Dried banana slices in an air fryer
Fresh — the short answer
60°C (140°F) for 360–480 min
- For
- 400g in total, about 3mm at the thickest point
- In
- Multicooker with air fry, single layer, pieces not touching
- Preheat
- Not needed
- Check
- Leathery and pliable rather than brittle, which is what banana does
- Safety
- Plug an air fryer directly into a wall socket. Do not run one from an extension lead. Full rule below.
Six to eight hours at 60°C for 3mm slices.
Fresh
The quick answer
60°C (140°F) for 360–480 min
Slice thickness and ripeness — a riper banana holds more sugar and takes longer.
- Assuming
- 400g in total, about 3mm at the thickest point
- In
- Multicooker with air fry
- Loaded
- Single layer, pieces not touching
- Preheat
- Not needed
- Result
- Cooked but dry
Preparation
Peeled and cut into 3mm slices. No oil, and no rinse.
No oil needed.
How to load the basket
Single layer, pieces not touching. The reference condition. Air reaches every surface, and times are the shortest the food will achieve.
How to tell it is done
- Leathery and pliable rather than brittle, which is what banana does
- Snaps or tears cleanly rather than bending
- No cool, damp patch in the middle of a slice when it is torn
Where these figures came from — fresh
- Applies to
- Specific to this model
- Why this rating
- A published dehydrating row with a stated slice thickness, which is the only variable that materially moves a drying time. The manufacturer's booklet states separately that the appliance does not preheat in this mode.
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-13
What this does not cover
- Published by the manufacturer for this appliance. It is evidence about this machine and is not general advice.
- Dehydrating removes water without cooking. Nothing here is a cooking time and none of these figures brings food to a safe temperature.
Sources (1)
Ninja Foodi MAX Health Grill & Air Fryer AG551UK — Inspiration Guide and cooking charts (PDF)
SharkNinja Europe Limited — Manufacturer cooking chart (United Kingdom)
Relied on for: The temperature, time and quantity for banana slices dried.
States this directly
Passage read and verified
Retrieved 2026-08-13 from argos-support.co.uk
Retrieved from Argos's manual library for Argos product 735/0124, published alongside the instruction booklet as a second document.
What usually goes wrong
Brown and chewy rather than pale and crisp. Banana browns enzymatically as soon as it is cut, and its sugar content is too high for a clean snap however long it dries.
Running the appliance safely
These apply to every food and every air fryer, so they are here once rather than repeated under each state above. They come from Electrical Safety First, from UK product-safety notices and from the manufacturers’ own manuals.
- Plug an air fryer directly into a wall socket. Do not run one from an extension lead.
- An unusual smell, an unusual noise, or scorch marks on the plug mean stop using it and contact the manufacturer.
- Do not overfill. Food touching the heating element is a fire risk, not a cooking problem.
- White smoke from fatty food is usually normal. Black smoke means unplug it immediately.
- Do not leave an air fryer running unattended.
- Leave clear space above and around the appliance, and never cover the air intake or the outlet.
- Aim for a golden yellow colour or lighter on starchy foods such as chips and roast potatoes, rather than a darker brown.
- Buy from a reputable retailer rather than a third-party marketplace seller.
- Clean the drawer, the plate and the element after use. Accumulated grease is what smokes, and then what burns.
- Register the appliance with its manufacturer. It is how a recall reaches you.
- Do not rely on the appliance's own thermal protection. A UK recall was issued because it did not operate.
Each links to its own page, with what it means in practice, what to do if it has already happened, and the source it comes from. Every safety rule AirfryerHQ holds.
Why banana behaves this way
Banana flesh is high in sugar and low in acid and structure, which is why it browns enzymatically the moment it is cut and why dehydrated slices come out brown rather than pale. At 60°C the water leaves over hours without the sugars caramelising, leaving a chewy slice rather than a crisp one — the sugar concentration is simply too high for brittleness. Slice thickness is the whole variable, and doubling it does considerably more than doubling the time.
Where to go from here
The pages that answer the questions this one tends to raise.
- How food actually gets crispyWhy patting it dry, spacing it out and a little oil are all the same instruction — so you can apply it when a page runs out.
- Why published timings differIf another chart says something else, this is usually why — and which one to believe.
Easily confused with
- Dried apple slices — A different cooking problem with a different answer.