Reference chart
Oven to Air Fryer Conversion Chart
By &Pixels, the studio that builds MyCalculator.to. Timings assume a preheated basket and a single layer, and are starting points rather than guarantees.
Temperatures, times, and the part most charts skip: how much the adjustment changes with how thick the food is.
How do you convert oven to air fryer?
Lower the temperature by 25F, about 15C, and cut the time by roughly 20 percent. An air fryer is a small convection oven, so moving air carries heat to the food faster than still air does, and the same dial setting cooks hotter than it would in an oven.
That rule is reliable for thin and frozen food and steadily less so as the food gets thicker. Fast air changes the surface, not the centre. A tray of fries is a third quicker; a whole chicken is barely fifteen percent quicker, because the heat still has to travel inward at its own pace.
Temperature conversion
| Oven | Air fryer |
|---|---|
| 250F / 120C | 225F / 110C |
| 300F / 150C | 275F / 135C |
| 325F / 160C | 300F / 150C |
| 350F / 175C | 325F / 160C |
| 375F / 190C | 350F / 175C |
| 400F / 205C | 375F / 190C |
| 425F / 220C | 400F / 205C |
| 450F / 230C | 425F / 220C |
The calculators behind this
Times by food
| Food | Oven | Air fryer | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frozen fries, nuggets | 425F, 20 to 25 min | 400F, 12 to 15 min | shake once |
| Chicken wings | 425F, 40 to 45 min | 400F, 22 to 26 min | turn halfway |
| Chicken breast, boneless | 400F, 22 to 26 min | 375F, 16 to 20 min | check 165F inside |
| Salmon fillet | 400F, 12 to 15 min | 375F, 8 to 11 min | skin side down |
| Roast vegetables, diced | 425F, 25 to 30 min | 400F, 15 to 18 min | single layer |
| Bacon | 400F, 15 to 18 min | 350F, 8 to 10 min | lower, or it smokes |
| Whole chicken, 4 lb | 375F, 75 to 90 min | 350F, 55 to 65 min | thickest cut, least saving |
| Cookies | 350F, 10 to 12 min | 325F, 6 to 8 min | watch closely |
Read the last two rows together. Cookies save almost half their time and a whole chicken saves under a fifth, and the difference is thickness, not the machine.
How to convert a recipe
- Drop the temperature by 25F. About 15C. The moving air transfers heat faster than still air, so the same dial setting cooks hotter.
- Cut the time by about 20 percent. A quarter for thin or frozen food, closer to a tenth for anything thick, which is where most charts mislead.
- Leave space around the food. A single layer with gaps. A crowded basket is just a small oven, and the timings stop applying.
- Check early, at about 70 percent. Air fryers vary more than ovens do. The first time you cook something, the chart is a starting point.
- Judge doneness by temperature, not time. Chicken at 165F, and let the number decide rather than the clock.
For one conversion rather than the whole table, the air fryer conversion calculator takes a temperature and time and gives you both adjusted. If you are picking a cooking fat to go with it, the smoke point guide is worth a look, because an air fryer runs hotter at the surface than the dial suggests and that is exactly where an oil smokes.
Formula & Methodology
Did you know? An air fryer is a convection oven with a small chamber and a strong fan. The name comes from the result rather than the method: there is no frying and no oil bath, only fast air drying and browning the surface the way hot fat would.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service, safe minimum internal temperatures
- The Culinary Institute of America, The Professional Chef, on convection heat transfer
- Manufacturer guidance for basket-style air fryers on preheating and single-layer loading