When you're thinking about your most useful small kitchen appliances, the air fryer is probably high on the list. Unfortunately, most air fryers aren't self-cleaning (at least, not yet!). Cleaning pros at the Good Housekeeping Institute filled us in on the spots where hidden grease is probably lingering in your air fryer, plus instructions on the best products and methods for cleaning it.
Most of the time, cleaning the air fryer is relatively straightforward. But if you're dealing with an extra-greasy mess or food particles on the air fryer's heating element, you may need to do a deep clean with some baking soda.
Here's how to clean your air fryer, according to the pros.
How to clean an air fryer basket
What you'll need:
- Degreasing dish soap
- Soft-bristled bottle brush
- Soft cloth or paper towel
- Turn off and unplug the air fryer, and allow it to cool completely. Pull out the drawer and remove the basket or tray.
- If your air fryer is dishwasher-safe, place the drawer and basket or tray, depending on what your air fryer has, upside down in the dishwasher, preferably on the top rack, if it fits.
- If using the dishwasher is not an option, wash the removable parts in warm soapy water and use the brush to scrub off gunk and get into the vents and nooks and crannies of the tray while protecting the metal or nonstick finish. Rinse well and dry.
- Wipe down the bottom interior of the air fryer, as well as the exterior, with a damp cloth or paper towel. Replace the basket once clean.
Cleaning Lab Tip: Use the top rack of the dishwasher (space-permitting) where it is further away from heat and is exposed to gentler water jets – this will help the nonstick finish last longer.
How to clean an oven-style air fryer
What you'll need:
- Degreasing dish soap
- Soft-bristled bottle brush
- Soft cloth or paper towel
- Turn off and unplug the air fryer, and allow it to cool completely.
- Remove the racks and either use the dishwasher to clean them, or hand wash them in warm soapy water using your dish brush to scrub away grease and food bits. Rinse well and dry.
- Empty any oil from the drip tray – but don't flush it down the sink. The tray can be placed upside down in the dishwasher to clean it, or hand wash it, then rinse it well and dry.
- Wipe down the bottom interior of the air fryer, as well as the exterior, with a damp cloth or paper towel. Replace the trays once clean.
Cleaning Lab Tip: If the drawer or drip tray has any oil in the bottom, don't flush it down the kitchen sink. Instead, empty it into a can or small jar and keep the container in the fridge to throw away when it’s full.
How to deep clean an air fryer
If you accidentally overstuffed your air fryer (or cooked something extra splattery), you might have gunked up the heating element. If your air fryer smells bad while you’re cooking, or starts to smoke, there’s probably baked-on residue on or near the heating element.
What you'll need:
- ½ cup of baking soda
- A few tablespoons of water to make a paste
- Soft dishcloth or paper towels
- Remove the basket or racks first, and clean them.
- Leave it upright so any bits of gunk you brush off will fall onto the bottom of the interior and not get caught in the mesh, heating element or fan at the top.
- Use a clean, dry, soft-bristled brush to scrub and release burned-on bits from the mesh covering the heating element, and wipe with a damp clean cloth or paper towel. Then, turn the air fryer upside down to make it easier to clean the heating element.
- Use the baking soda paste and a soft damp cloth, and gently scrub away the grime.
- Rinse the cloth with water, wring it out and wipe away the residue. Flip the air fryer right-side up and replace the clean basket and/or trays.
Cleaning Lab Tip: Overfilling the air fryer will almost certainly guarantee the heating element will need cleaning. To prevent this chore, make sure the quantity of food you're cooking at one time doesn't exceed the amount that's recommended for your model of air fryer.
Lynn Redmile (she/her) is a contributing product reviews analyst at the Good Housekeeping Institute, where she's been evaluating nutrition, fitness, travel services, beauty, textiles, home, pet, and cleaning products since 2012. She is passionate about figuring out how things work and experiencing their full potential, and brings over three decades of data analysis and project management experience to the role.
Nicole (she/her) is the senior director of the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen & Cooking Lab. She oversees all content and testing related to kitchen products, food, and recipes. She has worked at GH since 2019, and is a trained cook, published recipe developer, and seasoned product tester with nearly 15 years of experience. She has worked in test kitchens for national magazines and kitchen appliances brands, where she also helped develop products for the home cook. She earned a degree in journalism from SUNY New Paltz, graduated with a Grand Diplome in Classic Culinary Arts from the French Culinary Institute, and studied culinary nutrition at the Natural Gourmet Institute (both now part of the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City.)
