Can You Bake in an Air Fryer? Cakes, Cookies and Bread Guide

Heating a whole oven for four cookies. A toaster oven that scorches every top. A cake recipe sized for eight people. You can bake in an air fryer instead, and it fixes all three.

Cakes, cookies, muffins and even yeast bread come out well, as long as you lower the heat and use a pan that fits. Below is the conversion we follow, the pan sizes for each basket, and small-batch examples with real times.

Quick answer:

• Take about 25°F off the oven temperature and start checking at roughly three quarters of the bake time.
• Pick a pan with half an inch of air all around it. A 6-inch round fits most 4-quart baskets.
• Bake in small batches, tent the top with foil if it browns early, and never preheat with loose parchment in the basket.

What an Air Fryer Bakes Well (and What It Doesn’t)

An air fryer is a small countertop convection oven. Convection means a fan blows hot air around the food. In an air fryer, that fan sits very close to the food in a tight space, so it bakes fast and needs a few recipe changes.

Here is what an air fryer bakes well:

• Small cakes: a 6-inch layer, a snack cake or a mug-size cake in a custard cup.
• Cookies: four to six at a time, from fresh or frozen dough.
• Muffins and cupcakes: in silicone cups or a small muffin pan.
• Quick breads: banana bread or cornbread in a mini loaf pan.
• Yeast bread: dinner rolls, a mini loaf, cinnamon rolls, flatbread and small pizzas.
• Fruit desserts: crisps, cobblers and baked apples in ramekins.

What it does not do well is anything big. A 9 x 13 sheet cake, a full loaf of sandwich bread or a tray of 24 cookies belongs in an oven. If you need more room, read our guide to the best small ovens and toaster ovens for baking in small kitchens.

How an Air Fryer Bakes Differently From an Oven

Three things change when you move a recipe from the oven to the basket.

The heat comes from above. The heating coil sits right over the food, often only 2 to 3 inches away. Tops brown and set before the middle is done. This is the main reason air fryer cakes crack or dome.

The fan blows hard. Moving air cooks faster than still air at the same setting. It is the same reason we tell you to lower the heat when you bake cookies in a convection oven. The fan can also lift light things, like empty parchment or a loose foil sheet.

The space is small. Smaller space means faster preheating and less wasted heat. It also means you bake in small batches and the pan must leave room for air to move.

So you bake a little cooler, check a little earlier and protect the top. The small space also helps your power bill, since a 4-quart basket heats far faster than a full oven. See our list of the most energy-efficient small kitchen appliances for more on that.

What Temperature Do You Bake at in an Air Fryer?

Our rule is simple: lower the oven temperature by about 25°F, and start checking at about three quarters of the time. That means checking 20 to 25 percent sooner than the recipe says.

If a recipe says 350°F for 30 minutes, set the air fryer to 325°F and check at about 22 minutes. If it is not done, add 2 to 3 minutes at a time until it is.

Then adjust for the pan. Dark pans brown faster. Glass and ceramic heat slower and may need a few extra minutes.

Recipe says (oven)	Set the air fryer to	Start checking at	Typical small-batch time
325°F, 40 min (dense cake)	300°F	30 min	25 to 35 min in a 6-inch pan
350°F, 30 min (layer cake)	325°F	22 min	20 to 28 min in a 6-inch pan
350°F, 25 min (brownies)	325°F	18 min	18 to 24 min in a 6-inch pan
350°F, 10 min (cookies)	325°F	6 min	6 to 8 min
375°F, 20 min (muffins)	350°F	12 min	12 to 16 min in cups
375°F, 15 min (dinner rolls)	350°F	10 min	10 to 14 min
400°F, 12 min (biscuits)	375°F	8 min	8 to 11 min

Times in the last column are for small pans, not the full recipe. If you are cutting a recipe down to fit, our guide to scaling down recipes for one shows how to handle the eggs and the spoon math.

Do You Preheat an Air Fryer for Baking?

Yes. Preheat for 3 to 5 minutes at the baking temperature. A cold start gives you flat cookies and gummy cake bottoms. If your model has no preheat button, run it empty for 3 minutes.

Check the Real Temperature Once

Air fryer dials are not always accurate. Some run 15 to 25°F hot or cold. Put a small Taylor 2.5-Inch Dial Oven Thermometer in the basket, set 325°F, and read it after 10 minutes. Its 2.5-inch dial fits where a big oven thermometer will not. Now you know how far off your machine runs.

What Pans Fit in an Air Fryer?

Any oven-safe pan works if it fits with room to spare. That includes metal, ceramic and silicone. Use glass only if its maker says it is safe in an air fryer. Leave about half an inch of air around the pan so the hot air can move down its sides.

Measure the flat floor of your basket, not the top rim, because most baskets taper. Subtract about an inch. That is the widest pan you should buy. Then check the height: you want the top of the batter at least 2 inches below the heating coil after it rises.

Basket size	Floor width (typical)	Pans that fit	Good for
2 to 2.6 quarts	about 6 inches	Two 6-ounce custard cups	Single cakes, crisps, 2 to 3 cookies
3.5 to 4 quarts	about 7 to 8 inches	6-inch round pan, 6-inch cake barrel, three custard cups	Small layer cakes, 4 cookies, 4 rolls
5.5 to 6 quarts	about 8 to 9 inches	7-inch round pan or cake barrel, two mini loaf pans	Snack cakes, 6 cookies, a small pizza
Dual-basket models	each side about 6 to 7 inches	One 6-inch pan or cups per side	Two different bakes at once

Pans and Kits We Recommend

For most 4-quart and 5-quart baskets, start with the Universal Air Fryer Accessories 6-Inch Cake Barrel and Pizza Pan, 2-Piece Set. A cake barrel is a deep round pan with a handle, so you can lift it out of a hot basket. This budget set fits 3.2 to 5.8-quart air fryers.

If you own a 5.8 or 6-quart basket, spend a little more on the COSORI Air Fryer Accessories XL, Set of 6. It includes a cake pan, a pizza pan and a rack with skewers, all nonstick and dishwasher safe.

For better cakes, use straight-sided pans. The Fat Daddio’s Anodized Aluminum Round Cake Pans, 6 x 2 Inch come as a pair. Light aluminum heats evenly without over-browning the sides, and the straight 2-inch walls give clean layers.

For quick breads and mini loaves, the USA Pan Bakeware Nonstick Mini Loaf Pan, Set of 4 is a smart buy because the four pans are separate. Each is about 6.1 x 3.6 inches, so one or two drop into a basket. For the full list of bakeware sizes that suit small spaces, see compact baking sheet and pan sizes for small kitchens.

Can You Bake a Cake in an Air Fryer?

Yes, and a small cake is where an air fryer shines. A 6-inch round holds a little more than half of an 8-inch layer recipe. That is two to four slices, which is right for one or two people.

Here is how we bake a 6-inch cake from an 8-inch recipe.

1. Make half the batter. Grease the pan and line the bottom with a circle of parchment cut to fit.
2. Fill the pan about half to two-thirds full. Any extra batter goes into a custard cup as a bonus mini cake.
3. Preheat the air fryer to 325°F (the recipe said 350°F).
4. Set the pan in the basket and bake for 15 minutes.
5. Look at the top. If it is already golden, lay a piece of foil loosely over the pan. Tuck the edges under the pan rim so the fan cannot lift it.
6. Bake 5 to 10 minutes more. A toothpick in the center should come out with a few dry crumbs.
7. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a rack.

Lift the pan out with heat-resistant gloves, not a thin towel. A pair like the Ekogrips Max Heat Silicone Gloves lets you grip the pan rim inside the basket, and silicone wipes clean of batter. We compare more options in our guide to heat-resistant gloves for cooking.

Can You Bake a Small Cake in an Air Fryer?

Yes. For one serving, use a 6-ounce oven-safe ceramic ramekin or custard cup. That size is right for a single molten chocolate cake, a cup of bread pudding or a mini fruit crisp. Pick ceramic or metal over glass, since many glass bakeware makers do not rate their dishes for the direct, close heat of an air fryer.

Fill each cup halfway and bake at 325°F for 10 to 14 minutes. Ceramic needs care: let the cups come to room temperature before they go in. When they come out, set them on a dry towel or trivet, never a cold wet counter.

Why Air Fryer Cakes Dome and Crack

Doming happens when the top sets before the middle has risen. The fix is the 25°F drop plus foil once the top colors. A pan filled more than two-thirds full also domes, because the batter rises close to the coil. If your cakes still peak, drop another 10°F and bake a few minutes longer.

Can You Bake Cookies in an Air Fryer?

Yes. Cookies are the easiest air fryer bake. Here is the method for chocolate chip cookies:

1. Scoop dough into balls of about 1 tablespoon each. Chill them for 20 minutes if the dough is soft.
2. Preheat to 325°F (the recipe said 350°F).
3. Set the dough balls about 2 inches apart. Four fit in most 4-quart baskets.
4. Bake 6 to 8 minutes. The edges should be golden and the centers still soft.
5. Leave them in the basket for 2 to 3 minutes before you move them. They firm up as they cool.

Frozen cookie dough works the same way. Add 1 to 2 minutes. Our favorite solo trick: freeze a full batch of dough balls and bake four at a time. Keep them in a freezer bag or one of the best airtight food storage containers, and they keep for about 3 months. It is a good way to cook for one without wasting food.

Can You Bake Cookies in an Air Fryer Without Parchment?

Yes. Spray the basket or crisper plate lightly with oil, then put the dough right on it. Firm doughs work best: chocolate chip, peanut butter, oatmeal and shortbread. Our guide to the best oil for an air fryer explains which ones handle the heat.

Very soft dough, like a thin sugar cookie, can sag into the holes of a basket. For those, use a small pan, a silicone liner or perforated parchment.

For parchment, the Katbite Air Fryer Parchment Paper Liners, 7.5 Inch come as 120 round sheets with small holes. The holes let air reach the bottom of the cookie, so the base browns instead of steaming. They fit 3.5 to 3.7-quart baskets. Always put the dough on the paper first, then the paper in the preheated basket.

If you would rather skip paper, the Air Fryer Silicone Liners Pot, 2 Pack is reusable. Each round pot is 8 inches across the top and 6.75 inches at the bottom, made for 3 to 5-quart baskets. Bottoms brown a little less on silicone, so add a minute. For the rest of the cleanup, see how to clean an air fryer basket.

Can You Bake Bread in an Air Fryer?

Yes. Quick breads and yeast breads both work, as long as you keep the size small.

Quick bread rises with baking soda or baking powder, not yeast. Banana bread, cornbread and muffins all fit here. Bake them in a mini loaf pan at 325°F. A mini banana loaf takes about 20 to 28 minutes. Cover the top with foil after 15 minutes, because the sugar in the batter browns fast.

Flatbreads and small pizzas are the fastest bread bakes. A 6-inch pizza on a pizza pan takes about 7 to 9 minutes at 375°F. For leftover slices, our guide on how to reheat pizza covers that job too.

Can You Bake Bread in an Air Fryer With Yeast?

Yes. The rise happens outside the air fryer, and the bake happens inside. For a batch of four dinner rolls:

1. Make your dough as the recipe says and let it rise once until doubled.
2. Shape four rolls of about 2 ounces each. Set them in a greased 6-inch pan or cake barrel, close but not touching.
3. Cover and let them rise again for 30 to 45 minutes, until puffy.
4. Preheat the air fryer to 350°F (the recipe said 375°F).
5. Brush the tops with egg or milk. Bake 10 to 14 minutes.
6. If the tops get dark before 10 minutes, lay foil over them for the rest of the bake.

The surest way to know bread is done is to check its inside temperature. Soft rolls and enriched breads, which have butter, eggs or milk, are done at about 190°F. Lean breads, like a plain white or crusty loaf, are done at about 200°F to 210°F. A fast instant-read thermometer like the ThermoWorks ThermoPop 2 gives you a reading in a few seconds, so the basket is not open long.

Bread dough is also where weighing helps most. Two-ounce rolls are hard to eyeball. A small, flat scale like the Escali Primo Digital Kitchen Scale slides into a drawer and weighs up to 11 pounds. Ready for bigger loaves? See our guide to bread proofing baskets.

One limit: a full 9 x 5 sandwich loaf is too tall for most baskets. The top sits too close to the coil and burns before the middle bakes. Stick to rolls, mini loaves and flat shapes.

Small-Batch Bakes That Work Well

These are the bakes we would make first, with settings already lowered.

Bake	Pan	Air fryer setting	Time	Done when
Fudgy brownies (half of an 8 x 8 recipe)	6-inch round, lined	325°F	18 to 24 min	Toothpick has moist crumbs
Blueberry muffins (4)	Silicone or paper cups	350°F	12 to 16 min	Tops spring back
Apple crisp for two	Two 6-ounce custard cups	325°F	15 to 18 min	Bubbling, top golden
Molten chocolate cake	One 6-ounce custard cup	375°F	8 to 10 min	Edges set, center soft
Mini banana bread	One mini loaf pan	325°F	20 to 28 min	Toothpick clean
Canned or homemade biscuits (4)	Basket or parchment round	325°F	8 to 11 min	Golden top and sides
Cinnamon rolls (4)	6-inch pan or cake barrel	325°F	10 to 14 min	190°F in the center
Chocolate chip cookies (4)	Parchment round or basket	325°F	6 to 8 min	Golden edges, soft center

The molten cake runs hotter on purpose. You want the outside set and the middle still soft, so a short, hot bake is right.

Cutting full recipes down is the main skill here. Halve the flour, sugar and fat by weight. For eggs, beat one egg and use half of it, which is about 2 tablespoons. Our easy meal prep ideas for one person pair nicely with a few frozen dough balls.

Air Fryer vs Oven: How the Results Compare

Here is how the results compare for small batches.

What you notice	Air fryer	Regular oven
Preheat time	3 to 5 minutes	10 to 15 minutes
Bake time	About 20 to 25 percent shorter	As the recipe says
Top crust	Browns fast; can dome or crack	Even browning
Cookie texture	Crisp edges, soft centers	Even crispness across the tray
Cake crumb	Slightly drier edges	Even, moist crumb
Batch size	4 cookies, one 6-inch cake	Two full trays or a 9 x 13 pan
Heat in the kitchen	Very little	Warms the whole room
Energy for one small pan	Low	High for the amount of food

Our verdict: for one to four servings, the air fryer wins on speed, energy and heat. For a birthday cake, a full loaf or holiday cookies, use the oven. If you are choosing between a basket model and an oven-style one, our NuWave oven vs air fryers comparison covers the trade-offs.

Parchment, Foil and Silicone: What Is Safe in the Basket

These three liners all work, but each has one rule you must follow.

Parchment paper. Never put parchment in the basket without food on it, and never preheat with loose parchment inside. The fan lifts it into the heating coil, where it can scorch or catch fire. Put the dough or food on the paper first, then place it in the preheated basket.

Foil. Foil is safe if it is weighed down or tucked in. Use it to cover a cake top or to make a sling, a folded strip under a pan that helps you lift it out. Never cover the whole basket floor with it. That blocks the air flow and makes the bottom of your bake pale and soggy.

Silicone. Silicone liners and cups are safe at normal baking heat and do not fly around. Check that yours is rated for at least the top heat you bake at.

Two more rules. Do not use a pan that touches the heating coil. And do not use plastic or paper plates, which melt or burn.

Which Air Fryer Is Best for Baking in a Small Kitchen?

For baking, basket size matters more than features. A bigger basket fits a bigger pan.

For one person with very little counter space, the Cosori Lite 2.1-Quart Air Fryer is small enough to tuck away. It handles cakes in custard cups and a few cookies. The Dash Tasti-Crisp 2.6-Quart is a budget option with a little more room. Neither fits a 6-inch pan well, so they are for cups and cookies.

For most solo cooks and couples, a 4-quart basket is the sweet spot. It takes a 6-inch pan and four rolls. The Ninja Air Fryer AF101, 4-Quart has a nonstick basket and crisper plate that go in the dishwasher. The COSORI Lite 4.0-Quart Smart Air Fryer is a similar size with app control, so you can set a timer from your phone.

For bigger bakes, step up to 5.5 or 6 quarts. The Ninja Air Fryer XL AF150AMZ, 5.5-Quart takes a 7-inch pan or two mini loaves. If you can spend more, the Cosori TurboBlaze 6-Quart Air Fryer runs from 90°F to 450°F.

For more side-by-side choices, see our roundup of the best air fryers under 100 and our list of the best small kitchen appliances for cooking for one.

Where to Put the Air Fryer When You Bake

An air fryer gets hot and pushes hot air out of a vent at the back. Bake with it on an open counter, with several inches of clear space on every side. Follow the clearance in your manual.

Never run it inside a cabinet, on a lower shelf of a rolling cart, or tucked under the upper cabinets. The steam and heat damage the cabinet bottoms and can trap heat around the machine. If it lives under the cabinets, slide it out onto open counter before you turn it on.

Short on room to set it up? Our guide to making more counter space in a small kitchen has ideas. When you are done baking, the right home for it is covered in how to store small appliances in a small kitchen.

Don’t Make These Air Fryer Baking Mistakes

• Using the oven temperature. The top burns and the middle stays raw. Always drop about 25°F.
• Skipping the preheat. Cookies spread flat and cakes get dense bottoms. Preheat for 3 to 5 minutes.
• Filling the pan too full. The batter rises into the coil zone and burns. Fill pans half to two-thirds full.
• Using a pan that fits too tightly. No air flows down the sides, so the edges stay pale. Leave half an inch all around.
• Preheating with parchment inside. The fan throws it into the coil. Add parchment only with food on it.
• Opening the basket every minute. Each time, the heat drops. Check once at the three-quarter mark, then every 2 to 3 minutes.
• Baking a full-size recipe. Too much batter in a deep pan bakes unevenly. Cut the recipe to fit.
• Running it under the cabinets. Bake on an open counter with air all around it.

Store Your Air Fryer Baking Gear Without Losing a Cabinet

Air fryer bakeware is small, which makes it easy to store. The trick is keeping it together so you can find it.

Nest the cake barrel, pizza pan and 6-inch pans inside each other. Then stand the stack upright in a cabinet with a lid rack or file sorter. Keep parchment rounds and silicone liners in a flat bin in a drawer. Our guide to organizing kitchen drawers in a small kitchen shows how to divide one drawer for small baking tools.

Store the custard cups stacked in the same cabinet. Put the oven thermometer and instant-read thermometer in a small cup so they do not roll. For more on fitting baking gear into a tight kitchen, see how to bake in a small kitchen without extra counter space and our list of space-saving baking tool essentials. Our guide to the best bakeware for small kitchens covers the pans worth owning for your regular oven too.

Related Guides

• How to Cook Frozen French Fries in an Air Fryer
• How to Stock a Small Kitchen for Solo Cooking
• Small Kitchen Gadgets Worth Buying When You Cook for One
• Best Cookware Sizes for Cooking for One
• How to Reduce Kitchen Energy Use in a Small Apartment
• Why Baking Sheets Warp in the Oven
• Best Bakeware Sets

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you bake a cake in an air fryer?

Yes. Use a 6-inch or 7-inch round pan that leaves about half an inch of space around it in the basket. Bake at 25°F below the recipe temperature and start checking at about three quarters of the time. Cover the top loosely with foil if it browns before the middle is set.

Can you bake cookies in an air fryer without parchment?

Yes. Spray the basket or crisper plate lightly with oil, or bake the dough on a small greased pan or a silicone liner. Firm doughs like peanut butter and chocolate chip work best. Very soft dough can sag into the holes, so chill it for 20 minutes first.

Can you bake bread in an air fryer with yeast?

Yes. Let the dough rise on the counter as normal, then bake rolls or a mini loaf at about 325°F to 350°F. Small rolls take about 10 to 15 minutes. The bread is done when the middle reads 190°F to 200°F on an instant-read thermometer.

What temperature do you bake at in an air fryer?

Take the oven temperature from the recipe and lower it by about 25°F. A cake that bakes at 350°F in an oven goes in at 325°F. Then start checking for doneness about 20 to 25 percent sooner than the recipe says.

What pans fit in an air fryer?

Any oven-safe metal, ceramic or silicone pan that leaves about half an inch of air around it. Most 4-quart baskets take a 6-inch round pan, most 5.5 to 6-quart baskets take a 7-inch pan, and small 2-quart baskets fit ramekins or custard cups.