How to clean an air fryer
It seems like everyone and their mother is in love with their air fryer these days.
Even I must admit, as a former skeptic, I now really enjoy my air fryer. I mostly employ my air fryer as the a perfect tool for roasting vegetables and not for heating frozen foods — but that's a story for another day.
One other great feature of an air fryer: They're super easy to clean.
We've got a few tips for cleaning an air fryer but before we get too detailed here's the TL;DR: dish soap and water. That's the best and most basic method of cleaning that will remove any grease and grime from your air fryer.
- 15 min
- Air Fryer
- Soap
- Water
Step 1: Remove the basket and wash
Now, each air fryer is a bit different, but the general construction typically includes a pull-out drawer with an inset basket or grate to hold food. These components are typically made of nonstick material. You'll want to remove the drawer and basket/grate and hand wash it all with soap and warm water. It's important you use a sponge or soft cloth — absolutely nothing abrasive. You don't want to pull up any of that nonstick material.
Step 2: Clean the heating element and interior
Now, this step isn't necessarily something you'll have to do after every use. But every once in a while you'll want to clean the interior of your air fryer where the cooking drawer is inserted. While you've got the drawer removed, take a soft sponge or dampened cloth and wash the interior with mild, soapy water. This will clean and stuck-on food or residual moisture from the cooking process. There really shouldn't be anything on the top heating element of your air fryer, but if something does get stuck on, you can wipe it with a damp cloth and dry it, once the element has cooled off from the cooking process.
Step 3: Clean the exterior of the air fryer
How do you clean the outside of an air fryer? Huge surprise coming: soap and water with a sponge or cloth. Just wipe it down, dry it off, and get on with your life. I also sometimes use a disinfectant wipe if that's what I've got lying around. Since it's just the exterior of the appliance and not where you'll cook, it doesn't do any harm.
Really that's it. Just wash your air fryer with dish soap and water and you'll be good. But we've got further advice below to help you with the details.
1. Remove the basket and wash
Now, each air fryer is a bit different, but the general construction typically includes a pull-out drawer with an inset basket or grate to hold food. These components are typically made of nonstick material. You'll want to remove the drawer and basket/grate and hand wash it all with soap and warm water. It's important you use a sponge or soft cloth — absolutely nothing abrasive. You don't want to pull up any of that nonstick material.
Now the good news: typically speaking, this is a super simple process. Because the components are nonstick, the food should come right up. If something is really stuck, I try to use a fingernail or paper towel to get it off, again, doing my best to not scratch the nonstick surface. For the model I own, this whole process takes a couple of minutes, at most. I make sure to clean it after every single use to avoid any gunk build-up.
Then you simply dry the basket and drawer and you're all set to go for the next time you air fry.
You may be able to load these parts of your air fryer in a dishwasher as well. Make sure to research your specific model to see if it's recommended. If you do use a dishwasher, be sure to load the components carefully so the nonstick surface is not damaged.
2. Clean the heating element and interior
Now, this step isn't necessarily something you'll have to do after every use. But every once in a while you'll want to clean the interior of your air fryer where the cooking drawer is inserted. While you've got the drawer removed, take a soft sponge or dampened cloth and wash the interior with mild, soapy water. This will clean and stuck-on food or residual moisture from the cooking process. There really shouldn't be anything on the top heating element of your air fryer, but if something does get stuck on, you can wipe it with a damp cloth and dry it, once the element has cooled off from the cooking process.
3. Clean the exterior of the air fryer
How do you clean the outside of an air fryer? Huge surprise coming: soap and water with a sponge or cloth. Just wipe it down, dry it off, and get on with your life. I also sometimes use a disinfectant wipe if that's what I've got lying around. Since it's just the exterior of the appliance and not where you'll cook, it doesn't do any harm.
So there you have it, that's all you've got to do to clean your air fryer.
Tim Marcin is an Associate Editor on the culture team at Mashable, where he mostly digs into the weird parts of the internet. You'll also see some coverage of memes, tech, sports, trends, and the occasional hot take. You can find him on Bluesky (sometimes), Instagram (infrequently), or eating Buffalo wings (as often as possible).
