Grill to Air Fryer Converter
Choose what kind of grilling your recipe means, then enter the time.
High heat oven recipes convert on the 450°F page, and everything else on the full conversion chart.
What "Grill" Means Changes the Conversion
Grill is the most ambiguous word in cooking. In American recipes it usually means the outdoor barbecue; "broil" means the oven's top element. In British, Irish and Australian recipes, the grill is that same top element inside the oven. The air fryer can stand in for all of them, but each converts a little differently, which is why the calculator asks which one your recipe means.
Broiler and UK grill recipes convert most directly: use the air fryer's maximum setting, usually 400°F, and keep roughly the same time, checking early. Both methods are about intense surface heat, and the air fryer's concentrated airflow at maximum does the same job with more evenness and no flipping the tray under the element. Direct barbecue recipes also run at maximum but need about 20% more time than the grill time, since the air fryer cannot match the raw ferocity of open flame. Indirect or lid down barbecue behaves like a hot convection oven, so 375°F with the time kept as written is the closest match.
What Transfers and What You Lose
Char marks and smoke are the honest casualties. An air fryer browns beautifully but cannot stripe a steak or add wood smoke. What transfers surprisingly well: chicken pieces, kebabs and skewers (cut to fit the basket), sausages, halloumi, corn on the cob, vegetables, and burgers, which cook evenly without flare ups. A light brush of the marinade in the last 3 minutes replicates the sticky glaze a barbecue builds, and a pinch of smoked paprika or a drop of liquid smoke in the marinade recovers most of the flavour gap.
Grill to Air Fryer Conversion Chart
Popular grilled foods with their air fryer equivalents.
| Food | Grill / Broiler | Air Fryer | Tip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burgers (fresh) | 8 to 10 min direct | 375°F / 10 to 12 min | No flare ups, flip once |
| Chicken kebabs | 12 to 15 min | 400°F / 12 to 14 min | Short skewers, turn halfway |
| Sausages | 12 to 15 min | 380°F / 12 to 15 min | Even colour without burst skins |
| Steak (1 inch) | 8 to 10 min direct | 400°F / 10 to 12 min | Preheat 3 min, rest after |
| Salmon fillets | 8 to 10 min broil | 400°F / 8 to 10 min | Skin down, no flipping |
| Corn on the cob | 10 to 12 min | 380°F / 12 to 14 min | Butter after, not before |
| Halloumi slices | 4 to 6 min | 400°F / 6 to 8 min | Parchment stops sticking |
| Cheese on toast / melts | 3 to 5 min under grill | 400°F / 4 to 5 min | Watch the last minute closely |
Broiler and UK grill rows assume food 3 to 4 inches under the element. Barbecue times assume direct medium high heat.
Grill to Air Fryer: Frequently Asked Questions
For oven broiler and UK grill recipes, use the air fryer's maximum setting, usually 400°F, and keep roughly the same time, checking a couple of minutes early. For direct barbecue recipes, use maximum heat and add about 20% more time.
For weeknight cooking, yes. Burgers cook evenly with no flare ups and steak comes out edge to edge medium with a browned crust after a 3 minute preheat. What the air fryer cannot give you is char stripes or smoke flavour, which is where a pinch of smoked paprika earns its place.
Broil is the American term and grill is the British term for the same thing: intense heat from the oven's top element. American recipes that say grill usually mean the outdoor barbecue instead. All three convert to the air fryer, but the barbecue needs extra time added.
Standard long skewers usually do not, but short bamboo skewers, cut down ones, or the small metal skewers sold as air fryer accessories work well. Soak bamboo for 20 minutes first, and turn skewers halfway through the cook.