Christmas dinner is mostly a puzzle about oven space. The turkey wants the main oven for hours, the roast potatoes want it hot at the end, and the pigs in blankets, stuffing and parsnips all need a shelf at exactly the same moment. An air fryer oven on the worktop gives you a second oven for the busiest hour of the day. This guide shows you how to split the work between the two, with a simple timing plan you can copy for a 1pm or a 3pm lunch.
Why a second oven makes Christmas Day easier
Most of the stress on Christmas Day comes from the last 45 minutes. The meat comes out to rest, and suddenly everything else needs high heat at once. A worktop air fryer oven takes one or two of those jobs off the main oven's hands, so each dish gets the space and temperature it needs.
The Fridja f77 Super Oven Pro is a 30L digital air fryer oven with 18 presets, a convection fan and manual temperature control from 30°C to 230°C in 5°C steps. It comes with a baking tray, a grill rack and an air fry basket, so it can roast, crisp and bake side by side with your main oven.
Decide what goes where
Before you write a timetable, decide which oven does which job. A good rule is to give the main oven the big, slow items and the air fryer oven the things that need to be crisp and hot right at the end.
Main oven
- The turkey (or a large joint of beef, pork or a nut roast)
- Stuffing, in a dish or as balls
- Any large dish that just needs heating through, such as red cabbage or cauliflower cheese
Air fryer oven
- Roast potatoes: moving hot air gives a crunchy edge with less fat. Our guide to crispy air fryer roast potatoes has the full method.
- Pigs in blankets: they take about 15 to 20 minutes and crisp all the way round. See pigs in blankets in an air fryer oven for fresh and frozen times.
- Parsnips, carrots and sprouts: quick at 200°C and easy to glaze at the end. Our air fryer roast vegetables guide has times for each one.
- Yorkshire puddings: if your family has them with turkey, they need a very hot oven to themselves. Here is our honest test of air fryer Yorkshire puddings.
Cooking for four or fewer? You can swap the roles round and cook a turkey crown in the air fryer oven instead, leaving the main oven free for all the sides. Our guide to cooking a turkey crown in an air fryer oven covers sizes that fit, times per kilo and safe core temperatures.
The countdown: Christmas dinner timings for a 1pm lunch
This plan assumes a turkey in the main oven and the potatoes, pigs in blankets and veg in the air fryer oven. Your turkey's cooking time depends on its weight, so work it out from the label or your butcher's advice and count back from when you want to eat. Treat every time below as a starting point and check your food as you go.
The day before
- Peel and cut the potatoes, parsnips and carrots. Keep the potatoes in cold water in the fridge and the other veg in sealed containers.
- Wrap the pigs in blankets, cover and chill them.
- Make the stuffing and the cranberry sauce.
- Check that your trays fit both ovens, and that the f77 has 15cm of clear space on all sides on the worktop.
On the day
- Turkey time minus 30 minutes: take the turkey out of the fridge and heat the main oven.
- Morning: the turkey goes in. Baste it as it cooks and keep an eye on the colour.
- 11:30: parboil the potatoes for 8 to 10 minutes, drain, leave to steam dry, then rough them up and toss in fat.
- 12:00: check the turkey with a probe thermometer. Once the thickest part is properly cooked, lift it out, cover loosely with foil and leave it to rest. Turn the main oven to suit the stuffing and any dishes that need heating through.
- 12:05: potatoes into the air fryer oven at 200°C, in a single layer in the air fry basket. Allow 30 to 40 minutes, turning them once or twice.
- 12:15: put the parsnips and carrots on the baking tray on a second level for 20 to 25 minutes, swapping the levels halfway so both brown evenly.
- 12:30: make the gravy with the turkey resting juices. Put the sprouts on to steam or boil.
- 12:40: the potatoes and veg should be done. Keep them warm in the main oven, turned down low, and put the pigs in blankets into the air fryer oven at 180°C for 15 to 20 minutes.
- 12:55: glaze the parsnips if you like, carve the turkey and warm the plates.
- 13:00: everything goes on the table.
For a later lunch, keep the same gaps and simply shift every step. The key point is that the air fryer oven does its work during the turkey's rest, which is the time the main oven usually gets crowded.
Four tips that keep the timings on track
- Do not overload the trays. Potatoes and veg piled on top of each other steam instead of roasting. Cook in two batches if you need to, and keep the first batch warm.
- Use the timer. The f77 has a separate timer button, so set it for each batch and let it remind you to turn the potatoes.
- Check, do not guess. A probe thermometer is the only reliable way to know the turkey is cooked. The Food Standards Agency benchmark is 70°C for two minutes in the thickest part.
- Have a practice run. Cook a Sunday roast in December with the same split. You will learn how your ovens behave before the big day.
Cooking for two to four people
For a smaller Christmas, you may not need the main oven at all. A 30L air fryer oven can roast a small turkey crown or boneless breast joint, and then cook the sides in batches while the meat rests:
- Roast the crown, then rest it under foil for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Cook the roast potatoes during the rest, then keep them warm.
- Finish with the pigs in blankets and veg on two levels.
Leftovers and cleaning up
Cool leftovers quickly, cover them and get them into the fridge within two hours. When you reheat them, make sure they are steaming hot all the way through. Our guide to reheating leftovers in an air fryer oven is useful for Boxing Day.
Once the oven has cooled, empty the crumb tray and wipe the stainless steel interior with a damp cloth. The baking tray, grill rack and air fry basket are dishwasher safe on the top rack at up to 40°C. You can compare models in our digital air fryer ovens collection.
Frequently asked questions
Can you cook a whole Christmas dinner in an air fryer oven?
For a small group, yes. A 30L air fryer oven can roast a small turkey crown, then cook the potatoes, pigs in blankets and veg in batches while the meat rests. For larger groups, it works best as a second oven alongside the main one, taking the sides that need to be crisp and hot at the end.
What should I cook in the air fryer oven on Christmas Day?
Give it the dishes that need high heat and crisp edges at the last minute: roast potatoes, pigs in blankets, roast parsnips and carrots, or Yorkshire puddings. These all cook in 15 to 40 minutes, so they fit neatly into the time the turkey is resting and free up shelf space in the main oven.
How long do roast potatoes take in an air fryer oven?
Parboiled potatoes take about 30 to 40 minutes at 200°C, turned once or twice, depending on the size of the chunks and the variety. Floury potatoes such as Maris Piper give the crispest edges. Start checking from about 25 minutes, and spread them in a single layer so they roast rather than steam.
How long should the turkey rest before carving?
Rest a turkey for at least 20 to 30 minutes, loosely covered with foil, and a large bird can rest longer. The meat stays hot, the juices settle so the slices are moister, and you gain a useful window to finish the potatoes, pigs in blankets and gravy while the main oven is free.
Do I need to preheat an air fryer oven for roast potatoes?
Preheating helps. Putting the potatoes into a hot oven starts the browning straight away, so the outside crisps before the inside goes soft. Switch it on while you drain, steam dry and rough up the potatoes, and it will be hot by the time they are coated in fat and ready to go in.