This air fryer roast beef is simple to prepare, quick to cook, and turns out tender and juicy with a beautifully caramelized crust. A quick rub of herbs and oil is all it needs. Rest, slice, and serve this showstopping beef – so easy yet so impressive!
The roast beef that started my air fryer obsession
This recipe is very close to my heart. Roast beef is one of the first things I cooked in my first ever air fryer, and it came out so delicious I never looked back.
It’s incredibly easy to prepare – simply season the beef with a few herbs, and then into the fryer it goes. It comes out with this amazing caramelized crust on the outside, but the inside is still beautifully pink and juicy. It’s perfect for when I’m craving a proper roast dinner but can’t be bothered to faff about with the oven for hours.
Some more air fryer roast recipes you might like:
What do you need?
Beef roast
Air frying is a quick roasting method, so you need to be picky about the beef joint you use. Tougher cuts need a long roasting time to become tender, so for this recipe choose a tender cut.
The following cuts of beef roast will work for this recipe:
- Rib eye roast, prime rib roast, rolled rib roast
- Cube roll, scotch fillet roast
- Sirloin roast, striploin, top butt, rostbiff, picanha, sirloin cap, tri-tip roast
- Round roast, topside, eye of round, top round roast, London broil
Note: Tougher cuts (e.g. bottom round, silverside, bolar, or chuck roast) are generally best suited to slow roasting as they longer cooking times to get really tender. Try this air fryer pot roast recipe, which is cooked lower and slower, slow cooker beef pot roast or Instant Pot chuck roast for these cuts.
>> See more: The Best Cuts of Beef for Roasting
Herbs
I like to use rosemary and thyme for this recipe, but you can substitute any other herbs or seasoning you like (try oregano, sage, parsley).
Fresh or dried herbs will work. If you are using fresh rosemary, pick the leaves off and chop them up quite finely before using.
Salt
It is also important to season the beef with salt to bring out the flavor of the meat. I prefer flaked salt or kosher salt. Use approximately half a teaspoon per 500g/ pound of beef.
Oil
I normally use light olive oil when cooking a roast in the air fryer, but you can use any cooking oil with a high smoke point. Vegetable oil or avocado oil are good choices.
Onion (optional)
Another great way to add flavor to this dish is to add an onion to the air fryer basket with the beef. Cut it in half or into quarters.
How to roast beef in the air fryer
- Prepare and season beef roast. Pat the beef roast dry with paper towels before seasoning it. To season the roast, mix the herbs and salt together with the oil on a plate and roll the beef in it. I find this helps to get it evenly covered with the seasoning.
- Sear the beef. To achieve a delicious crust, the beef roast needs to be cooked at a high temperature for around 5 minutes to sear the outside. Preheat the air fryer to 200°C/ 400°F, and then place the beef roast in the air fryer basket and cook for the first 5 minutes at this high temperature.
- Air fry roast beef to cook it through. Lower the temperature of the air fryer to 180°C/ 360°F, and air fry beef roast for 30 minutes, or until it is cooked to your liking. See below for more details on cooking times and doneness.
- Rest the beef roast. When the beef has finished roasting, let it rest for at least 10 minutes – transfer it to a cutting board and cover it loosely with tinfoil. This allows the juices to reabsorb into the meat and keeps it succulent.
When you are ready to carve, use a very sharp chef’s knife or carving knife and cut thin slices against the grain.
How long to cook roast beef in the air fryer
The exact cooking times for a beef joint in the air fryer depend on a few factors, including the exact size and shape of the beef joint you are using, as well as how efficient your air fryer is.
However, my rule of thumb to calculate beef roast air fryer cooking times is: 15 minutes per 500g/ pound of beef for rare, then add five minutes for each degree of doneness that you like. I use this as a starting point, and monitor the internal temperature of the beef when it is close to the end of the cooking time until it is cooked to my liking.
Estimated roast beef air fryer cooking times
| How well done? | Time* (2lb roast) | Internal Temp. |
|---|---|---|
| Rare | 30 mins | 52°C/ 125°F |
| Medium rare | 35 minutes | 57°C/ 135°F |
| Medium | 40 mins | 63°C/ 145°F |
| Medium well-done | 45 mins | 66°C/ 150°F |
| Well done | 50 mins | 71°C/ 160°F |
| *Including 5 minute sear |
These cook times are usually exactly right for my Philips XXL Airfryer. If you have another powerful brand of air fryer like the Nuwave or a Ninja Foodi, then expect cook times to be similar.
Remember that the temperature of the meat will continue to rise a few degrees while it rests.
Serving ideas
- Serve slices of roast beef with crispy roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, gravy, and steamed vegetables.
- Pile thinly sliced roast beef on a crusty roll with a dollop of horseradish sauce, a slice of sharp cheddar cheese, and some peppery rocket/arugula leaves.
- Top a bed of mixed greens with slices of roast beef, crumbled blue cheese, cherry tomatoes, and thinly sliced red onion. Drizzle with a tangy balsamic vinaigrette.
- Serve slices of roast beef with a mound of creamy mashed potatoes, a ladleful of mushroom gravy, and a side of green beans or Brussels sprouts.
Here are some easy side dishes to serve with this recipe:
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes (no-drain recipe)
- Steamed Microwave Carrots
- Microwave Green Beans
- Gravy from stock cubes
- Air fryer roast potatoes
- Air fryer roasted vegetables
Note: If you also want to cook side dishes in the air fryer, you can pre-cook them for part of the cooking time before the beef, then put them back in the air fryer to finish cooking for 10 minutes while the beef is resting.
Air Fryer Roast Beef
Ingredients
- 1 kg / 2.2 lb beef roast
- 1 tablespoon light olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons rosemary and thyme (fresh or dried)
- 1 medium onion (optional)
Directions
- Preheat air fryer to 200°C/ 400°F.
- Mix salt, rosemary and oil on a plate.
- Pat the beef roast dry with paper towels. Place beef roast on plate and turn so that the oil-herb mix coats the outside of the beef.
- If using, peel onion and cut it in half, place onion halves in the air fryer basket.
- Place beef roast in the air fryer basket, and set to air fry for 5 minutes at 200°C/ 400°F.
- When the time is up, change the temperature to 180°C/ 360°F. Set the beef to cook for an additional 30 minutes [Note 1]. This should give you medium-rare beef. Though is best to monitor the temperature with a meat thermometer to ensure that it is cooked to your liking. Check it early, and cook for additional 5 minute intervals if you prefer it more well done.
- Remove roast beef from air fryer, cover with kitchen foil and leave to rest for at least ten minutes before serving. This allows the meat to finish cooking and the juices to reabsorb into the meat.
- Carve the roast beef thinly against the grain and serve with roasted or steamed vegetables, wholegrain mustard, and gravy.
Notes
- Flip the beef roast over half way through the cooking time if required by your air fryer. Check your manual if you are unsure if this is required.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate and provided for informational purposes only.
Recommended equipment
FAQs & Tips
Roasting is a way of cooking meat at high temperature. You can use an air fryer to roast meat and vegetables, or anything you might roast in an oven.
Some air fryers have different settings for air fry and roast. With some brands, there is no difference between the settings other than the starting temperature (which you can adjust), but with some air fryers the ‘roast’ setting operates the fan at a lower level which will require different cooking times. If in doubt, use the air fry setting for this recipe.
My rule of thumb for cooking beef is 15 minutes per lb, and then an additional 5 minutes for how well you want it done. Use the table above to estimate cooking times.
Roast beef needs to be cooked at a high temperature to get a tasty crust on the outside. To prevent it from getting dry on the outside before the center is cooked, I reduce the temperature to cook the beef through after the initial 5 minutes. This allows the outside to sear, so the moisture is retained while it cooks. It is also important to rest beef well after cooking to allow the moisture to reabsorb into the meat before you cut it.
Roasting food means cooking at a high temperature, usually with oil. To roast in an air fryer I would recommend cooking at least 180°C/ 360°F. You can roast without oil, but I find you get tastier results if you use at least a spray of oil.
Nonie
Sunday 11th of February 2024
this is the only way to roast beef. OMG So good.
inept cook
Friday 11th of March 2022
Absolutly wonderful!!!!! First thing I cooked in the Ninja Foodie Airfryer/Grill! With a friend helping me (since I'm not a cook) ... we stabbed the meat and added pieces of garlic cloves.
We both loved all of your awesome insights and cooking tips!!!
Annette
Saturday 22nd of January 2022
LOVE LOVE THIS!! Mine came out awesome last week! A definite keeper and will make again next week ❤ Thank you for sharing this!
Adam Baird Brown Rennie
Friday 24th of December 2021
Great advice and very helpful, especially when your oven decides to die the day before Christmas
Roby
Wednesday 22nd of December 2021
Great site for beginners who have bought an airfryer