How to Toast Bread in an Air Fryer

Using an air fryer, you can easily toast all types of bread, bagels, English muffins, and more. The air fryer toasts bread perfectly every time, and the process is quick with minimal cleanup. Here is how you can toast bread in an air fryer.

Can You Toast Bread in an Air Fryer?

One of the most asked questions that I see on either Quora or Reddit is if you can toast bread with an air fryer similar to a toaster. Yes, you absolutely can! The air fryer is a versatile cooking appliance that can cook different types of food like sausage and frozen chicken tenders, and you can even toast bread in it.

Some air fryers have a toast function. To toast the bread, you can season it if desired, place it in the air fryer, spray it with oil or spread it with some butter to prevent it from drying out. Then, you can toast it until it is perfectly golden.

Here are the main reasons why I enjoy making toast in the air fryer:

• Easy: The air fryer is easy to use; you just have to preheat it, put your toast in it, and allow it to toast.

• Delicious: The bread will toast better in the air fryer than with any other toasting method. Your toast will be perfect every time.

• Fast: The air fryer toasts bread quickly, so it will be wonderful for a quick breakfast. Cooking many recipes in an air fryer will take less time than waiting for your oven to preheat.

• Hands-free: With this method, you really don’t need to keep an eye on the bread as it is toasting. All you need to do is either shake the air fryer basket or turn the bread with tongs.

You can toast any type of bread in the air fryer; just find the right temperature and cooking time, and you will get perfect toast every single time!

Why Use a Basket-Style Air Fryer?

Any air fryer out there will have advantages and disadvantages. As a personal preference, I prefer using an air fryer with a basket because they do a better job at making other foods such as bagel bites and pizza bites really crispy.

Some people might say that an air fryer with a basket can’t toast your bread and that you should only toast bread in a toaster, but that is a misconception. An air fryer with a basket can toast many different things like bread, English muffins, and bagels, so don’t waste your money by buying a toaster.

Tips and Tricks

When using an air fryer to toast your bread, you may face some problems but here are some tips on how to counter them.

Food May Fly Around in the Air Fryer

Air fryers work by circulating hot air with a powerful fan. As a result, when you place very light things in it, the air can pick them up and blow them around.

When you toast the bread, the air fryer will remove its moisture, resulting in it being lighter in weight. Theoretically, this will lead to your bread flying around the air fryer as it becomes lighter. However, I’ve never faced this problem with my air fryer. I use a 5.8-quart Cosori, so yours may differ from mine depending on how powerful their fans are and how the air circulates.

Keep in mind that when you toast bread in an air fryer and it starts blowing around, that means the bread is toasted enough!

Overcrowding is Bad

Since the air fryer works by circulating hot air, you need to leave some space between the food to ensure it cooks evenly. Imagine if you were to overload the air fryer basket with lots of bread without leaving any space for air to circulate in between? The bread will be unevenly toasted, and in fact, slices of bread in the middle may not even be toasted at all because the hot air won’t be able to reach them.

All you need to do to ensure bread and other foods cook evenly is to only cook one layer of food and leave some distance between each piece of bread to ensure the air is able to circulate. If you want to toast more bread than will fit in the air fryer basket, I recommend that you toast the bread in batches.

Cooking From Frozen

If you have any frozen bread or anything else that you may want to toast with the use of the air fryer, I recommend that you do not thaw it as thawing it may negatively affect its texture during cooking.

The Best Bread to Toast in the Air Fryer

When it comes to bread for toast, it really varies on personal preference. Here are some ideas of what you can toast in an air fryer:

• Plain Ol’ White Bread
• Challah
• French Bread
• Sourdough
• Brioche

What Can be Served with Air Fryer Toast?

You can serve air fryer toast with:

• Bacon
• Syrup
• Scrambled Eggs
• Fresh Fruit
• Bananas
• Peaches
• Strawberry Yogurt

The Best Toppings for Air Fryer Toast

Here are some of the best toppings for air fryer toast:

• Almond Butter + Banana + Cinnamon
• Avocado + Nutritional Yeast + Chilies
• Roasted Red Peppers + Feta
• Hummus + Cucumber + Sea Salt
• Egg + Spinach + Pesto
• Tahini + Honey
• Goat Cheese + Strawberries

Should You Use Parchment Paper When Cooking Air Fryer Toast?

There is parchment paper designed to fit into the air fryer, with holes already cut out for the air to circulate. It is great to use when you are sure that the food you are cooking will make a mess in the air fryer, such as cookies that might stick to the basket.

However, in the case of making toast, you don’t really need to use parchment paper at the bottom of the air fryer basket.

What You Need to Toast Bread in the Air Fryer ( Ingredients & Gadgets):

Kitchen Gadgets

• Air Fryer
• Tongs

Ingredients

• Bread

Toppings

• Peanut butter, jelly, butter, cream cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat the air fryer for 1 minute at 400 F.
2. Place the bread in the air fryer basket and cook it for 6 minutes, turning it once halfway through, until it is toasted.
3. Serve the toast immediately and top with your favorite toppings.

Recipe Tips

• For even cooking, toast the bread in a single layer and cook in batches if needed.
• If you use an air fryer oven, keep in mind that you will need to use the lower rack or you will just get overcooked or burned bread.
• The cooking time will vary depending on the brand of the air fryer you own, so you can experiment with a piece of toast to start.
• The thickness of your bread will also determine your cooking time.

Air Fryer Toast Nutrition Facts

Amount Per Serving

• Calories 76
• Total Fat 1g 2%
  • Saturated Fat 1g 5%
• Sodium 145mg 7%
• Potassium 51mg 2%
• Total Carbohydrate 14g 5%
  • Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
  • Sugars 2g
• Protein 3g 6%
• Vitamin A 1%
• Vitamin C 1%
• Calcium 39%
• Iron 1%

How to Toast Bread in an Air Fryer

Author: Emily Hill Cooking Method:Air Fryer Cuisine:American Courses:Breakfast

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 1 minuteCook time: 6 minutesRest time: minutesTotal time: 7 minutesServings:4 servingsCalories:76 kcal Best Season:Available

Description

Using an air fryer, you can easily toast all types of bread, bagels, English muffins, and more. The air fryer toasts bread perfectly every time, and the process is quick with minimal cleanup. Here is how you can toast bread in an air fryer.

Ingredients

• Bread

Toppings

• Peanut butter, jelly, butter, cream cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat the air fryer for 1 minute at 400 F.
   
2. Place the bread in the air fryer basket and cook it for 6 minutes, turning it once halfway through, until it is toasted.
   
3. Serve the toast immediately and top with your favorite toppings.
   

Video

Notes

• For even cooking, toast the bread in a single layer and cook in batches if needed.
• If you use an air fryer oven, keep in mind that you will need to use the lower rack or you will just get overcooked or burned bread.
• The cooking time will vary depending on the brand of the air fryer you own, so you can experiment with a piece of toast to start.
• The thickness of your bread will also determine your cooking time.