Air fryer roti - a flat, crisp whole-wheat roti in the basket of a black air fryer, with a fully puffed phulka on an iron tawa over a gas flame behind it, dough balls and a rolling pin on the counter

Air Fryer Roti: Does Chapati or Tandoori Roti Work in an Air Fryer? (Time, Temperature, Results)

May 9, 2026

By Saran Reddy · Founder, InstaCuppa · 11 min read · Last updated: September 14, 2026

Short answer: yes, you can make air fryer roti, and chapati is the same bread. It cooks in 3 to 4 minutes at 200 °C. But it comes out crisp and dry, like a khakhra, not soft like a tawa roti. It will not puff into a phulka. Tandoori roti works better in an air fryer than plain roti. For soft daily roti, the tawa still wins.

In this article

Can you make roti or chapati in an air fryer?
Roti in an air fryer: time and temperature
How to make roti in an air fryer (step by step)
Why roti puffs on a tawa and not in an air fryer
Tandoori roti in an air fryer
What the air fryer does well with roti dough
Naan and kulcha in an air fryer
Air fryer vs tawa vs tandoor vs roti maker
Golden, not brown: the browning rule
Atta vs maida: what the flour changes
हिंदी में जवाब (Hindi answers)
Questions people ask

Most people who search for air fryer roti are asking one of three things. Can I make roti or chapati in it at all? How long does it take? And can I make tandoori roti in it? This guide answers all three first, with the numbers. Then it explains the one thing most videos skip. Why does a roti puff on a tawa and go flat in hot air?

Can You Make Roti or Chapati in an Air Fryer?

Short answer: yes, it cooks. Roll the roti thin, cook at 200 °C for 3 to 4 minutes, turn once. What you get is a crisp, dry roti, closer to a khakhra than to a phulka. Roti and chapati are the same bread, so the answer is the same for both.

Let us be clear about the words first. Roti, chapati and phulka are one bread with three names. Roti is the everyday word in the north. Chapati is the same bread in the south, the west, and in English. A phulka is a thin roti that is puffed on an open flame. Tandoori roti is thicker and is baked on the hot wall of a tandoor. When you search "can we make chapati in an air fryer", you are asking the roti question.

Bread	Flour	How it is normally cooked	In an air fryer
Roti / chapati	Atta	Hot tawa, then pressed or flamed	Cooks, but turns crisp and dry
Phulka	Atta	Tawa, then puffed on a gas flame	Does not puff. A small bubble at best
Tandoori roti	Atta, often with curd	Stuck to the hot wall of a tandoor	Works reasonably well. Chewy with spots, no real char
Naan / kulcha	Maida with curd	Tandoor	Works well. Soft inside, crisp outside
Paratha	Atta with ghee layers	Tawa with ghee	Cooks, but layers stay flat. Frozen paratha does fine

So the honest answer is yes and no. Yes, the machine will cook a roti. No, it will not give you the soft roti you eat with dal. Think of it as a khakhra maker, not a roti maker. Want a soft roti without a gas stove? See whether a roti maker is worth it. Or keep reading for why the tawa wins.

Roti in an Air Fryer: Time and Temperature

Short answer: 200 °C for 3 to 4 minutes for a thin roti, turned once at 2 minutes. 200 °C for 5 to 6 minutes for a thicker tandoori-style roti. 160 °C for 1 to 2 minutes to reheat a cooked roti. Check early the first time you try.

These are starting points, not laws. Baskets differ. A 1,200 W machine and a 1,800 W machine do not heat the same way. Check the roti at the halfway mark the first time. After that you will know your machine.

What you are cooking	Thickness	Temperature	Time	What you get
Plain roti / chapati	1.5 to 2 mm	200 °C	3 to 4 min, turn at 2	Crisp, khakhra-like
Tandoori-style roti (curd in dough)	4 to 5 mm	200 °C	5 to 6 min, turn at 3	Chewy, brown spots, no char
Reheating a cooked roti	as made	160 °C	1 to 2 min	Crisp edges, warm centre
Frozen paratha (packet)	as sold	180 °C	5 to 7 min, turn once	Good. Flaky, no oil needed
Papdi from roti dough (Philips India recipe)	thin, cut small	200 °C preheat 5 min, then 170 °C	6 min	Crisp chaat papdi
Naan (maida, curd, soda)	5 mm	200 °C	5 to 7 min, no turn	Soft inside, crisp top
Stuffed kulcha	7 to 8 mm	180 °C	8 to 10 min	Crisp outside, hot filling

Two things from the manuals shape this table. First, a home air fryer has a ceiling. The Philips NA220 manual never goes above 200 °C in its cooking table. The Instant Vortex manual lists its Air Fry range as 82 °C to 205 °C. Second, on the Philips machine you can skip the wait. Its manual states that "Preheating of the appliance is not necessary." Other brands, like Instant, have a preheat button. Follow your own manual on that.

The manufacturer's own answer. Philips India's Everyday Gourmet Airfryer recipe book has no roti, chapati or phulka recipe at all. The only time it rolls out roti dough is for chaat papdi: "roll it into a chapatti /roti and cut papdi shapes", then cook in a preheated Airfryer "200° celsius for 5 minutes" and "170° celsius for 6 minutes". In other words, the Airfryer's own maker uses roti dough in it to make a crisp.

How to Make Roti in an Air Fryer (Step by Step)

Short answer: knead a soft atta dough, rest it 15 minutes, roll each roti thinner than usual, lay it flat in the basket with no paper, cook at 200 °C for 3 to 4 minutes turning once, and brush ghee on it while hot.

This is the method that gives the least disappointing plain roti. It is the same dough you use for tawa roti.

Knead and rest. Atta, water, a pinch of salt. Knead until smooth. Rest 15 minutes under a damp cloth. Rested dough rolls thinner without tearing.
Roll thin. About 1.5 to 2 mm, thinner than for a tawa. A thick roti stays doughy in the middle because hot air cooks the outside first.
Straight into the basket. No butter paper, no foil sheet lying loose. The Philips manual is blunt: "Never use light ingredients or baking paper in the appliance." The fan can lift them into the heater. A roti does not stick if the basket is clean and dry.
200 °C, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn once at 2 minutes with tongs. You will see a small bubble or two, then the roti flattens and stiffens.
Ghee, right away. Brush the hot roti with ghee. Without it the roti tastes like cardboard. Eat within a few minutes.

Do one or two at a time. Overlapping rotis steam each other and come out leathery. And do not pour oil into the pan to "help". The same manual says: "This is an Airfryer that works on hot air. Do not fill the pan with oil, frying fat or any other liquid."

Why Roti Puffs on a Tawa and Not in an Air Fryer

Short answer: a roti puffs when the bottom heats fast enough for water inside to turn to steam while the sheet is still sealed. A hot tawa does that by direct contact, and a gas flame finishes it. Hot air in an air fryer heats the roti slowly and from all sides, so the surface dries out before enough steam builds. Result: crisp, not puffed.

Food scientists call tawa cooking contact baking. The dough sheet touches a very hot surface, and the heat goes in from that one side very fast. Water in the dough turns to steam. The top skin has already set from the first flip, so the steam is trapped. The roti inflates. On a gas flame the same thing happens in a second or two.

What a lab chapati looks like. In a 2022 study in Foods, chapatis were made from 40 g of dough rolled to 15 cm across and 2 mm thick, cooked on a non-stick pan at 200 °C "for 30 s on each side", and then "slight pressure was applied to the sheets until they puffed for 20 s". That is about 80 seconds, with pressing. An air fryer cannot press, and hot air moves heat into the dough far more slowly than a hot pan touching it.

The dough matters too. A roti only puffs if the gluten forms a film strong enough to hold the steam. A 1982 paper in the Journal of Food Science found that "wheat varieties having about equal quantities of gliadins, glutenins and residue proteins give fully puffed soft and pliable chapaties", while other varieties gave "leathery" or "relatively stiff" chapatis. That is why some atta brands puff beautifully and some never do, on any tawa.

Now the air fryer. It is a small fan oven. Hot air moves around the food and cooks it from every side. Nothing hot touches the bottom of the roti, so there is no fast burst of heat from below. The top and bottom dry at the same time. By the time the inside is hot enough to steam, the skin is already stiff and porous. The steam leaks out instead of lifting the sheet. What is left is a dry, crisp disc. Tasty, but a khakhra.

Puri fails in an air fryer for the same reason. See can you make puffed puri in an air fryer. It is also why an air fryer is so good at drying and crisping. Our guide to what an air fryer is really for goes through the jobs it does well.

Tandoori Roti in an Air Fryer

Short answer: tandoori roti works better in an air fryer than plain roti. Make a softer dough with a spoon of curd, roll it 4 to 5 mm thick, wet the top with water, and cook at 200 °C for 5 to 6 minutes, turning once. You get a chewy roti with brown spots. You do not get tandoor char, because the machine stops at about 200 to 205 °C.

This was the most searched question on this page, and the old version of this article did not answer it. So here it is properly.

A tandoori roti is not a phulka. It is thicker. It is not meant to balloon. It is slapped onto the hot clay wall of a tandoor. There it bakes by contact with the wall, and by heat radiating from the coals below. Food engineers modelled those heat-transfer modes in a 1995 paper in the Journal of Food Engineering. A home air fryer has neither the hot wall nor the glowing coals. But because a tandoori roti is thicker and a little chewy by design, hot air gets you closer than it does with a thin phulka.

Dough for air fryer tandoori roti

2 cups atta
2 tablespoons curd
1 teaspoon oil or ghee
Half a teaspoon of salt
Water to make a soft dough. Softer than roti dough.
Rest 20 to 30 minutes.

Method

Roll a ball to 4 to 5 mm thick. Thicker than roti, thinner than naan.
Wet the top with water using your fingers. The wet side browns in spots and looks like a tandoor roti.
Lay it in the basket, wet side up. 200 °C for 5 to 6 minutes. Turn once at 3 minutes.
Brush with butter or ghee. Sprinkle a little kasuri methi or coriander if you like.

What you get is a roti with a chewy bite, brown spots and a firm base. What you do not get is the smoky taste and the blistered black char. That needs real radiant heat. If tandoori roti and naan are the reason you are reading this, the better tool is an electric tandoor. Our tested picks are in the best electric tandoor in India guide, and what to cook in an electric tandoor covers everyday dishes beyond roti. You can also compare electric tandoors on Amazon India.

What the Air Fryer Does Well With Roti Dough

Short answer: crisp things. Khakhra-style crisps, chaat papdi, reheated roti with crunchy edges, frozen paratha and naan from a packet, and stuffed kulcha. Anything that is supposed to be dry and crisp comes out well. Anything that is supposed to be soft and foldable does not.

Once you stop asking the air fryer to be a tawa, it becomes useful for roti dough in five ways.

Job	Setting	Why it works
Khakhra-style crisps	Roll very thin, 180 °C, 4 to 5 min, turn once	Drying is exactly what hot air does best. Add jeera or chilli to the dough.
Chaat papdi	Cut small discs, 200 °C preheat 5 min, then 170 °C for 6 min	This is the Philips India recipe book method for papdi. No frying.
Leftover roti	160 °C, 1 to 2 min	Crisp edges, warm middle. Wrap in a cloth after if you want it softer.
Frozen paratha, naan, kulcha	180 °C, 5 to 7 min, turn once	Packet breads are pre-cooked. Hot air only has to heat and crisp them.
Stuffed kulcha	180 °C, 8 to 10 min	Thick dough with a moist filling. Hot air crisps the outside while the inside heats through.

One safety note on reheating. The WHO Five Keys to Safer Food say to "reheat cooked food thoroughly" and to keep cooked food "piping hot (more than 60 °C)" before serving. Roti that has sat out on the counter for more than 2 hours should go in the bin, not the basket.

Curious about baking soft bread rather than crisping it? A loaf behaves differently from a roti, and it does work. See air fryer bread without an oven.

Naan and Kulcha in an Air Fryer

Short answer: naan is the Indian bread the air fryer handles best. Maida, curd and a little baking soda give a dough that stays soft inside while the outside crisps. Cook at 200 °C for 5 to 7 minutes without turning. Stuffed kulcha goes at 180 °C for 8 to 10 minutes.

Naan is the opposite of roti in every way that matters here. It uses maida, which stretches more than atta. It has curd, which keeps it moist. It has baking soda, which makes air pockets. And it is supposed to have a slightly crisp, blistered top. Hot air is good at all of that.

Naan dough

2 cups maida
Half a cup of curd
Half a teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon sugar, half a teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons oil or melted butter
Water as needed, about a quarter cup

Method

Mix the dry things. Add curd and oil. Add water slowly to make a soft, slightly sticky dough.
Knead 5 minutes. Cover and rest 2 hours at room temperature. The curd and soda need that time.
Divide into 6 to 8 balls. Roll each into an oval about 5 mm thick.
Brush butter on top. Cook at 200 °C for 5 to 7 minutes. No need to turn.
Brush more butter when it comes out. For garlic naan, brush with garlic butter and give it 1 to 2 minutes more. Do not add raw garlic before the first cook. It burns.

For stuffed kulcha, use the same dough. Flatten a ball, put two spoons of dry aloo or paneer filling in the centre, seal, and roll gently to 7 to 8 mm. Cook at 180 °C for 8 to 10 minutes so the filling heats through. More Indian dishes that suit hot air are in our Indian air fryer recipes list.

Air Fryer vs Tawa vs Tandoor vs Roti Maker

Short answer: for soft daily roti and phulka, a tawa on a gas flame is the only tool that does the job properly. A roti maker gives a soft but thicker roti. A tandoor is for tandoori roti and naan. The air fryer is for crisp breads, naan and kulcha, reheating, and frozen packet breads.

Bread	Tawa + flame	Roti maker	Tandoor	Air fryer
Soft roti / phulka	Best. Puffs, soft, foldable	Soft but thicker, less puff	Not its job	Crisp, does not puff
Tandoori roti	Spotted, no char	No	Best. Contact plus radiant heat	Chewy with spots, no char
Naan	Works with a lid, no blisters	No	Best	Good. Soft inside, crisp top
Layered paratha	Best. Ghee crisps the layers	Poor	Not typical	Cooks, but layers stay flat
Frozen paratha / naan	Good	No	Not typical	Good, no oil
Reheating roti	Soft	Soft	Not typical	Crisp edges
Khakhra / papdi	Slow, needs pressing	Works	No	Best. Hands-free drying

If you do not own a tawa yet, the type matters more than the brand. Cast iron holds heat better, which helps the puff. Non-stick is lighter and easier to clean. We compare them in cast iron vs non-stick tawa. If you cook on induction or want a plug-in plate, our electric tawa for dosa and roti guide covers what to look for. A plain cast iron tawa on Amazon India is still the cheapest way to a proper phulka.

And if you are thinking of buying an air fryer because of roti, do not. Buy it for the crisp jobs, the reheating and the naan. Then it earns its place. You can compare current models at the air fryer listings on Amazon India.

Golden, Not Brown: The Browning Rule

Short answer: cook roti, papdi and naan to golden with brown spots, not to dark brown. The darker a starchy food gets above 120 °C, the more acrylamide it forms. Philips says the same in its manual: "golden yellow instead of dark or brown".

This is the one health point worth making, and it applies to the tawa as much as to the air fryer. Acrylamide is a chemical that forms in starchy foods during dry, high-heat cooking. EFSA, the European food safety body, explains that it forms "at +120°C and low moisture" through the same browning reaction that gives bread its colour and taste. Darker means more. EFSA's example is toast: "Toasting bread for five minutes instead of three minutes can increase the acrylamide content from 31µg/kg up to 118µg/kg, depending on the bread type and temperature of the toaster."

The European rule that sets benchmarks for food makers puts wheat-based soft bread at 50 µg/kg and tells bakers to bake "to a lighter colour endpoint". It even names the air fryer in its home-cooking advice, alongside the oven, and says to cook "until a golden yellow colour". The Philips manual says the same thing in plain words: make sure food comes "out golden yellow instead of dark or brown".

For roti this is easy. A few brown spots are the sign of a good roti. A dark brown, blackened disc is not better, in an air fryer or on a tawa. The same rule applies to the papdi and khakhra above. Stop at golden.

A quick note: This article shares general food and wellness information for Indian readers. It is not medical advice. Bodies differ. If you are pregnant, unwell, or managing a health condition, please ask your doctor before making changes.

Atta vs Maida: What the Flour Changes

Short answer: roti is made from atta and naan from maida. Per 100 g, Indian atta has about 11.4 g of fibre and maida about 2.8 g. The air fryer does not change the flour. A crisp air fryer roti has the same fibre as a soft one; it only has less water.

People sometimes ask whether air fryer roti is "healthier". The cooking method is not what decides that here. Neither method needs oil. What decides it is the flour, and roti already uses the better one.

Per 100 g flour	Atta (IFCT 2017, A019)	Maida (IFCT 2017, A018)	Whole-grain wheat flour (USDA)
Energy	1,340 kJ (about 320 kcal)	1,472 kJ (about 352 kcal)	340 kcal
Protein	10.57 g	10.36 g	13.21 g
Total dietary fibre	11.36 g	2.76 g	10.7 g
Carbohydrate	64.17 g	74.27 g	71.97 g
Fat	1.53 g	0.76 g	2.5 g

Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (ICMR-NIN) and USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy, FDC 168893. Values are for raw flour.

Four times the fibre. That is the whole atta-versus-maida story, and it is why a roti is the daily bread and a naan is a treat. The IFCT also lists the names for atta across India: ata in Bengali, samagra ghaun in Gujarati, sampurna godhi hittu in Kannada, kaneek in Kashmiri, gahama atta in Odia, mulu godumai maavu in Tamil and sampurna godhuma pindi in Telugu. Whatever you call it, it is the same whole-wheat flour, and it puffs on a tawa, not in hot air.

हिंदी में जवाब (Hindi Answers)

Short answer: एयर फ्रायर में रोटी बन तो जाती है, पर वह तवे की रोटी जैसी नरम नहीं होती। खाखरे जैसी कुरकुरी बनती है। तंदूरी रोटी एयर फ्रायर में बेहतर बनती है। फूला हुआ फुल्का चाहिए तो तवा और आँच ही चाहिए।

क्या एयर फ्रायर में रोटी बन सकती है?

हाँ, बन सकती है। पतली रोटी बेलकर 200 °C पर 3 से 4 मिनट में पक जाती है। लेकिन वह नरम नहीं, खाखरे जैसी कुरकुरी बनती है। रोज़ की नरम रोटी के लिए तवा ही सही है।

एयर फ्रायर में रोटी कैसे बनाएँ?

आटे का नरम गूँथा हुआ आटा 15 मिनट रख दें। रोटी बहुत पतली बेलें, 1.5 से 2 मिमी। बास्केट में बिना पेपर के रखें। 200 °C पर 3 से 4 मिनट, 2 मिनट पर पलटें। गरम रोटी पर घी लगाएँ।

क्या एयर फ्रायर में रोटी फूलती है?

नहीं। रोटी तब फूलती है जब नीचे से तेज़ आँच लगे और अंदर की भाप उसे उठा दे। एयर फ्रायर में गरम हवा हर तरफ से धीरे-धीरे पकाती है, इसलिए भाप बनने से पहले ही रोटी सूखकर सख़्त हो जाती है।

क्या एयर फ्रायर में तंदूरी रोटी बन सकती है?

हाँ, और सादी रोटी से बेहतर बनती है। आटे में दो चम्मच दही डालें, 4 से 5 मिमी मोटी बेलें, ऊपर पानी लगाएँ, 200 °C पर 5 से 6 मिनट पकाएँ। चबाने लायक, चित्तीदार रोटी बनेगी। तंदूर जैसा जला हुआ स्वाद नहीं आएगा।

एयर फ्रायर में रोटी कितने मिनट में बनती है?

पतली रोटी 200 °C पर 3 से 4 मिनट। तंदूरी रोटी 5 से 6 मिनट। बनी हुई रोटी गरम करने के लिए 160 °C पर 1 से 2 मिनट।

Questions People Ask

Can we make roti in an air fryer?

Yes. A thin atta roti cooks in an air fryer in 3 to 4 minutes at 200 °C. But it comes out crisp and dry, like a khakhra. It will not be the soft, foldable roti you get from a tawa. For daily soft roti, use a tawa.

Can we make chapati in an air fryer?

Chapati and roti are the same bread, so the answer is the same. It cooks, but it turns crisp. Roll it very thin, cook at 200 °C, turn once at 2 minutes, and brush with ghee while hot.

How long does roti take in an air fryer?

About 3 to 4 minutes at 200 °C for a thin roti, turned once at 2 minutes. A thicker tandoori-style roti takes 5 to 6 minutes. Check early the first time. Basket size and wattage change the timing.

Can we make tandoori roti in an air fryer?

Yes, and it works better than plain roti. Add a little curd to the dough, roll it 4 to 5 mm thick, wet the top, and cook at 200 °C for 5 to 6 minutes. You get a chewy, spotted roti. You do not get real tandoor char, because a home air fryer stops at about 200 to 205 °C by its own manual.

Does roti puff up in an air fryer like a phulka?

No. A phulka puffs because the hot tawa and the flame heat it fast from below, and steam builds inside the sealed sheet. Hot air moving around the roti dries the surface before enough steam can form. You may see a small bubble, not a balloon.

Air fryer mein roti kaise banaye?

Atta ki patli roti belein, 1.5 se 2 mm. Basket mein rakhein. 200 °C par 3 se 4 minute, 2 minute par palat dein. Garam roti par ghee lagayein. Yeh roti khakhre jaisi kurkuri banegi, tawa roti jaisi naram nahin.

Can I reheat leftover roti in an air fryer?

Yes. One to two minutes at 160 °C makes the edges crisp. If you want it soft, wrap the hot roti in a clean cloth for a minute after. Food safety rules say to reheat cooked food thoroughly and not to leave it out for more than 2 hours.

Can I put butter paper or parchment under the roti?

Not loose. The Philips manual says never to use light ingredients or baking paper in the appliance, because the fan can lift them into the heating element. A roti does not need paper. Place it straight in the basket.

Is air fryer roti healthier than tawa roti?

Not really. Both use the same atta and need no oil. The one thing to watch is colour. EFSA says acrylamide forms in starchy food above 120 °C, and darker browning means more of it. Keep roti golden, not dark brown, in either method.

Can I make naan or kulcha in an air fryer?

Yes, and this is where the air fryer does well. Naan and kulcha are made from maida with curd, so they stay soft inside while the outside crisps. Cook naan at 200 °C for 5 to 7 minutes, and stuffed kulcha at 180 °C for 8 to 10 minutes.

Sources

Philips, Airfryer NA220/NA221 User Manual (Indian-market PDF): cooking table, "Preheating of the appliance is not necessary", "Never use light ingredients or baking paper", "golden yellow instead of dark or brown". PDF
Instant Brands, Instant Vortex Air Fryer Oven User Manual: Smart Programme temperature ranges (Air Fry 82 °C to 205 °C, Bake, Grill, Proof). PDF
Philips India, Everyday Gourmet Airfryer recipe book: Dahi Tikki Makai Papdi Chaat (roti dough rolled and cut into papdi, 200 °C then 170 °C). PDF
Ram B, Nigam S. "Puffing and Textural Characteristics of Chapati in Relation to Varietal Differences in Gluten Composition." Journal of Food Science 47(1):231-233, 1982. DOI
Gupta T. "Individual heat transfer modes during contact baking of Indian unleavened flat bread (chapati) in a continuous oven." Journal of Food Engineering 47(4):313-319, 2001. DOI
Saxena D, Rao P, Rao K. "Analysis of modes of heat transfer in tandoor oven." Journal of Food Engineering 26(2):209-217, 1995. DOI
"Substituting Whole Wheat Flour with Pigeon Pea Flour in Chapati." Foods, 2022 (PMC9601418): chapati baking method, 200 °C pan, 30 s each side, pressed until puffed. Europe PMC
ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition, Indian Food Composition Tables 2017, A019 wheat flour atta and A018 wheat flour refined. PDF
USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, "Wheat flour, whole-grain", FDC 168893. Record
EFSA, Acrylamide topic page: formation above 120 °C, toasting example 31 to 118 µg/kg. Page
Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/2158: benchmark 50 µg/kg for wheat-based bread, "lighter colour endpoint", home-cooking advice naming the air fryer. EUR-Lex
WHO, Five Keys to Safer Food poster: reheat thoroughly, keep above 60 °C, 2-hour rule. PDF

Some links here are affiliate links. If you buy through them we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point to products we would suggest to our own family.

🔥 InstaCuppa Best Sellers