Do you need to preheat an air fryer?
An air fryer is much smaller than an oven, so it gets close to the set temperature in 1–3 minutes. That’s why most frozen foods and vegetables can go straight in without much difference in the result.
When preheating helps
- Foods that need a fast, crisp crust: breaded pork cutlets and frozen pizza. Without a preheat, the coating or base tends to turn soggy.
- Very short cook times (5 minutes or less): toast and reheating. The warm-up period is a big share of the total time.
When you can skip it
- Slow-cooking vegetables like sweet potatoes and potatoes
- Everyday frozen foods like dumplings and fries (just add 1–2 minutes)
How to preheat
Set the empty basket to your cooking temperature, run it for 3 minutes, then add the food.
How this site marks it
Each recipe’s at-a-glance panel says “Preheat 3 min” or “No preheat”. The times assume you follow that note.
Updated 2026-10-16