Air Fryer Internal Temperature Chart

Safe minimum internal temperatures — USDA FSIS and Health Canada

Sources: USDA FSIS and Health Canada, each verified against the authority's own current text on 2026-09-18. Where the two differ, both numbers are shown — neither is the answer for every reader. † This authority publishes no row for this food. The figure is read across from the authority's own row that does cover it, not printed by it directly.

Safe internal temperature for every food we publish

Generated from 16 published food pages. Foods with no minimum from either authority or a manufacturer (most vegetables and some frozen items) are not listed here. † This authority publishes no row for this food. The figure is read across from the authority's own row that does cover it, not printed by it directly.

Why air frying does not change the safe temperature

Pathogens are killed by the temperature the food itself reaches, not by the appliance that got it there. An air fryer is a small convection oven: it moves hot air faster, so food arrives sooner, but the finish line is identical.

Every number on this page is the same one USDA FSIS and Health Canada publish for an oven, a pan or a grill. If a recipe tells you an air fryer needs a different internal temperature, it is wrong.

Foods with no required minimum

Vegetables have no required internal temperature from either authority, and neither do frozen items with no meat in them. For those, doneness is a texture judgement rather than a safety one — cook them until they look and feel right.

Frozen items that contain raw poultry are the opposite case. Frozen breaded chicken nuggets, fingers and strips are browned and look ready to eat, but the chicken inside is raw. Health Canada gives them their own row at 74°C (165°F) for exactly that reason. Follow the package, and never treat them as a reheat.

How to take the temperature

• Probe the thickest part, away from bone, fat and the basket floor — all three read hotter or colder than the meat.
• On bone-in poultry, measure the thigh rather than the breast. The thigh is the slowest part to get there.
• Take two readings in different spots. Air fryer baskets heat unevenly, and one reading only tells you about one place.
• Check before the timer ends. Air fryers run fast, and on a thin cut a minute is the difference between done and dry.

The rest time is part of the requirement

USDA FSIS puts whole cuts of beef, pork, veal and lamb at 145°F only after resting for three minutes. That is not a serving suggestion — during the rest the temperature holds or keeps climbing, and pathogens keep dying. Cut into it immediately and you have not met the standard.

Poultry, ground meat and leftovers have no rest requirement. They are safe the moment they hit their number.

Health Canada does not use a rest time. It sets a higher figure instead — 71°C (160°F) for pork, with no doneness ladder — and the food is safe on arrival.

Where the two authorities disagree

Eight categories on the chart carry two different numbers. Pork is the widest gap: USDA FSIS says 145°F plus a three-minute rest, Health Canada says 71°C (160°F). Fish is 145°F against 70°C (158°F), shellfish 145°F against 74°C (165°F), and a whole bird is 165°F against 82°C (180°F).

These are real national differences, not a transcription error, so we show both with their attributions rather than picking one. Cook to the figure your own authority publishes. If you want the number that satisfies both, take the higher one — that is the "stricter of the two" column, and it is what our own automated checks enforce.

In Canada these are the figures the Canadian Food Inspection Agency enforces. CFIA does not publish its own consumer temperature table; Health Canada sets the standards CFIA enforces.

Common questions

Is ground turkey 160°F like other ground meat?

No. Ground poultry is 165°F — USDA FSIS lists it as its own row, and Health Canada gives 74°C (165°F). The 160°F figure covers ground beef, pork, veal and lamb only. This is the single most commonly confused pair of numbers on the chart, and the five degrees are the whole point of separating them.

Does the air fryer's temperature setting tell me anything about doneness?

No. The setting is the temperature of the air circulating in the basket. The food inside is always cooler than that, and how much cooler depends on thickness, starting temperature and how full the basket is.

Do I need 165°F for every part of a chicken?

In the US, yes: USDA FSIS gives one number for all poultry — 165°F — covering ground, parts, whole birds and stuffing. Health Canada splits it, and is higher on whole birds: 74°C (165°F) for pieces, ground poultry and stuffing, but 82°C (180°F) for a whole bird. Either way, measure the thigh, because it reaches its number last.

Why does this chart show two different temperatures for pork and fish?

Because the two authorities publish different figures and we are not going to choose for you. USDA FSIS puts whole-cut pork at 145°F with a three-minute rest; Health Canada puts it at 71°C (160°F) with no rest. Fish is 145°F against 70°C (158°F). Cook to the one your own authority publishes, or to the higher number if you want to satisfy both.

Can I skip the thermometer if I follow your cook times?

Not for meat, poultry or fish. Our time ranges get you close, but air fryer models and basket loads vary enough that the clock cannot confirm safety. A probe thermometer is the only thing that can.

Related

• Boneless Chicken Breast
• Chicken Thighs (Bone-In)
• Chicken Wings
• Pork Chops
• Salmon Fillet
• Ribeye Steak
• Air Fryer Cooking Times Chart

Sources

• fsis.usda.gov
• canada.ca
• foodsafety.gov