a toaster oven air fryer, you don’t want the cake pan sitting at an angle on the ledges of the tray just to squeeze it in there because your cake won’t be level.

Every accessory kit for air fryers has the measurements of their pans on them. Particularly on amazon. So simply measure the inside limits of your tray or basket, and purchase a pan that works within that size.

While some cakes will vary, most cakes will bake in an air fryer between 325F. and 375F. for about 15-20 minutes. The lighter the cake, the lower the temperature needs to be. These are average cooking times for a 7 inch pan. The thickness of your cake pan will also affect baking times. The thicker it is, the longer it will need to bake.

You will want to:

• Grease and flour your cake pan
• Put fitted parchment in the bottom of the cake pan over the flour

Baking cookies in an air fryer is very similar to baking cookies in an oven. But there are a few tips to help things go more smoothly.

• Line your air fryer basket or shelf with parchment paper.
• Use a 2 tbsp. dough scoop. This makes a perfect size cookie for most air fryers.
• Leave about 1 inch space between your cookies.
• Bake at 350F for 5 minutes for most cookies

A major benefit of of making any dessert in an air fryer is that you don’t end up with a ton of leftovers laying around. You get a portion that’s perfect for 1-4 people (depending on what you’re making), so you can enjoy your dessert and not have any left over to temp you.

Air fryer brownies definitely have this benefit. If you’re like us and you can’t keep your hands off of a good brownie, you’ll appreciate that as much as we do.

Brownies baked in an air fryer need to be baked in the same cake pan as an air fryer cake. A 7 inch pan will fit in most air fryers. Brownies typically get baked between 330F. and 350F. for about 15-20 minutes. It’s a smart idea to put some parchment on the bottom of the pan.

You have two options with air fryer cinnamon rolls. You can make them from scratch, or buy a dough roll such as Pillsbury cinnamon rolls. Cinnamon rolls, no matter what type you make, get baked at 350F., directly on your air fryer tray or in the basket. It’s usually a good idea to spray it with oil spray first. Here’s a list of the best air fryer oil sprays.

How long do you cook from scratch cinnamon rolls in the air fryer? About 15 minutes.

How long do you cook Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls in the Air Fryer? About 8-12 minutes.

Baking times for air fryer bread are pretty consistent, regardless of the bread you are baking. What changes things is the air fryer you have. Always keep a close eye on things the first time you bake something, and take note of what works for your particular air fryer.

Also be aware that air fryer bread recipes tend to be very specific. So it’s best not to make alterations aside from, perhaps, something like flavoring or spices.

Temperatures for baking air fryer bread are about 330F. to 380F. Cooking time is about 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 200F.

Here’s a youtube video to help give you a better idea of how this is done.

Here are some tips for cooking great air fryer scones:

• Cooking temps range from 340F. to 360F
• Cooking times range from 6-12 minutes.
• Spray your basket with air fryer oil spray before placing your scone in to bake.
• It’s best to make small scones. Mold the scone dough in an air fryer that fits inside your air fryer. Then turn the dough out and cut into triangles. This should make them small enough to give a little space for air flow between each scone when set inside the air fryer basket. If you have a toaster oven air fryer, simply give your scone enough room to bake. No particular arrangement is necessary.

There isn’t much difference between making muffins in an oven, or making muffins in an air fryer. You have two options for what to cook them in, however. The first is a muffin pan that will fit in your air fryer. Some accessory kits come with them. The other are silicone muffin cups. we prefer the muffin cups because the muffins release so easily.

• Bake Temp: 350F.
• Baking time: 11-17 minutes

Check your muffins with a toothpick. If they pull out clean, they are done. If not, cook them longer in 1 to 2 minute intervals. The time ranges are given due to the variations from air fryer to air fryer. The first time you make something, take note of the time for future use.

If you need a chart where you can keep track of cooking times, check out our free cooking times chart you can download here. It has a column for you to write in the exact cooking time for each food. Put it up on your fridge or tape it inside a cabinet or on your wall.

Cupcakes really aren’t any different from muffins. The main difference is the cooking temperature. Whether you make them from scratch, or use a box cake mix, the temperature range is between 310F. and 350F. Cooking times are pretty consistent at 10-12 minutes. Cooking temperatures will vary by appliance. So you may need to experiment a bit.

Again, silicone muffin cups are best for cupcakes, though paper liners will do the trick too. You may need to be sure your air fryer basket is on the full side though, as the heat can warp the paper during baking. We don’t recommend paper liners in a toaster oven air fryer because there are no sides that will support the cupcakes until they are cooked like there are with a basket style air fryer.

Wether you are making sweet or savory pastries doesn’t really matter. The only time you may have to adjust times or temperatures is if they have meat in them. But for the most part, they will all cook similarly. Where changes happen is, if you purchase frozen pastries, or use fresh pastry dough.

• Frozen pastries: 360F. to 390F. for 5-8 minutes – For Puff Pastry
• Fresh pastries: 325F. for 8-10 minutes- For Puff Pastry
• Fresh pastries: 325F. for 6-8 minutes – For Filo Dough Pastries

It’s best to spray your air fryer basket or tray with oil before cooking.

Donuts are fun to make. They can take a little work (similar to making bread), but in the end, their deliciousness is totally worth it.

With donuts, you have two choices. You can make them from scratch, or you can use puff pastry dough. There may be some frozen choices on the market, but we have not seen them.

• From scratch donuts – 350F. to 375F. for 4 -6 minutes
• Pastry dough donuts – 330F. for 5 minutes
• Biscuit dough donuts – 350F. for 5-6 minutes.

Biscuits are one of the easiest, no-fuss, baked goods you can make in an air fryer. Whether you make them from frozen, from scratch, or buy ready-made dough, the process is always simple.

• From scratch biscuits – 350F. for 6 minutes, flip half way through.
• From frozen dough – 320F. for 10 minutes, flip half way through.
• From canned dough – 330F. for 6-7 minutes, flip half way through.

Need a good air fryer biscuit recipe? Try this one! You’ll get lots more tips on baking air fryer biscuits there as well.

Here is a quick summary of the all the baking times and temps above. If you need times for other foods as well, check out our free Air Fryer Cooking Times Chart with a free printable chart.