Energy and running costs
The 15 Air Fryer Recipes That Use the Most Electricity
Published by the RecipeAirFryer editorial team · How we source times · Updated
The air fryer recipe that uses the most electricity is beef jerky, which runs for 210 minutes and costs up to £1.40 in the UK or 97.5¢ in the US. After that the list is roasts and slow cuts: pork shoulder, whole chicken, pulled pork. Even these cost less than the same cook in an electric oven.
Key findings
- Beef jerky is an outlier. The next longest recipe, pork shoulder, runs for 60 minutes and costs 41.5p (28.8¢).
- Only 21 of 304 recipes cook for 30 minutes or more.
- On the longest cooks the air fryer still uses 55% less energy than the oven, down from 67% on a 10-minute cook.
- A long cook at a low temperature overstates the cost most, because the element is off for much of the time.
- Pork Shoulder41.5p
- Whole Chicken38.2p
- Pulled Pork38.2p
- Turkey Breast34.9p
- Gammon Joint34.9p
- Baked Potato28.3p
- Corned Beef28.3p
- Duck Legs28.3p
- Pork Loin Roast28.3p
- Roast Beef27.0p
The 15 longest-running recipes
| Food | Air fryer time | Air fryer (UK) | Oven (UK) | Air fryer (US) | Oven (US) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beef Jerky | 210 min | £1.40 | £2.89 | 97.5¢ | $2.01 |
| Pork Shoulder | 60 min | 41.5p | 91.6p | 28.8¢ | 63.7¢ |
| Whole Chicken | 55 min | 38.2p | 85.0p | 26.5¢ | 59.1¢ |
| Pulled Pork | 55 min | 38.2p | 85.0p | 26.5¢ | 59.1¢ |
| Turkey Breast | 50 min | 34.9p | 78.4p | 24.3¢ | 54.6¢ |
| Gammon Joint | 50 min | 34.9p | 78.4p | 24.3¢ | 54.6¢ |
| Baked Potato | 40 min | 28.3p | 65.3p | 19.7¢ | 45.4¢ |
| Corned Beef | 40 min | 28.3p | 65.3p | 19.7¢ | 45.4¢ |
| Duck Legs | 40 min | 28.3p | 65.3p | 19.7¢ | 45.4¢ |
| Pork Loin Roast | 40 min | 28.3p | 65.3p | 19.7¢ | 45.4¢ |
| Roast Beef | 38 min | 27.0p | 62.6p | 18.8¢ | 43.6¢ |
| Turkey Legs | 35 min | 25.0p | 58.7p | 17.4¢ | 40.8¢ |
| Scalloped Potatoes | 35 min | 25.0p | 58.7p | 17.4¢ | 40.8¢ |
| Cornish Hen | 34 min | 24.3p | 57.4p | 16.9¢ | 39.9¢ |
| Hasselback Potatoes | 33 min | 23.7p | 56.1p | 16.5¢ | 39.0¢ |
Is a long cook still worth doing in an air fryer?
On energy alone, yes for a single basket. A 60-minute air fryer cook costs 41.5p against 91.6p for the oven equivalent.
The case weakens when the oven would be doing more than one job. A joint, a tray of potatoes and a tray of vegetables share one oven load, while the air fryer cooks them one after another. Beef jerky is the clearest example of a calculation that overstates: it runs at 80°C / 175°F, where the element is idle for most of the cook.
How these figures were worked out
Energy is calculated, not metered: rated wattage multiplied by minutes of use. The air fryer is taken as 1,500 W with a 3-minute preheat. The oven is taken as 2,400 W with a 12-minute preheat. These are the default figures in our running cost calculator.
Air fryer minutes come from the recipe page. Oven minutes are the air fryer minutes divided by 0.8, which is the site's standard conversion (an air fryer takes about 80% of the oven time).
Prices are 26.32p per kWh (Ofgem price cap, October to December 2026) and 18.31¢ per kWh (EIA U.S. residential average, July 2026). Standing charges and taxes other than those already in the unit rate are left out, because they do not change with how you cook.
Both appliances switch their element off and on once they reach temperature, so every figure here is an upper limit. The gap between the two is a fair guide; the absolute numbers on your bill will be lower. Check the rating plate on your own appliances and your own tariff, then use the calculator for a figure that fits your kitchen.
Sources
- Ofgem energy price cap, 1 October to 31 December 2026 (26.32p per kWh, GB average, Direct Debit)
- U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A (18.31 cents per kWh, U.S. residential average, July 2026)
You may quote these figures with a link to this page. If you spot an error, tell us through the contact page and we will correct it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does an air fryer use a lot of electricity?
Not per cook. The median recipe in our set cooks for 11 minutes, which is at most 9.2p or 6.4¢. Only long roasts get near 50p or 35 cents.
How much does it cost to run an air fryer for an hour?
A 1,500 W air fryer uses at most 1.5 kWh in an hour, which is 39.5p at the UK price cap and 27.5¢ at the US average rate. In practice the thermostat cuts that figure.
Is it cheaper to roast a chicken in an air fryer or an oven?
In an air fryer, by this calculation: 38.2p against 85.0p in the UK. That assumes the chicken is the only thing being cooked.