A guide to converting any oven, stovetop, or deep-fryer recipe for your air fryer

• Many oven, stovetop, and deep-fryer recipes can be converted to the air fryer.
• Adjust the temperature and cook time when converting recipes to avoid over-cooking.
• Don't air-fry wet foods and foods coated in wet batter since they won't brown properly.

If you love your air fryer but you've exhausted your collection of air-fryer recipes, try converting a deep-fried, roasted, or pan-fried recipe.

"You can convert just about any recipe from the stove or oven to the air fryer," says Linda Larsen, author of several air fryer cookbooks including "The Complete Air Fryer Cookbook." 

Plenty of recipes can be converted to the air fryer, like french fries, chicken wings, roasted veggies, garlic bread, crab cakes, pork chops, egg rolls, and more. "While deep-fried foods are the obvious choice to make in the air fryer, you can also get great results from other types of recipes," says Larsen, including roasted meats and even baked goods like muffins.

Larsen recommends avoiding wet food, like heavily marinated food or food covered in a drippy batter. It's also important to adjust the temperature and cook time of a recipe when converting to the air fryer from a different cooking method. Otherwise, you could easily end up burning a dish or under-cooking, leaving it raw in the center.

The guidelines below are a good starting place for converting any oven, deep fry, or stovetop recipe to the air fryer.

Note: Larsen says that these conversions will work for any model of air fryer, just make sure not to overfill the basket or rack. You'll need to reduce larger recipes or cook in batches, depending on the recipe and your model of air fryer.

Oven to air fryer conversion

Ovens and air fryers use a similar method of cooking. Both fill up an enclosed space with hot air, which in turn cooks the food inside. "The biggest difference you'll notice is that the food will be more crisp when cooked in the air fryer because the hot air circulating around the food increases the surface temperature, which results in more browning and crisping," says Larsen.

Larsen advises using a slightly lower temperature and a shorter cook time. Start by reducing the suggested temperature by 25 degrees Fahrenheit and reduce the cook time by 20%. 

The food should be fairly dry on the outside and adding a spritz of canola or vegetable oil will aid with browning. Check the food often to make sure it doesn't overcook or burn, and ensure all meat reaches a safe final temperature with a food thermometer.

Oven to air fryer conversion example

Deep fryer to air fryer conversion 

Larsen is especially fond of converting deep fried recipes to the air fryer for a couple of reasons. "First, air-frying is healthier, because you only have to use a tiny amount of oil to get almost the same results as deep-frying. And an air fryer is safer because you don't have to deal with quarts of boiling hot oil," she says.

Start by reducing the recipe temperature by 25 degrees Fahrenheit and check the food halfway through the cook time. You'll only need a light coating of high-heat oil, and you'll likely want to flip the food partway through or shake the air fryer basket to ensure it cooks evenly. Keep the food in as close to a single layer as possible or it won't properly crisp up (you may need to cook in batches).

Do not attempt to air-fry foods that have a wet batter, like most onion rings, beer-battered fish, and tempura. This is because the batter won't set up immediately like it does when it is deep fried, and will make a mess in your air fryer. Stiff batters that stay securely attached to the food are ok.

Deep fryer to air fryer conversion example

Quick tip: If you want to convert a stovetop pan-fry recipe, Larsen recommends air-frying at 325 to 350 degrees Fahrenheit for a recipe that calls for medium heat and 375 to 400 degrees Fahrenheit for a recipe that calls for high heat. Use the same cook time, but check often for doneness.

Can you run an air fryer as a microwave? 

Larsen does not recommend converting recipes that call for cooking solely in the microwave since the methods are completely different and you won't achieve the same results. For instance, you cannot steam in the air fryer, since it uses dry heat and will make the food crispy. 

However, Larsen does recommend using an air fryer for reheating a variety of foods like pizza, potatoes, meatloaf, and more. The air fryer gives the food a crispier exterior than a microwave and moist interior. Set the temperature to 300 degrees Fahrenheit and cook for 5 minutes, then check. Cook longer if needed, stopping to check every few minutes.

Quick tip: Since most air fryers are basically small convection ovens, it's easy to convert convection oven recipes. Larsen recommends using the same temperature but reducing the cook time by about 20% since air fryers are small and circulate heat faster.

Air fryer conversion tips 

Keep these tips in mind when converting recipes for the air fryer:

• Don't use wet foods. "Any wet food will not work well in an air fryer," says Larsen. This includes marinated meats, which won't brown in the air fryer due to the moisture. Pat the meat dry first and spritz with oil. Avoid foods covered in wet batter altogether since they won't set up quickly like in a deep fryer, making a mess of your air fryer.
• Use a little bit of oil. For browning to occur, you will need to coat the food in a little bit of high-heat oil. Spray oil is a great option.
• Don't overcrowd the basket. For maximum crispiness and even cooking, keep food in a single layer. Many oven, frying, and stovetop recipes will yield too much food for a small air fryer. Halve the recipe or cook in batches for the best results.
• Avoid liquids. While you can add small pans, cups, or dishes to many air fryers to make dishes like muffins or lava cakes, don't be tempted to use the device to heat up liquids like soup. There's a high potential for burning yourself on the hot liquid, especially as you remove the dish from the air fryer basket, so stick to the microwave or stovetop.
• Check the food often. Since air fryer models can differ quite a bit, it's important to check your dish often as it cooks to make sure it doesn't overcook or burn.
• Give it a shake for even cooking. Give smaller foods a shake once or twice as they air fry so they brown evenly, especially ones that are traditionally deep fried. This includes fries, tater tots, brussels sprouts, and chicken nuggets.

Insider's takeaway 

It's easy to convert many oven, stovetop, and deep fryer recipes to the air fryer. Overall, reduce the temperature and cook time, checking the food often. Avoid wet foods and wet batters, coat the food in a little oil, and don't overcrowd the air fryer basket.

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