This Air Fryer Brie recipe is simplicity itself. With it’s creamy texture, rich flavour and soft white rind, brie cheese is perfect for baking into a near instant hot dip. Ideal as an appetiser to share, a hearty lunch for one or served at a party, it’s ready in around 10 minutes with minimal fuss or effort needed.
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Baked brie is a bit of a gastropub staple. I don’t know why it isn’t made more at home – it really is extremely easy. All you need is something to dip into it.
You can add extra flavours before baking the cheese like I did with my Oven Baked Camembert with Garlic, Maple & Thyme. Or you can do what I’ve done here and just simply score the rind and bake it as it. The choice if yours.
Jump to…
- How to serve
- Ingredients
- How long to air fry brie?
- How to air fry brie from frozen?
- Leftovers
- Common air fryer questions
- The full recipe
How to Serve
The most important thing with baked brie is that it must be served hot. You have enough time to eat it at a vaguely leisurely pace before it cools and starts setting again. If needed you can always pop the cheese back into the air fryer and rewarm it.
As for what to serve it with, don’t let your, or my imagination limit you. Crudites (raw veggies) are an easy option. Boiled or air fried baby potatoes make the meal a little more hearty. As does some good quality bread. Try toasted sourdough for something with a bit more substance.
I’ve also added slices of chorizo and prosciutto as well as olives, sliced peppers, baby pickled onions, halved radishes and some rocket leaves for freshness. A little fig chutney and some chilli jam adds sweetness to complement the cheese.
It is very common to served baked brie as more of a sweet course at the end of a meal. Think crackers or granary bread, toasted walnuts or pecans, grapes, sliced fresh figs or dried apricots and a drizzle of honey.
Ingredients
Brie
Brie is made in wheels around 3cm/1″ thick. They can be around the size of a dinner plate or platter which are usually sold in wedge shaped slices. Or they are made saucer size at around 200g/7-8oz each and sold whole. It is these smaller brie wheels that are ideal for baking at home. It is also possible to buy even smaller, individual serving sized bries which are also great for baking in the air fryer. You just need to reduce the cooking time ever so slightly.
Brie is extremely common here in the UK and available in just about every supermarket and even convenience shops. I believe that although brie is widely available in the US, there isn’t quite the same variety available. But it should still be vaguely easy to find.
I don’t think it is as important to focus on getting the greatest quality brie available when baking it. In fact, it is quite a good way to use one that maybe isn’t quite so great for slicing and eating raw.
Allergen Information
This recipe is free from egg, gluten and nuts.
Dairy Free: You can now buy plant based brie-style substitute “cheeses”. They are not products that I am familiar with and I don’t know if they will bake up in quite the same way. But of course it may well be worth an experiment.
Please note that this recipe may contain other allergens not referred to above and any variations suggested have not been tested unless otherwise stated. For more information regarding any dietary information provided on this website, please refer to my Nutritional Disclaimer.
How Long to Air Fry Baked Brie
A roughly 200g/7-8oz wheel of brie (weighed without any packaging) will air fry in around 8 minutes. A smaller, individual brie will still take around 6-7 minutes due to it’s depth rather than width.
Scoring the top rind of the cheese helps to speed up the cooking. If you don’t want to cut a diamond pattern, you can just give it a good poke all over with the tip of a sharp knife.
How to Air Fry Brie From Frozen
Although you can freeze brie to store it, I don’t recommend air frying brie from frozen.
It should not take long at all to defrost and you will get a better result if you air fry from room temperature. This will ensure that the centre of the cheese will be hot and melty before the outer edges get overly hot and the cheese begins to split.
Leftovers – Storage & Reheating
Although you can wrap any leftovers up and reheat them, this isn’t ideal. Once you’ve started dipping into the molten cheese, the magic is a little bit broken and it won’t ever be quite the same again. Equally the melted and then cooled cheese isn’t ideal to eat cold either.
Common Air Fryer Questions – A Brief Guide to Air Frying
- What exactly is an air fryer?
- What are the benefits of using an air fryer?
- Are all air fryers the same?
- Is an air fryer always better to use than an oven?
- Do air fryers need to be pre-heated?
- What is the best temperature to air fry at?
- What setting is best to use? Air fry, bake, dehydrate, etc…
- Can food be cooked from frozen in an air fryer?
- Can I reheat food in an air fryer?
- Are air fryer liners a good idea?
The Air Fried Feast Community
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What Exactly is an Air Fryer?
Very simply, an air fryer is a small convection (fan) oven. The benefit is that the hot air is circulated all around the food being cooked which speeds up the cooking time and cooks the food more evenly.
What are the Benefits of Using an Air Fryer?
Size, time and energy usage. Air fryers are ideal for cooking smaller quantities. Heating up a space that the food just fits into requires less energy and means that the heat source is much closer to the food. Combining these two things can speed up the cooking time.
Are all air fryers the same?
Nope! The term air fryer is now used very broadly. I consider there to be 4 main types:
Basket Air Fryers
These are what I would consider to be the most common, especially in the UK. A boxy type unit has a pull out drawer/basket. Food isn’t usually visible whilst cooking.
Some larger models have two drawers so different items can be cooked at different temperatures or for different times.
This is the type that you’ll see in the images in this recipe. I mostly use a Cosori Lite 3.8L (CAF-LI401S) with a 3.8 litre capacity. The square(ish) shaped basket is 21cm x 21cm and 24cm on the diagonal. It isn’t an overly expensive or fancy model.
I’ve also recommended to several friends and family the model with a slightly larger basket. This is the Cosori 4.7L (CAF-L501) with a 4.7 litre basket. The unit is no larger than the 3.8 litre model on the outside but does have a larger internal basket capacity. I’ve since bought this version to use for some recipes where my smaller model was just too small. I’ll always note this in the recipe.
Rotary Air Fryers
Round air fryers with a paddle in the centre that rotates to move the food. This is the type I used for years – the most common is a Tefal Actifry.
Rotary types are not usually good for recipes where the food is breaded, glazed, likely to break up or in a tray/container. They do however make the best chips and roasted veg.
My 2 in 1 version like the one I’ve linked also has a rotating tray for things that could be broken up by a paddle, but the height clearance with the lid isn’t deep enough to use it to cook some items like sausage rolls. I’ve now actually retired by Actifry in favour of having my two basket type fryers.
Mini Oven Air Fryers
These usually have a glass door, shelves and overall are really quite large. You can cook quite a decent quantity of food in them so are best if regularly cooking for multiple people. They often come with extra features like a rotisserie spit or kebab skewers.
Multicookers with Air Fryer Functions
Some like Ninja 11 in 1 and some of the earlier versions with a few less functions, have an air fryer option. They mostly operate the same as a basket fryer but the basket drops in the top rather than sliding in like a drawer.
Some electric pressure cookers like Instant Pots can also air fry when used with a specific lid.
Is an air fryer always better to use than an oven?
As much as I do love air frying, the honest answer to this is no. And the more detailed answer is that it will always depend on what you’re cooking, how much of it you’re cooking and what type and size of air fryer you have.
Once you need to cook in more than 2 batches, it often makes more sense to use an oven. If you already have the oven on to cook other items, it may make more sense to throw one more item in rather than using an additional appliance.
I don’t think either method is often necessarily better than the other. The important point to note is that there is absolutely no difference in the finished product.
Do Air Fryers Need to Be Pre-Heated?
The answer to this is rather annoying – it depends. It depends entirely on your model and type of air fryer. The best advice I can offer is to check your manual and follow their guidance. My Cosori models have a preheat function. I press a button and it heats at 205c/400f for 4 minutes.
It’s also worth noting that regardless of whether you are supposed to pre-heat or not, if you are cooking in batches, it is quite likely that anything after the first batch will cook a little quicker because of the retained heat. It is best to check on them before the cooking time is completed.
What is the best temperature to Air Fry at?
It will always depend on what you are cooking and from what state. All of my air fryer recipes don’t use temperatures above 200c/390f because many of the most common fryers in the UK don’t go above this. Mine goes to 230c/450f and I use this temperature a lot but it is no help for me to share recipes which many people can’t use.
What setting is best to use? Air fry, bake, dehydrate, etc…
Not all air fryers have different settings like this. When they do it usually relates to the fan speed. The default setting to use will always be “air fry” so unless something else is specifically stated in the recipe, always use the air fry option.
There are other air fryers that have an additional heating element which cooks from underneath rather than just the top. Just as with the other settings, unless you are using a recipe which states to use a second heating element, stick with just using the top down air fry option.
Of course if and when you become more confident with air frying, using recipes and the settings of your air fryer, you can start adapting them to suit.
Can Food Be Cooked From Frozen In An Air Fryer?
Absolutely! To cook from frozen you usually will need to reduce the cooking temperature and increase the time to make sure your food is cooked right through to the middle.
It is best to check my individual recipes for cooking from frozen advice as some items are a little different. And there are occasionally exceptions to the rule.
Can I Reheat Food In An Air Fryer?
Yes. As a general rule I reheat food for roughly 1/3 of the original cooking time at the same temperature. Or at 10 degrees lower for half the time for larger items.
Are Air Fryer Liners a Good Idea?
Unless otherwise stated, I do not use liners when air frying. Basket and rotary type air fryers are designed to be used without liners. Mini oven types will generally require some kind of tray like with a regular large oven although most come with crisper racks to use.
There are many air fryer liners available including quite thick silicone ones. These will affect the cooking times and possibly temperatures of your cooking/baking. I also don’t like how cooking juices are prevented from dripping through the basket rack. This can stop food from crisping all the way around.
When I do want to collect the juices, I mostly use some foil, or occasionally a foil tray which can be washed and reused.
If you do prefer to use them, once you have got a feel for how they affect your cooking and baking, you may need to make adjustments to the recipe accordingly.
More Air Fryer Recipes
All my recipes with instructions for how to cook or bake them in the air fryer can be found in my Air Fryer Recipe Index.
Don’t forget to let me know in the comments if you try making this recipe – I want to know what you think and if you made any substitutions, how did it turn out?
Still Have Questions?
Simple! Just contact me and I will do my best to help as quickly as I am able. Head over to my Contact Me page, any of my social media channels or post a comment at the bottom of this page and I’ll see what I can do.
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The Recipe
Air Fryer Brie Recipe – Simply Baked
Ingredients
- 200 g Brie - whole cheese wheel with rind
- Fresh Chives - optional to garnish
Instructions
- If your air fryer requires pre-heating, start this setting now.
- Unwrap the brie and check in the card or thin wood case that there are no further labels or packaging to remove.
- Place the brie back into the case and wrap with a thin layer of foil.
- This is to prevent the case from springing open or from any cheese leaking out.
- Use a small sharp knife to cut though the top rind – I like a diamond pattern as it spreads nicely as it cooks allowing the cheese to bubble up and through the cuts.
- Carefully place the brie into the air fryer.
- Air fry at 200c for 8 minutes.
- If the brie isn't looking fully melted and bubbling, continue to air fry until it is.
- Carefully remove the brie from the air fryer and serve asap before it starts to cool. Garnish with a few finely chopped chives for extra colour.
Notes
- The air fryer version of this recipe is tested in a Cosori Lite (CAF-LI401S) with a 3.8 litre capacity. The square(ish) shaped basket is 21cm x 21cm and 24cm on the diagonal.
- Not all models advise preheating is required. Please follow the recommended instructions for your model. Mine has a specific preheat setting which is 4 minutes at 205c.
- For this recipe, I can easily fit a 200g wheel of brie into the air fryer basket with plenty of room. Because it is a round cheese and a square basket, I wouldn’t be able to fit two in at a time because of the shape but you may be able to in a different shaped basket.
- As all air fryer models are a little different, you may find that you can fit more or less in at a time. Some models include stacking shelves which will increase capacity.
- Required cooking times and temperatures can also vary between models and brands. If you know that your air fryer runs a little hotter than most recipes suggest, use a lower temperature. And vice versa. Equally if you find that food cooks more quickly in your machine than instructions usually state, reduce the cooking time (or check it earlier) and vice versa.
Karen says
Never thought to use my air fryer to bake Brie, it turned out perfect. I’ll definitely be cooking this again.