Quick answer: To convert an oven recipe to an air fryer, lower the temperature by about 20°C and cut the cooking time by 20–25%, then check the food early. A recipe that says 180°C fan (200°C conventional, gas mark 6) becomes roughly 160–170°C in the air fryer: use 170°C for chips, potatoes and meat you want crisp, and 160°C for cakes, pastry and anything that browns quickly. So 180°C fan for 30 minutes becomes about 170°C for 22–24 minutes.
Most UK recipes and food packs only give oven instructions, and the advice online contradicts itself: some charts take 20°C off the fan temperature, others barely change it. Here’s a clear way to convert any recipe, with a chart for every common oven temperature and gas mark, and the exceptions that need different treatment.
What Is 180 Fan in an Air Fryer?
180°C fan is about 160–170°C in an air fryer. A fan oven and an air fryer both cook with circulating hot air, but an air fryer’s fan is much stronger and its heating element sits just above the food. That intense airflow browns and crisps the surface faster, so you need slightly less heat and less time for the same result.
Here’s why the advice online disagrees. One popular rule says “take 20°C off the oven temperature”. If you apply it to a conventional oven temperature (200°C), you get 180°C. If you apply it to a fan temperature (180°C), you get 160°C. Both are reasonable starting points, so the honest answer is the range in between. Start at 170°C for most savoury food, drop to 160°C for bakes, and check early.
Want it done for you? Our oven to air fryer converter gives a starting temperature and time for any recipe.
Oven to Air Fryer Temperature Conversion Chart
Find the temperature your recipe gives, whether it’s fan, conventional or gas, and read across.
| Fan oven | Conventional oven | Gas mark | Air fryer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 140°C | 160°C / 320°F | 2–3 | 120–130°C |
| 150°C | 170°C / 340°F | 3 | 130–140°C |
| 160°C | 180°C / 350°F | 4 | 140–150°C |
| 170°C | 190°C / 375°F | 5 | 150–160°C |
| 180°C | 200°C / 400°F | 6 | 160–170°C |
| 190°C | 210°C / 410°F | 6–7 | 170–180°C |
| 200°C | 220°C / 425°F | 7 | 180–190°C |
| 220°C | 240°C / 465°F | 9 | 200°C (most air fryers’ maximum) |
Many air fryers only go up to 200°C. If a recipe needs a very hot oven, set the maximum and add a few minutes.
Oven to Air Fryer Time Conversion Chart
Cut the oven time by 20–25%, then check at about two-thirds of the new time.
| Oven time | Air fryer time | First check at |
|---|---|---|
| 10 minutes | 7–8 minutes | 5 minutes |
| 15 minutes | 11–12 minutes | 8 minutes |
| 20 minutes | 15–16 minutes | 10 minutes |
| 25 minutes | 19–20 minutes | 13 minutes |
| 30 minutes | 22–24 minutes | 15 minutes |
| 40 minutes | 30–32 minutes | 20 minutes |
| 45 minutes | 34–36 minutes | 23 minutes |
| 60 minutes | 45–48 minutes | 30 minutes |
Cooking something specific? Our air fryer cooking time calculator has tested times for fresh and frozen food, so you don’t have to convert at all.
How to Convert Any Oven Recipe to an Air Fryer
- Work out the fan temperature. If the recipe gives a conventional temperature, take 20°C off. If it gives a gas mark, use the chart above.
- Set the air fryer 10–20°C lower than the fan temperature. Use the smaller drop for food you want crisp, and the bigger drop for cakes, pastry, cheese toppings and anything sugary.
- Cut the time by 20–25%. Multiply the oven time by 0.75–0.8.
- Use a single layer. Recipes written for a big oven tray often need splitting into two batches. Overcrowding cancels out the time you save.
- Shake or turn halfway. The top of the food gets the most heat, so turn chips, wedges, chicken and vegetables at the halfway point.
- Check early, then finish by eye or thermometer. Chicken should reach at least 74–75°C in the thickest part.
- Write down what worked. Air fryers vary, so note your final time and temperature on the recipe for next time.
Most of the time you don’t need to preheat. For food that does benefit from it, like frozen chips, steak and pastry, here’s when to preheat an air fryer.
Converting Frozen Food Instructions
Many frozen food packs now include air fryer instructions, and they’re the best place to start. When a pack only gives oven times:
- Use the fan oven temperature, or 10°C lower for breaded food that browns fast.
- Start checking at half the oven time. Instant Pot’s UK guidance suggests frozen food can need around 50% less time than the oven, because thin, pre-cooked frozen items crisp very quickly in an air fryer.
- Don’t add oil: frozen chips and coated food are already oiled. Our guide to how much oil to use in an air fryer explains which foods need it.
Examples with tested times: frozen chips, nuggets and fish fingers, frozen Yorkshire puddings and pigs in blankets.
Conversion Tips by Type of Food
Chicken and meat
Use the standard rule (about 20°C lower than conventional, 20–25% less time) and always check the centre. Fatty cuts like chicken thighs and sausages need no added oil. See tested times for chicken breast, chicken thighs, pork chops and steak.
Potatoes and vegetables
These like the hotter end of the range. Start at the fan temperature or 10°C below, and shake every 5–10 minutes. Our roast potatoes and baked potato guides give times by size.
Cakes, brownies and bakes
Drop the temperature by the full 20°C from fan, as the top browns before the middle sets. Cover loosely with foil if it darkens too fast, and test with a skewer. Use a tin that fits with a gap around it for airflow. Read air fryer desserts for more, and check which dishes are safe in an air fryer before you bake.
Pastry and pies
Cook at 160–170°C and check the base is cooked through. A sheet of foil over the top for the first half stops the lid burning. Here’s how to use foil safely in an air fryer.
Recipes that don’t convert well
- Wet batters, like tempura or beer batter, drip through the basket before they set.
- Large casseroles and stews need a deep dish the basket can’t hold.
- Big joints of meat that come within a few centimetres of the heating element will burn on top.
- Traybakes for a crowd, which take several batches and lose the time saving.
Not sure your air fryer is big enough for the recipe? See what size air fryer you need.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is 180 fan in an air fryer?
180°C fan is about 160–170°C in an air fryer. Use 170°C for savoury food you want crisp and 160°C for cakes and pastry, and reduce the cooking time by 20–25%.
What is 200 degrees in an oven in an air fryer?
200°C in a conventional oven is the same as 180°C fan, so use about 160–170°C in an air fryer. If the recipe says 200°C fan, use about 180–190°C.
How do you convert oven time to air fryer time?
Multiply the oven time by 0.75–0.8, which is a 20–25% reduction. A 30-minute oven recipe takes about 22–24 minutes in an air fryer. Check the food at around two-thirds of that time.
What is gas mark 6 in an air fryer?
Gas mark 6 is 200°C conventional or 180°C fan, which is about 160–170°C in an air fryer.
Is an air fryer the same as a fan oven?
They work the same way, with hot circulating air, but an air fryer is much smaller with a stronger fan and the heat source right above the food. That’s why it cooks faster and needs a slightly lower temperature than a fan oven.
Do you need to reduce the temperature for frozen food in an air fryer?
Usually not by much. Follow the pack’s air fryer instructions if it has them. Otherwise use the fan oven temperature, or 10°C lower for breaded food, and start checking at half the oven time.
More guides: air fryer vs oven running costs · how air fryers work · reheating times · food not crispy?
