Vegan burgers in an air fryer
From frozen — the short answer
180°C (356°F) for 10 min
- For
- 264g in total, 4 pieces, From frozen
- In
- Dual-basket air fryer
- Published for
- Ninja Foodi Dual Zone AF300UK
- Preheat
- Not needed
- Part way
- shake the basket at about 5 min
- Check
- A dark crust where the patty met the plate
- Safety
- 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. Full rule below.
Seven to nine minutes on one manufacturer's grill plate for fresh ones, and ten minutes at 180°C from frozen in its charts for two other machines.
Questions people ask about vegan burgers — 2 answered further down this page.
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 10 min
A single published time for four vegan burgers weighing 264g between them, not a range.
- Assuming
- 264g in total, 4 pieces, From frozen
- In
- Dual-basket air fryer
- Published for
- Ninja Foodi Dual Zone AF300UK
- Preheat
- Not needed
- Result
- Heated through
Preparation
Frozen, in a single layer, with no oil, as the row prints.
No oil needed.
While it cooks
At about 5 minutes: Shake the basket
The chart tells the owner to shake or toss the food often, and recommends shaking at least twice during the cooking cycle. It prints that beside the whole chart, not against this row, and gives no moments for it.
How to tell it is done
- A dark crust where the patty met the plate
- Firm right through with no soft, cool centre
Other figures for this state
Ninja Foodi MAX Dual Zone AF400UK — dual-basket air fryer: 180°C for 10 min
A single published time for four vegan burgers weighing 265g between them, not a range.
Where these figures came from — from frozen
- Applies to
- Specific to this model
- Why this rating
- A published row from the manufacturer's own Quick Start Guide for this machine, under a block whose heading names the state. It is held as the chart prints it: its amount, its preparation and its oil where it gives them, and nothing where it does not.
- Last reviewed
- 2026-10-10
What this does not cover
- Published by the manufacturer for this model. It is evidence about this appliance and is not general advice.
- This machine has two drawers. The chart prints one amount for the row and does not say which drawer it is for, or whether it is for one drawer or both.
- The chart heads this block Frozen Foods, and the row is held as frozen on that heading.
Sources (1)
Ninja Foodi Dual Zone Air Fryer AF300UK — Quick Start Guide and cooking charts
SharkNinja Operating LLC — Manufacturer cooking chart (United Kingdom)
Relied on for: The state, amount, temperature and time for vegan burgers.
States this directly
Passage read and verified
Retrieved 2026-10-10 from euronics.a.bigcontent.io
Retrieved from a retailer's document store, Euronics, which mirrors the manufacturer's booklet. Argos's manual library holds an earlier revision of the same guide, 200515_Mv1, which differs in a few printed amounts; the later revision is the one held here.
Fresh
The quick answer
250°C (482°F) for 7–9 min
Published range for four vegan burgers of 125g each, under the block the chart heads Fresh Vegan Burgers.
- Assuming
- 125g per piece, 4 pieces
- In
- Multicooker with air fry
- Published for
- Ninja Foodi MAX Health Grill & Air Fryer AG551UK
- Preheat
- Yes, before the food goes in
- Result
- Heated through
Preparation
The row prints no preparation. Its instruction is to flip halfway through cooking, if desired.
How to tell it is done
- A dark crust where the patty met the plate
- Firm right through with no soft, cool centre
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.
- More colour
- Brush the surface lightly with oil before it goes on. There is less fat here to brown with.
Where these figures came from — fresh
- Applies to
- Specific to this model
- Why this rating
- A published row with a stated count and weight each, charted in its own block. That block is the only one in either chart headed fresh, and the row is held as fresh on that heading.
- 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.
- The chart heads this block Fresh Vegan Burgers and prints no thickness. Fresh is the chart's word; it does not say chilled.
- Plant-based burgers differ enormously between brands in fat, binder and water. The packet is a better source where it gives one.
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: Fresh vegan burgers, 4 at 125g each, high setting, 7-9 minutes.
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.
Leftover (reheating)
Before anything else
From national food-safety authorities, not from us. These take precedence over any cooking time below.
Requirement — Food safety (microbiological)
Cool cooked food and get it into the fridge within one to two hours, keep the fridge between 0 and 5°C, and eat leftovers within 48 hours.
How to tell, without a thermometer
- There is no sensory test for this rule, and that is the point: food held too long at the wrong temperature does not necessarily look, smell or taste different
If it has not got there: Throw it away. This is the one rule in this catalogue where the remedy is not 'cook it longer', because cooking does not reverse it.
Important: Cooked rice is the sharpest case: Bacillus cereus toxins form at room temperature and survive reheating. Rice left out for more than an hour goes in the bin.
Requirement — Food safety (microbiological)
Reheat leftovers until steaming hot all the way through, and only reheat them once.
Target: 70°C in the thickest part, or an equivalent from the table below.
How to tell, without a thermometer
- Steam rising from the centre, not just the edges
- The middle is hot to the touch, tested after removing it from the appliance
If it has not got there: Keep going, and break dense food up or spread it out so the heat can reach the middle. If it will not heat through evenly, a microwave to get the centre hot followed by the air fryer to crisp the surface is a better tool for the job than the air fryer alone.
Important: Cooked rice and pasta left at room temperature can develop Bacillus cereus toxins that reheating does not destroy. If cooked rice has been out of the fridge for more than an hour, discard it rather than reheating it.
| Temperature | Held for | Measured at |
|---|---|---|
| 70°C | 2 min | the centre of the food |
| 75°C | 30 sec | the centre of the food |
The quick answer
160°C (320°F) for 3–6 min
Patty thickness.
- Assuming
- 125g per piece, about 20mm at the thickest point, 2 pieces, From the fridge
- In
- Basket air fryer
- Whose figure
- AirfryerHQ's own, not one manufacturer's chart
- Loaded
- Single layer, pieces not touching
- Preheat
- Not needed
- Result
- Heated through
Preparation
Patty alone, bun kept out, in one layer.
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.
While it cooks
At about 2–3 minutes: Turn the pieces over
A flat patty against the basket heats from one side only.
How to tell it is done
- Steaming hot right through the middle, not just at the edges
- The surface has dried rather than sweating
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.
- To be sure it is safe rather than just warm
- Go by the food and not the clock. It has to be steaming hot the whole way through, and the middle of a dense portion lags a long way behind its surface in an air fryer.
Where these figures came from — leftover (reheating)
- Applies to
- Specific to this type of appliance
- Why this rating
- Low in the published band. There is no fat continuing to render, so extra time only dries it. The time is AirfryerHQ's estimate.
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-13
What this does not cover
- THE TIME GIVEN HERE IS NOT SOURCED. Five manufacturers publish a reheating temperature and not one names a food, a quantity or a time for a named dish. The temperature sits inside their band; the time is AirfryerHQ's estimate and has not been measured.
- Reheating is governed by the food-safety rule above rather than by this figure. Steaming hot throughout is the requirement; the time is a guide to getting there.
Sources (4)
Tefal Easy Fry Max EY245B40 5L Air Fryer — Instruction Manual (PDF)
Groupe SEB (Tefal) — Manufacturer manual (United Kingdom)
Relied on for: That this manufacturer's published reheating instruction is 160°C for up to ten minutes, with no food named.
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 328/8568.
Tower T17023 2.2 Litre Air Fryer — Safety and Instruction Manual (PDF)
RKW Ltd (Tower Housewares) — Manufacturer manual (United Kingdom)
Relied on for: That this manufacturer publishes 150°C for up to ten minutes for reheating.
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 745/2194.
Cookworks 5L Digital Air Fryer KDF-596D — Care & Instruction Manual (PDF)
Argos Limited (Cookworks) — Manufacturer manual (United Kingdom)
Relied on for: That this manufacturer publishes 180°C for up to ten minutes for reheating.
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 148/6623.
AirfryerHQ analysis of published manufacturer cooking and reheating guidance
AirfryerHQ — Calculated or inferred by AirfryerHQ (United Kingdom)
Relied on for: The reading that six published reheating positions across five manufacturers span 150-180°C, that three cap the time at ten minutes, and that none names a food — so the time given here is AirfryerHQ's estimate.
AirfryerHQ's interpretation of what it says
Citation checked — the document exists and is described correctly
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.
Questions people ask about vegan burgers
- Why are my vegan burgers dry and dense?
- They were given extra time as a safety margin they do not need in the way meat does. There is no connective tissue to soften and no fat to render, so every minute past the published window only drives water out. Follow the row for the state yours are in and stop there.A general cooking principle, not a measurement.
- Do vegan burgers need flipping?
- The grill row says to flip halfway if you want to, and the rows for frozen burgers in a drawer say to shake. A patty is flat and sits on the plate, so turning it once gives the underside some colour. It is a matter of browning and not of safety.From the figures on this page.
What usually goes wrong
Dry and dense, from treating extra time as a safety margin. There is no connective tissue to break down and no fat to render, so every minute past the published window only removes water.
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.
Vegan meat alternatives in fast-moving hot air
These products are protein isolates, starches and fats bound with methylcellulose or a similar hydrocolloid, and the binder is what governs their behaviour. It sets on heating and holds the shape, which is why they need no resting and tolerate a shorter cook than the meat equivalent — the published frozen vegan sausage time is eight minutes against nine to twelve for a frozen pork one. There is no fat to render and no connective tissue to break down, so extra time buys nothing at all and simply dries them; and because the added fat is usually coconut or rapeseed rather than animal fat, it liquefies at a lower temperature and leaves earlier.
Where to go from here
The pages that answer the questions this one tends to raise.
- Using a thermometer, and where to put itThe times above are for a piece that is not the one you are holding. A probe measures yours, which is what the safety rule on this page asks for.
- 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.
- Cooking from frozenUsually cooler and longer than the same food fresh, and never worked out from the fresh figure.
- Reheating leftoversA different question governed by a different rule — steaming hot throughout, and only once.
- Why published timings differIf another chart says something else, this is usually why — and which one to believe.
Easily confused with
- Beef burger — A different cooking problem with a different answer.