Air Fryer Calculator
Convert oven temperatures and cooking times to air fryer settings.
Air Fryer Settings
Estimated conversion
Enter your recipe's original temperature and cooking time to see the air fryer conversion.
UK Fan Oven vs. Conventional Oven Guide
Understand the exact differences between British oven types, gas marks, and how they impact your everyday cooking and baking.
How to Use the Oven to Air Fryer Calculator
Three simple steps to convert any standard recipe for your air fryer.
Select Your Oven Type
Choose whether the original recipe is meant for a standard fan oven or a conventional (non-fan) oven.
Enter Original Details
Input the temperature and cooking time specified in your recipe. You can toggle between °C and °F if needed.
Get Adjusted Settings
Instantly receive the estimated air fryer temperature and time. Always start checking your food a little early!
Oven to Air Fryer Conversion: What Changes?
Why air fryers require lower temperatures and less time.
An air fryer is essentially a very powerful, compact convection oven. Because the heating element is situated very close to the food and a strong fan rapidly circulates the hot air around a small chamber, food cooks significantly faster and crisps up more intensely than in a traditional oven.
If you were to use the exact same temperature and time from a standard recipe in your air fryer, the outside of your food would likely burn before the inside had a chance to cook through.
Fan Oven vs Conventional Oven
In the UK, many recipes provide temperatures for both fan and conventional ovens. A fan oven already operates at a lower temperature than a conventional one (usually 20°C lower). Therefore, when converting to an air fryer, you don't need to reduce the temperature quite as drastically from a fan oven recipe as you would from a conventional oven recipe. Our calculator takes this into account.
Oven to Air Fryer Temperature Guide
Approximate starting points for common UK oven temperatures.
Use this quick reference table for common baking and roasting temperatures. Remember that these are estimated starting points; you should always monitor your food closely towards the end of the cooking time.
| Conventional Oven | Fan Oven | Air Fryer Estimate |
|---|---|---|
| 180°C | 160°C | 150°C - 160°C |
| 190°C | 170°C | 160°C - 170°C |
| 200°C | 180°C | 170°C - 180°C |
| 220°C | 200°C | 190°C - 200°C |
Cooking Time Tips & Foods That Need Extra Care
Best practices to ensure your air fryer conversions are successful and safe.
General Tips
- Check food early: Always peek at your food a few minutes before the timer finishes.
- Avoid overcrowding: Air fryers rely on air circulation. If you pack the basket, food will steam rather than crisp.
- Turn and shake: Remember to shake chips or flip meat halfway through the cooking time for even browning.
- Different models vary: A dual-basket air fryer may cook slightly differently than a large oven-style model.
Foods Needing Extra Care
- Large Joints & Whole Poultry: This intense heat can char the outside of a large joint or whole poultry product while not reaching safe minimum internal meat temperature levels on the inside. Use a meat thermometer.
- Baking Recipes: If you find cakes and breads becoming too brown, you may have to cover them with foil (if your model permits) or reduce the temperature even further.
- Sturdy frozen foods: Very thick frozen items may require adjustments to ensure they cook through.
Frequently Asked Questions
More helpful advice for air fryer beginners.
If you convert to a air fryer recipe from oven?▼
The general guideline is to drop the temp by anywhere from 20 degrees C (for conventional oven dishes) to about 10°C for more modern/fan-assisted-oven type recipes; and cut down on cooking time, roughly use a timer that runs around twenty percent less. And our above calculator does this maths for you in an instant.
Q3: Do I need to lower the temperature for air fryer?▼
Yes because they are in fact basically just a miniature, very powerful fan oven. The intense, high-speed hot air cooks food much faster than normal and will scorch the outside if temperature is kept at what a recipe might call for in an ordinary oven.
How fast does an air fryer cook as compared to a conventional oven?▼
Air fryers generally work 20% to 25% faster than a traditional oven. Most also need no or very little preheating, saving you added overall cooking time too.
Q: How do I convert fan oven temperatures for an air fryer?▼
Yes! Because a fan oven cooks hotter and faster than a conventional, the conversion is slightly different. As a rule of thumb, we recommend dropping the temp in a fan oven by an additional 10°C and retaining that time reduction of 20%.
So, can I replace cooking time in air fryer the same way?▼
Using the same cooking time is hardly ever right. With an air fryer circulating hot air so intensely, your food is likely to be overcooked or burnt unless you reduce the time by about 20%.
My air fryer cooks quicker than I expect. This is why:▼
In a small chamber is an extremely powerful fan that is very close to the heating element in air fryers. It produces an entire atmosphere of rapidly circulating heat that penetrates food deep in the way a kitchen oven's larger space, with its slower ratios to heating up won’t be able to match.