If you have an air fryer and some frozen lasagna, you’re in for a treat! This is one of the easiest ways to cook your frozen lasagna to delicious perfection.
The best part? You don’t even need to defrost your lasagna first because we’re going to cook it from frozen. No oven to preheat and no dirtying extra dishes.
It’s as easy as putting the lasagna in the air fryer basket, setting the temperature and time, and hitting start.
Can You Cook Frozen Lasagna in an Air Fryer?
Yes, it is possible to cook frozen lasagna in an air fryer. The food will be ready in 15 minutes or less. How long to cook it and at what temperature will vary slightly by brand. Make sure to check the baking instructions on the box so you cook yours properly.
Air fryers use hot air and convection technology to cook food quickly while retaining moisture and flavor. They’re also great for reheating leftovers too! To reheat your lasagna, lower the temperature a little and pop the leftovers in for a few minutes.
Why Cook Frozen Lasagna in an Air Fryer?
The air fryer cooks with convection air. The hot air circulates around the food completely giving a more even heating and faster cooking.
Not only is it a better way to heat your food, but it’s also more convenient. Your air fryer doesn’t have to pre-heat for several minutes like your oven. It heats up instantly for a quick and easy meal.
Get a nice crispy outer cheese layer while still maintaining the gooey, cheesy, and saucy middle. It’s the best of both worlds. You’ll get the perfect lasagna in a fraction of the time.
You’ll find the microwave to be the fastest way to cook a frozen lasagna, but not the most palatable. In the microwave, it gets good and hot but the noodles end up on the rubbery side and the cheese and sauce are watery. You’re also increasing your chances for a burnt top layer.
- LESS FAT: Now enjoy guilt-free food. Air fry with up to 75% less fat than traditional frying methods.* *Tested against hand-cut, deep-fried French fries.
- WIDE TEMPERATURE RANGE: 105°F-400°F allows you to gently remove moisture from foods or quickly cook and crisp foods with convection heat.
- FAMILY-SIZED CAPACITY: 4-quart ceramic-coated nonstick basket and crisper plate fit 2 lbs of French fries.
- 4-IN-1 VERSATILITY: Includes 4 versatile cooking programs: Air Fry, Roast, Reheat, and Dehydrate.
- DEHYDRATE: Create flat, chip-like dehydrated foods for fun, homemade snacks. The combination of low fan speed and low temperature enables thorough dehydration.
How to Cook Frozen Lasagna in the Air Fryer
One of the first things you’ll need to remember is that the packaging your frozen lasagna is in is not air fryer safe. If you’re worried, thaw it slightly or run it under warm water so you can remove it from the tray and place it in an air fryer-safe dish.
Remove any plastic film completely from the top of the dish. If the dish is oven-safe plastic, don’t worry about it. If it’s paper, it’s highly recommended that you change out the dish. On average, anything that can go in your oven can go in your air-fryer. Some frozen lasagnas are designed for the microwave and should be placed in a different dish.
No products found.
Steps
- Set your air fryer to 350 degrees F. The exact temperature you use may differ depending on the brand of frozen lasagna you’re cooking. Check the box to make sure.
- After removing your frozen lasagna and placing it in an air fryer-safe dish, place your lasagna into the air fryer basket.
- Cook at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.
- Check your lasagna after 20 minutes and make sure it’s cooked through. If not, replace the basket and cook for another 10 minutes.
Costco Frozen Lasagna
- Preheat your air fryer to 375 degrees F.
- Cut the frozen lasagna into individual servings. Place individual servings into air fryer containers and place them in the basket.
- Cook for 15 minutes.
- Check after 15 minutes for doneness. If it’s not cooked through, add another 10 minutes and check again.
Stouffer’s Frozen Lasagna
- Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees F.
- Remove your frozen Stouffer’s lasagna from the original packaging and place in an air fryer-safe dish.
- Put the frozen lasagna in the air fryer basket and cook for 20 minutes.
- When finished, the lasagna cheese will be fully melted and bubbly. If not, add another 5 minutes and check again.
Defrost Method
Another option is to defrost your lasagna in the air fryer first. This guarantees a more even cooking and a smaller chance of it still being frozen in the middle while bubbly on the outside.
- Remove the lasagna from the outer packaging and make sure to completely remove any plastic film.
- Place your lasagna in the air fryer basket. Defrost your frozen lasagna at 215 degrees F for 10 minutes.
- Adjust the temperature to 350 degrees F. Cook your lasagna for 20 minutes.
- Check for doneness. Make sure your lasagna is cooked through and bubbly.
Tips
The following tips will help you to cook your frozen lasagna in the air fryer:
- Make sure to replace the packaging with air fryer-safe dishes
- Cooking at higher temperatures will give you the best results.
- How long it cooks depends on whether the frozen lasagna is pre-cooked and only needs to be heated through or if it’s raw. Check your packaging to find out.
- How long your lasagna needs to cook also depends on how many layers it is. The thicker the lasagna, the longer it will take to cook.
- Consider adding a little extra cheese on the top before cooking for the best top layer your air fryer can give you.
- Line your air fryer basket with parchment paper or aluminum foil. This will help with clean up. Sometimes the cheese and sauce bubble over and the added moisture can make a mess.
- Make sure to check your lasagna after 15-20 minutes. You don’t want it to burn or get too crispy.
- Sprinkle some fresh parmesan on top right at the end of your cook time.
- Even though it’s going in an air fryer, you do not need to spray your lasagna with oil.
How Do You Know When Frozen Lasagna is Fully Cooked in an Air Fryer?
With the nature of air fryer cooking, how the heated air circulates around the outside of the dish, it’s easy for your frozen lasagna to look cooked on the outside while still being cold on the inside.
The best way to test for doneness is by using a meat thermometer. The internal temperature should be between 165 degrees F and 170 degrees F.
If you don’t have one, you can also cut into the lasagna with a knife and see if it looks soft (about 3/4 inch from the center).
Another option is to use the “fork test”: insert a fork into your frozen lasagna, wait 30 seconds, and then pull out your fork. If it comes out easily without any resistance or dryness around its edges, then it’s ready!
No products found.
Related posts:
Conclusion
If you love lasagna and want to try a new way to cook it, then the air fryer is a great option. It will give you the same delicious flavor without all of the preheating time and hour additional wait for it to be done. You can also use this technique for other frozen dishes like pizza and chicken wings!
