Can you make Hamburgers in an air fryer

You can air fry just about anything in an air fryer so a fresh or frozen burger will cook as it should in an air fryer, with an option to warm up the bun and cook extras like bacon.

Quickly make a hamburger patty on the side then add it to a preheated air fryer to achieve a juicy burger. Set temperature to a high of 400°F / 200°C with the timer set to 7 minutes. Carefully flip a thick or wide smash burger to prevent splitting, which you must flip midway through cooking to air fry both sides.

Prior to utilizing an air fryer you had a few options to make and cook a hamburger, which was under the broil/grill; rarely in the frying pa; and in a conventional oven.

It isn't an issue when you fancy a juicy burger but the results can vary widely. Now I believe an hamburger patty can't be beaten on convenience and speed in cooking time, than what a cooked in an air fryer can do.

You can make a freshly made hamburger for an air fryer and will be the second best option, after a genuine barbecue burger.

Make a hamburger patty as you normally would then simply sit it in a preheated air fryer.

Parchment paper lining the air fryer basket would be imperative when cooking fresh or frozen hamburgers in an air fryer, as it serves to not only keep the basket clean - it will be easier for you to lower and raise the cooked patties out of the air fryer.

With no chance of sticking, it will also be more convenient to flip the burger midway, as the tongs or spatula will slide across the smooth surface of the parchment paper.

I will demonstrate how to make and cook a single freshly made hamburger patty in my 5.8 qt / 5.5 L capacity basket, which is just 9 inches wide.

It will be possible to make up to 4 medium size to 6 mini hamburger patties in this size air fryer, yet I must remind you; it will be difficult to flip each burger in such a confined space, when they could be pushed up against each other.

Quickly make fresh Hamburger Patty

When making your own fresh beef hamburger patty, make it as you normally would, although it will be worth taking on my advice. Make a smash hamburger as oppose to a normal size quarter pounder; this way, a thin patty will not only cook faster - it will still shrink down as it cooks and will be made to fit in your bun.

• STEP 1: Roll golf ball size beef patty - Mould a slightly larger golf ball size beef ball of approximately 200g, and gently form it into a rounded ball. Gently mind, as a too tight beef ball will be both dense and dry when it cooks
• STEP 2: Smash ball into 5-6in. wide / 0.5in. thick disc - Flat down this moulded ball into a rounded disc directly on the centre of a sheet of parchment paper. Make it approximately 5-6 inches wide, and 0.5 inches thick

• STEP 3: Season with Salt & Pepper - You will want to grind fresh salt and pepper onto the beef patty for much needed flavour
• STEP 4: Allow to sit at room temperature - Simply sit the moulded beef patty still sitting on top of the parchment paper to one side, as we will come back to it in a bit

NOTE: Make sure to make the hamburger patty while sitting on parchment paper; lifting the patty after squashing it down will only break up the patty as you attempt to left it up.

Prepare Hamburger bun

Ensure you prepare your hamburger bun after you've made your hamburger patty; but not before cooking the hamburger in the air fryer. Its easy to just throw a burger patty in the air fryer and prepare everything else after, but you only have a short 7 minutes to do so. Make up your burger bun so your not in a hurry as the hamburger is close to cooking.

• STEP 1: Heat Hamburger Bun 1 Min. - Probably too soon but to add a little texture to a bun, consider warming up both bun sides directly in the air fryer basket for 1 minute
• STEP 2: Preheat plate optional - In addition to warming through the bun slices, add buns to a small accessible plate, then heat both in the air fryer for 1 minute

• STEP 3: Add Ketchup on either slice - Carefully take the fairly hot plate with bun on top out of the air fryer, and squeeze Ketchup and whatever sauce you like on the buns
• STEP 4: Allow to sit - You have now prepared the hamburger bun which means you don't have to rush to get it done as the burger cooks under 7 minutes

How to cook Hamburger Patty in air fryer

Cooking a freshly made beef hamburger should only take 6-7 minutes in total; whereas to cook a frozen hamburger patty will be 5-7 minutes off the instructions featured on the box. Cook the freshly made hamburger for 4 minutes - because there's no second time on an air fryer - and flip once over to brown off the opposite side for 3 minutes.

• STEP 1: Preheat air fryer 5 Min.; temp 400°F / 200°C - Its important to preheat the air fryer to 5 minutes as we want to cook the thin beef patty as quickly as possible
• STEP 2: Gently lower Hamburger into air fryer - With the beef patty sitting on top of the parchment paper, carefully lower the patty into the air fryer basket while being careful not to burn your hands

• STEP 3: Set temp 400°F / 200°C; timer to 7 Min. - Dial in a temperature of 400°F / 200°C for 7 minutes in total
• STEP 4: Cook until dark; flip burger midway - Allow the hamburger patty to cook for at least 4 minutes on one side, before flipping the burger over to cook the other side

NOTE: Before pulling out the now greasy hamburger patty out of the basket, be sure to hold the patty with tongs to allow the grease/fat to drain onto the parchment paper.

Hamburger extras optional

Of course you can add just about anything to a hamburger including bacon - which I am cooking a whopping 4 slices with my homemade hamburger - which will ideally be cooked alongside the patty.

Bacon will need approximately 6-7 minutes to cook in an air fryer so you'd want to add it a couple of minutes into cooking the hamburger patty.

Sit each bacon on the parchment paper in any space around the patty; with an option to lay each slice directly over the patty to cook both bacon/patty at the same time.

I am going to pre-cook my bacon rashers then reheat them on top of my patties with 2 minutes to go, so there's always alternatives.

I am not using cheese which you might want to, too make your hamburger into a cheeseburger; which I can't in this demonstration because I have no leftover Cheddar cheese slices.

Raw onions can be added to the waiting warm hamburger bun, but you can saute chopped up onions in a corner of the air fryer, simmering away on the parchment paper.

Summary

Making a hamburger at home doesn't have to always be cooked under the broil/grill or oven like you normally would.

I well cooked but juicy hamburger can be cooked to perfection in an air fryer which will need to be cooked to medium to medium/well because the air fryer can't cook a patty quick enough to produce a rare centre.

Make a hamburger patty as you normally would then add it to a preheated for 5 minute air fryer, to ensure no time is wasted air frying each patty.

Line the basket with parchment paper as it will serve to not only retain the grease/fat - which will keep your air fryer nice and clean - its easier to flip burgers that sit on parchment paper.

With your hamburger steadily cooking away in the air fryer, I just hope you have your hamburger bun ready for the freshly cooked, hot patty because it will only take 6-7 minutes in total, and so you could end up racing the clock as you rush to get it all prepared before the patty is cooked.

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