450°F Oven to Air Fryer: Use 425°F
Drop the temperature by 25°F and cut the time by 20% as a starting point.
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.
If a recipe says 450°F, set a typical basket air fryer to 425°F (218°C / 425°F) and plan on about 80% of the oven time. At this oven setting people usually cook pizza, naan, preheated-steel recipes. The 20% rule is a starting point; If your air fryer maxes out at 400°F, use 400°F and check early rather than inventing a hotter setting.
How to convert 450°F to an air fryer
- 1Read the oven recipe: it calls for 450°F (232°C / 450°F).
- 2Preheat the air fryer to 425°F (218°C / 425°F), not 450°F.
- 3Multiply the oven minutes by 0.8. Example: pizza that would bake 10 minutes at 450°F becomes about 8 minutes at 425°F, watching the cheese.
- 4Cook in a single layer and check early. If your air fryer maxes out at 400°F, use 400°F and check early rather than inventing a hotter setting.
Conversion chart
| Oven time at 450°F | Air fryer time at 425°F |
|---|---|
| 10 min | 8 min |
| 15 min | 12 min |
| 20 min | 16 min |
| 25 min | 20 min |
| 30 min | 24 min |
| 40 min | 32 min |
| 45 min | 36 min |
| 60 min | 48 min |
What 450°F is usually used for
In a conventional oven, 450°F is the setting for pizza, naan, preheated-steel recipes. Converting that heat without thinking about the food is why people burn cookies or undercook a joint.
Worked example: pizza that would bake 10 minutes at 450°F. In the air fryer that is about 8 minutes at 425°F, watching the cheese.
Why the temperature drops
An oven heats mostly by radiation from its elements and by slow convection. An air fryer is a small chamber with a fan driving air across the food at speed, so heat transfers into the surface much faster at the same dial setting.
That is why 450°F in an air fryer would over-brown the outside before the middle caught up. Setting it to 425°F instead gives you the same finish in less time.
What to watch at 425°F
If your air fryer maxes out at 400°F, use 400°F and check early rather than inventing a hotter setting.
Dense items such as a whole chicken may need close to the original oven time because heat still has to travel to the centre. Go by internal temperature, not only the converted clock.
Gas mark 8 in an air fryer
450°F is roughly gas mark 8. If your recipe is written in gas marks, convert to 232°C / 450°F first, then apply the same drop to get 218°C / 425°F in the air fryer.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is 450°F in an air fryer?
425°F, which is 218°C / 425°F. Reduce the cooking time by about 20% as well, then check early.
What foods are usually cooked at 450°F?
pizza, naan, preheated-steel recipes. Example conversion: pizza that would bake 10 minutes at 450°F becomes about 8 minutes at 425°F, watching the cheese in the air fryer.
Why not just use 450°F in the air fryer?
You can, but the outside will brown or burn before the inside is cooked. The fan transfers heat into the food far faster than an oven does, so the lower setting gives a more even result.
Do I need to preheat the air fryer?
A 2-3 minute preheat helps for anything breaded, frozen or that you want crisp. For longer cooks it makes little difference.