Eat well
Air fryers: are they healthier for cooking than other methods?
Air fryers have become a popular cooking method – but are they healthier? BHF Senior Dietitian Tracy Parker explains how they work, if they can make foods like roast potatoes, sausages and bacon lower in fat.
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Why are more people buying air fryers?
Air fryers have become hugely popular in the last few years. Lots of people now use them instead of their oven, hob, deep‑fat fryer or even their microwave for everyday meals.
Part of the appeal is cost – once you’ve bought one, an air fryer can be cheap to run, especially if you’re cooking for 1 or 2 people. They heat up quickly, cook fast and use far less energy than a full‑size oven.
They’re also advertised as a healthier way to cook, because they can make food crisp and golden with very little oil.
For many households, that mix of saving money and healthier feeling meals makes air fryers sound like a bit of a must-have gadget. But are they really as good as they sound?
How does an air fryer work?
An air fryer cooks with heat just like a conventional oven, fan oven or gas oven - but it moves that heat much faster.
Conventional electric ovens and gas ovens heat without a fan, so cooking is slower and less even. A fan (convection) oven circulates hot air, allowing for faster and more even cooking.
An air fryer is basically a small turbo-charged fan oven. It has a powerful heating element at the top, which heats the air to temperatures between 175°C to 205°C.
A high-speed fan (up to 70mph) blows hot air around a perforated tray or basket. The holes in these allow the hot air to reach every surface of the food, giving an even cook and avoiding the hot spots you sometimes get in larger conventional and gas ovens.
The rapid airflow strips away moisture from the surface of the food, giving it a crispy finish, with little or no oil.
Most foods only need a teaspoon or a light spray to help them brown and prevent sticking. This is how an air fryer can mimic the crispy texture of deep-fried food using only hot air.
Because the cooking chamber is small and the heating element and fan are so close to the food, air fryers cook 20 to 25 per cent faster than a fan oven.
To convert oven cooking instructions (conventional, fan or gas) to air frying settings, you need to:
- reduce temperature by 20°C
- reduce cooking time by 20 to 30 per cent.
Is an air fryer a healthier way of cooking?
An air fryer can be a healthier way of cooking, but it depends on what you are making.
It’s healthier than deep frying and often healthier than oven cooking, because it uses far less oil. Instead of tablespoons or a whole pan of oil, only a teaspoon or a light spray is needed for crisping.
Foods that naturally contain fat, such as sausages, bacon, burgers or salmon, usually need no added oil at all because the air fryer circulates their own fat and allows the excess to drip away.
Turning 1kg of potatoes into air-fried chips for 4 people can be done with 1 tablespoon of oil, making them lower in fat than most oven chips, and a lot lower than deep-fried chips.
Less oil means fewer calories, which can be especially useful if you are managing your weight.
But it does not magically make unhealthy foods healthy. They do not remove fat, salt, or sugar that’s been added or is already in the food and they do not make processed food less processed.
Bacon, sausages or breaded chicken will still be high in saturated fat or salt, just cooked with less oil and may come out a little crispier.
And for some foods, an air fryer will not make a difference.
Chicken breast, salmon, poached eggs and steak are already cooked with little or no fat, so the air fryer does not make them healthier. It just cooks them more quickly and gives them a crispier texture.
Which foods are healthier cooked in an air fryer?
Food |
Healthier? |
Why? |
Time-saving? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jacket potato | No | Already oil-free | Yes – cooks faster than oven, crisp skin without long bake time |
| Roast potatoes | Yes | Uses far less oil |
Yes – quicker, lower energy use, crispier without long roasting |
| Homemade chips |
Yes | Uses far less oil | Yes – cooks faster than oven/fryer, crisps with little oil |
| Oven chips | Maybe | Already made with some oil, but no extra oil is needed |
Yes – cooks faster, no need to preheat /heat full oven |
| Sausages | Yes | Fat drains away | Yes – cooks faster, no need to heat full oven |
| Chicken breast |
No difference | Already lean | Yes – cooks quicker, stays juicier |
| Bacon (pan-fried) |
Yes | Fat drips off, no frying oil |
Yes – faster, no pan to heat |
| Salmon | No difference | Already healthy |
Yes – cooks in 8 to 10 min vs 15 to 20 in oven |
| Pork chops (pan-fried) |
Yes | No pan‑frying oil |
Yes – quicker, but still crisp edges |
| Homemade sweet potato fries |
Yes | Much less oil than deep frying |
Yes – cooks faster |
| Boiled eggs | No | Already healthy | Maybe – saves time if cooking multiple at once |
| Poached eggs |
No | Poaching already healthiest |
No – slower and fiddlier than stovetop |
| Burgers (pan-fried) |
Yes | Fat drains away | Yes – quicker, no pan heating, less shrinkage |
| Fish fingers | Yes | Less oil than oven/pan | Yes – cooks faster, still crispy |
| Roast beef | No difference | Same fat content | Yes – cooks faster for small joints |
| Steak | No difference |
Same fat content |
Maybe – quicker but pan‑searing is faster |
| Yorkshire pudding |
Yes | Uses less oil in tins | Yes – heats instantly, no long oven pre-heat |
Are air fryers cheaper to run than ovens?
Air fryers can be expensive to buy upfront, especially larger models.
But after the initial outlay, they are much cheaper to run than ovens, particularly if you’re cooking for one or two people. They pre-heat almost instantly and cook faster, so you’re using less energy.
If you are unsure if an air fryer is right for you, it’s worth checking out preowned options from places like your local BHF Home shop.
Many people buy an air fryer, try it once or twice, and realise they prefer their oven or microwave.
It’s worth remembering that microwaves are a healthy, fast and energy efficient way to cook too, but only for foods that do not need browning.
How different cooking methods compare
Appliance |
Cost to run |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Microwave | Cheapest | No browning, best for reheating |
| Air fryer | Cheaper than oven | Fast, efficient, crisps food |
| Electric oven | Most expensive | Large space, long preheat |
| Gas oven | Cheaper than electric oven, but more than air fryer |
Moist heat, slower cooking |
What low-fat air fryer recipes can I try?
If you want to get started using your air fryer, try these healthier twists on classic recipes:
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