How to Use a Bella Air Fryer – Step by Step Guide

Maybe you just popped open the box and found no directions inside. Perhaps a friend gave you their old air fryer to try when they upgraded. Or, you grabbed a used one on the cheap at a yard sale! Whatever your reason, now you want to know how to use a Bella air fryer.

Depending on your specific model, there are a few things you’ll need to know. Thankfully though, there aren’t too many variations to worry about once you know the basics.

how to use a bella air fryer dinners done quick featured image

Even if you have a less common model or a newer version than what’s listed here, you should still be able to find one controlled nearly the same to teach you.

So, let’s get to learning more about your new air fryer!

How Do You Turn on a Bella Air Fryer?

To turn on a manual Bella air fryer, all you need to do is plug the power cord into the outlet. For a digital Bella air fryer model, first plug it in and insert the basket. Then, either touch the power button, or touch the digital display to ensure the power button is lit.

If you run into any issues, learn more about why your air fryer won’t turn on and how to troubleshoot it.

How Do You Preheat a Bella Air Fryer?

Preheat a Bella Air Fryer in one of two ways, depending on the model:

  • Turn the manual knob on the face of the unit to the desired temperature setting
  • Use the +/- buttons next to the thermometer-shaped icon on the digital touchscreen

The latter option is used on Bella air fryer models that seem to have no temperature control. You just need to plug it in, insert the basket, and sometimes touch the touchscreen to see the controls.

Most models recommend 3 minutes for preheating, which you can add to your cook cycle. The larger, pro series units don’t require preheating, as they come up to temperature very quickly on their own.

If you have a different brand, maybe you’d like to know how to preheat a Ninja air fryer instead!

How to Use a Bella 2-Quart Air Fryer

  1. Plug the power cord into an outlet, and the power light should turn orange
  2. Set the temperature by turning the gear-shaped circle on the top front of the unit to the desired temperature
  3. Place your food in the air fryer basket
  4. Set the timer by turning the dial in the middle of the air fryer’s front clockwise
  5. The time should be what is indicated by the recipe, plus an additional 3 minutes for preheating
  6. Release the timer knob, and the heat on light should be lit
  7. When the cook cycle finishes, the heat light will turn off
  8. Note that the Bella air fryer will not operate unless the basket is fully pushed in
https://youtu.be/ydrJpDfcdO4
Bella 2.0 qt Air Fryer

For a complete copy of the analog Bella 2-quart air fryer manual, click here.

How to Use the Bella 2.6-Quart (2.5L) Air Fryer

  1. Plug the power cord into your outlet, and make sure the power light on the front illuminates in orange
  2. Set the temperature by turning the knob located on the middle of the front of the air fryer to the desired setting
  3. Place food in the air fryer basket
  4. Set the timer by twisting the knob near the top of the unit clockwise 
  5. Make sure to add 3 additional minutes to the recipe cook time for preheating
  6. Upon release of the timer knob, the green “heat on” light will illuminate
  7. When the cooking cycle finishes, the air fryer will ding and the heat on light will turn off
https://youtu.be/tAE30CJMWCY
Bella 2.5L Air Fryer

You can find the Bella 2.5L air fryer complete manual here.

Bella 2.5L Air Fryer

How to Use the Bella Pro Series 3.7-Quart Air Fryer

  1. Plug the power cord for the air fryer into the outlet
  2. Insert the air fryer basket fully into the unit
  3. Touch the round screen in the middle of the front of the unit to bring up the digital menu
  4. The power icon should be lit green
  5. Touch the + icon on the top left of the u-shaped menu to add minutes of cooking time
  6. Use the rightmost + icon to set the desired temperature
  7. Note that both settings have a – option as well that can be pressed if you accidentally go too high, located under the orange symbol indicating which side is time vs temperature
  8. No preheating time is required with the Bella 3.7-quart unit, so no additional time needs to be added
  9. Press the power button to begin the cooking process
  10. A fan-shaped icon will blink in the center of the screen to let you know the unit is cooking
  11. A beep will sound when the air fryer is finished cooking, but the fan will remain on for about 20 additional seconds to disperse heat

Selecting the ‘M’ icon for ‘Menu’ will bring up the pre-set cooking programs this Bella model offers. Short press the M to scroll through the 7 options:

  • French Fries
  • Roast
  • Shrimp
  • Cake
  • Chicken
  • Steak
  • Fish

Once confirmed, the predetermined program will adjust and begin cooking. Note that you can manually change time and temperature on the program if desired.

This Bella air fryer is a little bit tricky at first glance because it appears to have no temperature control, but that’s just due to the fancy digital controls! Once you realize it’s a touchscreen, it’s really quite easy to operate.

If your touchscreen isn’t showing up, make sure the unit is plugged in and that the fryer basket is fully inserted.

Bella 3.7 qt Air Fryer

The full manual for the Bella 3.7-quart digital air fryer is available here.

Using the Bella 4.6-Quart Digital Air Fryer

  1. Plug the air fryer into the wall outlet using the power cord
  2. A faint power button will appear in the bottom left of the digital display
  3. Press the power button to bring up the digital menu
  4. Next, press the clock-shaped symbol on the right, and use the + and – buttons in the bottom center of the menu to set the time
  5. Depress the thermometer-shaped icon on the left, and repeat pressing + and – to set the temperature
  6. Press the power button again to begin the cook cycle

Like some other units, the ‘M’ button allows you to scroll through 9 preset cooking functions, which will begin automatically once selected.

Bella 4.6 qt Air Fryer

You can view the complete manual for the Bella 4.6 quart digital air fryer here.

Note that there is a manual model in the 4.6-Quart capacity offered as well, which does not have the digital display. That version operates the same way as the 2-Quart Bella air fryer does.

How to Use the Bella Pro Series 6-Quart Air Fryer

  1. Plug the air fryer into an outlet using the power cord
  2. Press the “power/on” button located on the left side of the display panel to turn it on
  3. To change time and temperature, press the up and down arrows above and below the words on the display panel
  4. The digital display will show your current selection
  5. Then, press the power/on button again to start the cook cycle
  6. A fan-shaped icon will appear to alert you that the air fryer is running
  7. Once complete, an ‘end’ display will appear and the unit will beep

Use the Menu button on the right hand side to rotate through the 8 presets displayed at the top. Each one starts with a pre-programmed time and temperature recommendation, which you can alter manually as desired.

Bella Pro 6.0 qt Air Fryer

While this model of Bella digital air fryer is still touchscreen operated, it does show general buttons even when turned off. It’s not as tricky as those models which appear to have no controls until you find them!

You can find the Bella Pro Series 6-Quart air fryer complete manual here.

Bella Pro Series 6-Qt Air Fryer

If you happen to have the 4.2-quart version of the Bella Pro Series, it’s the same set of controls as seen here on the 6 (though the appliance itself is silver instead of black).

How to Use the Bella Air Fryer 8-Quart Pro Series Model

  1. Plug the Bella 8 qt air fryer into an outlet using the power cord
  2. Press the “power/on” button located on the right side of the display panel to turn it on
  3. To change time and temperature, press the + and – symbols above and below the clock and thermometer on each side of the display panel
  4. The digital display will show your current selection
  5. Then, press the power/on button again to start the cook cycle
  6. A fan-shaped icon will appear to alert you that the air fryer is running
  7. Once complete, the unit will beep to alert you

The Bella 8-quart air fryer pro series features a ‘P’ icon for programs instead of the ‘M’ seen on most other models. However, like its 6-qt counterpart, it features 8 preset programs. This time, though, they appear along the bottom of the display.

Bella Pro 8 qt Air Fryer

This large-capacity model is perfect for those cooking for large families. Check out our choices for the best air fryers for large families for some other options to try!

Bella Pro Series 8-Qt Touchscreen Digital Air Fryer

You can view the complete manual for the Bella 8 quart pro series air fryer here

Other Air Fryer Brand Guides

In Conclusion

While Bella makes a huge variety of air fryers, they’re pretty easy to learn how to use. Regardless of the capacity you choose, or whether you have a digital or manual operation style, you’ll be turning out delicious air fried food in no time!

If you need somewhere to get started, we suggest taking a look at our best Bella air fryer recipes for some inspiration!

Katie Vine