Let us get one thing out of the way: no chart can tell you the exact second dinner is done while you walk away and forget about it. Air fryers cook differently, and so do a thin chicken cutlet and a thick chicken breast. This air fryer cooking times chart gives you a sensible place to start for the food size and shape listed.
The numbers below reflect current manufacturer guidance and widely used basket-air-fryer methods. Start checking at the early end, use your model's manual when it says something different, and let safe internal temperature decide when raw meat is finished. Browning and crispness are where personal preference gets a vote.
How to use this air fryer cooking times chart
Match the food as closely as you can. “Chicken breast” is not specific enough by itself, which is why the chart calls out an even-thickness 4-to-8-ounce piece. If yours is thicker, crowded into the basket, or still partly frozen, it will not follow the same clock.
Preheat only when your model, package, or recipe calls for it. Turn or shake the food when the chart says to, but do not assume every food needs the same treatment. Philips notes that presets and instructions vary by model and that cooking time may need to change with the amount of food.
Air fryer cooking times chart for chicken
| Food and form | Temperature | Start checking | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boneless breast, even thickness, 4 to 8 ounces | 375°F to 400°F | 10 minutes | Usually 10 to 15 minutes; flip once; 165°F |
| Fresh split wings | 390°F to 400°F | 18 minutes | Usually 18 to 25 minutes; turn halfway; 165°F |
| Raw, unbreaded tenderloins | 375°F to 400°F | 8 minutes | Usually 8 to 12 minutes; 165°F |
| Boneless chicken thighs | 375°F to 400°F | 14 minutes | Usually 14 to 20 minutes; 165°F |
| Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs | 380°F to 400°F | 20 minutes | Usually 20 to 25 minutes; 165°F |
Breading changes the timing, so raw breaded tenders should follow a recipe written for that coating. Frozen tenders need the package directions because some are raw and others are already fully cooked. For an exact FFOL recipe with a known amount and shape, the butterflied Air Fryer Chicken Breast uses four 6-ounce breasts and its own directions.
Beef and pork air fryer starting times
| Food and form | Temperature | Start checking | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beef burgers, 4-ounce patties | 375°F to 400°F | 8 minutes | Usually 8 to 12 minutes; flip once; 160°F |
| Beef steak, about 1 inch thick | 400°F | 10 minutes | Usually 10 to 13 minutes; flip once; see safety note below |
| Thin or streaky bacon | 400°F | 5 minutes | Usually 5 to 7 minutes; check early for preferred crispness |
| Thick-cut or back bacon | 350°F to 360°F | 8 minutes | Usually 8 to 10 minutes; check early for preferred crispness |
| Fully cooked hot dogs | 400°F | 4 minutes | Usually 4 to 6 minutes; package directions win |
Keep bacon in a manageable batch and watch for smoke. Ribs are not in this general table on purpose. A small rack cooked just to a safe temperature and ribs cooked until very tender are two different jobs, so use a specific recipe instead of one suspiciously neat number.
Sides, breakfast, and baking times
| Food and form | Temperature | Start checking | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jicama fries, pre-boiled ¼-inch sticks | 400°F | 15 minutes | Shake every 5 minutes; follow the linked FFOL method |
| Refrigerated tube biscuits | 360°F | 8 minutes | Usually 8 to 10 minutes; check the center |
| French toast sticks | 400°F | 10 minutes | Turn or rotate at 5 minutes |
| Small chilled homemade cookie-dough portions | 320°F to 330°F | 7 minutes | Usually 7 to 12 minutes; size changes the time |
| Refrigerated ready-to-bake cookie rounds | 300°F | 11 minutes | Usually about 13 minutes; follow the package if provided |
| Shallow cake, about 7 to 7½ inches | 340°F to 350°F | 20 minutes | Usually 20 to 30 minutes; check the center with a toothpick |
The jicama row is deliberately specific. FFOL's Air Fryer Jicama Fries are cut to ¼ inch, boiled for five to six minutes, dried, and then air fried. Raw thick-cut jicama is not the same thing and should not inherit that time.
Hard-cooked eggs, focaccia, garlic knots, and generic garlic bread are also missing from this chart on purpose. Egg results vary with starting temperature and the machine's hot spots. Bread and cake timing changes sharply with thickness, pan size, and cooking mode. A recipe written for the exact form is more useful than a wide range that only looks authoritative.
What about frozen food?
Use the air-fryer directions on the package when they are available. Some frozen foods that look cooked are still raw or not ready to eat, so FoodSafety.gov advises following the package directions and checking the final temperature. That matters with frozen chicken because one bag may contain fully cooked pieces while another contains raw poultry.
If the package does not include air-fryer instructions, check your model's manual and begin with a comparable manufacturer setting. Cook in a single layer when the product calls for it, shake or turn only when directed, and verify the center. A generic “frozen food” row cannot account for product size, breading, whether it is raw, or how densely the basket is loaded.
Food safety and personal preference
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Time tells you when to check. A thermometer tells you whether raw meat is safe. The federal safe-minimum temperature chart calls for 165°F for all poultry, including ground poultry; 160°F for ground beef, pork, lamb, and veal; and 145°F followed by a three-minute rest for whole cuts of beef, pork, lamb, and veal. Raw eggs should cook until the yolk and white are firm.
Once food is safely cooked, preference matters. You may want another minute on bacon, wings, cookies, or fries for deeper color and more crunch. Add time in small increments so “a little crispier” does not turn into “well, I guess we are ordering pizza.”
Why this air fryer cooking times chart can vary
Model power, basket shape, food thickness, starting temperature, and the amount in the basket all change the result. That is also why a newer high-powered air fryer may finish before an older recipe says it will. Check at the early end the first time and write down what worked in your machine.
If you are converting a regular oven recipe, use the Air Fryer Conversion Chart and calculator. If you are still learning what all the buttons do, start with How to Use an Air Fryer.
Sources behind the chart
The starting points were checked against current guidance from Instant's air fryer timetable, Philips model and preset guidance, and current manufacturer recipes for specific food forms. Frozen-food safety follows FoodSafety.gov's package-cooking guidance. Safe finish temperatures come from its federal temperature chart.