Can You Use Glass Dishes In An Air Fryer?

Your air fryer is conveniently equipped with its own basket for cooking items like chicken or vegetables, but if you want to use this handy appliance for full dishes like casseroles or lasagna, you'll need to use a separate dish. The good news is that you don't need to buy a specific air fryer accessory. Glass dishes, with a few exceptions, can be used to cook in the air fryer.

While it might seem complicated to know what can be used where — and maybe we have microwaves to thank for that — it can be helpful to remember that, despite the name, an air fryer is really just a small convection oven. This means cookware that is designed for use in a traditional oven can also be used in an air fryer.

Oven-safe glass dishes are manufactured to withstand temperatures up to 480 degrees Fahrenheit, well above what you'll need for cooking most meals. The main restriction you'll most likely face is in terms of size. One of the biggest mistakes you can make with the air fryer is overfilling, so even if a glass dish fits inside the basket of the air fryer, you need to ensure that it's not blocking airflow.

When choosing a glass dish for air fryer use, the first thing you need to check is that it is, in fact, oven-safe. This means tempered glass or borosilicate glass — such as vintage Pyrex, which is specifically made to withstand both high temperatures and thermal shock — will work. On the other hand, untempered glassware, such as soda-lime glass, should not go in the air fryer, since it cannot withstand high temperatures. Nevertheless, the best way to tell is to check for an oven-safe label.

Before filling up your glass dish, take the time to check for scratches, cracks, or chips. For transparent glass, this can be done by holding it up to the light. Even if this damage seems superficial, the proximity of the heat outlet in an air fryer can add more stress than in a regular oven, leading any weak points to break.

Even with glass cookware designed to withstand high heat, a rapid change in temperature can cause these dishes to crack. So don't be tempted to move your make-ahead meals directly from fridge or freezer into a preheated air fryer. Likewise, after removing the dish from the air fryer, don't set it directly onto a cold marble counter, or rinse immediately in cold water. In either case, letting the dish come to room temperature will help avoid shattering.