Chefs share 7 breakfasts you should cook in an air fryer and 5 you shouldn't

• Air fryers can be used to make great breakfast meals, but not every dish should be cooked in one.
• Chefs recommend making air-fried bacon and breakfast burritos.

Air fryers are handy countertop appliances that cook food with rapidly circulating hot air using little or no oil.

They're a popular way to whip up snacks, but your air fryer can be used to make some tasty breakfasts.

Keep reading for the best and worst breakfasts to make in an air fryer, according to chefs.

The air fryer is great for breakfast burritos

Professional restaurant and catering chef Christina Musgrave told Insider that an air fryer is perfect for making breakfast burritos.

"The fryer will crisp the tortilla while warming the inside of the burrito, which results in great texture and flavor," said Musgrave.

You can use the air fryer to cook burritos made from scratch or to reheat frozen ones.

French toast can be pretty easy to make

Yannick Tirbois, executive chef and culinary director at Le Cordon Bleu Shanghai, told Insider that he loves making French toast in an air fryer.

"The key is to not completely soak the bread in eggs," said Tirbois.

French toast that is too saturated with egg mixture won't cook properly.

Air-fryer seasoned potatoes are tasty

Chef Diana Manalang of Little Chef Little Cafe told Insider that you should skip the oven and make your breakfast potatoes right in the air fryer.

"Seasoned potatoes made in an air fryer are super flavorful," said Manalang. "They're crispy on the outside and tender on the inside."

If you have leftover fat from cooking bacon or sausages, you can use that to add extra flavor to your breakfast potatoes.

Bacon is an ideal air-fryer breakfast

You can get perfectly cooked bacon in minutes by using an air fryer.

"I love to cook bacon in the air fryer because it eliminates splatter and smoke while still yielding deliciously crispy strips," said Musgrave.

For the best result, Musgrave recommended using thick-cut bacon for more flavor and texture.

You can make breakfast pastries in the air fryer

If you love the kind of breakfast pastries that pop out of a toaster, it's easy to make your own with an air fryer.

"Fill a square of pre-made, thawed puff pastry with cream cheese or fruit preserve and pop it in the air fryer until golden," Manalang told Insider.

For an extra sweet twist, try using chocolate hazelnut spread for the pastry filling.

You can achieve great texture for sausages

Musgrave told Insider that sausages are best cooked in an air fryer.

"Sausage links or patties develop a great texture in the air fryer, even if they start out frozen," said Musgrave.

Be sure to add a tray or liner to your air fryer before cooking to catch any excess fat.

Croissants are a quick air-fryer treat

Making croissants from scratch is labor-intensive, but you can use an air fryer to cook pre-made croissants to perfection.

"You can use an air fryer to warm store-bought croissants or cook frozen, ready-made croissants," said Tirbois.

Watch the croissants carefully as they cook to make sure they don't start to burn.

On the other hand, omelets should stay out of the air fryer

It's tough to get a fluffy omelet when using an air fryer.

"An omelet needs a soft texture, but an air fryer will crisp the edges," said Musgrave. "This will give you something more like a fried egg."

It may also be difficult to fully cook any omelet mix-ins, such as chopped vegetables.

Pancakes are too messy

If you're craving pancakes, you should probably stick to the stove.

"Any food with wet batter, like pancakes, is going to be extremely difficult to air fry successfully and may make a mess out of your air fryer," said Musgrave.

Though pancakes may be a no-go, it is possible to cook denser dough-based treats like scones and biscuits in the air fryer.

Cake doughnuts shouldn't go in an air fryer

Though it's possible to make traditional doughnuts in the air fryer, cooking cake doughnuts may not work as well.

"Cake doughnuts are extremely dense and an air fryer won't give them the correct texture," said Musgrave.

Skip the air fryer and use a traditional deep-frying method instead.

Quiche and frittatas don't work well in the air fryer

Avoid cooking a quiche or frittata in an air fryer, especially if they contain vegetables.

"The air fryer can dry out the eggs and vegetables in these dishes, leaving you with an unappetizing breakfast," said Musgrave.

They should be prepared in the oven to ensure even cooking and a light texture.

Fried eggs are better made in a pan

If you love a fried egg, you should stick with a traditional pan.

"It's nearly impossible to get both a loose yolk and crispy edges on an air-fryer fried egg," Manalang told Insider.

However, if you prefer your fried egg with a firmer yolk, air-frying may work well.