To preheat an air fryer, set it to your cooking temperature and run it empty for 2 to 6 minutes, using the longer end for bigger baskets and higher heat. Most foods come out crispier for it, though there are a few you can skip.

New to your air fryer? My full guide on how to use an air fryer and my tips for how to clean an air fryer are worth a read too.

Air fryers all heat a little differently depending on the brand, the size, and the wattage, so a recipe that says “preheat” doesn’t always tell you how or for how long. This guide covers exactly that, plus the times you don’t need to bother.

Do you need to preheat an air fryer?

Most of the time, yes. A hot basket is what gives you that crisp exterior, the same way a preheated oven does. Anything you want crispy, breaded, or browned does better going into a basket that’s already hot.

Thicker raw and frozen cuts benefit the most. Things like air fryer bone-in chicken breasts and frozen ribeye steak cook more evenly when the air fryer is already up to temperature.

When you can skip preheating

You don’t have to preheat for everything, and sometimes it’s better not to. You can skip it in these situations:

• Reheating leftovers like pizza or fries doesn’t need a preheat, since you’re just warming them back up.
• Thin, quick-cooking foods like small frozen snacks cook so fast that the air fryer heats up before they would need it anyway.
• Delicate foods like fish fillets and juicy cutlets can dry out if they hit a blast of hot air right away.
• Foods you want to cook low and slow, like baked potatoes, do better easing up to temperature so they stay moist inside.

When in doubt with a crispy food, preheat. When you’re reheating or cooking something delicate, don’t stress about it.

How to preheat an air fryer

Check for a preheat button first. Some air fryers have a preheat setting built in, and some don’t. If yours does, you can use it. If not, it’s just as easy to do it yourself.

Set the temperature and leave the basket in. Set the air fryer to whatever temperature your recipe calls for, with the basket in place. Many models won’t even run with the basket out.

Run it empty, then add your food. Turn the empty air fryer on for a few minutes (see the chart below), then put your food in and reset the timer for the cook time.

How long to preheat an air fryer

How long depends on the temperature you’re cooking at and how big your air fryer is. Use the shorter time for small baskets and the longer time for big air fryer ovens:

• 300°F and below: 2 to 3 minutes
• 300 to 350°F: 3 to 4 minutes
• 350 to 400°F: 5 to 6 minutes

How do I know when it’s preheated?

If your air fryer has a preheat button, it runs on a timer rather than reading the actual inside temperature, so it will beep or signal when that time is up. If yours doesn’t have one, just run it empty for the time in the chart above and it’ll be ready.

Do I preheat with the basket in or out?

Leave the basket in. A lot of models won’t turn on with it out, and the basket needs to heat up along with everything else.

Can I preheat with parchment paper inside?

No, and this one matters. Parchment paper needs food on top to weigh it down. With nothing holding it, the moving air can lift it up into the heating element, where it can burn. Add your parchment round only when you add the food. A silicone basket is heavy enough to stay put, so that one is fine to preheat with. You can read more in my guide to air fryer parchment paper.

What happens if you don’t preheat

Your food is still perfectly fine to eat, the same as starting the oven cold. But a few things change:

• The food takes longer to cook.
• The outside doesn’t get as crispy.
• If you’re cooking in batches, the first batch runs long and later ones can overcook if you aren’t watching.
• The food can cook unevenly.
• The recipe’s timing may be off, since every air fryer heats at a different speed. One model might hit 350°F in 3 minutes while a lower-wattage one takes 5.

My take on preheating

I own and love the Cosori 6 Qt Turbo Blaze Air Fryer, and it has a preheat button, but I don’t actually use it. I’d rather just run the air fryer for the time I need and put my food in, because the button shuts the machine off once it’s preheated, and I’m not always standing in the kitchen the second it’s ready.

Either way, I always preheat before I cook, and my food comes out crispy every time. It’s like a hot deep fryer without the oil, or a preheated oven. A quick warm-up is all it takes.

Other foods worth preheating for

A hot basket helps a lot of things, not just meat. A few I always preheat for:

• Roasted air fryer carrots
• Air fryer salmon
• Air fryer lava cakes
• Frozen foods in the air fryer

More air fryer help

• 6 Mistakes You’re Making With Your Air Fryer
• Can You Put Glass in an Air Fryer?
• How to Use Oil in the Air Fryer

And when you’re ready to cook, here are 65 easy air fryer dinner recipes to dig into.