How to clean an air fryer
The basket after each use, the inside and the heating coil once a week, and what the makers’ own manuals say about the dishwasher, cooking spray and smoke.
The short answer
Wash the basket and the tray after each use, in hot soapy water with a soft sponge, once they’ve cooled. Once a week, unplug the air fryer and wipe the inside and the heating coil with a damp cloth, then let it dry completely. In CozyHaus that weekly clean is a 6-minute chore.
What the manuals say
Every guide to cleaning an air fryer tells you to check your manual. So we read two of them side by side, from Instant and Cosori. Yours may differ in the details, but the two agree on more than the internet does.
| Question | Instant | Cosori |
|---|---|---|
| How often? | After each use | The basket and the inside, after every use |
| Dishwasher? | The basket and the tray, yes, though they may discolor | The basket and the crisper plate, yes |
| Cooking spray? | On the food, never on the basket | On the food |
| Paper? | No paper in the appliance | Parchment, only with food on top |
| The heating coil? | Check it for spatter, clean as needed, dry before use | Clean it if needed, dry it completely before use |
| Baked-on grease? | A spray of baking soda and vinegar, wiped off with a damp cloth | A paste of baking soda and water, left for 15 minutes |
| Scouring pads? | No metal pads or steel wool | No metal scouring pads |
Both say to unplug it and let it cool before you clean it, and never to put the base in water. Both rule out metal scouring pads for the same reason: pieces can break off and touch the electrical parts.
After each use: the basket and the tray
- Unplug it and let it cool. Pull the basket out, and it cools faster.
- Wash the basket and the tray in hot soapy water with a soft, non-abrasive sponge, or put them in the dishwasher if your manual allows it.
- Soak anything stuck in hot soapy water first, as Cosori suggests.
- Dry everything before it goes back in.
Once a week: the inside and the heating coil
The basket gets all the attention, but the smoke comes from the top. Instant’s manual puts black smoke down to food left on the heating coil, among other causes. Cosori’s says white smoke means the inside isn’t clean enough, or grease has gathered under the crisper plate. A weekly wipe of the inside keeps both away.
- Unplug it, let it cool to room temperature, and take out the basket and the tray.
- Wipe the inside walls with a damp cloth and a little dish soap. The base never goes in water.
- Look up at the heating coil. Wipe off spatter and crumbs with a slightly damp, non-abrasive cloth or sponge.
- Wipe the outside and the handle.
- Let the coil dry completely before you turn the air fryer back on.
Baked-on grease
- On the basket: Cosori’s manual mixes 2 tablespoons of baking soda with 1 tablespoon of water, spreads the paste on the basket with a sponge and leaves it for 15 minutes before washing it off.
- Inside the fryer: Instant’s manual sprays a mix of baking soda and vinegar on the baked-on grease, waits a few minutes for stubborn spots, and wipes it off with a damp cloth.
- Use a soft brush, never a metal pad. The basket has a nonstick coating, and both manuals warn against abrasive cleaners.
Smoke and smells
- White smoke: usually fat. Fatty foods like bacon and sausage make it, and so does old grease inside the fryer. Cosori calls a little white smoke normal. Clean the inside, and look under the crisper plate.
- Black or dark smoke: turn the air fryer off and unplug it straight away, as both manuals say. Food burning on the coil is one cause; Cosori adds that dark smoke can mean a circuit problem. Let it cool and clean it thoroughly, and if the smoke comes back, call the maker.
- A plastic smell when it’s new: normal, Cosori says, and its manual has a test run to get rid of it.
What not to do
- Run it with soapy water inside. The trick is all over social media. Instant’s manual says not to add water or other liquid to the cooking chamber when air frying.
- Scrub with metal scouring pads or steel wool. Pieces can break off and touch the electrical parts.
- Spray oil on the basket. Instant says to spray the food instead.
- Put paper in without food on top. Cosori warns the air can lift parchment into the heating coil.
Questions people ask
Can you put an air fryer basket in the dishwasher?
Both manuals we read say yes for the basket and the tray. Instant adds that some discoloration may occur after machine washing, which doesn’t affect safety. Check your own manual first.
How often should you clean an air fryer?
The basket and the tray after each use, as both manuals say, and the inside and the heating coil whenever you see spatter. In CozyHaus the full clean is a 6-minute chore every week.
Can you clean an air fryer with vinegar?
Instant’s manual suggests a spray of baking soda and vinegar for baked-on grease inside the cooking chamber, wiped off with a damp cloth. Cosori’s suggests a paste of baking soda and water for the basket.
How do you clean an air fryer without taking it apart?
Unplug it, let it cool, and wipe the inside walls and the heating coil with a slightly damp cloth and a little dish soap. Let it dry completely before you use it again. The base never goes in water.
How do you clean the top inside of an air fryer?
That’s the heating coil. With the air fryer unplugged and cool, wipe it with a slightly damp, non-abrasive cloth or sponge, then let it dry completely before you turn it back on, as both manuals say.
Sources
- How often and the minutes: the CozyHaus chore catalogue.
- Instant Brands, Instant Vortex VersaZone 9-quart air fryer, user manual (PDF, 2022)
- Cosori, Premium II Plus 6.5-quart air fryer, user manual (PDF, July 2023)
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