The 5 best air fryer liners (& 1 to avoid) to make air fryer cleaning easier (2023)

I recently found a way to clean air fryers without cleaning them. Sounds too good to be true, right?

Enter Air Fryer Liners!

So now no more food sticks to the basket of your hot air fryer. Protecting the bottom of your air fryer means it's less likely to get scratched, your food won't stick, and it's even easier to clean.

While air fryer inserts aren't necessary, they improve cooking in more ways than one. And since they're so cheap, there's really no reason not to at least try them.

The best air fryer liners

These inserts are designed to make cleaning your hot air fryer easier, but not all live up to the hype.

We've had issues with most of the models we've tried. Still, the Loveuing 9.1-inch Air Fryer Disposable Paper Liners and Infraovens Air Fryer Silicone Mat and Reusable Liner Set worked well.

One of our favorite liner sets was parchment paper and the other was silicone. Both sets were lightweight and had low sides, allowing heat to move around the food without increasing cooking time. We often didn't have to clean our Airfryer baskets because the liners retained grease and sticky icing.

Here are our air fryer inserts tested, which we think are the best you can get right now.

Loveuing 9.1 inch air fryer disposable paper liners

We liked that these disposable bags didn't stick and we didn't have to clean them or the Airfryer basket. They were strong enough to hold burgers and salmon fillets while we removed them from the air fryer, but thin enough to let the heat through to the food.

Their sides were also low enough to make it easy for the heat to move around the food. Best of all, they're the size and shape of our award-winning air fryer and don't waste an inch of cooking space.

Infraovens hot air fryer set with silicone mat and reusable inserts

This set of silicone inserts has three different styles. We decided to test the one that can be used with most foods. The sides of this liner were the best part of its design. They were short enough to let air into the food but big enough to hold the fat inside.

The super-thin silicone design transferred heat better than thicker ones, and its network of short, raised bumps lifted food, allowing air to flow underneath. Because of these things, the cooking went quickly.

The liner didn't stick to the pan and was easy to clean. Two issues: This liner wasn't big enough to cover the entire cooking surface of the basket, so fries sometimes spilled over the sides. After use, the basket had to be wiped off quickly. The low sides of the liner also made it difficult to get out of the hot basket.

We recommend removing the cooked food and allowing the liner to cool before actually folding in and lifting out the corners.

SMARTAKE Air Fryer Silicone Pot, Easy Clean Air Fryer Accessory

This liner, which looked like a rectangular casserole dish, caught the drips well and kept us from having to clean the air fryer basket. It was easy to clean. A rinse in the sink and a run through the dishwasher took care of most of the stuck-on food.

We also liked how easy it was to grab the handles with tongs to remove food, how low the sides were, and how the 1.5mm thick silicone construction aided in airflow and heat transfer. Because it was so small there wasn't much space to cook, so the food was crowded and cooked a bit unevenly.

TOGOO Air Fryer Disposable Paper Insert

The low sides of these pie platter inserts facilitated airflow and heat movement, allowing food to cook quickly and evenly.

Grease and sticky icing didn't get to the sides and the backing really didn't stick. The liners got a little wrinkled around the food we cooked in them, making it difficult at times to grab and remove the liners without spilling them.

WAVELU Air Fryer Silicone Pot - Replacement for flammable parchment paper

We loved how this cylinder-shaped silicone liner caught all the grease and drips so we didn't have to clean our air fryer basket and cooking bowl.

Unfortunately, the liner itself was difficult to clean as it wasn't fully non-stick. Sugary baked-on icing was difficult to remove, and even after running the silicone through the dishwasher several times, some stubborn bits remained.

We had to scrub the silicone liner more than we would have scrubbed the basket of our air fryer.

The high sides of this liner made it difficult for air to flow, and the 3 millimeter thick silicone made it difficult for heat to reach the food efficiently, making cooking take longer.

Airware Aeromats Pro Reusable Air Fryer Inserts (Not Recommended)

Food didn't stick well to these nonstick coatings, and grease and crumbs seeped through the holes and fell off the edges. These things rendered them useless to reduce cleaning time. Despite being the brand's largest size, the liners were too small for our Airfryer basket.

Buying Guide to Air Fryer Disposable Paper Liners

The sudden rise in popularity of pre-made air fryer liners made us wonder: Would these liners speed up cleaning and give us a better way to avoid scrubbing?

The inserts for an air fryer are made of either parchment or silicone. Parchment liners are single use, but silicone liners can be used repeatedly and are usually safe to wash in the dishwasher. We've tried both styles and paid particular attention to the ones that are the most sized to fit our winning air fryer.

Some liners, no matter what they were made of, had holes or gaps to help airflow, while others didn't. Some models were flat while others had sides like pie plates or square baking pans to hold food and fat inside.

Some of the silicone models had raised ribs or spikes on the bottom that allow air to flow under the food and ensure it cooks evenly.

We cooked sticky glazed salmon, greasy burgers with melted cheese, and batch after batch of frozen fries in the liners. Most models didn't work well because they let fat through or stuck to food.

Most of the models we tested didn't work very well, but some were great and meant we didn't have to clean up after cooking. And many Airfryer baskets cannot go in the dishwasher. After a long day in the kitchen, it can be nice to simply toss a silicone insert in the dishwasher or a paper insert in the trash.

where to look

Solid non-perforated liners

One benefit of air frying is that hot air moves around the food, making it crispy on all sides. Some of the liners we tested were made with holes on the surface to help with this, but they didn't catch grease or crumbs very well. They didn't do much to keep things clean and we had to wash our air fryer baskets just as often as when we weren't using the inserts.

The holes were made to allow hot air to flow under the food. Instead, they let grease and crumbs through, which defeats the purpose of the liners, which are supposed to speed up cleaning.

parchment or thin silicone

As for the material, the thinner it was the better. Parchment was perfect because it had fairly high thermal conductivity. This means it allows heat to pass through the food while keeping crumbs and fat in place. Silicone isn't very good at dissipating heat, but some models were thin enough to let heat through. We liked silicone liners that were less than 2mm thick.

Liners that fit your machine

We ordered the largest size of the models we looked at. Some of the inserts were still too small for our winning air fryer's 10-inch square basket. This limited the food we could cook and the space we had to cook it in.

We liked bets that were at least 9 inches wide, and square bets worked best because they were the same shape as the winner's basket. The companies that make our favorite inserts make them in a variety of sizes and shapes, so you can look for one that fits your Airfryer basket. Be sure to measure your cart before shopping.

Baskets and inserts for air fryers come in many different shapes and sizes. Do your research to find a model that will go well with your basket. Our winning brands make liners in a variety of sizes so you can choose the one that suits you best.

low sides

Inserts designed to look like pie plates or rectangular baking pans collected grease and crumbs well, but some had high sides that kept heat from moving. We liked models with bottom sides that kept food in but didn't restrict airflow. The sides of our favorite liners were no more than 1.75 inches high.

What to avoid

holes

Liners with holes meant to let air flow through will let grease or sticky icing right through, making them pretty much useless. They didn't skimp on the cleaning. In fact, using the reusable models with holes meant that you still had to hand wash something or put it in the dishwasher.

Thick silicone

Thicker silicone liners were more difficult to distribute heat than thinner silicone or parchment liners, so food took an average of 3 to 4 minutes longer to reach the right temperature.

Heat couldn't penetrate through the thick silicone, so the heat came directly from the upper elements. As a result, the food cooked at different speeds (left). When the paper was thinner, heat could flow through and cook the food more evenly and gently (right).

Liners that are too small

Although they said they would work with larger air fryers like the one we selected as the winner, many of the liners we ordered were undersized. They reduced the size of the air fryer's cooking area and the amount of food it could hold, resulting in crowded and unevenly cooked food.

high sides

Some models had high sides that kept hot air from moving and getting to every part of the food we were cooking.

Fans move hot air in air fryers, this is how they work. High-sided inserts block airflow and take longer to cook.

Other considerations

peaks and ridges

Some silicone liners had grooves or spikes on the cooking surface intended to lift the food and allow air to flow underneath. Spikes or ridges no higher than 14 inches kept food off the bottom, allowing hot air to flow underneath. Taller elements cut into space that could be used for cooking.

frequently asked Questions

Can you put paper food in the air fryer?

Yes, you can use rolled parchment paper or special parchment paper with air fryer holes. It's a great way to reduce the time spent cleaning.

The parchment paper liners with holes make cooking and cleaning easier. However, you can always use regular parchment paper in an air fryer, and it's recommended for foods like cookies. So that biscuits do not fall through the holes or grids.

Which liner can be used in an air fryer?

Parchment, unbleached paper, bamboo and silicone are the most commonly used. There are different types of inserts, no matter what you want to cook or what type of air fryer you have.

Can I line the bottom of my air fryer with parchment paper?

Yes absolutely. In fact, it's the best way to keep your air fryer clean and your food appetizing. Cooking with an air fryer is the best way to get crispy, tender food with less oil.

What kind of paper do you put in the bottom of an air fryer?

parchment paper. Basket type air fryers often use parchment paper instead of oven or paddle type air fryers to prevent food from falling through the holes in the basket.

Final thoughts on the best liners for air fryers

Sure, air fryer inserts might sound too good to be true. But take it from us; We've tried and tested it and can easily say that it's one of the easiest and most hassle-free ways to cook with an air fryer.

One of our favorite liner sets was parchment paper and the other was silicone.

Both Loveuing Air Fryer disposable paper liners andInfraovens hot air fryer silicone matwere light and had low sides. This allows the heat to move around the food without increasing the cooking time.

Most of the time we didn't have to clean our Airfryer baskets because the liners retained grease and sticky frosting.

Try them!