This Air Fryer Dutch Baby starts with an easy blender batter (throw everything into a blender and let it rip!) that you pour into a cake pan and bake in the air fryer. No cake pan? No worries! We’ve also tested this recipe in a DIY foil pan. Top your Dutch Baby with your favorites — we love fresh berries and a quick vanilla sauce.
See our original Dutch Baby recipe here! And search our archives of air fryer recipes here. Not sure about Air Fryers? Check out our Air Fryer Guide!
Air Fryer Dutch Baby
My family is completely obsessed with breakfast. We have a big breakfast for dinner once a week and usually, a fairly intense breakfast spread on Saturdays and Sundays. The meal has to include toast, bacon, eggs, fresh fruit, and either waffles, pancakes, or a hot Dutch Baby. Honestly, the Dutch Baby is the most frequently requested.
This Dutch Baby recipe took me quite a while to perfect and share here, but it was well worth the effort. It’s certainly one of the most frequently made recipes at my home and so many of you have loved it. The one downfall of the recipe is the time it takes to bake! Between preheating the oven and baking the actual Dutch Baby, it can be close to 45 minutes all in. By that time, we usually have some pretty hangry little boys (and girl) on our hands– ha!
So the other day, I decided to try to whip one up in the air fryer. Although I was cautiously optimistic, the boys were convinced it wouldn’t work. (Thanks, guys!) But honestly, it could not have turned out better. It was every bit as good as our normal Dutch Baby, and maybe even a little better because of the additional crustier edges (which are my personal favorite). The best news though? This Dutch Baby can be ready in about 25 minutes or less, thanks to the air fryer!
Air Fryer Dutch Baby Tips
- Blend the batter: Blending the batter will ensure there are no lumps of flour and all the ingredients are well combined, plus, it’s easy! Additionally, having the batter in the blender allows for easier pouring into the cake pan.
- When pouring the batter into the pan, swirl the batter in a circle pattern: This helps give the pancake peaks and valleys, which contribute to a better overall texture.
- Air fry the pan first: Why add the pan to the air fryer before adding in the batter? This ensures the pancake puffs, and you’ll get those beautiful caramelized edges.
- Watch carefully. Air fryers will cook slightly differently from model to model; there will also be variance depending on the pan used (or if you’re using foil to create your own pan). Occasionally check to make sure the Dutch Baby isn’t burning.
Our favorite way to top an Air Fryer Dutch Baby is with fresh berries, a light sprinkle of powdered sugar, and vanilla or buttermilk syrup. Here are some other ideas for topping this fun breakfast:
- Fresh lemon juice and powdered sugar
- Maple syrup and fresh berries
- A scoop of fresh whipped cream and berries (How to make whipped cream tutorial here.)
- Sliced bananas and a caramel sauce or dulce de leche
- A sprinkle of cinnamon sugar and whipped cream
- A spoonful of lemon curd and fresh blueberries or blackberries
- A drizzle of slightly warmed Nutella®, peanut butter, or almond butter
Quick Tip
Use a fine-mesh sieve to get a light sprinkle of powdered sugar on the Dutch Baby.
Special Tools
- Air fryer. I use, love, and recommend this air fryer (affiliate link). Air fryers do vary a bit from brand to brand, so timing may need to be slightly tweaked for your specific model when making this Dutch Baby.
- Cake pans. I found the perfect pan for baking the Dutch Baby is a 6-inch cake pan (affiliate link). The Dutch Baby bakes up beautifully in the pan and the pan fits into the air fryer insert nicely. The batter makes enough to fill three 6-inch cake pans. You can either use multiple pans or transfer the Dutch Baby onto a plate and re-use the pan. If you prefer, you can DIY your own foil pan. See next bullet point.
- Foil. I’ve tested this recipe in a DIY Foil pan and it worked well. There is definitely more variance on overall timing, depending on how your foil pan ends up, as far as width/height goes. Place two sheets of foil together and aim to create a 6-7-inch wide, round “pan” that is about 2-inches tall. Generously grease with cooking spray and watch bake time closely. The Dutch Babies in the foil pans took on average 1-3 minutes longer in my air fryer.
- Cooking spray. To ensure the Dutch Baby doesn’t stick too much to the bottom of the pan or foil, be sure to generously grease it before adding in the butter to melt.
More Air Fryer Recipes to Love:
- Southwest Egg Rolls with a cilantro-lime dipping sauce
- Bean and Cheese Burritos with an option to cook in the air fryer
- Honey Mustard Chicken Sausage and Veggies over quinoa
- Vegetarian Gyros with air fryer chickpeas
- Air Fryer Pizookie deep-dish chocolate chip cookie
Air Fryer Dutch Baby
Equipment
- Air Fryer
- Cake pan 6 x 2-inch, see note 1
- Blender
Ingredients
- 7-1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- Cooking spray
Blender Batter
- 1-1/3 cups whole milk
- 1 cup flour
- 3 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar optional
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon optional
Vanilla Syrup (Optional)
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- Berries optional
Instructions
- In a blender, combine all of the batter ingredients in the order they're listed. Blend until smooth.
- Heat the air fryer to 400℉ and place the empty cake pan (see note 1) inside for 4 minutes to get it really hot. Generously grease the hot cake pan with nonstick spray. Cut 2-1/2 tablespoons butter into 3 equal pieces and place in the bottom of the cake pan. Carefully use tongs to lower the cake pan into the air fryer basket. Cook for 1-2 minutes or just until butter is melted.
- Remove and immediately pour 1 cup of the batter into the pan in a circular motion. Return pan to air fryer and cook at 400℉ for 7–10 minutes. It is perfect at 8 minutes in my air fryer.
- Using tongs, remove the cake pan from the air fryer. Repeat with the remaining 2 cups of batter, making 2 more Dutch Babies.
- Melt butter in a medium pot over medium heat. Once melted, add in both sugars. Stir until combined. Add in the heavy cream and reduce the heat to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and salt.
- Add fresh berries and vanilla syrup to your Dutch Babies and serve.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I have grown up eating Dutch baby but something about this recipe is more like a buttery, creamy egg custard than the weird, eggy pancake I grew up with. I have made this recipe multiple times and it is absolutely divine. I eat mine drowned in fresh lime juice and dusted with powdered sugar.
I halve the recipe (doing 1 large egg yolk and 1 whole egg) and bake it in a standard cake pan on the wire rack inside my foodi 8 in 1 combo (air fry, pressure cooker, etc)
This made my day! I am so happy you love this dutch baby! Thanks so much Amanda! 🙂