In recent years air fryers have become a popular kitchen appliance. If you have recently bought an air fryer you may be wondering if you can put water in it.

This is a common question, and the short answer is that you can put small amounts of water in your air fryer. It’s a good idea to limit the amount of water you add to two tablespoons.

Adding a little water to your air fryer can reduce smoke production, save on clean-up time, and add some moisture to the leftovers you are reheating. In this article, I detail what you can and cannot do regarding using water and other liquids in your air fryer.

Can you put water in an air fryer?

Yes, you can add water to your air fryer. However, I would stick to small amounts. A maximum of two tablespoons. Adding a small amount of water to the bottom of your air fryer basket when cooking greasy foods like sausages can help reduce the air fryer smoking. The water combines with the oily grease, cooling it and stopping it from burning.

You can technically add more water to air fryers. For example, you could heat water in an air fryer, but why would you? An air fryer is an electrical appliance designed for air frying food, not boiling water. By adding water, you risk breaking your air fryer. You likely already have a kettle or boiling water tap; these will provide boiling water far faster than an air fryer. Why risk it?

If you want to understand more about an air fryer works, there is more information in this article. I explain how an air fryer works and that is does not use radiation unlike a microwave.

Why might you want to add water to your air fryer?

I have only ever added water to my air fryer for two reasons.

1. Reduce smoking, when cooking food with a lot of fat

Food with a high-fat content will produce a lot of grease. This oily grease will drip down to the bottom of the air fryer’s basket.

Once on the bottom of the air fryer basket, the oily grease starts to burn. This produces smoke and unpleasant smells, which are expelled from the air fryer’s vent. The smoke and associated smells then drift around your kitchen.

By adding water any grease that drips to the bottom of the air fryer basket is cooled down. This stops the grease from burning, reducing the amount of smoke produced.

2. Reheating leftovers

Air fryers can be used to reheat leftovers.

Adding a small quantity of water to the bottom of the air fryer basket will help ensure the reheated leftovers are moist when served.

You do not need to add lots of water to avoid serving dried-out food. For the best results, a couple of tablespoons of water will be enough. Too much water and you risk damaging your air fryer as well as having soggy food.

How to safely add water to an air fryer?

Use a measuring cup or spoon to add the little bit of water I recommend adding.

Do not take the air fryer close to the sink and hold it near the tap. You want the plug and other electrical components in the air fryer to stay well away from water.

Preheat the air fryer, take the air fryer basket out and pour the two tablespoons of water into the bottom of the air fryer basket. Then add your food and cook as required.

If you reheat leftovers, you can spray water directly onto the food.

Can you boil water in an air fryer?

You can technically heat water in an air fryer. But regardless of how long you leave the water in the air fryer, it is unlikely that it will ever reach 212 F (100 c) and boil.

This is because…

1. The maximum temperatures most air fryers can reach are insufficient to generate the heat needed to boil water.
2. Air fryers are not sealed appliances, they need air to work as designed. As a result, the air fryer is more than likely going to short circuit before it boils the water.

Even if the air fryer did manage to boil the water it would take longer and use more energy than boiling water in a kettle or in a pan.

You also risk breaking your air fryer.

Could adding water break my air fryer?

Yes, adding water could break your air fryer. An air fryer is an electrical appliance. For safety reasons, it is best that water and electricity do not mix.

If any water was to touch the heating element or the fan at the top of the air fryer, the air fryer is likely to stop working. It could also cause a fire.

Adding a large amount of water to your air fryer is not worth the risk. Adding a few drops of water to aid in cleaning or to stop the air fryer from smoking is something you can do safely. Boiling water for the pasta is a no. Especially if you have a kettle and stove you can use.

Can you steam-cook food in an air fryer?

Air fryers are small convection ovens with a fan. An air fryer cooks food through the circulation of hot air by the fan. This cooking process allows you to serve up crispy food without adding oil.

You can steam-cook delicate food like salmon and veg in foil packets. But you are not adding extra liquids when you do this, the food in the packet is cooking in its own moisture/oils.

You should not add lots of water to your air fryer to steam-cook rice for example. Stick to using a kitchen appliance suited to steaming. Like a rice cooker, steamer, instant pot, or pressure cooker.

Can you heat other fluids in an air fryer?

As with boiling water technically you can. But the same risks apply. You could break your air fryer and it will take longer than using other kitchen appliances like a microwave or a saucepan on your hob.

I do not recommend reheating soup or other liquids in an air fryer.

Can you clean your air fryer by adding water and soap, then turn it on?

There are videos of TikTok users sharing a cleaning hack. In the video, they add water and soap to the air fryer basket and turn it on.

I do not recommend this approach. As it doesn’t take long to clean the air fryer after use anyway and the apparent time saving does not offset the risk of breaking the air fryer. As I tend to use an air fryer liner or aluminum foil to avoid stuck-on food. All I normally need to do is put the drawer of the air fryer in a bowl of warm water, with some soap and wipe it around with a sponge or cloth.

I also wipe the exterior of the air fryer with a damp cloth. The air fryer is at this point switched off and unplugged.

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What Can And Can’t Go In An Air Fryer – A roundup article summarizing what you can and can’t use in an air fryer. With links to more detail on how to use certain materials and items safely.