Can You Bake Cookies in an Air Fryer? Tips, Time & Temperature

Yes, you can bake cookies in an air fryer. Based on our experience, a good starting point is to bake chilled cookie dough at 175–180°C for around 12–15 minutes in a preheated air fryer. The result can be cookies that are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

However, an air fryer doesn't bake cookies exactly like a conventional oven. You may need to adjust the temperature and baking time depending on your air fryer, cookie dough recipe and cookie size. We also recommend using baking paper and leaving enough space between the cookies to prevent them from sticking together.

If you have an oven available, we would still recommend using it for baking cookies. Based on our Founder's experience, an oven is generally better for larger batches and more consistent results. An air fryer is best used as a convenient alternative for small batches at home.

Before COTEME's cookie fries came about, our Founder experimented with baking chocolate chip, Earl Grey and Matcha cookies in an air fryer. Here's what he learned—including the recommended temperature, baking time and mistakes to avoid.

What Happened When We First Baked Cookies in an Air Fryer?

Our first attempt wasn’t perfect—the cookies burnt and stuck to each other. But instead of giving up, our Founder used that batch as a reference for the next attempt, adjusting the temperature and timing by baking them at a lower temperature for slightly longer.

That experience taught us an important lesson: baking cookies in an air fryer can take some experimentation. Every air fryer is different, and factors like your cookie dough recipe, cookie size, and dough temperature can all affect how quickly your cookies bake.

What Temperature Should You Bake Cookies in an Air Fryer?

Based on our Founder’s experience, 175–180°C is a good starting temperature. Starting at this range can help prevent your cookies from browning or burning too quickly while still giving them enough time to bake through properly.

One of the most common mistakes is using the same temperature and baking duration recommended for a conventional oven. Because an air fryer circulates heat differently, the same settings may not produce the same results—so it’s best to start here and adjust based on how your cookies turn out.

How Long Should You Bake Cookies in an Air Fryer?

Our recommended starting point is 12–15 minutes at 175–180°C. However, this should be treated as a starting point rather than a fixed rule, as the exact baking time can vary depending on your air fryer model and size, the size and thickness of your cookies, your cookie dough recipe, whether the dough has been chilled, and how your air fryer circulates heat. For your first batch, pay close attention to how the cookies turn out. Use the results as a reference and adjust the temperature or baking time for your next batch if needed.

Should You Preheat an Air Fryer Before Baking Cookies?

Yes, we recommend preheating your air fryer first. Preheating allows it to reach the desired temperature before you start baking, giving you a more consistent starting point.

If you're baking your cookies at 175–180°C for around 12–15 minutes, preheating can also make it easier to judge how your cookies respond to those settings and adjust future batches if needed.

Should You Chill Cookie Dough Before Air Frying?

Yes, we recommend chilling your cookie dough first. Based on our Founder’s experience, baking with unchilled dough can result in cookies that are more misshapen and harder in texture. Chilling the dough helps the cookies hold their shape better during baking, so we wouldn’t recommend skipping this step.

How Many Cookies Can You Bake at Once?

Should You Use Baking Paper in an Air Fryer?

Yes, we recommend using baking paper to help prevent your cookies from sticking to the tray. However, there’s one thing to watch out for: the corners of the baking paper can sometimes move and partially cover a cookie during baking.

When this happens, the covered area may come out lighter than the rest, making it look as though that section hasn’t baked properly. Before baking, make sure the paper is positioned securely and isn’t covering any part of your cookies.

How Do You Know When Air Fryer Cookies Are Done?

Based on our Founder’s experience, there are two signs to look for: golden-brown edges and a centre that no longer looks moist. These are useful visual indicators that your cookies are baked. Keep in mind that cookies can continue to set as they cool, so don’t judge them solely by how firm they feel immediately after taking them out of the air fryer.

Do Cookies Bake Differently in an Air Fryer Compared to an Oven?

Yes, they can. Based on our Founder’s experience, cookies tend to spread slightly slower in an air fryer than in a conventional oven, likely due to the way heat circulates during baking.

He also noticed a difference in texture when baking the same cookie dough using both methods. In his experience, oven-baked cookies tended to be harder, while air-fried cookies had a softer interior with a crispy exterior. Of course, these results are based on our own experience, and yours may vary depending on your dough recipe, ingredients, cookie size, air fryer, and other factors.

What Makes a Good Cookie?

For our Founder, a great cookie has a crispy exterior and a soft, melt-in-your-mouth interior. That’s why the air fryer results were particularly interesting: when freshly baked, the cookies delivered the combination of textures he personally looks for in a good cookie. However, texture isn’t the only factor that matters when choosing how to bake. Consistency, efficiency, and the ability to bake larger batches are important considerations too—especially when you’re baking more than just a few cookies at a time.

Is an Air Fryer Better Than an Oven for Baking Cookies?

Our honest opinion? No. If you have an oven, we recommend using the oven.

An air fryer can bake cookies successfully, but based on our Founder’s experience, he personally prefers using an oven. Ovens are better suited for baking larger quantities and achieving more consistent results. An air fryer is a useful alternative if you don’t have an oven or only want to bake a small batch, but it wouldn’t be our preferred method for serious or large-scale baking.

Would We Use an Air Fryer for Professional Cookie Baking?

No. We would only recommend using an air fryer for home baking. Professional baking requires consistency across multiple batches, and with an air fryer, you need to bake smaller batches repeatedly, which takes more time and can make it harder to achieve consistent results from one batch to the next. For professional cookie production, an oven is the more practical and efficient choice.

When Should You Bake Cookies in an Air Fryer?

An air fryer is a good option if:

• You don't have an oven
• You're baking a small batch at home
• You only need a few cookies at a time
• You want to experiment with a different baking method

If you're baking regularly, making large batches or looking for more consistent results, an oven is likely the better option.

Quick Tips for Baking Cookies in an Air Fryer

Here's a quick summary of what we learned from our experience:

• Preheat your air fryer before baking
• Start at around 175–180°C
• Bake for approximately 12–15 minutes
• Chill your cookie dough first
• Use baking paper to help prevent sticking
• Leave enough space between cookies
• Don't overcrowd the air fryer
• Don't automatically use the same temperature and timing as a conventional oven
• Watch out for baking paper moving and covering part of a cookie
• Look for golden-brown edges and a centre that no longer appears moist
• Adjust your temperature and baking time based on your first batch
  
  

Final Answer: Can You Bake Cookies in an Air Fryer?

Yes, you can bake cookies in an air fryer. Based on our Founder’s experience baking chocolate chip, Earl Grey, and Matcha cookies, an air fryer can produce cookies that are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. As a starting point, bake chilled cookie dough at 175–180°C for around 12–15 minutes in a preheated air fryer. Use baking paper and leave enough space between each cookie.

However, if you have an oven available, that would still be our recommendation. An oven is generally better for baking larger batches and achieving more consistent results. But if an air fryer is all you have, you can absolutely use it to bake cookies—just be prepared to experiment with the temperature and timing. After all, our first batch burnt and stuck together too.