Can You Put Water in an Air Fryer?

Short answer

Only in the drawer, to stop smoke

Not for cooking - an air fryer is not a steamer, and water in the basket makes food soggy. But a tablespoon or two of water in the drawer beneath the basket is a legitimate trick to stop grease smoking when you cook fatty food like bacon, sausages or burgers.

Why water behaves this way

Air frying works by driving moisture off the surface of food so it can brown and crisp. Adding water to the basket does the exact opposite: it keeps the surface wet, so the food steams, stays pale and never develops any crunch. If a recipe genuinely needs moisture, it needs a different appliance, or it needs to be sealed inside foil so the steam stays with the food rather than filling the basket.

There is one genuinely useful exception, and it has nothing to do with cooking the food. When you air-fry something fatty, rendered grease drips into the drawer below, hits the hot metal and starts to smoke - that acrid white smoke that pours out of the vent when you cook bacon. A couple of tablespoons of water in the bottom of that drawer keeps the pooled fat below its smoke point, and the problem disappears. Just a shallow film, never enough to reach the basket, and never poured into a fryer that is already running.

The rules

Add water only to the drawer beneath the basket, never to the food or the basket itself.
A tablespoon or two is plenty - a shallow film, never enough to touch the basket above.
Use it for fatty foods that smoke: bacon, sausages, burgers, chicken thighs.
Add it before you start, with the fryer off and cool.

What goes wrong

Water in the basket steams the food, so it comes out soft and pale instead of crisp.
Too much water can slosh into the basket or spill when you pull the drawer out.
Never pour water into a hot, running fryer, and never let it reach the heating element.
Never submerge or rinse the main unit - it is an electrical appliance.

Water in an air fryer: FAQ

Can you put water in an air fryer?

Not in the basket - it steams the food and ruins the crisping. But a tablespoon or two in the drawer underneath is a well-known trick that stops rendered fat from smoking when you cook bacon, sausages or burgers.

Why do people put water in the air fryer drawer?

To stop smoke. Fat drips from fatty food into the hot drawer below and starts to smoke. A shallow film of water keeps that pooled grease below its smoke point, so the vent stays clear.

Can you steam food in an air fryer?

Not really. An air fryer is designed to remove surface moisture, not add it. If you want a steaming effect, seal the food in a foil parcel so the moisture stays with the food - but you will get no browning or crisping.

Can you put water in an air fryer to clean it?

You can soak the removable basket and crisper plate in warm soapy water. Never put water into the main body of the appliance or submerge it - that is the part with the element and the fan in it.

What else can go in an air fryer?

See the full list on what can you put in an air fryer.