Air Fryer Conversion Calculator

How the conversion works

The calculator applies two adjustments to the settings an oven recipe gives you.

Air fryer temperature = oven temperature - 25 °F (15 °C)

Air fryer time = oven time x 0.8

The temperature is then rounded to the nearest 5 degrees, because that is the step most air fryers offer, and the time is rounded to the nearest whole minute.

Both numbers are a place to start. No formula can know how full your basket is or how powerful your machine is, so the result tells you where to set the dial and when to take the first look.

Worked example

A sheet pan recipe says: roast at 425 °F for 45 minutes.

1. Temperature: 425 - 25 = 400 °F.
2. Time: 45 x 0.8 = 36 minutes.
3. Set the air fryer to 400 °F and check at about 30 minutes.

A recipe in Celsius works the same way with a 15 degree drop. An oven recipe at 200 °C for 30 minutes becomes 185 °C for about 24 minutes.

Common conversions

The settings that come up most, already worked out:

• 350 °F in the oven: 325 °F in the air fryer
• 375 °F: 350 °F
• 400 °F: 375 °F
• 425 °F: 400 °F
• 450 °F: 425 °F

And the times:

• 10 minutes in the oven: about 8 minutes
• 15 minutes: about 12
• 20 minutes: about 16
• 30 minutes: about 24
• 45 minutes: about 36
• 60 minutes: about 48

The chart above combines the two, so you can read off a temperature and a time together. Many air fryers top out at 400 °F, so a recipe that calls for a hotter oven than 425 °F will run at the machine’s maximum and may need a little longer than the converted time.

Why an air fryer needs different settings

An air fryer is a small oven with a strong fan. Three things follow from that.

• The air moves. Moving air carries heat to the surface of the food faster than still air does, so food browns sooner at the same temperature.
• The chamber is small. There is little air to heat, so the machine reaches temperature in a few minutes and recovers quickly after you open it.
• The food is close to the element. In most basket models the heat comes from directly above, a short distance from the food.

Lowering the temperature offsets the first effect. Shortening the time accounts for all three.

What converts well, and what does not

The rule works best for foods that would go on a baking sheet in a hot oven:

• Roasted vegetables, potatoes and wedges
• Chicken pieces, sausages and meatballs
• Frozen foods with oven instructions on the pack
• Reheating pizza, pastries and fried foods

It works less well in a few cases:

• Wet batters. A loose batter drips through the basket before it sets. Use a breadcrumb coating instead.
• Large roasts and whole birds. The outside can finish long before the centre. Follow a recipe written for an air fryer.
• Cakes and deep bakes. They need a pan that fits the basket, and the top browns quickly. Lower the temperature further and cover the top if it darkens.
• Recipes that fill a full oven tray. The basket holds far less. Cook in batches.

Tips and common mistakes

Leave space. Food piled in the basket steams instead of crisping, because the air cannot reach it. A single layer with gaps is the goal.

Shake or turn halfway. The side facing the element cooks faster. Shaking the basket once or twice evens it out.

Check early, then add time. It is easy to cook something for two more minutes and impossible to uncook it. Treat the converted time as the latest the food is likely to be done.

Keep notes for your machine. Air fryers differ in wattage and size. If yours runs hot, write down the setting that worked and use it next time.

Frozen food packs

Many frozen foods now print air fryer instructions next to the oven ones. When they do, use them: the maker tested that product. When the pack only gives oven instructions, convert them with the calculator and check early the first time.