12 Air Fryer Lunch Ideas
Toasted sandwiches, wraps and quick plates for one or two.
Published by the RecipeAirFryer editorial team · How we source times · Updated
Times and temperatures come from our reviewed cooking database. Explanatory text on each page is generated from that entry so the numbers stay consistent.
Illustration generated to show a typical finished result. It is not a photograph of a specific batch we cooked.
Lunch has to be fast or it does not happen. An air fryer suits it because it heats in two minutes, cooks a single portion without wasting energy on an empty oven, and turns out toasted sandwiches and wraps with a crunch a microwave cannot touch.
All 12 air fryer lunch ideas
Air Fryer Bagels
180°C · 8-10 min
Soft, chewy bagels with a golden crust, made as a quick small batch in the air fryer. Great for breakfast sandwiches or cream cheese. Cooks at 180°C / 350°F for 8-10 min. Ingredients, method, and starting-point times for a domestic air fryer.
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Air Fryer Breakfast Sandwich
180°C · 6-9 min
A hot breakfast sandwich with egg, cheese and your choice of bacon or sausage, all made quickly in the air fryer. Cooks at 180°C / 350°F for 6-9 min. Ingredients, method, and starting-point times for a domestic air fryer.
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Air Fryer Burrito
190°C · 8-10 min
A stuffed tortilla packed with beans, rice, cheese and beef, crisped in the air fryer for a shatteringly crunchy shell. No soggy wraps here, just a golden crust around a warm, melty filling. Cooks at 190°C / 375°F for 8-10 min. Ingredients, method, and starting-point times for a domestic air fryer.
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Air Fryer Flatbread Pizza
180°C · 6-8 min
Crisp flatbread pizza with bubbling cheese and a quick cook time. Perfect when you want pizza flavour with almost no effort. Cooks at 180°C / 350°F for 6-8 min. Ingredients, method, and starting-point times for a domestic air fryer.
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Air Fryer French Bread Pizza
180°C · 6-8 min
Crispy-edged French bread pizza with bubbling cheese and a soft middle. An easy lunch, snack or speedy dinner. Cooks at 180°C / 350°F for 6-8 min. Ingredients, method, and starting-point times for a domestic air fryer.
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Air Fryer Mini Pizzas
180°C · 6-8 min
Small personal pizzas with crisp bases and bubbling cheese, perfect for kids, quick lunches or custom topping nights. Cooks at 180°C / 350°F for 6-8 min. Ingredients, method, and starting-point times for a domestic air fryer.
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Air Fryer Naan Pizza
180°C · 6-8 min
Fast naan pizzas with crisp edges, chewy middles and bubbling cheese. One of the quickest meals you can make in the air fryer. Cooks at 180°C / 350°F for 6-8 min. Ingredients, method, and starting-point times for a domestic air fryer.
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Air Fryer Pizza Bagels
180°C · 6-8 min
Split bagels loaded with sauce, cheese and pepperoni turn into crisp, melty pizza bites in minutes. The air fryer toasts the base while bubbling the cheese, making these an unbeatable after-school snack. Cooks at 180°C / 360°F for 6-8 min. Ingredients, method, and starting-point times for a domestic air fryer.
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Air Fryer Quesadillas
180°C · 6-8 min
Crisp tortillas with gooey melted cheese and endless filling options. An ultra-fast lunch, snack or lazy dinner. Cooks at 180°C / 350°F for 6-8 min. Ingredients, method, and starting-point times for a domestic air fryer.
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Air Fryer Tuna Melt
180°C · 6-8 min
Creamy tuna mayo piled onto bread and topped with bubbling cheese, toasted open-faced until golden. The air fryer melts the cheese while crisping the base for a diner-style melt at home. Cooks at 180°C / 360°F for 6-8 min. Ingredients, method, and starting-point times for a domestic air fryer.
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Grilled Cheese in the Air Fryer
180°C · 6-8 min
Cook a grilled cheese in an air fryer at 180°C / 350°F for 6-8 minutes, flipping halfway, until the bread is golden and the cheese has melted. Ingredients, method and starting times for a domestic air fryer.
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Hot Dogs in the Air Fryer
190°C · 6-8 min
Cook hot dogs in an air fryer at 190°C / 375°F for 6-8 minutes, turning halfway, until the skins blister. Ingredients, method and starting times for a domestic air fryer.
Read moreToasted sandwiches without a press
Butter the outside of the bread, not the inside, and cook at 180°C / 360°F for 6-8 minutes, flipping halfway. The butter on the outside is what fries the surface into a crust.
The one hazard is the fan lifting the top slice off a loosely built sandwich. Either weigh it down with a small ovenproof dish, or press the edges together firmly before it goes in.
Cooking for one without waste
Running a full oven for one portion is where most home energy goes to waste. An air fryer at a fifth of the internal volume gets to temperature in a tenth of the time, which is why it is measurably cheaper for single servings.
It also handles awkward single portions well: one jacket potato, one salmon fillet, half a tray of vegetables. None of those justify heating a full oven.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can you make for lunch in an air fryer?
Toasted sandwiches, quesadillas, wraps, jacket potatoes, halloumi, breaded chicken for a salad, and reheated leftovers. Anything single-portion that benefits from being crisp.
Can you make a toasted sandwich in an air fryer?
Yes. Butter the outside of the bread, cook at 180°C / 360°F for 6-8 minutes and flip halfway. Press the edges together or weigh the top down so the fan does not lift the bread.
Is an air fryer cheaper than an oven for one portion?
Considerably. It has a fraction of the internal volume to heat and reaches temperature in about two minutes rather than fifteen, so a single-portion lunch uses far less electricity.
Can you reheat leftovers for lunch in an air fryer?
Yes, and it is the best way to do it for anything that was crisp originally. 3-4 minutes at 160-180°C / 320-360°F. Add foil over the top for anything that might dry out.