One thing I’ve noticed is that once someone gets an air fryer, they’re always looking to convert recipes to air fryer. It’s faster than baking in the oven, and often results in more crispiness with less oil. Of course you want to convert your recipes! Let’s look at how to convert those, first by hand, and second with a “shortcut” automatic method. (And if you’re the kind of person who likes to skip to the good stuff…here you go!
What kinds of recipes can you convert to air fryer?
Since an air fryer is essentially a convection oven, most recipes you would make in the oven can be made in the air fryer. Anything frozen, such as french fries and nuggets, makes a great fit for the air fryer. I love how crispy things turn out. Similarly, it’s great for roasting vegetables. (I’ve got air fried potatoes on my dinner menu tonight!)
You can also make foods that would otherwise be deep fried in the air fryer, such as onion rings and fried chicken. I know many folks who acquired an air fryer for this specific purpose, since otherwise oil-laden foods can be made much lighter.
This is not a recipe, but you can also use your air fryer to reheat food and get it nice and crispy.
Recipes that I would avoid attempting in the air fryer are anything heavily battered or otherwise wet; anything with lots of cheese; anything with leafy greens; and of course anything too large.
How to convert oven recipes to air fryer by hand
To convert oven recipes to air fryer, you’ll want to:
- Reduce the cooking temperature by 25° F
- Reduce the cooking time by 20%
- Reduce oil to a light spritz
As with any cooking, you’ll need to keep an eye on this the first time you try it. I would recommend checking the air fryer basket about ⅔ of the way through the cooking time to see if it’s done or if it will need less than the remainder. You may need to add additional time, too.
How to convert recipes to air fryer automatically
I wanted a way to not only convert recipes from oven to air fryer, but to save my conversions for future reference and so I could take notes. I created a Notion template to do this – you can make a copy here.
When you use this Notion template, every time you add a recipe to the database, it will automatically convert oven instructions to air fryer instructions. While of course you can add recipes manually, it also works great with the Save to Notion browser extension to quickly add recipes you find online. As with anything in Notion, completely customizable!
Using this recipe converter alongside a recipe generator can help you create the perfect meal plan for your week.
What are you excited to cook in your air fryer?
