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Air Fryer Baking

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Easy air fryer baking recipes that actually work.

Cakes, cookies, breads and pastries, tested in a real basket with the exact time and temperature.

Every recipe tested by Sujata in her own 5.5 quart basket

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Mug cake Lemon cake Carrot cake
Air fryer carrot muffins piled on a plate, one split open to show the moist carrot crumb Air fryer carrot muffins 320°F · 10 min · makes 6 Get the recipe →

Air fryer baking recipes by category

Five collections of tested air fryer desserts and bakes, from cakes and cookies to breads, pastries and fruit pies.

All recipes
A golden vanilla cake baked in an air fryer, with a slice cut CakesSponges, bundts and layer cakes White chocolate blondies baked in an air fryer, cut into squares Cookies & barsChewy cookies and fudgy bars Air fryer focaccia cooling on a wire rack by a window Breads & doughsLoaves, rolls, focaccia and pizza Glazed donuts made in an air fryer on a wooden board Pastries & morning bakesDonuts, scones, muffins and rolls Air fryer hand pies with golden crusts cooling in the basket Pies & cobblersFruit pies, crisps and cobblers

Most popular air fryer baking recipes

The recipes people search for and bake most, with the temperature and time on each.

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Fudgy air fryer brownies cut into squares

Brownies

320°F · 22 min A warm chocolate mug cake with a spoon in it

Mug cake

350°F · 5 min A pile of golden carrot muffins baked in an air fryer

Carrot muffins

320°F · 10 min Glazed lemon cake with lemon zest and a slice cut out

Lemon cake

320°F · 24 to 28 min A red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting, sliced

Red velvet cake

310°F · 30 to 36 min Vanilla cupcakes with piped frosting on a plate

Cupcakes

320°F · 15 min A golden pound cake baked in a bundt pan with a slice removed

Pound cake

300°F · 38 min Stacks of oatmeal cookies baked in an air fryer

Oatmeal cookies

360°F · 12 min A chocolate cake with glossy ganache, sliced

Chocolate cake

310°F · 30 min

Fresh from the kitchen

The newest tested air fryer bakes, still warm from the basket.

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Baked pears made in an air fryer

Baked pears

330°F · 12 min Baked peaches made in an air fryer

Baked peaches

350°F · 12 min S'mores made in an air fryer

S'mores

340°F · 5 min Hand pies made in an air fryer

Hand pies

350°F · 11 min

Fall baking in the air fryer

Apple, pumpkin and pecan recipes for the cooler months.

All fall favorites
A scoop of apple crisp with vanilla ice cream beside the baking dish

Apple crisp

330°F · 20 to 24 min A loaf of pumpkin bread with slices cut on a board

Pumpkin bread

320°F · 32 min Slices of homemade apple pie made in an air fryer

Apple pie

320°F · 28 min Cinnamon apple fries in an air fryer basket

Apple fries

380°F · 10 min

New this fall

Air fryer baking for every diet and occasion

Whatever you are baking for, there is a tested collection for it: gluten-free, high-protein and sugar-free bakes, plus holiday, birthday and last-minute air fryer desserts.

For your diet

Gluten-free air fryer baking Cakes, breads and cookies without the gluten. High-protein air fryer baking Protein-boosted muffins, bars and loaves. Sugar-free air fryer baking Sweetener swaps that actually behave. Vegan, keto and dairy-free Every special diet gathered in one place. Healthier air fryer bakes Lighter recipes, and honesty about when they are not.

For the occasion

Holiday and seasonal baking Thanksgiving, Christmas and every season. Birthday cakes and treats Cakes, cupcakes and candles, basket-sized. Baking with kids Twelve easy recipes and the safety rules. Last-minute desserts Something sweet in 20 minutes or less.
Sujata Thapa, who develops and tests the recipes on Air Fryer Baking

A few years ago I borrowed an air fryer to reheat leftovers

I ended up baking a small cake in it that same night. It came out lighter than my oven version, and a lot faster, and I have been testing air fryer bakes ever since.

Every recipe here gets made in my own basket, usually several times, until the temperature and timing come out right. Where a step tends to go wrong, like a gummy muffin middle or a cheesecake that cracks, I explain why and what to change.

Sujata

More about me
Chocolate chip cookies baked on parchment in an air fryer basket

How to bake in an air fryer

Yes, you can bake in an air fryer. The heat sits right above the food, so most bakes need a lower temperature, a pan that fits the basket and a doneness check in the middle. These three guides cover it.

  1. 1How to bake in an air fryerPans, liners, temperatures and why the top browns first.
  2. 2What you can and can't bake in oneWhat works well in a basket and what to leave to the oven.
  3. 3Common air fryer mistakesCrowded baskets, the wrong pan and other habits that ruin bakes.

Have an oven recipe you love? Here's your starting point.

Type in the oven temperature and time. As a rule of thumb, bake about 25°F lower and for about 20% less time, then start checking early. Very sweet or dark batters often want a little lower again.

The full air fryer calculator adjusts for the type of food you are baking, and works the other way too, from air fryer back to oven.

Air fryer: 325°F for about 24 min

Open the full calculator

New to air fryer baking? Start here

Everything a recipe assumes you already know, in plain language: the right pan, when to preheat, and how to keep the top from burning before the middle is done.

All guides
A loose sheet of foil tented over a cake tin in an air fryer basket to stop the top burning Start here How to stop the top burning The number one beginner problem, and the loose-foil trick that fixes it.
Do you need to preheat?The first question every bake asks. When it matters and when it does not. Foil and parchmentWhat is safe to line your basket with, and what flies into the element. Silicone molds and pansThe cups and tins that fit a basket, and the sizes worth owning. Oven to air fryerHow to turn any oven recipe into basket temperature and time. The baking chartEvery tested time and temperature in one table to bookmark. When it goes wrongBurnt tops, raw centers, dry edges and flat rises, each with a fix.

Free baking tools

Do the math in one click, before the batter is even mixed.

All tools
Conversion calculatorOven temperature and time to air fryer settings. Pan size calculatorCheck which pan fits your basket before you buy. Recipe scalerHalve or double a recipe without the fraction math. Cost calculatorWhat a bake costs to run, air fryer versus oven.

Air fryer baking questions

Can you really bake in an air fryer?

Better than I expected when I first tried it, honestly. A basket air fryer is really just a small convection oven, with the heating element sitting a few inches above the food, so cakes, muffins, cookies, breads and pastries all bake nicely in one. The main thing to know is that the top colors faster than it would in a full-size oven, so I bake most things a little cooler, use a pan that fits the basket, and check the middle for doneness instead of trusting how the top looks.

How do I convert an oven baking recipe to the air fryer?

My rule of thumb is to drop the oven temperature by about 25 degrees Fahrenheit and cut the time by roughly a fifth, then start checking early. Sweet or dark batters usually want to go a touch lower again, since sugar catches quickly that close to the element. If you would rather skip the math, the air fryer calculator works it out for you, and the baking chart has the settings I have already tested for the usual bakes.

What size pan fits in an air fryer?

For most 5 to 6 quart baskets, a 6 or 7 inch round pan is the sweet spot, with a little room around the sides so the air can still move. Smaller 3 to 4 quart baskets do better with a 6 inch pan or ramekins. Measure the flat floor of your basket rather than the top opening, because that is where the pan actually sits, or check the pan size calculator before you buy one.

Why does my air fryer cake brown on top but stay raw in the middle?

This one caught me out early on too. The element sits so close to the top of the cake that the surface sets and colors before the heat reaches the center. Turn the temperature down, lay a loose sheet of foil over the pan once the top has taken color, and judge it with a thermometer rather than your eyes: most cakes, muffins and quick breads are done around 200 to 205 degrees Fahrenheit in the middle.

The air fryer times and temperatures I use most, on one page

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