Baking Time and Temperature Converter
Enter your baking recipe's oven settings to get air fryer settings tuned for baked goods.
Baking at 350°F or 180°C? Those temperatures have their own detailed pages: 350°F to air fryer and 180°C to air fryer.
Why Baking Conversion Is Different
The standard oven to air fryer rule drops the temperature by 25°F and the time by 20%. Baked goods break that rule in one important way: the fast moving air browns their sugary surfaces much faster than it cooks their centres. Follow the standard rule with a cake and you get a dark top over a wet middle. Baking conversion therefore drops the temperature further, usually 25 to 40°F below the oven setting, and keeps more of the original time. A cake baked at 350°F for 30 minutes in the oven does best around 310°F for 25 to 26 minutes in the air fryer.
Five Rules for Air Fryer Baking
First, size down. Use a tin that fits your basket with air space around it; 6 and 7 inch round tins and small loaf tins are the workhorses. Second, never use the standard time cut on cakes; cut only 10 to 15% and rely on the skewer test. Third, keep foil handy and lay a piece loosely on top the moment the surface looks done before the centre is. Fourth, skip preheating for cakes and brownies; a cold start gives the batter time to rise before the crust sets. Fifth, resist opening the drawer during the first two thirds of the bake, since the temperature drop can sink a rising sponge.
For non baking dishes the standard rules on the air fryer conversion chart apply, and the main calculator has a Baked Goods mode that applies the gentler baking multipliers automatically.
Baking Conversion Chart: Oven vs Air Fryer
Typical conversions for common bakes. Times assume small tins that fit a standard basket.
| Bake | Oven Setting | Air Fryer Setting | Tip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sponge cake (7 inch) | 350°F / 30 min | 310°F / 25 min | Cold start, foil on top at first colour |
| Cupcakes or muffins | 350°F / 20 min | 320°F / 14 min | Silicone cases, bake in batches of 4 to 6 |
| Cookies | 350°F / 12 min | 320°F / 8 min | Line the basket with perforated parchment |
| Brownies (small tin) | 350°F / 30 min | 310°F / 24 min | Underbake slightly for fudgy centres |
| Bread rolls | 375°F / 20 min | 340°F / 14 min | Space apart, brush with milk for colour |
| Small loaf | 375°F / 40 min | 340°F / 32 min | Foil for the last 10 minutes if darkening |
| Shortcrust pie | 400°F / 35 min | 360°F / 26 min | Blind bake the base first for crispness |
Always confirm doneness with a skewer for cakes and loaves. Every model bakes a little differently.
Baking to Air Fryer: Frequently Asked Questions
Reduce the oven temperature by 25 to 40°F (15 to 20°C) and the baking time by only 10 to 15%. Baked goods brown fast under moving air, so they need a bigger temperature drop and a smaller time cut than roasted foods.
Basket air fryers fit tins up to about 7 or 8 inches, so bake a standard recipe as two smaller layers or halve the batter. Oven style air fryers fit larger tins. Never fill a tin more than two thirds, since air fryer bakes rise enthusiastically.
The temperature was too high, which is what happens when the standard minus 25°F rule is applied to cakes. Drop the temperature further, to 30 or 40°F below the oven setting, start cold, and cover the top loosely with foil as soon as it reaches the colour you want.
Yes, very well. Bake at about 320°F on perforated parchment, in small batches so the dough balls have room to spread, for roughly 8 minutes. They firm up as they cool, so take them out while the centres still look slightly soft.