Ultimate Guide to Air Frying with Printable Cooking Times Cheat Sheet

Are you using an air fryer yet? If not, jump on the air fryer bandwagon ASAP! While it's not ideal for every food you prepare, it is a wonderful way to prepare foods faster and with a great crisp without using extra oils. Whether you want to use an air fryer for easier meal prep or to reduce calories won't matter when you see this printable. We've gathered the top food items you may want to try in your air fryer and put them into a handy printable.

Air Fryer Cooking Times

As an air fryer enthusiast and cookbook author, I am excited to share with you tips to make your experience easier. So many people look at the air fryer as just another kitchen appliance, or some weird item they don't know how to use. It's really just a great way to cook foods faster, easier, and in a much more fun way.

Of course, I recommend checking out my cookbook, Mediterranean Air Fryer: 95 Healthy Recipes to Fry, Roast, Bake, and Grill. It is focused on the Mediterranean Diet and way of cooking but has wonderful basic recipes throughout that any home cook would enjoy.

What is Different About an Air Fryer?

The air fryer is basically a convection oven but smaller. It is designed to be convenient for smaller kitchens and to sit on a countertop while also being easy to put away out of sight. They come in a variety of sizes from ideal for a single person all the way to large enough for 6 to 8 servings.

Most air fryers have a basket that is pushed into the unit. You place the food into the basket, place it into the air fryer, and then choose the time and temperature. It cooks the food with hot forced air rather than just a heating element. This creates more even cooking, crisping without oil, and a faster cook time as well.

How to Get Started Using an Air Fryer

If you just aren't sure where to begin, I recommend doing something simple like roasting vegetables or cooking a chicken breast. Think about any of the things you would normally cook in your oven and see if you can do that in the air fryer instead. Below are a few key things to consider when using an air fryer for the first time.

No added oil is necessary, but small drizzles or sprays can be used to brown the items more.
Line the basket with parchment paper before placing food into the basket for easier cleanup.
Don't forget it can also be used for reheating meals and not just cooking them from start to finish.

How Do I Convert Regular Recipes for the Air Fryer?

The most common way to convert a traditional recipe for the air fryer is to reduce the temperature by 25° and 20% of the cooking time. While this works in most recipes, it is also important to check throughout the cooking process.

With most items, stopping halfway through the cooking time to check is recommended. I like to turn meats at that point or shake the basket if cooking smaller items that may need to be turned or flipped. At that point, you can determine if it needs more cooking time or is nearly done.

Sometimes it is a bit of trial and error, but I recommend starting in smaller time increments and working your way up a few minutes at a time until the food is at your desired doneness.

What is the Best Air Fryer for Me?

When trying to decide the right air fryer for you and your needs, consider how many servings you will be making, and how much space you have. There are also different brands and price points to choose from. While the air fryer isn't cheap, it isn't overly expensive either. You will need to take your time to pick what works best for you.

For a single individual or couple, a 3 to 5-quart option is fine. If you are making upwards of 6 servings at a time, you will want the 6 quart or larger options. Below are some of my favorite brands of air fryers that I know are high-quality and will be a good investment.

Some other air fryer options that are combination units are a larger investment but are more than just the air fryer. If you prefer a larger option, these can be great, but they may also come in varying sizes.

Air Fryer Accessories

While you don't need any accessories to use your air fryer, there are some great options that will help make cooking in your air fryer easier, and sometimes just more fun. Below are the items I would recommend if you want to invest in additional tools for your air fryer.

Air Fryer Accessories Kit - this kit is designed for square air fryers, but you can also find similar sets for round or oblong baskets. This comes with a variety of grill plates, pans, and even some silicone baking pans.

Air Fryer Reusable Liners - this is great for making cleanup easy. You can even pop these into the dishwasher which makes it even better!

Air Fryer Parchment Sheets - if you prefer disposable, these sheets are a perfect solution. They come in large packs and are affordable while also working in any air fryer.

Air Fryer Cook Times for Common Meats

While this does not include all meats, it has a good list, to begin with. Remember, as always, that times are variable and really depend upon the type of air fryer you have as well as the individual cut of meat. A thicker steak or larger burger will take longer than is shown. When making meats of any kind in the air fryer, I highly recommend investing in a meat thermometer to verify you have reached a safe internal temperature for serving.

MEATS	TEMPERATURE	COOK TIME
Bacon	350	8 to 12
Burgers	350	8 to 12
Chicken Whole 3.5 lbs	350	45 to 60
Chicken Breast bone-in 1.3lb	350	8 to 12
Chicken Breast boneless	370	15 to 18
Chicken Drumsticks	400	15
Chicken Thighs	370	16 to 18
Chicken Tenders	350	8 to 12
Chicken Wings	380	14 to 16
Filet Mignon	450	8 to 10
Lamb Chops	400	6 to 8
Meatballs	400	14 to 16
Pork Chops with Bone	400	12
Pork Loin	400	20 to 25
Rack of Lamb	375	18 to 25
Ribeye	400	9 to 12
Ribs	400	25 to 40
Roast Beef	400	45 to 60
Sausage	400	12 to 15
Sirloin Steak	390	9 to 12

Air Fryer Cook Times for Common Seafood

Seafood is a great option to prepare in the air fryer because it takes so little time. Since it is already such a healthy food item, this keeps it light and delicious. I also love cooking seafood in the air fryer because it is so fast on busy weeknights.

SEAFOOD	TEMPERATURE	COOK TIME
Calamari	400	4 to 6
Fish Fillets	400	10 to 12
Salmon Filet	350	12 to 16
Scallops	350	5 to 7
Shrimp	350	5 to 7
Tuna Steak	400	7 to 10

Air Fryer Cook Times for Common Vegetables

If you need an easy way to roast your favorite vegetables without turning on the oven, the air fryer is the perfect tool. It cuts baking time considerably and gives great texture to the vegetables without the addition of fats and oils. Plus, you can roast it in the summer months when turning on the oven would heat up the house too much!

SEAFOOD	TEMPERATURE	COOK TIME
Asparagus	400	6 to 8
Beets	400	40
Broccoli	400	6 to 8
Brussel Sprouts	380	12 to 15
Carrots	360	15
Cauliflower	400	12 to 15
Corn on the Cob	290	6
Eggplant	400	15
Green beans	400	6 to 8
Mushrooms	400	6 to 8
Onions (pearl)	400	10
Peppers (whole)	380	10
Peppers (chunks)	400	15
Potato (baby)	400	15
Potato (wedges)	400	15
Potato (chunks)	400	12
Potato (whole)	400	45 to 60
Squash	400	12
Sweet Potato (whole)	380	40 to 45
Tomato	400	4
Zucchini	400	12

Air Fryer Cook Times for Common Frozen Foods

As air fryers become more and more popular, you may find that packaged frozen foods will have specific cook times listed on the package. If not, you can use some of the ones below as a good guide to begin using your air fryer instead of the oven or deep fryer.

FROZEN FOODS	TEMPERATURE	COOK TIME
Cheese Sticks	390	8
Chicken Nuggets	390	10
Fish Filets	390	8 to 10
Fish Fingers	390	8 to 10
French Fries (thick cut)	400	18
French Fries (thin cut)	400	14
Onion Rings	400	8 to 10
Pot Stickers	400	8 to 10
Popcorn Shrimp	400	10 to 12
Spring Rolls	400	12 to 15

Air Fryer Cook Times for Common Desserts & Snacks

Here are just a few ideas for snacks or desserts that you can add to the air fryer to make a fast treat. This is, of course, not an extensive list but one that includes some popular items that give you an idea of how you can use the air fryer for everyday foods.

DESSERTS & SNACKS	TEMPERATURE	COOK TIME
Baked Apples	400	15
Banana Bread	360	30 to 40
Brownies	320	30
Cake	350	20 to 25
Cookies	300	6 to 8
Muffins	375	15 to 18
Mug Cake	360	15
Pastries	325	8 to 10
Personal Pizza	400	8 to 10
Quiche	360	20 to 22

Free Printable Air Fryer Cheat Sheet

Click the image or link below to print out this cheat sheet. I recommend laminating it or putting it in a protective sleeve so it stays safe and easy to access whenever you need to reference a cook time for something new or different.

PRINTABLE HERE