How Long to Bake Muffins in an Air Fryer: Time and Temperature Guide

Standard-size muffins bake in an air fryer at 300 to 325°F (150 to 165°C) for about 12 to 18 minutes. Mini muffins need 7 to 10 minutes and jumbo muffins about 18 to 25 minutes at the same setting. Set the air fryer about 25°F (about 15°C) lower than the recipe’s oven temperature, start checking 5 minutes before the shortest time, and take the muffins out when a toothpick in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.

Why does an air fryer need a lower temperature than an oven?

An air fryer is a small convection oven with a strong fan close to the food, so heat reaches the batter faster than in a regular oven. At a normal muffin temperature of 375 to 400°F (190 to 200°C), the tops brown and crack before the centers set, and you get a dark dome over raw batter.

Dropping the temperature by about 25°F gives the middle time to cook through while the outside colors. The same rule of thumb applies to a full-size fan oven, which our guide to baking in a convection or air-fry oven explains in more detail.

How long do mini, standard and jumbo muffins take in an air fryer?

Muffin size changes the time far more than the recipe does. These ranges suit basket and drawer air fryers set to 300 to 325°F (150 to 165°C):

• Mini muffins (about 1 tablespoon, 15 ml of batter each): 7 to 10 minutes.
• Standard muffins (about 1/4 to 1/3 cup, 60 to 80 ml of batter each): 12 to 18 minutes.
• Jumbo muffins (about 1/2 cup, 120 ml or more): 18 to 25 minutes, often at the lower end of the temperature range.

Dense batters with lots of fruit, grated vegetables or yogurt sit at the long end of each range. Light, plain batters finish sooner. For the matching oven times by size, see our muffin baking time and temperature chart.

What should you bake muffins in inside an air fryer?

Silicone muffin cups are the easiest choice, because they stand on their own, fit around the basket and release the muffins without greasing. A small metal or silicone muffin pan made for air fryers also works if it leaves at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) of space around the edges for air to move.

• Paper liners on their own tip over and can blow around, so set them inside silicone cups or use doubled foil cups.
• Foil cups heat up quickly, so check foil-cup muffins 2 minutes earlier.
• Glass and thick ceramic ramekins take longer to heat and may add several minutes.

Fill each cup about two thirds to three quarters full. Fuller cups rise into the heating element in small air fryers and scorch on top.

Should you preheat the air fryer for muffins?

Preheating for 3 to 5 minutes gives more even results, since the batter starts rising in steady heat. If your model skips preheating or you forget, add 1 to 3 minutes to the bake time and check as usual.

Place the cups in a single layer with a little space between them. Stacking cups or crowding the basket blocks the fan, and the muffins in the middle stay pale and underbaked. Most baskets hold 4 to 7 standard cups, so a 12-muffin recipe usually needs two batches. Keep the second batch of batter at room temperature and bake it right after the first; the baking powder in the batter will not lose much lift in 15 to 20 minutes.

How do you stop air fryer muffins from burning on top?

Dark tops with wet centers mean the heat is too high or the cups sit too close to the element. Try these fixes in order:

1. Lower the temperature to 300°F (150°C), or 280 to 290°F (about 140°C) for jumbo muffins.
2. Fill the cups less, so the tops sit further from the heat.
3. Lay a loose square of foil over the cups for the last third of the bake, after the tops have set. Make sure the fan cannot lift it into the element.
4. Skip heavy streusel or sugar toppings, which brown fast, or add them halfway through.

Some air fryers run hot or cool compared with the dial, so the first batch is the one to watch closely. Write down the setting and time that worked for your model.

How can you tell when air fryer muffins are done?

A toothpick or thin skewer pushed into the center of the largest muffin should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs, not wet batter. The top should spring back when pressed lightly, and the edges should pull away slightly from the cup.

An instant-read thermometer gives the surest answer: most muffins are fully baked at about 200 to 210°F (93 to 99°C) in the center. Egg muffins and other savory egg bakes follow different rules, so check our guide to egg muffin times by pan size for those.

Raw muffin batter contains uncooked flour and usually raw eggs, and FoodSafety.gov advises against eating either, so do not taste the batter to judge whether it is ready.

How do you adapt an oven muffin recipe for an air fryer?

Most muffin recipes work in an air fryer without changes to the batter. Adjust the heat and time instead:

1. Lower the oven temperature by about 25°F (about 15°C). A recipe set at 375°F (190°C) becomes 350°F (175°C), and many bakers go further down to 325°F (165°C) for an even rise.
2. Cut the oven time by about 20 percent as a starting point, then check early.
3. Bake in batches rather than filling every gap in the basket.
4. Let the muffins cool in their cups for 5 minutes before lifting them out, since the bottoms are soft while hot.

Muffins from an air fryer keep the same way as oven-baked ones. Once fully cool, store them airtight; our guide on how long muffins last covers the counter, fridge and freezer.

Quick answers

Can you bake muffins from a boxed mix in an air fryer?

Yes. Mix the batter as the box says, then bake standard muffins at 300 to 325°F (150 to 165°C) for about 12 to 16 minutes, checking with a toothpick from 10 minutes.

Can you reheat muffins in an air fryer?

Yes. Reheat room-temperature muffins at about 300°F (150°C) for 2 to 4 minutes. Frozen muffins need about 6 to 10 minutes at a slightly lower setting so the outside does not dry out before the middle warms.

Why are my air fryer muffins dry?

Dry muffins usually baked too long or too hot. Start checking earlier, lower the temperature by another 10 to 15°F, and avoid overmixing the batter, which makes muffins tough.

Do I need to flip muffins in an air fryer?

No. Muffins bake upright the whole time. If one side browns faster, turn the cups around halfway through instead of flipping them.