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We’re back, putting our Ninja Crispi through its paces. This time, we’re testing whether you can cook crumpets in an air fryer. There’s no doubt an air fryer will cook a crumpet, but whether it can replicate the much-loved finish a toaster produces remains to be seen.
We’ve already determined how to cook potato waffles in the Crispi, that fried eggs should be air fried in a container, and that air fryers make a banging cheese toastie. Now it’s the turn of the God tier breakfast food: the crumpet.
What we’re aiming for
We want a crumpet that is crispy on the bottom, fluffy yet firm in the middle, and lightly browned on top. The finish of your crumpets is up to you, as people’s crumpet preferences are as individual as their shade of tea or toast.
Air fryer crumpet – Attempt 1
For my first attempt at cooking crumpets in an air fryer, I was flying blind. In an effort to find some guidance, I opted to follow a similar process to that of part baked bread; the logic being, crumpets are also part baked. So, five minutes, no flip, no preheat.
The finish after five minutes was respectable enough; a firm base, soft sides, and the top was beginning to colour.
To test how long it would take for a browner, crispier finish, the crumpets were set to air fry for a further two minutes.
Almost there. A slight colour tinge to the skirt.
One more minute, flipped, to provide the finishing touch.
Attempt 1 – Verdict
While this was enough to produce a crumpet I liked the look of on the outside, they were discs of solid crisp on the inside, with only the very centre exhibiting anything close to ‘fluffy’. Eating them gave my jaw a good workout.
Clearly, five minutes plus time for that “finishing touch” was far too long.
Let’s try again.
Air fryer crumpet – Attempt 2
This time, I’ll do a four minute air fry, flipping at the two minute mark. Given, when toasting, crumpets take two full rounds, a four minute cook should replicate a toaster more closely.
Attempt 2 – Verdict
The crumpet was very soft. The bottom wasn’t crispy, the centre verged on raw, and chewy experience.
A four minute air fry, like the eight minute cook above, was also not the answer.
Air fryer crumpet – Attempt 3
Another minute on both sides, so a total of six minutes, for attempt three.
Six minutes puts attempt three in the middle of the overdone eight minutes and the underdone four minutes.
Fingers crossed. If not, it looks like I’ll be eating a lot more crumpets.
The halfway flip didn’t show any early signs of the crumpet being much different from attempt two, but three minutes is a long time in a high temperature, compact air fryer.
Attempt 3 – Verdict
Attempt three’s crumpet was a good’un. I was halfway through my tea before I remembered I was supposed to be reviewing it, proving a six minute cook to be the one.
The base was firm and crispy, as you can see in the video above. While the top was paler than it would be if toasted, it still had the same texture. Through and through, the texture matched a double-downed toaster crumpet.
So, if you’re looking to cook your crumpet in an air fryer, use six minutes, three per side, as your guide. We used our Ninja Crispi for this test, but you might need to adjust the temperature and timings to your specific type of air fryer.
