Best Air Fryer Beef Roast

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You’ll love this Air Fryer Beef Roast, rubbed with a zesty steak seasoning that becomes perfectly crusty on the outside and wonderfully tender on the inside. 

Sliced beef roast

Why You’ll Love It

  • This tender air fryer beef roast recipe makes a fantastic and easy meal for any occasion. You may think of a beef roast as complicated and time consuming, but thanks to the air fryer it is quite simple.
  • The steak seasoning brings lots of flavor to each bite of this juicy beef roast. 
  • Using an air fryer prevents the meat from becoming dry and locks in the moisture better than the traditional method.

» You might like these Air Fryer Steak Bites & Potatoes and Air Fryer Pork Roast.

Ingredients You’ll Need

ingredients for air fryer beef roast
  • Chuck Roast: We like to use chuck roast, but some other meats you can use are rolled rib roast or prime rib roast. Slice against the grain to get tender slices.
  • Olive Oil: I use an olive oil spray for my air fryer, so that’s my personal preference, but you can use any oil with a high smoke point, like avocado oil or canola oil. 
  • Steak Seasoning: You can buy steak seasoning or make it yourself. It adds a lot of flavor to the meat, so we do not recommend skipping it. This is the seasoning I use. You could also use this recipe to make your own rub.

Equipment Information

  • Air fryer: I use this 4-quart basket-style air fryer. It’s large enough to fit a meal for 4-6. But some things need more space in the air fryer basket, so they cook evenly.
  • Kitchen tongs: It’s very easy to remove food from your air fryer with kitchen tongs. I use these kitchen tongs that are silicon coated so they don’t scratch the interior.
  • Carving knife: You need a knife big enough to carve the beef roast safely.
  • Meat thermometer: The only way to tell if meat is fully cooked to the right temperature is to use a meat thermometer. I use this Instant Read thermometer. It’s so quick to open the basket and check the temp.
ninja double air fryer

Ninja® Foodi®XL 2-Basket Air Fryer

  • 2 independent XL air fryer baskets
  • Integrated Foodi® Smart Thermometer
  • Cook 2 foods 2 ways that finish at the same time
Sliced beef roast with green beans and mashed potatoes

Tips for Making Perfect Beef Roast

  • When using the meat thermometer to measure the beef, place it into the middle of the meat’s thickest part. This will ensure a correct reading. 
  • Make sure to preheat the air fryer before adding the beef in. If you don’t preheat the air fryer, you won’t be able to sear the beef. 
  • While the beef is resting, the residual heat keeps cooking the meat. It is best to remove the roast when it’s under below the desired temperature by 5°F. 
  • To get the best slices of beef roast, use a sharp knife and cut against the grain. Don’t cut your slices too thick either. 
  • Though you are coating the beef roast with oil, we recommend spraying a bit of cooking oil onto the air fryer basket. Cleaning up will be much easier and there will be less food sticking. 
  • Buy a portion of beef that comfortably fits in your air fryer. Overcrowding the air fryer’s basket will not cook the meat evenly. 

How to Make Air Fryer Beef Roast

Step 1: Preheat the Air Fryer

Start off by preheating the air fryer to 400°F(204°C), this will ensure that it’s hot enough to properly sear the meat. 

Step 2: Prepare the Roast

Give the roast a gentle rinse and dry off all moisture. If the meat isn’t dry, then it won’t cook as nicely. Coat the chuck roast with olive oil (or your oil of choice) and lots of steak seasoning. Make sure the steak seasoning you use has salt in it. Salt brings out a lot of the meat’s natural flavors.  

Beef roast with olive oil and spices

Step 3: Sear & Cook the Roast

Once the air fryer has been preheating for about 5 minutes, place your seasoned chuck roast with the fat side up. Cook it for a round of 15 minutes, this will give the meat a beautiful sear.

Raw beef roast in the air fryer basket

After the first round of searing, flip the roast over and turn the air fryer’s temperature down to 325°F(160°C). Let it cook for another 25-35 minutes, or until the meat’s internal temperature is between 135°F(57°C) (medium rare) to 150°F(66°C) (medium well). 

Keep in mind that all air fryers vary in wattage. Yours might cook slightly faster or slower than the times indicated in the recipe.

Cooked beef roast in the air fryer basket

Step 4: Rest & Slice

When the meat is to your desired level of doneness, take it out from the air fryer and let it rest for 10 minutes. Resting is a necessary step to make sure the meat stays juicy, so do not skip this!

Slice the meat thinly against the grain and serve.

Beef roast

How Do I Make Gravy from the Drippings?

Creating a flavorful gravy from the roast’s drippings is simple.

In a pan, combine the drippings with a cup of red wine. Bring it to a simmer and let it reduce until the wine is nearly evaporated. Then, add some beef stock and continue reducing to achieve a delectable gravy for your beef roast.

Store and Reheat

Store

Refrigerate: Allow the leftover beef roast to cool to room temperature. Wrap the beef roast in aluminum foil or place it in an airtight container store in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Freeze: Wrap the leftovers tightly in plastic wrap, aluminum foil, or place it in a freezer-safe container. Place in the freezer for up to 2-3 months.

Reheat

Air Fryer: Preheat your air fryer to 350°F (175°C). Place the beef roast in the air fryer basket. Heat for 5-10 minutes, checking occasionally for your desired level of warmth. You can brush a bit of oil or broth on the roast to prevent drying out.

Oven: Preheat your oven to 325°F (160°C). Wrap the beef roast in foil and place it on a baking sheet. Heat for 15-20 minutes, or until it’s warmed through.

Sliced beef roast with green beans and mashed potatoes

Why Use an Air Fryer

An air fryer is an incredibly easy way to cook just about anything. You place the food in a fryer-style basket and hot air rapidly circulates all around the food, making the food crisp – much like deep-frying, but without the oil. You can cook anything you’d make in the oven.

Ninja Max XL
Sliced beef roast

Questions About the Recipe

How do I know when the beef is cooked?

The best way to check the beef’s doneness level is by using a meat thermometer. The meat’s internal temperature should be between 135°F (medium rare) to 150°F (medium well). You should rest the meat for 5-10 minutes after cooking to bring it up to the final temperature and seal in the juices.

What if I don’t have a meat thermometer?

If you don’t have a meat thermometer you can use the following rule. For rare beef, you would do 15 minutes per pound. The more cooked you want the beef, add 5 more minutes. For example, if you want to cook 1 pound of beef medium-rare, it would be 20 minutes (15 + 5). 

How do I prevent my beef roast from getting dry?

There are two important steps in the recipe to ensure a juicy beef roast. Make sure to preheat your air fryer for 5 minutes, and let the beef rest before slicing. These two steps seal in the beef’s juices. 

Is aluminum foil safe to put in the air fryer?

You don’t have to put aluminum foil in the air fryer when making this recipe. Adding aluminum can help with clean up, and the liquid drippings can be used to make a gravy. To use aluminum, make sure to roll up the sides so the air can still circulate well.

What Side Dishes to Serve?

You can serve some really easy side dishes with your main dish cooked in the Air Fryer. Sometimes, you can cook them together in the air fryer to make it even faster.

Some of our favorite side dishes to serve include:

Here are 28 more air fryer side dishes to try

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Sliced beef roast with green beans and mashed potatoes

Best Air Fryer Beef Roast

You'll love this air fryer beef roast, rubbed with a zesty steak seasoning that becomes perfectly crusty on the outside and wonderfully tender on the inside. 
4.1 from 13 votes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 6 Servings
Calories 454 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
 

  • 3 pound (1 kg) beef chuck roast
  • 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons (8 g) steak seasoning

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the air fryer to 400°F(204°C) for 5 minutes.
  • Rinse and pat dry the roast. Coat with olive oil and steak seasoning.
  • Place the roast in the preheated air fryer (fat side down, if applicable) and cook for 15 minutes to sear the meat.
  • Turn the heat down to 325°F(160°C), flip the roast over (fat side up) and continue cooking for 25-35 minutes, until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 135°F (57°C) (medium rare) to 150°F (65°C) (medium well). Remove the roast from the air fryer basket and let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Notes

  • When using the meat thermometer to measure the beef, place it into the middle of the meat’s thickest part. This will ensure a correct reading. 
  • Make sure to preheat the air fryer before adding the beef in. If you don’t preheat the air fryer, you won’t be able to sear the beef. 
  • While the beef is resting, the residual heat keeps cooking the meat. It is best to remove the roast when it’s under below the desired temperature by 5°F. 
  • To get the best slices of beef roast, use a sharp knife and cut against the grain. Don’t cut your slices too thick either. 
  • Though you are coating the beef roast with oil, we recommend spraying a bit of cooking oil onto the air fryer basket. Cleaning up will be much easier and there will be less food sticking. 
  • Buy a portion of beef that comfortably fits in your air fryer. Overcrowding the air fryer’s basket will not cook the meat evenly. 

All air fryers have different wattage and may cook at different rates. You may need to adjust the time or temp for the best results.

Nutrition

Calories: 454kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 44gFat: 31gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 2gCholesterol: 156mgSodium: 184mgPotassium: 762mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 65IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 52mgIron: 5mg
Keyword Beef
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One thought on “Best Air Fryer Beef Roast

  1. Jan says:

    5 stars
    As a newbie to Air Frying I am grateful for your variety of recipes. However, you often mention that different air fryers have different wattages. Would it be possible, as a guide, that you could say what wattage air fryer you used for your recipes (I don’t know if you have a different variety of air fryers with different wattages that you use for different recipes – if that makes sense!).

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