Can you put aluminum foil in an air fryer? Yes! Here’s how…

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Over the last few years, air fryers have become incredibly popular! People are using them to make their favorite foods more healthily. They’re easy to use, and they make reheating leftovers 10x better. If you recently bought an air fryer or got one as a gift, you’ve probably got a bunch of questions. Today we’ll help you with one of the most common questions…

If you recently bought an air fryer or got one as a gift, then you’ve probably got a bunch of questions. 

Today we’re going to help you with one of the most common questions…

Can you put foil in an air fryer?

You can use foil in an air fryer as long as you do it the right way! Air fryers use hot air as a heating element instead of radiating heat so it won’t cause any issues with the foil. Put a layer of foil in the bottom of the basket in your air fryer where your food sits in (not the bottom of the air fryer itself). 

The best part of using aluminum foil in your air fryer is that it makes cleaning up 10x easier.

New to air fryer cooking? Check out our master list of healthy air fryer recipes that you might want to try!

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Can you Put Aluminum Foil in an Air Fryer?

It’s common knowledge that you can’t use foil in a microwave unless you want to set it on fire. The radiating heating element will cause sparks to fly and you’ll blow it up. It makes sense to want to make sure that won’t happen with your air fryer. 

Unlike a traditional oven, air fryers use air as a heating element instead of radiating heat, and they also don’t hit as high of a temperature while air frying that would cause the foil to light on fire or melt. 

This is good news because it means you can put foil in an air fryer! Put a small amount of foil in the bottom of the basket, but make sure you don’t cover your food. The less foil you use, the more airflow you’ll have! Make sure you don’t put the foil in the bottom of the air fryer.

This will allow the circulating air to still work as a heating element but reduce your cleanup.

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Step by Step: How to Safely Put Foil in your Air Fryer

Step 1: Get a piece of foil

Get your piece of foil and cut out how much you think you’ll need. The way we do this is by holding our foil roll and pulling the foil until it covers the basket by an inch on either side. Then we use scissors to cut the foil long-ways. 

Step 2: Place the foil inside the basket

Tear off your piece of foil and place it in the bottom of the air fryer basket. Press it down to the bottom and make it so that there’s a half inch “lip” on the edge. This will keep any oil from your food from dripping off the sides. 

Step 3: Use the least amount of aluminum foil necessary for best results

The goal with an air fryer oven is to use circulating hot air as a heating element to “air fry” the food. Using aluminum foil in the air fryer limits the amount of hot air that can hit the bottom of your food and this could result in unevenly cooked food. 

The best thing you can do with air frying is use the least amount of aluminum foil as possible. This will allow for more air circulation. 

Step 4: Add food in, but don’t overcrowd the basket with food

This final step is similar to above. Using aluminum foil limits the airflow that reaches your food. 

Make sure that your basket is not overcrowded and full of food. You want as much surface area of your food to be exposed. This might mean that you have to cook your food in multiple batches.  

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Avoid These 3 Mistakes When Using Foil In An Air Fryer

1. You can poke holes in the aluminum foil, but that would be dumb

Some people on the internet recommend that you poke holes in your aluminum foil when using it.

I get why. This allows a bit more airflow for your food.

But it’s dumb because it defeats the entire purpose of using aluminum foil. If you poke holes, then oil/food will drip down into the bottom of the air fryer through all the holes. Using tin foil prevents that which is what saves you the clean-up time.

2. Don’t use foil with acidic foods

Normally, avoid cooking acidic foods with aluminum foil in your air fryer unit. Acidic foil is fine. Acidic foods react with aluminum, so you avoid putting foil with these foods.

The high acidity of certain foods can actually cause a reaction between the food and the aluminum foil, resulting in weird black specks. This can cause some health issues if you eat these tiny foil metals.

3. Don’t put foil in the bottom of the air fryer container

Sometimes people will put tin foil in the bottom so you can have the air fryer catching the drippings and oil. The problem is that this can mess up the flow and your food won’t be cooked properly.

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Common Questions on Using Foil with your Air Fryer

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6 Quick Tips for Cooking in an Air Fryer

• • Preheat your air fryer: Preheating your air fryer will save you time while preparing your food to be cooked! This way, when you put the food in, your air fryer will already be at the right temperature. If you have an older air fryer model that doesn’t have a preheat setting, turn it to your desired temperature and let it run for 3-4 minutes before putting your food in. 

• • Use oil to crisp up your food: Deep-fried food tastes so good because you’re dunking it in oil. An air fryer is a healthier option. If you want to try to get that yummy crispiness on your food, then drizzle some oil in your food before cooking. We recommend using oils with a higher heat point, like avocado or grapeseed oil. If you’re cooking food that is already fatty, then you probably don’t need to add oil.

• • Add water to the bottom when cooking fatty food: If you put foil in your air fryer, then you probably don’t need to do this. But whenever food bits or oil drips down into the bottom of the air fryer, it can get burned and create some smoke in the air fryer. If you add some water to the bottom of your air fryer then this won’t be an issue! 

• • Spray your basket of your air fryer or foil to avoid food sticking: Putting a thin layer of oil on your basket or foil can help keep your food from sticking! The last thing you want to do is leave the good crispy layer of food on your foil or the non stick surface of your air fryer.. 

• • Shake your basket or flip the food halfway: We recommend flipping your food halfway through your cooking time! This is exactly what you’d do if you were grilling a burger or baking brussels sprouts. The goal is to expose each side of your food to the hot air. This is especially important if you’re using foil because it limits the air circulation. 

• • Spray in the middle of your cooking: If you want to get your food extra crispy, we recommend opening the air fryer halfway through your cooking and giving it oil spray. We usually do this whenever we flip the food, like we suggested in step 5. 

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Final Verdict: Get to Cooking! Feel Confident and Safe Using Foil in an Air Fryer

Now that you know you can safely use foil in an air fryer, it’s time to get cooking! Remember to use a small layer of foil in the bottom of your basket and turn your food halfway. 

Make sure to give our air fryer turkey burgers a try!