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AirfryerHQ

Steak in an air fryer

Fresh — the short answer

220°C (428°F) for 16–18 min

For
340–670g in total, about 13mm at the thickest point, 2–4 pieces
In
Combination microwave with air fry, single layer, pieces not touching
Published for
Panasonic Air Fry Combination Microwave Oven NN-CD88QS
Preheat
Not needed
Part way
turn the pieces over at about 11 min
Check
A browned surface
Moderate confidenceWell supported, but from a narrower base of sources than we would like.

Air frying is a compromise for steak, and it is worth knowing which way the compromise runs.

Manufacturer figures with no state given — 6 from named machines, listed further down this page.

Questions people ask about steak — 3 answered further down this page.

Fresh

The quick answer

220°C (428°F) for 16–18 min

Published range for 2–4 steaks of half an inch thickness, totalling 340–670g, on Air Fry 3.

Assuming
340–670g in total, about 13mm at the thickest point, 2–4 pieces
In
Combination microwave with air fry
Published for
Panasonic Air Fry Combination Microwave Oven NN-CD88QS
Loaded
Single layer, pieces not touching
Preheat
Not needed
Result
Well done
Moderate confidenceWell supported, but from a narrower base of sources than we would like.

Preparation

Seasoned, as the chart prints. The row is headed half an inch of thickness.

How to load it

Single layer, pieces not touching. The reference condition. Air reaches every surface, and times are the shortest the food will achieve.

While it cooks

  1. At about 11–12 minutes: Turn the pieces over

    The chart specifies turning at two thirds.

How to tell it is done

  • A browned surface
  • Firm to the touch

Change the result

Each of these moves the outcome in a known direction, and most cost you something. The trade is stated so you can decide whether you want it.

Rarer than this produces
Take it out earlier and rest it. A whole cut of beef carries no cook-through requirement, and 16–18 minutes at 220°C for a half-inch steak will not leave it pink.

Where these figures came from — fresh

Moderate confidenceWell supported, but from a narrower base of sources than we would like.
Applies to
Specific to this model
Why this rating
A stated thickness, which is the right variable for a steak. The figure is long against AirfryerHQ's other steak rows and would produce a well-done result, which is recorded rather than described as the manufacturer's intention.
Last reviewed
2026-08-13

What this does not cover

  • Published by the manufacturer for this model. It is evidence about this appliance and is not general advice.
Sources (1)

From frozen

Before anything else

From national food-safety authorities, not from us. These take precedence over any cooking time below.

Requirement — Food safety (microbiological)

Food cooked from frozen must reach the same core temperature as the same food cooked fresh — the frozen centre is the last thing to get there.

Target: 70°C in the thickest part.

How to tell, without a thermometer

  • No ice or cold spot at the centre when the thickest piece is cut open
  • Steaming hot throughout, tested in the middle rather than the edge

If it has not got there: Reduce the temperature by 10–20°C and give it longer. A lower set point lets the centre catch up before the surface passes the point of no return, and it is the single most useful adjustment for cooking from frozen.

Important: If the packaging says the product must be thawed before cooking, follow it. That instruction exists because the manufacturer has tested cooking it from frozen and it did not reach temperature reliably.

The quick answer

180°C (356°F) for 7–14 min

Quantity within the published 100-500g band, and how far through you want it. The double spread reflects both.

Assuming
100–500g in total, From frozen
In
Basket air fryer
Published for
Tefal Easy Fry Classic EY501827 4.2L Air Fryer & Grill
Preheat
Not needed
Result
Just cooked
High confidenceSupported by authoritative or independently tested sources, and consistent across them.

Preparation

Frozen steak, straight from the freezer.

How to tell it is done

  • No cold band at the centre when cut
  • The surface has browned rather than greyed

Where these figures came from — from frozen

High confidenceSupported by authoritative or independently tested sources, and consistent across them.
Applies to
Specific to this model
Why this rating
A published row with a min-max quantity band from the manufacturer's own cooking guide. No preheat appears anywhere in this appliance's air-fry table, which is notable because the same document requires fifteen minutes for its grill mode.
Last reviewed
2026-08-13

What this does not cover

  • Published by the manufacturer for this model. It is evidence about this appliance and is not general advice.
Sources (1)

Chilled

Cooked as fresh: use the fresh figures above. Raw food sold chilled is the fresh state under another name, and the charts those figures come from start from fridge-cold.

Defrosted

Cooked as fresh: use the fresh figures above. Once it is defrosted all the way through it is at fridge temperature and cooks as fresh does; no chart read for this catalogue tells the two apart.

Manufacturer figures with no state given

Each of these is a published figure for one named machine. The manufacturer does not say whether this is fresh or frozen. So they are kept apart from the figures above, and not used as the answer for any of them.

  • Tower T17067 4L Digital Air Fryer (under a safety recall: check the recall before using this machine): 180°C for 10–15 min

    Published range for 100–600g with about half a spoon of oil. Doneness preference moves the answer across this range as much as weight does.

  • Cookworks 9L Dual Air Fryer: 200°C for 9–14 min

    Printed range against 340 g, one inch thick. The guide prints its other steak cuts on rows of their own.

  • Ninja Foodi MAX Health Grill & Air Fryer AG551UK: 250°C for 9–12 min

    Published range the chart prints three times: for ribeye and for rump as three steaks, and for sirloin as four, each steak 225–280g and 2cm thick.

  • Tower T17023 2.2L Air Fryer (under a safety recall: check the recall before using this machine): 180°C for 8–12 min

    Printed against a 100–400 g band. No thickness and no number of steaks are printed.

  • Cookworks 5L Digital Air Fryer KDF-596D: 180°C for 12 min

    The Steak programme's default of twelve minutes at 180°C. No thickness, weight or cut is printed.

  • Tefal Easy Fry Max EY245B40 5L Air Fryer: 180°C for 6–10 min

    Quantity within the published 100-500g band, and how far through you want it. The shortest published steak figure in the catalogue.

Questions people ask about steak

Can an air fryer put a proper crust on a steak?
Less of one than a hot pan. Moving air browns more slowly than contact with metal, so the middle keeps cooking while the surface is still colouring. A thoroughly dried surface, a thin film of oil on the steak itself and a thicker cut all help, because a thick steak gives the outside longer before the centre catches up.A general cooking principle, not a measurement. Thick-cut steak
Do I need to rest steak after air frying?
Yes, for a few minutes on a warm plate. The centre goes on rising after the steak comes out, so take it out a little short of where you want it to finish, and cutting it straight away lets the juices run onto the board.A general cooking principle, not a measurement. Carryover cooking, and using a probe
How do I tell how done it is?
With a probe, in the centre of the thickest part. An air-fried steak colours slowly and evenly, so the surface is a poor guide to the middle, and pressing it with a finger is a skill learned on a pan-fried crust it does not have.A general cooking principle, not a measurement.

What usually goes wrong

Grey and evenly cooked rather than crusted outside and pink inside. Moving hot air browns more slowly than metal contact, so the centre keeps gaining temperature during the time the surface takes to colour.

Running the appliance safely

The rules for the machine are the same whatever is in it: plug it straight into a wall socket, leave clear space round it, do not overfill it, do not leave it running unattended, and unplug it at black smoke or an electrical smell. They are set out once, each with its source and what to do if it has already happened, and not repeated on every food. Every rule for running an air fryer safely.

Beef in fast-moving hot air

A steak in an air fryer is a compromise: moving hot air browns a surface well but not as fast or as hard as a pan, so the centre gains temperature during the time the crust takes to form. Thickness therefore decides whether air frying is the right tool at all — thick cuts do well, thin ones overcook before they colour.

More on beef

Where to go from here

The pages that answer the questions this one tends to raise.