Can You Put Parchment Paper in an Air Fryer?

Grilled chicken with roasted vegetables and potatoes on parchment served alongside chargrilled eggplant and peppers — Credit:
Liudmila Chernetska / Getty Images

Key Points

You can safely use parchment paper in an air fryer as long as it’s oven-safe and kept below 450°F.
Trim or perforate the parchment and weigh it down with food to prevent airflow blockage or fire hazards.
Parchment paper simplifies cleanup and prevents food from sticking, but it may slightly reduce crispiness.

Parchment paper is one of those kitchen staples that quietly makes everything easier, from lining cake pans to baking cookies and keeping roasted vegetables from sticking. But can you put parchment paper in an air fryer? The short answer: yes, as long as you follow a few important guidelines. Parchment is oven-safe, non-toxic, non-reactive, and both grease- and moisture-resistant. It is specially treated for high-heat cooking up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, making it just as useful in your countertop appliance as it is in the oven.

What Parchment Paper Can Do for Your Air Fryer

Think of parchment paper as your air fryer’s best assistant. It makes clean-up infinitely easier, catching stray crumbs, melted cheese, or greasy drips before they have a chance to weld themselves to the mesh basket. It also helps prevent food from clinging stubbornly to the surface, a lifesaver if you're making battered onion rings or breaded chicken tenders.

Unlike aluminum foil, which can react unpleasantly with acidic foods such as tomatoes, parchment paper won’t leave behind metallic flavors or discoloration. It’s simple, fuss-free, and gives you one less thing to scrub at the end of the night.

Tips for Using Parchment Paper in an Air Fryer

Consider Perforated Parchment

Special sheets made for air fryers come with tiny holes already punched in. These encourage circulation and let grease drain away, which can make a noticeable difference in texture.

Trim to Fit

Cut parchment slightly smaller than your basket. This allows hot air to circulate fully and helps food cook more evenly.

Weigh it Down

This is the golden rule: parchment must be anchored with food. Left loose, it can blow around and risk touching the heating element, posing a serious fire hazard. Make sure whatever you’re cooking sits firmly on top to keep the paper in place.

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Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Mind the Heat: As useful as parchment paper is, it does have some important limitations to keep in mind. Recipes that call for temperatures over 450 degrees are a no-go, since parchment is only designed to withstand heat up to that point.

Keep Crispness Expectations Realistic: Because parchment blocks some of the airflow, foods may turn out a little less crisp compared to cooking without it. If ultra-crunchy fries are your goal, you might want to skip the liner.

Choose the Right Paper: While it may look similar, parchment should not be confused with wax paper or freezer paper. Both have wax coatings that can melt, smoke, or even ignite at high cooking temperatures, making them unsafe for use in the air fryer.

Reuse Wisely (Or Not at All)

Reusing parchment paper is possible, but only under certain conditions. If the sheet looks clean, hasn’t absorbed oils or grease, and wasn’t used with raw proteins, it can be safely reused up to three times. After each use, gently brush off crumbs and blot away any moisture with a clean paper towel.

Don't Reuse If

Parchment that has soaked up fat should be tossed, since rancid oils can carry bitter, off flavors.
Nonstick-coated parchment also tends to degrade quickly with repeated exposure to heat and should be discarded after one use.
For food safety, never reuse parchment that has been in contact with raw chicken, fish, or other proteins.