Air Fryer Baking Guide: Can You Bake in an Air Fryer?
Yes, you can bake in an air fryer. Cakes, muffins, cookies, brownies, bread rolls — they all work, with some adjustments.
The honest caveat: baking in an air fryer isn't better than baking in a conventional oven. The oven has a larger, more controlled environment that's better suited to most baking. But if you want to bake something small, fast, or without heating up the whole kitchen — the air fryer is a practical option.
What Bakes Well in an Air Fryer
- Muffins and cupcakes. Small, individual portions fit easily in silicone muffin cases, cook quickly, and come out well. Probably the best baking application for an air fryer.
- Brownies and bars. Use a small oven-safe pan or silicone tin. Dense batter like brownies works well — the top sets properly without drying out.
- Cookies. Small batches only. Four to six cookies at a time, in a flat layer with space between them. They cook fast — check at 5 minutes.
- Small cakes (individual or loaf-sized). A single-layer 6-inch round cake or a small loaf fits in most mid-size air fryers. Full-size 9-inch cakes: only if your basket is large enough, and the result is less predictable.
- Bread rolls. Small rolls work well — crispy exterior, soft inside. The high heat and fan are actually good for bread crust development.
- Banana bread. A classic air fryer bake. Small loaf tin, lower temperature, check for doneness with a skewer.
What Doesn't Bake Well
- Tall cakes that need even heat from all sides. The air fryer heats primarily from the top. A standard 3-layer cake will cook unevenly — overdone on top, underdone in the middle. Use an oven.
- Delicate soufflés or choux pastry. The powerful fan can collapse or blow things around. (I attempted a soufflé once. Truly terrible result. Don't.)
- Large batches. The basket limits how much you can bake at once. If you're making 24 cookies, an oven is faster in total time even if each individual batch takes less time in the air fryer.
- Recipes with a lot of liquid batter. Very liquid batters can slosh around when you open the drawer and may not set before the exterior overcooks.
Air Fryer Baking: Times and Temperatures
Baking in an air fryer generally requires lower temperature and less time than the oven equivalent. The fan and compact size mean heat is more intense and concentrated.
As a rule of thumb: reduce oven temperature by 25°F / 15°C, and start checking 15–20% earlier than the recipe says.
| Item | Temp (°F) | Temp (°C) | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muffins | 325°F | 165°C | 12–15 min | Silicone cases; check with skewer |
| Cupcakes | 325°F | 165°C | 12–14 min | Don't overfill — leave ⅓ full |
| Cookies | 325°F | 165°C | 7–10 min | Check at 7 min; golden edges = done |
| Brownies | 325°F | 165°C | 15–20 min | In small pan; edges set, centre slightly fudgy |
| Small round cake (6-inch) | 310°F | 155°C | 25–35 min | Cover loosely with foil if top browns too fast |
| Banana bread (small loaf) | 310°F | 155°C | 30–40 min | Skewer test; internal temp 200°F |
| Bread rolls | 350°F | 175°C | 10–14 min | Tap base — hollow sound = done |
| Scones | 350°F | 175°C | 8–12 min | Light golden, risen |
All times assume preheated air fryer. Check earlier than the lower end of the range on your first attempt.
Pans and Equipment
The main practical challenge of air fryer baking is equipment — most standard bakeware is too large for an air fryer basket.
- Silicone muffin cases and baking moulds. The most useful thing you can own for air fryer baking. Food-grade silicone handles the heat, the flexibility makes unmoulding easy, and they come in sizes designed for smaller appliances. Silicone cupcake/muffin cases specifically — not the rigid metal variety.
- Small metal tins. A 6-inch round cake tin, a mini loaf tin, or small ramekins. Measure your basket before buying — the tin needs to sit flat with clearance on all sides.
- Small oven-safe glass dishes (Pyrex). Brownies and bar-style bakes work well in a small Pyrex dish.
Don't use: Standard 9-inch cake tins (too large for most baskets), anything with plastic handles or clips, non-oven-safe containers.
Key Baking Tips for Air Fryers
- Lower temperature than the recipe says. The fan distributes heat intensely, and the concentrated environment means overbrowning is a real risk. Start 25°F lower.
- Check earlier than you think. The air fryer's efficiency means things cook faster than the oven equivalent. Check at 70–75% of the oven recipe time, then adjust.
- Cover with foil if the top is browning too fast. If the top of a cake is setting and browning before the centre is cooked through, loosely tent it with a small piece of foil. This is the air fryer equivalent of putting foil on a cake tin edge in the oven.
- Don't open the drawer repeatedly. Every time you open the air fryer during baking, heat escapes and the cook time resets somewhat. Check minimally — once at the early mark, once near the end.
- Skewer test. A wooden skewer inserted into the centre of a cake or bread should come out clean when it's done. Internal temperature for most cakes: 200–210°F / 93–99°C.
- Don't overfill cases. Batter expands. Fill muffin cases two-thirds full, not to the top.
Adjusting Oven Recipes for the Air Fryer
If you have a recipe for a standard oven and want to adapt it:
- Reduce temperature by 25°F / 15°C.
- Reduce time by 15–20%.
- Check earlier and use the skewer test rather than relying on time alone.
- If baking in a smaller tin than the recipe calls for, the depth of batter changes — deeper batter needs more time, shallower batter less.
You can also use the oven to air fryer conversion calculator on this site to get a starting point for temperature and time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need special bakeware for the air fryer?
Mostly, yes — standard oven bakeware is usually too large. Silicone moulds in smaller sizes work best. A set of silicone muffin cases and one small round tin covers most air fryer baking scenarios.
Why is my cake raw in the middle?
Temperature too high and/or time too short. Lower the temperature by another 10–15°F and increase time. Cover with foil if the top is browning. The intense heat can set the exterior fast while the inside is still undone — lower and slower is the fix.
Can I bake bread in an air fryer?
Small rolls and small loaves, yes. A full sandwich loaf: depends entirely on basket size. The air fryer is actually good for bread crust because the fan creates a dry environment that promotes crust development.
My cookies spread too much. Why?
Butter temperature usually. If the butter is too warm when mixed in, cookies spread before they set. Also check you're not using too much baking soda. Try refrigerating the dough for 30 minutes before cooking.