Can You Really Cook A Cheesecake In Your Air Fryer?

Your air fryer is a magical small appliance, capable of everything from reviving last night's leftover fried chicken to hard-boiling eggs. But while we'd like to think we use our air fryers to the fullest, not many of us have likely entered into the dessert realm with them. Sure, you can make cookies or brownies, blast some cupcakes or muffins into being, or even create a super-easy bread pudding. But what about the ultimate in creamy decadence: Can you make a cheesecake in your air fryer?

As a matter of fact, you can air fry your way into cheesecake heaven, and it's way easier than baking a cheesecake outright — no water bath needed. You're actually going to use it twice: first to set the crust, then to cook the entire thing. On the second go-around, initially cover the pan with aluminum foil, then stop the process, remove the foil, and let the cheesecake go until it's done. It's literally that simple.

When making cheesecake in your air fryer, it's important that you have a pan that will actually fit. This could mean making a much smaller cheesecake than you would normally make (especially if you have a basket model), but you can buy round silicone cake pans that are perfect for this purpose. Depending on your recipe, you might need to halve the ingredients or do some fractional trickery; plan that out before you start measuring your ingredients so you aren't stumped mid-mixing.

While it is so tempting to dive right into your cheesecake after it's done baking, you should actually let it sit in the air fryer for an additional half-hour; this will help it form. Next, it needs to cool on a wire rack for another hour. Finally, you should pop it in the fridge for a good three to four hours — but if you can wait, you'll get the best results if you let it chill overnight.