Can Eggs Be Cooked In An Air Fryer? | Easy Time Temp

Yes, an air fryer can do more than fries. It can cook eggs in the shell, set cracked eggs in a ramekin, and bake egg cups for grab-and-go meals. The win is control: set a temperature, set a timer, and let the fan do the work.

There’s one catch. Air fryers aren’t identical. Fan strength, basket size, and hot spots shift timing. This guide gives you reliable starting points, then shows small tweaks that make your own machine repeatable.

Can Eggs Be Cooked In An Air Fryer? Styles At A Glance

If you’ve typed “can eggs be cooked in an air fryer?” you’re usually hunting for a quick map: which style works, what temperature to use, and how long it takes. Start here, then use the step-by-step sections to fine-tune.

Egg Style In Air Fryer	Temperature Setting	Time And Doneness Notes
Hard-cooked (in shell)	250°F / 120°C	15–17 min, ice bath right away for easier peeling
Jammy center (in shell)	250°F / 120°C	12–14 min, chill fast so the yolk doesn’t keep setting
Soft center (in shell)	250°F / 120°C	10–11 min, best when eggs start cold from the fridge
Fried-style (ramekin or foil cup)	320°F / 160°C	6–9 min, check at 6 min, add time in 1-min steps
Scrambled (greased dish)	300°F / 150°C	7–10 min, stir twice, stop when set and glossy
Egg cups (muffin mold)	320°F / 160°C	10–13 min, fillings can add 1–3 min
Mini frittata (small pan)	320°F / 160°C	12–18 min, center sets with no liquid wobble
Poached-style (water in dish)	300°F / 150°C	8–12 min, works best in a smaller ramekin

Cooking Eggs In An Air Fryer With Steady Temps

An air fryer is a small convection oven with a strong fan. That fan moves hot air around the egg, so the outside sets fast. With eggs, the difference between “perfect” and “overdone” can be a minute.

Two things steer timing more than the number on the dial: cookware and placement. A metal muffin pan heats fast. A thick ceramic ramekin heats slower, then holds heat longer. Eggs placed near a hot spot can set on one side first. Once you know your pattern, you can work with it.

Gear And Setup That Keep Eggs Predictable

You don’t need special gadgets, but these basics cut down surprises.

• A small dish for cracked eggs: ramekin, silicone cup, foil cup, or muffin mold.
• Grease: butter, oil, or spray to keep whites from sticking.
• Easy lift: tongs or a spoon for hot dishes.
• Timer: air fryer eggs move fast near the finish line.

If your model heats slowly, preheat for 3 minutes. If it heats quickly, you can skip it and just start checking a minute earlier.

Food Safety Checks For Air Fryer Eggs

Eggs should be cooked until set, and many official guides use 160°F / 71°C as a target for egg dishes. See the USDA’s Safe Temperature Chart and the FDA page on Egg Safety for the plain-language rules.

In the air fryer, the easiest check is visual. Scrambled eggs should not have wet liquid pooling. Egg cups should set in the center. If you cook runny yolks, know that the safety margin is smaller, so firm yolks are the safer pick for kids, older adults, pregnancy, or anyone with a weakened immune system.

Hard-cooked Eggs In The Air Fryer

This is the “no pot, no boil-over” move. You cook eggs in the shell, then chill them fast. The chill stops carryover heat and helps the shell release.

Step-by-step

1. Place eggs in the basket in one layer.
2. Cook at 250°F / 120°C for 15 minutes for hard-cooked.
3. Move eggs to an ice bath for 5–8 minutes.
4. Peel, then store or eat.

If you use jumbo eggs, add 1 minute. If your yolks show a gray ring, chill faster and shorten the cook time by 1 minute next round.

Jammy And Soft Centers Without Drama

Use the same temperature as hard-cooked eggs, then adjust time. The ice bath is not optional if you want a clean center.

• 10–11 minutes: soft center
• 12–14 minutes: jammy center

Peel after chilling. If you peel while warm, the shell tends to grab the white, and the yolk keeps setting while you fuss with it.

Fried-style Eggs In An Air Fryer

These aren’t pan-fried. You cook the egg in a dish so the white stays contained. The edge can crisp a little, which some people love.

Basic fried-style egg

1. Grease a ramekin or foil cup.
2. Crack in an egg and season.
3. Cook at 320°F / 160°C for 6 minutes.
4. Check the white. Add time in 1-minute steps until set.
5. Rest 1 minute before eating.

Want a gentler set? Drop to 300°F / 150°C and add 2 minutes. Want a firmer yolk? Keep the same temp and cook 1–2 minutes longer.

For extra flavor, add a pat of butter, a pinch of smoked paprika, or chopped herbs after cooking. Salt earlier for scrambled eggs, later for runny yolks to keep them smooth.

Scrambled Eggs That Stay Tender

Scrambled eggs can dry out fast in moving hot air, so stirring and an early pull matter most here. Use a small glass dish, cake pan, or metal bowl that fits your basket.

Scramble steps

1. Whisk eggs with salt. Add a splash of milk if you like softer curds.
2. Grease the dish, pour in eggs, and cook at 300°F / 150°C for 4 minutes.
3. Stir, scraping the sides, then cook 2 minutes.
4. Stir again, then finish 1–3 minutes until set and glossy.

Pull them when they look just shy of done. The dish keeps cooking the eggs for a minute on the counter.

Egg Cups And Mini Frittatas For Busy Weeks

Egg cups are a smart way to turn leftovers into breakfast. They’re easy to portion and reheat, and they don’t need constant attention while cooking.

Base mix

For 6 muffin cups: whisk 6 eggs with 2 tablespoons milk, plus salt and pepper. Stir in fillings, then pour into greased cups, leaving a little space at the top.

Filling ideas That Don’t Turn Watery

• Cooked spinach squeezed dry
• Diced bell pepper, blotted dry
• Cooked bacon or sausage crumbles
• Shredded cheese
• Leftover roasted potatoes

Cook at 320°F / 160°C for 10 minutes, then check the center. Add 1–3 minutes until set. If you add cold fillings, plan on the longer end.

For a mini frittata in a small pan, cook at 320°F / 160°C for 12–18 minutes. A spoon tap on the center should feel springy, not liquid.

Poached-style Eggs Using A Water Bath

You can mimic a poach by cooking the egg in hot water inside a ramekin. The water buffers heat, so the white sets softly.

Steps

1. Pour hot water into a ramekin until it’s halfway full.
2. Crack in an egg. A small swirl can pull the white closer.
3. Cook at 300°F / 150°C for 8 minutes, then check.
4. Lift out with a slotted spoon and blot.

If the white spreads, use a smaller dish or reduce the water level. If the yolk sets too much, cut time by 1 minute.

Why Your Timing Might Not Match A Chart

Air fryers vary, and eggs vary too. Large eggs are a common baseline. Small eggs can finish 1 minute sooner. Jumbo eggs often need 1 minute more.

Starting temp matters. Cold eggs from the fridge take longer to set than eggs that sat out for a bit. Pick one habit so your notes stay consistent.

Cookware changes timing in a sneaky way. Metal heats fast and can brown edges. Ceramic runs steadier but holds heat longer. When you switch cookware, start checking a minute earlier, then adjust.

Test Notes From My Kitchen

I ran these times on a 5-quart basket air fryer with large eggs. I tested in-shell eggs, ramekin eggs, and egg cups in a metal muffin pan. I repeated each style and kept the same basket position so I could spot patterns.

Two patterns showed up fast. The back of the basket set egg cups first. The ramekin lagged behind the muffin pan by about a minute. So I keep ramekins centered and rotate the basket once for egg cups when I’m cooking a full tray.

If you want to dial in your own air fryer, do a mini log for three runs: write temp, time, dish type, and what the center looked like. After that, you’ll stop guessing.

Fixes For Common Air Fryer Egg Problems

When eggs go sideways, it’s usually heat, moisture, or timing. Use this table to get back on track fast.

What You See	Why It Happens	Fix For Next Batch
Rubbery scrambled eggs	Too hot, too long, no stirring	Use 300°F, stir twice, pull while glossy
Egg cups leak water	Wet fillings release moisture	Dry fillings, pre-cook mushrooms, use less tomato
Fried-style edges brown fast	Thin dish or hot spot	Use thicker ramekin, center it, lower temp
Hard-cooked eggs hard to peel	No fast chill, membrane clings	Ice bath right away, peel after full chill
Soft eggs overcook while peeling	Carryover heat keeps setting the yolk	Chill longer, peel after 8–10 minutes
Egg cups sink after cooking	Steam escapes as they cool	Cool 5 minutes, then lift out gently
Poached-style whites spread	Dish too wide, water too deep	Smaller ramekin, less water

Storage And Reheat Without Dry Eggs

Chill cooked eggs soon after cooking and store them covered in the fridge. Egg cups keep well for a few days and make quick breakfasts with toast or salad.

Reheat egg cups and frittata slices at 300°F / 150°C for 3–5 minutes. Start at 3 minutes, check, then add time in short bursts. Scrambled eggs warm best in a skillet or microwave in short bursts, since air fryer reheats can dry them out.

One-page Checklist For Air Fryer Eggs

Use this list when you want fast eggs with fewer surprises.

• Pick a style: in-shell, ramekin, muffin cups, or small pan.
• Grease any dish that holds cracked eggs.
• Start here: 250°F for in-shell, 300–320°F for cracked eggs.
• Set a timer, then check early. Add time in 1-minute steps.
• Ice-bath in-shell eggs right away.
• Rotate the basket once for egg cups if your model has hot spots.
• Store leftovers cold, then reheat gently at 300°F.

So, can eggs be cooked in an air fryer? Yes. Once you learn your air fryer’s timing, eggs turn into an easy, low-mess staple.