A method for manufacturing an optical element, the method including: heating an optical element material by suspending it in a gas; supplying the heated optical element material from a direction which intersects a central axis interconnecting centers of a first mold and a second mold to a space between molds in a non-contact state, the space between molds being a space between the first mold and the second mold; pressurizing the optical element material supplied to the space between molds by the first mold and the second mold; and cooling the pressurized optical element material.