Make perfect tender air fryer roast beef with this simple recipe. Roast beef is a classic family dinner entree, and it's really easy to cook in your air fryer. This method also leaves more space in your oven to prepare your favorite side dishes!
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Why you'll love it
- Easy roast beef recipe
- Leaves room in your oven to cook side dishes
- Perfect juicy and tender meat
- A family classic
- Great for Sunday dinners, Christmas dinner or beef meal prep
- Kid friendly
- Sugar free, keto friendly and low carb
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Ingredients
Beef joint: You will of course need a beef roasting joint. Make sure to choose a roast that will fit inside your air fryer basket.
Seasoning: In this recipe we use salt, black pepper, mustard powder, dried thyme, garlic powder and onion powder. You can omit or substitute any of these as you please, or use a store bought seasoning packet if you prefer.
Olive oil: I recommend spraying or brushing olive oil on the inside of your air fryer basket with olive oil if food has a tendency to get stuck in it. This will preven the meat from sticking, and will make it much easier to flip the roast.
Types of beef roast
There are many types or cuts of beef roast, and some are better suited for air frying than others. Selecting a suitable, high quality beef joint is the most important step towards cooking an excellent roast.
Some cuts, like chuck roast, is more suited for slow cooking. I don't recommend cooking chuck roast in an air fryer.
Instead, select a roasting joint, like topside of beef or sirloin.
Instructions
You can find full instructions + ingredient measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of this page
One: Combine the seasoning in a small bowl.
Two: Remove the packaging from the beef, and cover with the seasoning on all sides. Leave the beef to rest at room temperature for an hour.
Three: Add the beef to your air fryer basket. Air fry at 400 F / 200 C for 10 minutes, then turn and air fry on the other side for a further 10 minutes.
Four: Reduce the temperature to 360 F / 180 C, and cook the roast for 30 minutes, or up to 1 hour 30 minutes, depending on the size of the roast, and how done you like it. Use a meat thermometer to ensure that the roast is done to your liking.
Five: Leave the roast to rest at room temperature for at least 30-60 minutes before you slice and serve it.
Internal Temperature Guide
Everybody has a preferred doneness with their beef roast. You can cook the roast perfectly to your liking in the air fryer.
In these images, the roast has been cooked well done, which is particularly popular among kids. Adults often prefer medium rare.
The doneness of the meat is determined by the internal temperature of the meat when you remove it from the air fryer. Rare beef is cooked for a shorter amount of time, and the internal temperature will be lower than medium or well done beef.
Keep in mind that when you remove the beef from the air fryer, it will continue to cook as it rests before you slice it. The internal temperature will therefore continue to increase as it rests.
Use the following table to ensure that the meat is cooked to your liking.
| Doneness | Temperature to take it out of the oven | Temperature after resting |
| Rare | 113-122 °F (45 - 50 °C) | 131-140 °F (55 - 60 °C) |
| Medium | 140-150 °F (60-66 °C) | 150-158 °F (66 - 70 °C) |
| Well done | 152-158 °F (67 - 70 °C) | 158-167 °F (70 - 75 °C) |
Top tips
- Always leave enough time (at least 30 minutes) for the meat to rest before you slice it. This allows the juices to settle in the meat, which increases the moisture and flavor of the beef.
- Slice the beef against the grain.
- Don't remove any superficial fat before roasting. The fat will keep the meat juicy, and you can easily cut it off after cooking if you wish.
- In most air fryers, you will have to turn the meat halfway through cooking.
- When you roast meat in the air fryer, the surface of the meat will be scorched or very dark. Don't worry - this is expected, and it tastes great.
- You can use your favorite dry rub or roast beef seasoning in this recipe. Feel free to use different seasoning than suggested if you wish.
Serving suggestions
Roast beef is a traditional classic. It's often served as a special family meal, either for Sunday dinner, or for holidays like Christmas. It's often paired with roasted potatoes and vegetables, but you can serve it with any side dishes that you like. Here are some of my favorites:
- Potatoes: Crispy Roasted Potatoes, Healthy Mashed Potatoes
- Rice: Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice, Carrot Rice
- Vegetables: Instant Pot Broccoli, Air Fryer Cauliflower, Spicy Roasted Carrots, Air Fryer Green Beans, Instant Pot Asparagus, Instant Pot Cabbage
- Salads: Lemon Kale Salad, Asparagus Pasta Salad
- Sauces: Red Wine Jus
Variations
Other spices or dry rubs: You can replase the homemade roast beef seasoning with any seasoning or dry rub that you like. At a minimum, I recommend using salt and pepper, but Italian seasoning or BBQ rub are also great options.
Different cuts of beef: This recipe works with a variety of cuts of beef. Try different cuts until you find your preference! Beef topside, sirloin roast, brisket or silverside are all great cuts with different textures.
Mustard free: Easily make this recipe mustard free by omitting the mustard powder.
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Leftovers
Store leftover roast beef in a sealed container in a refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can reheat the meat and serve it as an entree, or slice and dice it and use in other dishes like sandwiches, salads, casseroles, soups and more.
Frequently asked questions
If your roast isn't falling apart, you have either used a cut of beef that isn't going to fall apart, or used a wrong cooking method. For fall apart roast, you will want to use a slow roasting method, and ideally a chuck roast. This is completely different from sliced roast beef roasted at high temperatures in an oven or air fryer.
Yes. You can put aluminum foil in the air fryer to make cleanup easier, or to protect the surface of the beef from becoming burned.
Beef shouldn't normally be covered with aluminum foil when roasting. However, if during the roasting process you find that the top of the roast has a very dark color and you're concerned about burning it, you can cover it with foil.
You might also like these recipes
- Air Fryer Steak
- Roast Beef Topside
- Instant Pot Roast Pork Loin
- Air Fryer Pork Roast
- Air Fryer Roast Chicken
- Honey Roast Chicken
- Pulled Gammon
If you make any of these recipes, make sure to post a photo to Instagram with #hintofhealthy! Follow Hint of Healthy on Instagram, Facebook or Pinterest for more healthy recipes.
Recipe
Air Fryer Roast Beef
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 kg beef roast
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon mustard powder
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
- Combine the seasoning in a small bowl.
- Remove the packaging from the beef, and cover with the seasoning on all sides. Leave the beef to rest at room temperature for an hour.
- Add the beef to your air fryer basket. Air fry at 400 F / 200 C for 10 minutes, then turn and air fry on the other side for a further 10 minutes.
- Reduce the temperature to 360 F / 180 C, and cook the roast for 30 minutes, or up to 1 hour 30 minutes, depending on the size of the roast, and how done you like it. Use a meat thermometer to ensure that the roast is done to your liking. See notes for temperature guides.
- Leave the roast to rest at room temperature for at least 30-60 minutes before you slice and serve it.
Video
Notes
- Store leftovers in a sealed container in a refrigerator for up to 3 days.
| Doneness | Temperature to take it out of the oven | Temperature after resting |
| Rare | 113-122 °F (45 - 50 °C) | 131-140 °F (55 - 60 °C) |
| Medium | 140-150 °F (60-66 °C) | 150-158 °F (66 - 70 °C) |
| Well done | 152-158 °F (67 - 70 °C) | 158-167 °F (70 - 75 °C) |
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