Can You Put Aluminum Foil in an Air Fryer? What Manuals Say

Sometimes. What Cosori, Instant and Philips say about foil, parchment and liners in air fryers, plus what research says about aluminum in food.

By Maksud · Published Sep 27, 2026

Can you put aluminum foil in an air fryer? Sometimes; it depends on the brand. Cosori’s TurboBlaze manual allows foil in the basket but not on the crisper plate, while Philips recommends against both foil and baking paper. Instant’s Vortex Plus 6QT guide says you don’t need foil, and Cosori and Instant both say never block the vents. Never put in an empty sheet of foil or parchment; weigh it down with food and keep it away from the heating element.

This page is built from manufacturer manuals and published research, not hands-on use. See how we research for the method.

What air fryer manuals actually say about foil and parchment

Air fryer makers don’t agree, which is why one blanket answer is misleading. We read three manufacturer sources and put their rules side by side.

Cosori’s TurboBlaze 6.0-Quart user manual is the most permissive. Its care section says lining the basket with foil, except the crisper plate, may make cleanup easier. Its safety section says not to put paper, cardboard or similar materials in the air fryer, and never to add baking or parchment paper without food on top, because air circulation can lift the paper into the heating coils.

Instant’s Vortex Plus 6QT ClearCook get-started guide says the tray is perforated so air flows under and around food, and that food can go right on the tray without foil or other coverings. It allows a metal or glass baking dish in the basket for the Bake program only. The guide does not explicitly ban foil; it simply says you don’t need it.

Philips’ US support page says baking paper and tin foil are not recommended in a Philips Airfryer (the page lists the models it applies to). Covering the basket bottom reduces airflow, putting them where grease collects disrupts cooking, and paper or foil with no food on it can be sucked into the heating element and burn.

We could not open Ninja’s AF101 owner’s guide for this page, so we don’t state Ninja’s policy. If you own one, check your printed guide, and see our Ninja AF101 review and AF101 cleaning guide.

How to use foil in an air fryer basket if your manual allows it

If your manual permits foil in the air fryer basket, these rules come straight from the manufacturer warnings above:

1. Food on top, never an empty sheet. Cosori and Philips both warn that unweighted paper or foil can be blown into the heating element.
2. Basket only. Cosori excludes the crisper plate, and Philips warns against foil in the pan where grease collects.
3. Don’t cover the whole bottom. Philips says a covered basket bottom reduces airflow and diminishes cooking performance. No source we read says how much coverage is too much.
4. Keep it clear of the element and vents. Instant and Cosori both say never to block the air intake or ventilation openings, and Cosori warns that food heaped high enough to touch the heating coils is a fire hazard.
5. Skip it with acidic or very salty food. See the aluminum section below.

Can you put parchment paper in an air fryer?

Yes, with food on top, if your manual allows it. Parchment paper in an air fryer follows the same no-empty-paper rule as foil. Cosori’s manual allows baking or parchment paper only with food on top. Philips advises against baking paper altogether. Instant’s 6QT guide doesn’t mention parchment.

Perforated parchment leaves more of the basket open than a solid sheet. That follows from the airflow warnings in the Cosori and Philips sources; it is reasoning, not a measured result, and no manual we read tests it.

We found no manufacturer or study source on wax paper, so this page makes no claim about it.

Are air fryer liners safe?

None of the sources we opened names paper or silicone liners, so no manufacturer here has approved or banned a specific liner. The closest rules are Cosori’s: don’t put paper, cardboard or non-heat-resistant plastic in the air fryer, use heat-safe containers, and be extremely cautious with containers that aren’t metal or glass. Paper liners also fall under the food-on-top rule for parchment.

For questions about nonstick coatings, PTFE or PFAS, see are air fryers safe. If your basket coating is already flaking, see air fryer basket coating peeling.

Does foil put aluminum in your food?

Some, and the sources differ on how much it matters. The CDC’s ATSDR ToxFAQs say the average US adult eats about 7-9 mg of aluminum a day in food, that very little enters the body from aluminum cooking utensils, and that exposure is usually not harmful, though high levels can affect health.

A 2020 peer-reviewed study by Fermo and colleagues measured aluminum in meat and fish baked in foil in an oven at 180°C (356°F) for an hour. Food baked in glass without foil was below the detection limit.

Citing earlier studies, the authors note that acidic and salty foods pull more aluminum from foil, and that temperature, cooking time and food type matter.

In their own results, seasoning (oil, salt and lemon) gave the highest levels for fish and chicken, but beef peaked unseasoned. They compared the results to the WHO and EFSA tolerable weekly intake of 1 mg of aluminum per kg of body weight. They said eating such foods several times a week, plus other sources, could reach it, and they recommended avoiding foil for baking. That is a stronger stance than ATSDR’s, which says very little aluminum enters the body from cooking utensils.

The gap: that study was oven baking with food wrapped in foil, not air frying on a liner. We found no air-fryer-specific study. If you want to limit exposure, parchment (where your manual allows it) or the bare basket keeps acidic food off foil.

When is foil worth using in an air fryer?

These lists follow from the sources above, not from first-hand cooking.

Worth it:

• Easier cleanup, if your manual allows foil: Cosori says lining the basket may make cleanup easier

Skip it:

• Food where you want a crisp result, since Philips says covering the basket bottom reduces airflow and cooking performance
• Acidic or salty food, per the Fermo 2020 findings
• Light food that won’t hold the foil down

What to do if foil or paper touches the heating element or starts smoking

Cosori’s manual says to immediately turn off and unplug the air fryer if dark smoke comes out, and to wait for the smoke to clear before pulling the basket out. NFPA’s cooking safety page doesn’t cover air fryers; for an oven fire it says to turn off the heat and keep the door closed. For any cooking fire, NFPA says: just get out, close the door behind you, and call 9-1-1 once you are outside.

For how to judge whether smoke is normal, see why is my air fryer smoking. See also how to put out a grease fire and how to prevent kitchen fires.

More on air fryers

• Best air fryers
• Cosori TurboBlaze review
• Instant Vortex Plus 6QT review
• How to clean an air fryer
• How we research