Smoke pours from your air fryer. Your kitchen alarm goes off. You panic and unplug the unit.
What went wrong? And will this happen every time you cook?
Don’t worry. Air fryer smoking is common and usually fixable. Let’s figure out what caused it and how to prevent it next time.
The Main Causes of Air Fryer Smoke
Several things can cause your air fryer to smoke. Understanding the cause helps you fix the problem.
Fatty Foods Are the Biggest Culprit
Bacon, sausages, chicken thighs, and fatty burgers release grease when they cook. This excess fat drips into the bottom pan. When that grease hits the hot heating element, it smokes.
This is the most common reason air fryers smoke. Foods with high fat content produce more grease than your air fryer can handle at once.
The smoke you see is white smoke from burning grease. This is normal when cooking very fatty foods. The smoke doesn’t mean your food is ruined or your air fryer is broken.
Sources:
- Why Is Air Fryer Smoking? Causes and Easy Fixes, Instant Pot Eats, July 26, 2024, https://instantpoteats.com/why-is-air-fryer-is-smoking/
- Why is my air fryer smoking and how do I get it to stop? We asked the experts, Ideal Home, May 7, 2024, https://www.idealhome.co.uk/how-to-stop-my-air-fryer-smoking
Leftover Grease From Previous Cooking
If you didn’t clean your air fryer after the last use, old grease residue remains on the heating element or in the basket. When you turn on the air fryer, that old grease heats up and smokes.
This smoke appears within the first 3-5 minutes of cooking, even before your food starts releasing any fat. The smoke should dissipate after a few minutes as the old grease burns off.
Sources:
- Why Is My Typhur Air Fryer Smoking? Causes & Fixes, Typhur, June 17, 2025, https://explore.typhur.com/typhur-air-fryer-smoking-fix
Loose Breading or Batter
When you cook breaded chicken or battered foods, small pieces of coating can blow off in the circulating air. These bits land on the hot heating element and burn, creating smoke.
This happens most often with loose breading that hasn’t been pressed firmly onto the food, or with wet batters that aren’t thick enough.
Sources:
- Why is My Air Fryer Smoking and How Do I Get it to Stop?, Everyday Family Cooking, March 27, 2023, https://www.everydayfamilycooking.com/air-fryer-smoking/
Too Much Oil
If you poured oil directly into the air fryer basket (which you should never do) or used too much oil on your food, the excess oil pools at the bottom. When this oil heats up and reaches its smoke point, it creates smoke.
Marinaded meats can cause this problem. The marinade drips off the meat and collects in the pan, then burns.
Sources:
- Why is My Air Fryer Smoking?, Also The Crumbs Please, August 29, 2023, https://www.alsothecrumbsplease.com/why-is-my-air-fryer-smoking/
Temperature Too High
Some air fryers run hotter than others. If your temperature setting is too high for the food you’re cooking, the food can burn and smoke.
This is especially true if you’re following a recipe written for a different air fryer model. Your unit might cook hotter or cooler than the recipe assumes.
Sources:
- Why is Air Fryer Smoking? Troubleshooting Guide, Air Fryer World, April 14, 2023, https://airfryerworld.com/why-is-air-fryer-smoking/
Poor Ventilation
Air fryers need space around them to breathe. If yours is pushed against a wall or crammed under a cabinet with no clearance, it can overheat. Overheating can cause smoke.
Small kitchens with poor ventilation can make even minor smoking seem worse. The smoke has nowhere to go, so it fills the room quickly.
Sources:
- Why is My Air Fryer Smoking and How Do I Get it to Stop?, Everyday Family Cooking, March 27, 2023, https://www.everydayfamilycooking.com/air-fryer-smoking/
How to Stop the Smoking
When your air fryer starts smoking, here’s what to do:
Step 1: Turn it off immediately
Don’t let it keep smoking. Turn off the air fryer. If smoke is excessive, unplug the unit.
Step 2: Open windows and ventilate
Open windows. Turn on your range hood. Get air moving through your kitchen. The smoke should clear in a few minutes.
Step 3: Identify the cause
Once the smoke clears and the unit cools, figure out what caused it:
- Is the basket dirty with old grease? Clean it.
- Are you cooking fatty meat? That’s the issue.
- Is food touching the heating element? Rearrange it.
- Did breading fall off? Press it on better next time.
Step 4: Fix the problem and resume cooking
If the problem was fatty food, pull out the drip tray and empty the grease. Wipe it clean. Put it back and continue cooking.
If breading was the issue, remove any bits from the heating element once the unit cools.
If old grease was smoking, clean the air fryer before using it again.
Sources:
- Why is My Air Fryer Smoking and How Do I Get it to Stop?, Everyday Family Cooking, March 27, 2023, https://www.everydayfamilycooking.com/air-fryer-smoking/
Prevention Tips for Fatty Foods
You can still cook bacon, sausages, and fatty meats. Just take precautions:
Add water to the drip tray
Before cooking fatty foods, add 1-2 tablespoons of water to the drip tray beneath the basket. When grease drips down, it hits water instead of the hot surface. This prevents smoking.
The water absorbs the heat and stops the grease from reaching its smoke point.
Empty grease mid-cook
For very fatty foods, you might need to empty the drip tray halfway through cooking. Pause the air fryer, carefully remove the drip tray (use oven mitts), dump the grease into a container, and continue cooking.
This sounds annoying, but it’s better than filling your kitchen with smoke.
Choose leaner cuts
Trim visible fat from meat before cooking. Buy leaner sausages. These small changes reduce the amount of grease released during cooking.
Sources:
- Why is My Air Fryer Smoking?, Also The Crumbs Please, August 29, 2023, https://www.alsothecrumbsplease.com/why-is-my-air-fryer-smoking/
- Air Fry Tray – How do I limit the amount of smoke when using the ReadyCook Air Fry Tray?, Frigidaire, October 2, 2024, https://owner.frigidaire.com/support-articles/article/1847317
Prevention Tips for Other Causes
Clean after every use
Wipe down the basket and drip tray after each use. Clean the heating element if you see grease buildup. This prevents old grease from smoking during your next cook.
Press breading firmly
When breading chicken or fish, press the coating onto the food firmly. Pat it down. This helps it stick and prevents pieces from flying off during cooking.
Spray breading lightly with oil
A light spray of oil on breaded foods helps the coating stick. It also prevents dry breading from blowing around.
Use high smoke-point oils
Cook with oils that can handle heat without smoking. Avocado oil, peanut oil, and light olive oil all have high smoke points. Avoid butter or extra virgin olive oil at high temps.
Lower the temperature
If smoke happens every time you cook, your air fryer might run hot. Try reducing the temperature by 25°F and cooking a bit longer.
Give it space
Make sure your air fryer has at least 5 inches of clearance on all sides. Don’t push it against walls or under cabinets while cooking.
Sources:
- Why Is Air Fryer Smoking? Causes and Easy Fixes, Instant Pot Eats, July 26, 2024, https://instantpoteats.com/why-is-air-fryer-is-smoking/
- Why Is My Typhur Air Fryer Smoking? Causes & Fixes, Typhur, June 17, 2025, https://explore.typhur.com/typhur-air-fryer-smoking-fix
Is Some Smoke Normal?
Yes. A small amount of white smoke when cooking fatty foods is normal. Air fryers get very hot, and some smoke from grease is expected.
The smoke shouldn’t be excessive. If your kitchen fills with smoke and alarms go off, that’s too much. But a little wisp of white smoke from bacon? That’s fine.
Light smoke at the start of cooking might just be the air fryer burning off any manufacturing residue or dust. This usually happens only with new air fryers.
Sources:
- Air Fryer – Smoking, Frigidaire, May 13, 2025, https://owner.frigidaire.com/support-articles/article/1918545-air-fryer-smoking
White Smoke vs. Other Colors
White smoke is usually from grease or fat. This is the most common type and is generally not a safety concern.
If you see black smoke or smell burning plastic, stop immediately. This could indicate a more serious problem like:
- Food touching the heating element and burning
- Plastic packaging left inside the air fryer
- An electrical issue
Black smoke or burning plastic smell requires you to stop cooking, unplug the unit, and inspect it carefully. Contact the manufacturer if you suspect an electrical problem.
Sources:
- White smoke comes out of my Philips Airfryer, Philips, https://www.usa.philips.com/c-t/XC000012902/white-smoke-comes-out-of-my-philips-airfryer
When to Contact the Manufacturer
If smoke continues despite:
- Cleaning your air fryer thoroughly
- Using leaner foods
- Adding water to the drip tray
- Following all prevention tips
Then you might have a manufacturing defect. Contact customer service. Your air fryer might need repair or replacement.
Most smoking issues are user-related and fixable. But occasionally, a unit has a problem that requires professional help.
Sources:
- Why is Air Fryer Smoking? Troubleshooting Guide, Air Fryer World, April 14, 2023, https://airfryerworld.com/why-is-air-fryer-smoking/
Quick Reference
If smoke starts:
- Turn off the air fryer
- Ventilate your kitchen
- Let it cool
- Identify and fix the cause
To prevent smoking:
- Clean after every use
- Add water to drip tray for fatty foods
- Press breading firmly
- Use high smoke-point oils
- Give the unit proper ventilation
- Lower temperature if needed
Next steps: Now that you can handle smoking, let’s talk about another common problem: food sticking to the basket. The next post covers how to prevent this frustrating issue.