Yes, you can put paper in an air fryer, but only certain kinds, and only when food is holding it down. Parchment paper and perforated paper liners are fine once weighted by food. Wax paper, paper towels, napkins, brown bags and printer paper are not.
The problem isn’t heat alone. It’s the fan.
Air fryers move hot air fast. A loose sheet of paper can be lifted by that circulating air into the heating element, which is a fire hazard. Below I’ll cover which papers are safe, the ones that never are, the right way to use parchment, why you should never preheat with an empty liner inside, and the alternatives worth keeping in the drawer.
Why the Fan Matters More Than the Temperature
Most people worry about paper burning. The bigger risk is paper flying.
An air fryer is a small convection oven with a powerful fan. That fan pulls air past a heating element and pushes it down over your food. Anything light and unsecured gets caught in that airflow.
A sheet of parchment with nothing on top of it can be lifted by the circulating air and come into contact with the heating element, which is a fire hazard. With the fan running at full speed, a loose liner can move within seconds.
Parchment ratings vary by brand and product line, so check the box rather than assuming a universal number. Reynolds, for example, rates its pre-cut air fryer liners heat-safe up to 400°F on the air fryer setting only, and not for rectangular or toaster-oven-style air fryers. Staying at or below the liner’s stated rating keeps you within the manufacturer’s spec, as long as the paper is not touching the element.
That’s the whole safety picture in two parts: keep the paper covered by food, and stay under the paper’s rated temperature.
What Actually Catches Fire First
Paper can ignite if it touches the heating element, and a light sheet can lift in the airflow, so it only suits foods heavy enough to hold it down. Direct contact with a glowing element is a different situation from the air temperature you set on the dial, because the element runs far hotter than the circulating air.
This is why “my air fryer only goes to 400” isn’t a safety argument on its own. A sheet touching the coil doesn’t need the whole basket to reach a high temperature setting. It just needs contact.
Grease-soaked paper is also a problem. A liner that has absorbed cooking fat burns more readily and can smoke at temperatures it handled fine when new.
Why Liners Affect Airflow
Air fryer baskets have holes for a reason. Air needs to circulate under the food so the bottom crisps instead of steams.
A solid sheet of parchment covering the whole basket floor blocks that airflow, and the underside of your food turns soft. Perforated parchment liners, sold as rounds or squares with small holes, let air through while still catching crumbs and drips.
Even with perforated liners, expect slightly less crisping than cooking directly on the basket. It’s a real tradeoff, not a marketing detail.
The Papers That Are Safe, and the Ones That Aren’t
Here’s the short version before the detail: parchment is fine, wax paper is not, paper towels are not, and takeout containers depend entirely on what they’re made of.
| Paper type | Safe in an air fryer? | Key limit |
|---|---|---|
| Parchment paper (perforated liner) | Yes | Must be weighed down by food; keep clear of the heating element |
| Parchment paper (cut sheet) | Yes, with care | Cut to fit the basket, never oversized, never during preheat |
| Wax paper | No | Wax melts at low temperature and can smoke |
| Paper towels | No | Lightweight, lifts instantly, absorbs grease |
| Napkins and printer paper | No | Same lifting problem, no heat rating |
| Brown paper bags | No | Light enough to blow into the element, not rated for this heat |
| Bakery/muffin liners | Yes, if filled | Empty liners blow around |
| Takeout boxes and paper plates | Check the label | Many have plastic or wax coatings; oven-safe labeling matters |
Parchment Paper: the One That Works
Parchment is treated to resist heat and moisture, and it does not react with acidic foods the way aluminum foil does. It’s the paper to reach for, and even then, only under food.
Buy the pre-cut perforated rounds or squares sized for your basket if you can. Reynolds’ air fryer liners are pre-cut at 9 inches by 9 inches with ¼-inch holes that allow air circulation, and they’re intended for most square and round air fryers. Reynolds also says its liners are for single use only.
Cutting your own sheet works fine too, as long as you trim it smaller than the basket floor so it can’t creep up the sides toward the element.
The one limitation worth knowing: parchment traps moisture. Cook something wet, like marinated chicken thighs, and the liner will hold liquid against the meat instead of letting it drain. You’ll lose some browning on the underside.
Wax Paper: Skip It Entirely
Wax paper and parchment look almost identical on the shelf, which is exactly why this catches people out.
Wax paper is not heat-resistant: the wax coating melts above 350°F, risking smoke, deformation or contamination in ovens. It can also smoke at air fryer temperatures. There’s no air fryer setting where this is a good idea.
Check the label before you line the basket. Parchment is labeled for oven use; wax paper is not.
Paper Towels and Napkins
No. Not for lining, not for absorbing grease during cooking, not for a quick minute.
Paper towels are light enough to be blown into the heating element. Add absorbed cooking grease and you’ve got something that lights easily and burns hot.
If you want to drain fried food on paper towels, do it after cooking, on a plate, outside the machine.
Takeout Containers and Paper Plates
This one depends on the container. Plain uncoated paperboard rated for oven use can sometimes handle a short reheat, but many takeout boxes have a thin plastic or wax lining you can’t see.
Paper plates are light enough to lift and are usually coated too. Some are labeled microwave-safe, which tells you nothing about convection heat.
My rule: if the packaging doesn’t say oven-safe, it doesn’t go in the air fryer. Move the food to a ceramic or metal dish instead.
Using Parchment Without Turning It into a Problem
The method matters as much as the material. Get this part right and paper in an air fryer is a non-issue.
- Preheat with the basket empty. No paper, no food. Reynolds advises preheating the air fryer according to the manufacturer’s instructions before placing the liner and food inside. An empty liner has nothing holding it down.
- Choose a liner smaller than the basket floor. Cutting parchment about 1 inch smaller than the basket on every side leaves a gap for air to move and keeps the paper from climbing the basket walls.
- Put the food on the paper before it goes in. Reynolds instructs users to always place food on the liner before use and to weigh the liner down with food.
- Keep clearance from the heating element. A liner that touches or gets close to the element is one of Reynolds’ listed conditions for avoiding parchment altogether. For dishes, practical guidance suggests clearing the element by at least an inch or two.
- Don’t block too much airflow. Reynolds lists a liner that blocks too much airflow as a reason not to use parchment in an air fryer. Perforated liners or a trimmed sheet both help.
- Check your manual first. Your air fryer manufacturer’s instructions take priority, including any prohibition on parchment liners.
- Use each liner once. Reynolds says its liners are for single use only, and a greasy liner will smoke the next time it heats.
When the Food Shrinks Mid-Cook
Here’s a real failure mode people miss. You load bacon or chicken skin onto a liner, it renders down, loses much of its weight, and suddenly the paper isn’t held anymore. Reynolds’ guidance centers on keeping the liner weighed down with food, so a liner that loses that weight is exactly the situation to avoid.
Fatty foods that shrink a lot are the worst candidates for paper liners. Either use a perforated liner that sits flatter, or skip the paper and clean the basket after.
If you open the drawer mid-cook and see a corner lifting, press it back down under the food or take the liner out.
Foods Where a Liner Helps and Where It Hurts
Parchment earns its place with anything sticky, saucy, or delicate. It’s a liability with anything you want crunchy.
Worth lining: breaded fish that sticks, cinnamon rolls, saucy meatballs, cookies, anything with melted cheese, marinated vegetables that would drip through the holes.
Skip the liner: french fries, chicken wings, roasted potatoes, frozen nuggets, bacon, anything where the whole point is a crisp bottom. A solid sheet blocks the airflow that crisps the underside.
Cleanup is the honest reason most of us reach for a liner. That’s fine. Just accept you’re trading a bit of texture for a basket you can rinse instead of scrub.
Silicone Liners as an Alternative
Reusable silicone liners handle the same job without the flying-paper risk. Silicone elastomers are on the FDA’s list of rubber articles intended for repeated use in contact with food, 21 CFR 177.2600.
The maximum temperature printed on a silicone liner’s packaging is the manufacturer’s claim and varies by brand, so read it before you set the air fryer to 400°F. Look for liners with holes or raised ridges so air can reach the underside of the food.
The tradeoff is airflow. A solid silicone basket blocks even more circulation than parchment, so crisping suffers more. Perforated silicone mats split the difference.
Wash them after every use, since a greasy liner will smoke the next time it heats.
Aluminum Foil
Foil is heavier than paper and won’t lift as easily, which makes it safer on the airflow front. It still shouldn’t cover the whole basket.
Don’t cover the whole basket bottom. A solid layer of foil traps grease and stops air reaching the underside, so food steams. Keep foil off the heating element and interior walls, and make sure food weighs it down, because high-velocity convection currents can easily lift a light sheet of metal toward the hot coils.
Keep acidic food off the foil. Tomatoes, citrus, vinegar and wine-based marinades can react with aluminum, pit the foil and affect the flavor.
Check your manual first. Some air fryer manufacturers advise against using paper or foil at all, so the manual should be checked before you line anything.
Oven-Safe Glass and Ceramic Dishes
Oven-safe glass and ceramic dishes are fine in most air fryers if the dish is labeled for oven use. Avoid sudden temperature changes, such as setting a hot dish on a cold or wet counter.
Any dish you place in the air fryer should clear the heating element by at least an inch or two.
Mistakes That Cause Most Air Fryer Paper Fires
Nearly every incident traces back to the same handful of errors.
- Preheating with an empty liner in the basket. Nothing holds it down and the fan is at full speed. This is the big one.
- Using a liner bigger than the basket. The excess rides up the sides and can reach the element, which is one of Reynolds’ listed conditions to avoid.
- Reusing a grease-soaked liner for a second batch. Saturated paper smokes the next time it heats, and Reynolds’ liners are single-use only.
- Assuming wax paper is parchment. They sit next to each other in the shop and look the same on the shelf, but wax paper melts and can smoke at air fryer temperatures.
- Covering every hole in the basket. You lose airflow, food steams, and cook times stretch out unpredictably.
- Walking away. Cooking is, by far, the leading cause of home fires and home fire injuries in the United States, and unattended equipment was the leading factor contributing to ignition in nonconfined home cooking fires, at 37 percent. That applies here too.
What to Do If a Liner Lifts Mid-Cook
If you see a corner of parchment lifting, stop and deal with it before the cook continues.
- Pause the air fryer and pull the basket out. The fan stops when the drawer is removed on most basket-style models, so the paper is no longer being pushed around.
- Press the liner flat under the food, or remove it entirely if the food has shrunk and can no longer hold it down.
- Check for scorching or smoke. If the paper has touched the element, discard it and inspect the element before restarting.
- Restart with the liner removed if the food is too light to weigh it down. Cooking directly on the basket is always the safer fallback.
If a liner has actually ignited, don’t open the drawer wide and fan it. Turn the appliance off, unplug it if you can reach the plug safely, and keep the door or drawer closed until the fire is out. If it doesn’t go out immediately, leave the room, close the door behind you, and call the fire service.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Put Parchment Paper in the Air Fryer While It Preheats?
No. Reynolds advises preheating the air fryer according to the manufacturer’s instructions before placing the liner and food inside, and warns that a parchment liner used by itself can be lifted by circulating air into the heating element, which is a fire hazard. An empty liner has nothing weighing it down.
Will Parchment Paper Stop My Food from Getting Crispy?
Partly, yes. A solid sheet blocks the airflow that reaches the bottom of your food, so fries and wings come out softer underneath. Perforated liners reduce the effect but don’t eliminate it.
For anything where crunch is the point, cook directly on the basket.
Is It Safe to Reuse an Air Fryer Paper Liner?
Reynolds says its air fryer liners are for single use only. Once a liner has absorbed cooking grease, it will smoke the next time it heats.
What Temperature Is Parchment Paper Rated For?
Ratings vary by brand and product line, so read the figure printed on the box rather than assuming a universal number. Reynolds rates its pre-cut air fryer liners heat-safe up to 400°F on the air fryer setting only and not for rectangular or toaster-oven-style air fryers. Direct contact with the heating element exceeds any of those ratings, which is why clearance and weighting matter more than the dial setting alone.
Can I Put Paper Towels in the Air Fryer to Soak Up Grease?
No. Paper towels are light enough to be blown into the heating element, and once they absorb fat they burn readily. Drain fried food on paper towels after cooking, on a plate outside the machine.
Does the Paper Rule Change for a Toaster-Oven-Style Air Fryer?
Reynolds says its air fryer liners are not recommended for rectangular or toaster-oven-style air fryers and lists that style as a condition for avoiding parchment. The clearance rule still applies: keep the paper well away from the heating element.
What to Take Away from This
Parchment yes, wax paper no, paper towels never. That covers most of the question.
The habit worth building is treating the fan as the hazard rather than the temperature dial. Preheat empty, load the paper with food already on it, keep the liner smaller than the basket so it doesn’t climb the walls, and leave clearance below the element. Do that consistently and paper in an air fryer stops being something you have to think about.
And if you’re mainly lining for easy cleanup, a reusable perforated silicone mat solves the same problem with none of the lifting risk, as long as you check its labeled maximum temperature first.
