Yes, you can bake biscuits in an air fryer, as long as you adjust temperature, time, and spacing so the dough cooks through without drying out.
What This Guide Covers
If you love biscuits but do not want to heat up the whole kitchen, an air fryer can handle small batches with less waiting. This guide shows when air fryer biscuits work well, how to set temperature and time, which doughs suit the basket, and how to avoid dry tops or raw centres.
You also get a clear comparison between air fryer and oven biscuits, step by step methods for canned and homemade dough, a time and temperature chart, and fixes for the most common problems. The aim is to help you know when the air fryer is the better choice and when your oven is still the right tool.
Why Air Fryer Biscuits Work
An air fryer acts like a compact convection oven. A fan pushes hot air around the food so the outside browns fast while the inside stays soft. That strong air flow is why frozen fries and wings crisp quickly, and biscuit dough enjoys the same effect when each round has space.
Because the basket is small, the air fryer heats up in minutes and holds heat close to the biscuits. You can bake a few portions without warming the whole kitchen, which suits busy households and anyone cooking for one or two people. The trade off is a smaller batch size and the need to watch colour more closely.
Air Fryer Biscuits Vs Oven Biscuits
This comparison for small batches shows where the air fryer shines and where a regular oven still has the edge.
| Aspect | Air Fryer Biscuits | Oven Biscuits |
|---|---|---|
| Preheat Time | Short, often two to five minutes | Longer, usually ten to fifteen minutes |
| Batch Size | Best for two to six biscuits at once | Better for full pan batches |
| Browning | Strong top browning, crisp edges | Even browning, softer edges |
| Interior Texture | Tender when biscuits are spaced well | Tender, classic bakery style texture |
| Energy Use | Lower for small batches | Higher, due to large cavity |
| Hands On Time | Needs checking and the odd flip | Set the timer and leave it |
| Best Use Case | Quick mornings and small households | Holidays and big family meals |
Can You Bake Biscuits In An Air Fryer? Tips For Best Results
The short reply to can you bake biscuits in an air fryer is yes, as long as you treat the appliance like a tiny convection oven and adjust temperature, spacing, and timing.
Most canned refrigerated biscuit dough works well in the basket. Cut rounds of homemade baking powder dough and frozen ready to bake biscuits also behave nicely, as long as you manage heat and air flow.
Aim For A Moderate Air Fryer Temperature
Many biscuit recipes bake around 425°F in a standard oven, but the strong fan in an air fryer calls for a lower setting. For most models, 350°F to 375°F works for raw biscuit dough, while already baked biscuits reheat best near 320°F.
Give Each Biscuit Space
Crowding is the quickest way to spoil a batch. Each biscuit needs room for hot air to move around its sides, so place them in a single layer on a perforated tray or in the basket with at least half an inch between edges, even if that means baking in two rounds.
Choose The Right Liner Or Pan
A bare metal basket works, but a flat perforated tray or a thin silicone baking mat trimmed to fit helps protect both the dough and the basket coating. If you use parchment, pick sheets made for air fryers with holes so air can flow, and check your manual for any warning about loose foil or heavy liners.
Check Doneness With A Thermometer
Colour is a good guide: a deep golden top and dry sides usually signal a ready biscuit. For extra certainty, especially with drop biscuits, slide a probe thermometer into the centre of the thickest biscuit and compare the reading with the ranges in the safe minimum internal temperatures chart so the centre is hot enough without drying the crumb.
Step By Step Method For Canned Biscuits
Canned refrigerated biscuits are the easiest way to test air fryer biscuit baking without mixing dough from scratch. This method suits most brands, though it still helps to skim the label for any air fryer notes.
Preheat your air fryer to 350°F for about three minutes. Lightly oil the basket or place a thin perforated liner in the base, then open the can and separate the biscuits.
Arrange the biscuits in a single layer with space between each one and set the timer for six minutes. At the halfway point, slide out the basket and flip each biscuit so the bottoms brown and dark spots stay in check.
Start checking at the ten minute mark. The tops should be golden and the sides should look dry, not glossy. If you have a thermometer, check the centre of a thick biscuit, then let the batch rest for two minutes before serving.
Homemade Biscuit Dough In The Air Fryer
Homemade biscuits behave much like canned dough, but they often contain butter that needs space to puff and steam. For cut biscuits, keep them on the thick side so there is enough interior to stay tender after the hot air blast.
Chill the dough rounds on a tray before they go into the fryer, then preheat to around 360°F. Air fry for eight to twelve minutes and turn the tray halfway without flipping the biscuits themselves.
Use a soft wheat or all purpose flour for a light crumb that still holds its shape. If your favourite recipe uses plenty of cream or butter, plan for small test batches so you can spot the timing that keeps the centres tender.
For drop biscuits, use small mounds and leave extra space because they spread. Watch the colour; when the tops are deep golden and the sides feel firm but not hard when pressed, move the tray to a heat safe surface and let the biscuits rest for a few minutes.
Reheating Leftover Biscuits
Leftover biscuits from the fridge or freezer are perfect for the air fryer. The goal with reheating is warm centres, crisp edges, and no tough tops.
Store cooled biscuits in an airtight container or sealed bag so they do not pick up fridge smells. For longer storage, freeze them on a tray, then move them to a bag so the pieces stay separate instead of sticking together.
Set the air fryer to about 320°F. Place biscuits in a single layer and spritz lightly with neutral oil if the tops look dry. Heat for three to five minutes from room temperature, five to eight minutes from chilled, and a little longer from frozen with a quick check in the middle.
If the biscuits brown before they are hot inside, cover them loosely with a small piece of parchment for the last minutes so the crust stays light while the centre catches up.
Air Fryer Biscuit Time And Temperature Chart
Use this chart as a starting point. Actual times depend on your fryer model and biscuit size, so treat the first run as a test and adjust from there.
| Biscuit Type | Air Fryer Temperature | Approximate Cook Time |
|---|---|---|
| Canned refrigerated biscuits | 350°F to 360°F | 8–12 minutes |
| Homemade cut biscuits | 360°F to 375°F | 9–13 minutes |
| Homemade drop biscuits | 350°F to 360°F | 10–14 minutes |
| Frozen ready to bake biscuits | 330°F to 350°F | 12–16 minutes |
| Par baked bakery biscuits | 320°F to 340°F | 6–10 minutes |
| Leftover biscuits from fridge | 320°F | 5–8 minutes |
| Leftover biscuits from freezer | 320°F | 8–10 minutes |
Baking Biscuit Dough In Your Air Fryer Safely
Air fryers reach high heat in a compact space, so safety deserves a quick check before you start baking biscuits in an air fryer often. Place the appliance on a stable, heat resistant surface with a few inches of clearance on all sides so vents can release hot air.
Food safety agencies remind home cooks to heat food thoroughly and avoid overloading small cookers. Advice from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and similar bodies stresses safe internal temperatures and clean equipment. Guidance such as the air fryer food safety guidance underlines the value of even layers, clean baskets, and a quick scrub once the unit cools.
Use a reliable kitchen thermometer for the first few attempts, especially if you add sausage, ham, or cheese to breakfast biscuits. Mixed fillings need higher centre readings than plain dough, so stuffed biscuits call for a slightly longer cook.
Keep cords tidy and away from the basket and unplug the fryer when it is not in use. Do not leave parchment or liners hanging over the rim where they can touch the heating element.
Common Mistakes And Easy Fixes
Even experienced home cooks hit bumps while working out biscuit settings for a specific air fryer model. These are the problems that show up most often, along with quick changes that bring biscuits back where you want them.
- Dark tops and raw centres: lower the temperature by about 25°F and extend the cook time by two or three minutes so the centre cooks through before the crust darkens.
- Greasy or overdone bottoms: add a perforated liner or a light dusting of flour under each biscuit and cut back on melted butter or heavy oil brushed on before baking.
- Pale biscuits with tough crusts: pull back to a single layer with space between rounds and nudge the setting up by ten to fifteen degrees, rotating the tray halfway.
- Stuffed biscuits that ooze: reduce filling amounts or freeze stuffed biscuits for ten to fifteen minutes before they go into the fryer so firmer fillings stay put.
When To Use The Oven Instead
An air fryer shines when you want a few biscuits fast, but there are still times when a full size oven gives better results. If you need a dozen or more biscuits for a brunch table, the wide shelf of an oven pan keeps the batch uniform, and large skillets of pull apart biscuits favour a regular oven.
Choose the oven when you work with delicate laminated biscuit dough, decorative shapes that call for steady gentle heat, or recipes with a rich sugary glaze that can burn near the exposed air fryer coil. Save the fryer for quick weeknight biscuits, leftovers, and test batches of new biscuit ideas.
Once you know the limits and strengths of your machine, can you bake biscuits in an air fryer stops feeling like a puzzle. It becomes a simple option whenever you want fresh bread on the table without waiting on a full oven cycle. That new freedom makes weeknight meals feel more relaxed.