You found a recipe you love, but it says “bake at 400°F for 25 minutes,” and your air fryer is sitting there looking smug. The good news: most oven recipes can move to an air fryer. The bad news: you cannot just copy the numbers, or you will end up with something burnt outside and sad inside.
This is a simple conversion cheat table you can save. It gives you a safe starting point for temperature and time, plus the rules that keep food crisp instead of dry. For specific foods, our air fryer cooking times chart has ready-made numbers.
The Two-Rule Conversion
A common starting point is to lower the temperature by about 25°F (around 15°C) and shorten the cooking time by about 20%. The air fryer is essentially a small, powerful convection oven, so hot air moves faster and food cooks quicker, especially in a compact basket.
Treat the result as a starting point, not a promise. Brands and sizes vary, so always check food early and cook until it is done, not until a timer says so.
Temperature Conversion Table
| Oven setting | Air fryer starting point | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 350°F (175°C) | 325°F (160°C) | Good for gentle cooking and baked goods |
| 375°F (190°C) | 350°F (175°C) | A common roasting temperature |
| 400°F (200°C) | 375°F (190°C) | Great for vegetables and chicken pieces |
| 425°F (220°C) | 400°F (200°C) | Many air fryers top out around 400°F |
| 450°F (230°C) | 400°F (200°C) | Use the max setting and add a few minutes if needed |
Time Conversion Table
| Oven time | Start checking at about |
|---|---|
| 10 minutes | 8 minutes |
| 15 minutes | 12 minutes |
| 20 minutes | 16 minutes |
| 25 minutes | 20 minutes |
| 30 minutes | 24 minutes |
| 40 minutes | 32 minutes |
| 45 minutes | 36 minutes |
| 60 minutes | 48 minutes |
Example: a recipe says 400°F for 25 minutes. In the air fryer, set it to 375°F and start checking around 20 minutes. If it needs a little more, add two or three minutes at a time.
The Rules That Make It Work
- Preheat if your model recommends it. A few minutes of preheating gives a better start, especially for crisp food.
- Do not crowd the basket. Hot air has to move around the food. Cook in batches instead of piling it up.
- Shake or flip halfway. It helps everything brown evenly.
- Add a little oil. A light spray gives better color and crunch than dry food, and a lot less mess than pouring oil.
- Use a thermometer. It is the only way to know when meat is done.
Safe Internal Temperatures
Time conversions are guesses. Temperatures are facts. Food-safety guidelines call for these minimum internal temperatures:
| Food | Safe internal temperature |
|---|---|
| Chicken and turkey | 165°F (74°C) |
| Ground beef and pork | 160°F (71°C) |
| Pork chops and fish | 145°F (63°C) |
| Leftovers and casseroles | 165°F (74°C) |
What Converts Well (and What Does Not)
Air fryers are great for chicken pieces, vegetables, potatoes, frozen snacks and reheating leftovers. If you like those, try our lazy air fryer meals with five ingredients or less or our air fryer leftover ideas.
Some things do not behave. Wet batters drip through the basket, loose shredded cheese can blow around, very light foods like leafy greens fly into the heating element, and big roasts or deep casseroles may not fit. For those, use the oven or a different appliance.
Why the Air Fryer Cooks Faster
An air fryer is a compact space with a strong fan, so hot air circulates around the food all the time. Heat reaches the surface quickly, which is why food browns faster and why oven times and temperatures need trimming. That is also why small portions do best: the less food there is, the faster it cooks, and the more crisp it gets.
Frozen Food and Baked Goods
For frozen foods, check the package first, because many now include air fryer instructions. If not, use the oven directions and apply the two-rule conversion. For baked goods, use a more cautious approach: lower the temperature a bit more, cover the top with foil if it browns too quickly, and test with a toothpick or thermometer. Small cakes, muffins and brownies work well in small pans, while large cakes may not.
Two cheap add-ons make air frying easier: a rack that lets you cook two layers at once, and mitts for pulling out hot baskets and pans.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Using the oven time without shortening it, which gives dry or burnt food.
- Overfilling the basket, which leads to soggy, unevenly cooked results.
- Skipping the check. Food that is golden outside can still be raw in the middle.
- Placing parchment or foil in the basket without food on top, which can fly up into the heating element.
- Never cleaning the basket, which causes smoke and strange smells.
A Few Tools That Help
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A refillable oil sprayer lets you add just enough oil for crisping, and 7-inch round pans give you a way to bake small cakes, reheat pizza or cook foods that would otherwise fall through the basket. Make sure any accessory fits your air fryer’s basket before you buy it.
Want All the Numbers in One Place?
If you are tired of searching for times every time you cook, Air Fryer Cheat Codes puts temperatures and times for more than 140 foods on cheat sheets in °F and °C, plus a log book to write down what worked so the second time is perfect.
Save It, Screenshot It, Stick It on the Fridge
The point of a cheat table is that you never have to think about it twice. Save this page, take a screenshot or print it. And if you want more ideas for what to cook, see our 12 things you did not know your air fryer could do.
What is the first oven recipe you are going to move to the air fryer?
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