Take an oven recipe and get a sensible air-fryer starting point. The rule is a lower temperature and a shorter time, because an air fryer is a small fan oven that runs hot and fast.
Fan or conventional, either works.
The rules used here: drop the temperature by 20°C (about 35°F) and cut the time by roughly 20 per cent, multiplying by 0.8. These are starting points, not gospel. Air fryers run hotter and cook faster than their dial suggests and every model differs, so check a few minutes early, shake or turn the food, and go by how it looks rather than the clock. Preheat if your model asks for it. This does not suit large, wet bakes such as a full cake or anything with a lot of loose liquid, which want a real oven.
How do you do an oven to air fryer temperature conversion?
Drop the conventional oven temperature by about 20°C (roughly 35°F). The air fryer is a small fan oven, so it reaches the food faster and needs a lower setting.
How much shorter is the air fryer cooking time?
Cut the oven time by roughly 20 per cent, which is what multiplying by 0.8 does. Start checking well before that, since air fryers cook fast and every model runs differently.
Can you convert any recipe to an air fryer?
Most roasted and crisped foods convert well. Large wet bakes such as a full cake want a real oven. For the oven side of the same job, see the oven temperature converter and the guide to reheating leftovers safely.