Air Fryer Conversion Calculator

This calculator turns the temperature and time from a conventional oven recipe into air fryer settings. It gives the reduced temperature in Fahrenheit and Celsius, rounded to the nearest 5 degrees as most air fryer dials are, the shorter cooking time, and a point at which to start checking.

An air fryer is a small convection oven: a fan blows hot air around food in a compact basket, so heat reaches the surface faster and browning happens sooner. The 25°F and 20% reductions are the widely used starting rule, not a law. Small or thin items often finish sooner than the estimate; dense, crowded or very large items can need longer.

The rule assumes the recipe was written for a conventional (non-fan) oven. If it already gives fan or convection settings, the temperature has been reduced once, so keep that temperature and only trim the time. For meat, poultry and anything reheated, go by internal temperature, not the clock. To resize a recipe for a smaller basket, use the recipe scaling calculator.

This is the same rule of thumb long used to convert conventional oven recipes to convection ovens, applied to the smaller air fryer cavity. The Celsius figure is the converted Fahrenheit temperature, (°F − 32) × 5 ÷ 9, rounded to the nearest 5°C. Enter oven temperatures in °F; if your recipe is in °C, multiply by 9, divide by 5 and add 32 first (180°C = 356°F, 200°C = 392°F).

Air fryers brown food quickly, so the outside can look finished before the center is safe. These are the US Department of Agriculture's safe minimum internal temperatures; measure in the thickest part, away from bone.

• Crowded basket: food piled in layers steams instead of crisping and takes longer. Cook in a single layer, in batches if needed.
• Shake or flip: turn fries, wings and vegetables halfway through so every side gets airflow.
• Cakes and bakes: keep the temperature reduction but check with a skewer from the first check point; tops can brown before the middle sets. Covering loosely with foil helps if the basket design allows it.
• Preheating: many recipes assume a 3–5 minute preheat. Starting cold adds a few minutes.
• Small models: compact baskets put food close to the element, so very thin items such as bacon or toast can scorch at the full converted temperature.
• Fan-oven recipes: if the recipe already lists a fan or convection temperature (common in UK recipes, usually 20°C lower), do not take another 25°F off; just shorten the time.

Common oven settings converted with the same rule. Times are the converted estimate for a 30-minute oven recipe; scale proportionally for other times. For volume and weight conversions within the recipe itself, use the cooking measurement converter.