How To Cook Frozen Burgers In An Air Fryer

If you have some homemade or store-bought hamburgers in the freezer ready to serve up a quick dinner, you can use your air fryer to cook them perfectly and without the smoke and mess of the grill or frying pan. The best bit is it’s quicker and easier to cook burgers in the air fryer. Truly fast food.

You also do not need to be organized, you can cook them frozen. No need to defrost the burgers in the fridge the night before.

Below I cover how you can air-fry frozen hamburger patties straight from the freezer. This will help you make a quick meal for the whole family.

Why is cooking frozen hamburgers in an air fryer quick and easy?

Easy to cook and make

Air-frying is one of the easiest ways to cook your frozen burgers. You simply place the frozen burgers (store-bought or homemade) in your air fryer’s basket. Air fry for around 12 to 18 mins at 360 degrees f (180c), turning them over halfway through.

The air fryer cooks your frozen burgers by circulating hot air around them. This evenly cooks them and provides you with a juicy burger to serve up.

Total cooking time for air fryer burgers will vary depending on the air fryer model, the thickness of the burgers, and if you want them well done or medium rare.

Fewer bad smells

When cooking burgers using other popular methods like a grill or frying, the cooking process causes the excess oil to sometimes burn off creating smoke and stinking your kitchen out. When using an air fryer excess fat drips from the burgers into the bottom of your air fryer basket as they cook. As this is further away from the heating element there is less chance of it burning off.

If you are still experiencing air fryer smoke add two tablespoons of water to the bottom of the basket. You could also add a stale piece of bread below the basket to also soak up the excess fat. This will aid in cleaning and reduce the chance of excess fat burning and creating smoke.

Less mess

Due to the natural fat content of ground beef, it is less likely to stick to the air fryer basket. This means it will be an easy clean-up. All you will need to do is wipe the basket around with some hot soapy water with a non-abrasive cloth or sponge. The rest of the equipment can either be put in the dishwasher or washed in the same hot soapy water before the air fryer basket.

To reduce cleaning time, even more, you could put parchment paper or aluminum foil in the bottom of the basket. This can be removed and disposed of once the basket has cooled.

By air frying, there will also be no messy rack or fatty splatter marks on your countertop or hob to clean up. As there would be if you fried or grilled the frozen burgers.

Can I cook frozen burgers in an air fryer?

Yes, this is by far the easiest and quickest way to put uncooked frozen hamburgers in a bun and on your plate. Air-frying frozen burgers will have a total cook time of around 18 minutes at 360 F (180 c). This will give you a well-done homemade burger.

There is no need to defrost the patties, simply place them in the air fryer basket and cook them.

The total cook time will vary depending on the thickness of the burger. Homemade burgers are likely to be thicker than those from the store. If you want a tasty air fryer recipe for homemade fresh hamburgers, I have one here.

How long should I cook my frozen burgers?

The length of time you cook your frozen burgers depends on the thickness of your burger and how well done you want them. Using a pre-heated air fryer at 360 F (180c), the suggested timings for a 0.5 inch (1.2 cm) thick burger are…

Rare burger – 12 minutes

Medium rare – 15 minutes

Well done – 18 minutes

A store bought burger with a thickness of around 0.4 inch (1 cm) cooked in a fraction of the time. I was able to serve up a well done burger in 12 minutes. The thinner the burger the less time it will need.

As different air fryers will produce different results it is best to check your burgers regularly and adjust the times accordingly.

Use a digital meat thermometer to check the internal temperature. This will make sure your burgers are safe to eat.

Your target safe temperature for a…

• Well done burger is 160 -165 F (71c)
• Medium to well-done burger it’s 150-155 F (65c)
• Medium burger it’s 140-145 F (60c)
• Medium rare burger it’s 130 – 135 F (54c).
• Rare burger it’s 120 – 125 F (49c)

The United States Department of Agriculture recommends a temperature of 160 F (71c).

How do I cook frozen burgers in an air fryer?

To cook frozen burgers, follow these simple steps. The maximum number of frozen burger patties you can cook in one go will depend on the size of your air fryer. The below recipe is for a well-done burger.

There is a downloadable recipe card at the bottom of this article.

Step 1 – Pre-heat your air fryer to 360 F (180c)

Step 2 – Once pre-heated, pull out the air fryer basket

Arrange the frozen patties in a single layer in the air fryer basket and leave a little space between each one to ensure the best results

Step 3 – Put the basket back in the air fryer

Cook for 18 minutes (well done)

Step 4 – After 10 minutes pull out the air fryer basket and turn over the burgers to ensure they are evenly cooked

After a further 2 to 8 minutes of cooking time check that your burgers have browned and cooked to your satisfaction.

Step 5 – Check the center of the burgers to make sure they have cooked, use a digital meat thermometer to be sure.

Step 6 – If the burgers have not cooked in the center or you like your burgers darker in color or crispier, return for a couple of minutes.

If you want some melted cheese slices on top. Place a cheese slice on top of each of the burgers and air fry for an additional minute.

Step 7 – To create your perfect burger, serve in hamburger buns or lettuce wrap for a low carbohydrate option, with your favorite toppings and sauces.

I used my Tower air fryer to cook the above.

Top tips

Different air fryers will produce different results. You may need to experiment a bit and check on the frozen burgers regularly the first time you cook them. Once you have them cooked to your satisfaction using your specific air fryer take note of the time it took. This will help you next time.

When placing the burgers in the air fryer basket do not stack or have them overlap. This will prevent the hot air from circulating around the entire burger. If the hot air cannot circulate it will not evenly cook or brown your hamburger.

Use a digital meat thermometer to make sure your burgers are safe to eat. Your target temperature for a well-done burger is 160 F (70 c).

Common questions

Can I cook frozen homemade hamburgers in an air fryer?

Yes, you can cook homemade burgers in an air fryer.

These could be made fresh and cooked there and then or taken from the freezer and cooked. There is no need to defrost them, simply place them in the air fryer basket and cook them.

Is oil needed and what oil should I use?

You may be in the habit of putting oil on the bottom of the air fryer basket to stop the food from sticking. Due to the fat content of ground beef, this shouldn’t be necessary with this recipe. If you did want to put some oil on the basket there are so many different oils, you could use. That is why I wrote an article comparing them all. If you want to know which oils are best for air frying, I have written an article going into more detail which will help.

Should I use parchment or foil?

Yes, you can. You should not need to use parchment paper or foil to stop the hamburgers from sticking to the basket. This is due to the fat content of ground beef. But you could put parchment paper or aluminum foil in the bottom of the basket to reduce your cleaning time. The parchment paper or foil can be removed and disposed of once the basket has cooled.

How do I store my cooked frozen burgers?

If you have cooked too many burgers and you have some leftovers or have been prepping for the week ahead, you can store your cooked burgers in the fridge.

Firstly, let the cooked burgers cool to room temperature. Then place them in an airtight container or sealable food bag to keep them all together.

Store in the fridge and eat within 3 days.

How do I reheat my cooked hamburgers?

I unsurprisingly use my air fryer to reheat my burgers. Simply air fry for 4 minutes at 360 F (180c) turn and then cook for a further 4 minutes.

Related articles

Best Air Fryer Frozen Food Recipes – All the best frozen food recipes in one place to help you make the most of your air fryer.

Home Made Burgers In An Air Fryer – Step by step instructions to make delicious homemade burgers and cook them in the air fryer.

Recipe card