Can You Cook Scrambled Eggs In An Air Fryer?

Air fryers have revolutionized the home kitchen, making it quicker and easier than ever to fry up food at a moment's notice. However, there is food you should never cook in an air fryer, like burgers or a whole chicken. So, we'll forgive you if you question whether scrambled eggs are fair game. Let's cut through the confusion — yes, you can make scrambled eggs in an air fryer. However, they may not be more convenient than cooking scrambled eggs on the stovetop, and likewise, the results may be slightly inferior. 

In order to scramble eggs in an air fryer, you will need a small oven-safe pan that will fit inside your air fryer. You should let your air fryer preheat to somewhere between 300 to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. The slightly higher temperature will shave minutes off your cooking time, but you should be wary and keep an eye on the eggs to avoid them drying out or burning. 

As far as actually preparing the scrambled eggs, there's not much you'll do differently than you would on the stove. Some people add milk, believing it will make the eggs fluffier, but it may end up diluting the flavor instead. You should mix up your two eggs with salt and pepper and add the eggs and butter to the pan. From there, you can start cooking. 

Just because you can scramble eggs in an air fryer doesn't mean you should. Air fryers use a convection heating technique that warms the air around the food and makes it cook. In comparison, you have much more freedom with your stovetop. The stove's eye heats up food one side at a time, and you can adjust accordingly. While they may not seem like it, eggs can be incredibly delicate to get just right. 

Due to its protein fibers contracting, eggs can dehydrate quickly leaving you with a ruined breakfast. It's best to keep an eye on eggs as much as possible, but that can be difficult in an air fryer since you don't have direct access to your eggs. While many scrambled egg recipes call for you to intermittently stop and stir your eggs every three minutes in the air fryer, it's far easier to do so on the stovetop. Likewise, to get the fluffiest eggs, you should be stirring your eggs often while they cook until they start to form. This is impossible in an air fryer. 

Finally, it's important to note that scrambled eggs will keep cooking initially after being taken off a heat source, so for best results, chefs often remove eggs slightly before done and allow them to finish cooking. Using an air fryer may be less convenient when it comes to scrambling eggs, but it is possible!