What do you need to make an air fryer Dutch baby?
To make a Dutch baby in an air fryer, you will need an air fryer and a cast iron pan. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of air fryer models out there. Some are smaller, some are larger. A larger air fryer is what you will ideally want to use. You will also need a mini cast iron pan such as the 5″ Lodge cast iron pan, the 6″ Lodge mini cast iron pan, or the 5.5″ Pampered Chef dual-handle mini pan. Another option is the 6.25″ TableCraft cast iron mini server that is only 8.125″ long including the handles and fits in my air fryer just fine. For example, mine is a 6.8 Qt Chefman air fryer that is about 11″ by 11″ inside. It fits a 5″ Lodge cast iron pan, which is perfect for making a single-portion Dutch baby. I could even fit the 6″ Lodge mini cast iron pan. It might be tight but it should fit.
Alternatives
All is not lost if all you have is a small (e.g. 3.5 Qt) air fryer. In a pinch, use oven-safe ramekins. I’ve used them myself and they work. Albeit, Dutch babies made in ramekins seem to rise less and tend to be thicker at the bottom. They even look like a cross between a Yorkshire pudding and a Dutch baby, but they still taste great.
Making Dutch babies in an air fryer
Step one is to preheat the cast iron pan inside the air fryer. Place the cast iron pan on the air fryer basket/rack and preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes. According to my tests, this time is sufficient to preheat a pan to about 380F – 400F. If your air fryer can heat up higher, mine goes up to 410F, then preheat it to that temperature. Don’t go higher than 425F. While the air fryer is preheating, prepare the batter. You can prepare the batter by hand, using a whisk, in a blender, or a stand mixer. The results will be the same. Next, melt a tablespoon of butter in the pan, moving it around to get full coverage. Wait until the butter is melted.
The next step is to pour some batter into the pan inside the air fryer. The recipe below will make about 4 servings or four single-portion Dutch babies. Pour just enough to cover the bottom of the cast iron pan. Close the lid of the air fryer and set the timer to 7 minutes. Your timing may vary as different air fryers may cook differently so start checking for doneness after 6 minutes.
The amount of batter that you pour does not need to be precise. Shoot for 1/4 of the recipe if using a 5″ pan. More if using a larger pan, e.g. 1/3 of the recipe if using a 6″ inch pan. If you are using a larger than 5″ pan, you will need to air fry your Dutch babies for a little longer. I’ve experimented with pouring less vs pouring a little more and found that my Dutch babies all turned out very well except that those with more batter had thicker bottoms. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, they tasted very good. They rose higher too.
Once the Dutch baby is tall and golden brown with crispy tops, carefully pull it out of the air fryer. You have two options here – take the Dutch baby together with the cast iron pan and set it on a cooling rack or remove just the Dutch baby and leave the pan to cool down inside the air fryer. Or you can start preheating it for the next batch. Since the pan will be quite hot already, it will take only about 5-6 minutes to fully preheat it again. If you have a laser thermometer, this would be a good time to pull it out. You are looking for temps around 380F – 400F.
Serving
The possibilities are numerous here. I like my Dutch babies topped with fruit, berries, and powdered sugar. Honey, maple syrup, strawberry jam, corn syrup, whipped cream are very good additions too. Serve your Dutch babies while they are hot. They will drop down as they cool so the sooner you eat them, the more you will get;)
