Air Fryer Conversion Chart for Australian Ovens
The working rule for converting an oven recipe to an air fryer is drop the temperature by 20°C and cut the time by about 20%. A tray that needed 200°C for 30 minutes becomes roughly 180°C for 24 minutes.
Then check it five minutes early, because air fryers are small, the fan is aggressive, and every model runs slightly differently.
Use the Air Fryer Conversion Calculator, enter the oven temperature and time from the recipe, and get the air fryer starting point.
Temperature conversion chart
| Conventional oven | Air fryer temperature | 30 min becomes | 45 min becomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 150°C | 130°C | 24 min | 36 min |
| 160°C | 140°C | 24 min | 36 min |
| 170°C | 150°C | 24 min | 36 min |
| 180°C | 160°C | 24 min | 36 min |
| 190°C | 170°C | 24 min | 36 min |
| 200°C | 180°C | 24 min | 36 min |
| 210°C | 190°C | 24 min | 36 min |
| 220°C | 200°C | 24 min | 36 min |
| 230°C | 210°C | 24 min | 36 min |
Time reduction is a flat 20%. Check at 15% and pull it early if it's done.
The fan-forced trap
Australian recipes are inconsistent about whether the temperature given is conventional or fan-forced. The standard convention is that fan-forced runs 20°C lower than conventional for the same result.
An air fryer is a small, fast fan oven. So:
- Recipe gives a conventional temperature: subtract 20°C and cut time by 20%.
- Recipe gives a fan-forced temperature: keep the temperature the same and cut time by 15% to 20%.
Subtracting 20°C from an already fan-forced temperature is the most common conversion mistake, and it's why people end up with pale, sad chips.
Cook times for common foods
These are straight air fryer settings, no conversion needed. Start checking at the lower end of each range.
| Food | Temperature | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frozen chips | 200°C | 15 to 20 min | Shake twice, single layer |
| Fresh potato wedges, oiled | 190°C | 20 to 25 min | Shake at halfway |
| Roast potato chunks | 190°C | 20 to 25 min | Parboil first for a fluffier middle |
| Pumpkin or carrot chunks | 190°C | 18 to 22 min | Toss in oil |
| Chicken wings | 190°C | 20 to 25 min | Turn halfway |
| Chicken breast, 200g | 180°C | 16 to 20 min | Cook to 75°C internal |
| Chicken thigh fillets | 190°C | 15 to 18 min | Cook to 75°C internal |
| Whole chicken, 1.5kg | 160°C | 50 to 60 min | Breast down first, then turn |
| Sausages | 180°C | 12 to 15 min | Turn once |
| Bacon | 180°C | 7 to 10 min | Watch it, it goes fast |
| Steak, 2.5cm thick | 200°C | 8 to 12 min | Depends entirely on doneness, use a probe |
| Salmon fillet | 180°C | 8 to 12 min | Skin side down |
| Frozen fish fingers | 190°C | 10 to 12 min | Turn once |
| Party pies and sausage rolls | 180°C | 12 to 15 min | From frozen |
| Spring rolls | 180°C | 12 to 15 min | From frozen |
| Halloumi | 190°C | 8 to 10 min | Turn once |
| Reheating pizza | 160°C | 3 to 5 min | Crisps the base properly |
| Toasting nuts | 150°C | 5 to 8 min | Shake every 2 min, they burn fast |
Every air fryer runs differently. Treat these as starting points and check early the first time you make something.
Chicken and food safety
Air fryers brown the outside fast, which makes undercooked chicken look convincingly done. Food Standards Australia New Zealand recommends cooking poultry to 75°C internal temperature, and mince and rolled or stuffed meats to the same. Whole cuts of beef and lamb can safely be served rarer because the risk is on the surface.
A $20 instant-read probe removes the guessing entirely. Measure the thickest part, away from bone.
What still beats any chart
Thickness, not weight
A 200g flat chicken breast and a 200g thick one cook in different times. Butterfly thick pieces or bash them to even thickness and the chart becomes accurate.
Don't crowd the basket
Air fryers work by moving hot air around food. Pile it up and the middle steams instead of crisping. A single layer with gaps is the difference between crisp and soggy. Two smaller batches genuinely beat one big one.
Shake or turn
Halfway through, for anything loose like chips, wedges or vegetables. For flat items, flip once.
Preheat for the short stuff
Three minutes is enough. It matters for steak, salmon and anything under 10 minutes. For a 40 minute roast it makes no real difference.
Oil
A light spray or a teaspoon tossed through does a lot for browning. Frozen chips already have oil on them and don't need more. Don't use aerosol cooking sprays with propellants on non-stick baskets, they degrade the coating over time. A pump oil sprayer is better.
What doesn't convert well
- Wet batter. It drips off before it sets. Breadcrumbs and dry coatings are fine, beer batter isn't.
- Large roasts. A 2kg leg of lamb won't fit in most baskets and cooks unevenly if it does.
- Cakes and delicate bakes. The top gets blasted before the middle sets. Drop another 10°C to 20°C, extend the time, and cover loosely with foil for the first half.
- Anything with a lot of liquid. Casseroles and braises need a covered dish, and at that point you've just built a slow oven.
- Loose light items. Baking paper with nothing on it, or a slice of bread on top of nothing, will get sucked into the element. Always weigh paper down with food.
Packet instructions
Frozen supermarket food usually gives conventional oven instructions on the back. Apply the same rule: 20°C lower, 20% less time. Increasingly Australian brands print air fryer instructions directly on the pack, and where they do, use those instead, since they've been tested on the actual product.
Basket size and batch maths
Air fryer capacity is quoted in litres, and it maps roughly to servings:
- 2L to 3.5L: one to two people. One chicken breast plus a handful of chips.
- 4L to 5.5L: two to three people. The most common household size.
- 6L to 8L: family of four in one go, or a whole small chicken.
- Dual basket 8L to 11L: two things at different settings, which solves the "protein and chips finish at different times" problem.
Anything you cook in two batches takes longer overall than the oven would have. For a full tray of roast vegetables for six, the oven still wins.
Related tools
- Air Fryer Conversion Calculator for temperature and time conversions
- Unit Converter for grams, millilitres, Fahrenheit and cups
- Rice to Water Calculator for the other kitchen ratio people get wrong
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert an oven recipe to an air fryer?
Drop the temperature by 20 degrees Celsius and cut the cooking time by about 20%. A recipe calling for 200 degrees for 30 minutes becomes roughly 180 degrees for 24 minutes. Check five minutes before the converted time.
Do I subtract 20 degrees if the recipe is already fan-forced?
No. An air fryer is a small fan oven, so a fan-forced temperature transfers across unchanged. Just cut the time by 15% to 20%. Subtracting twice is the most common conversion mistake.
What temperature should chicken reach in an air fryer?
75 degrees Celsius internal, as recommended by Food Standards Australia New Zealand for poultry. Air fryers brown the outside quickly, so colour is an unreliable guide. Use an instant-read probe in the thickest part, away from bone.
Why are my air fryer chips soggy?
Almost always overcrowding. Air fryers cook by moving hot air around the food, so a piled basket steams instead of crisping. Cook in a single layer with gaps, shake twice, and do two batches instead of one.
Can I bake a cake in an air fryer?
Yes, but drop another 10 to 20 degrees below the normal conversion and extend the time, because the fan blasts the top before the centre sets. Cover loosely with foil for the first half of the bake.