Air Fryer Frozen French Fries
Air Fryer Frozen French Fries are super crispy and makes an easy side dish or a great appetizer! It’s way better than deep frying and takes less time than baking in the oven!
Air Fryer Frozen French Fries
Frozen French fries are the first thing I cooked in my new Air fryer. I didn’t know what to expect. I was already making plans to cook frozen fries in the oven. But I was pleasantly surprised.
Air-fried French fries tasted so much better. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside with just a few sprays of oil. Yes, frozen fries are already cooked in oil but it’s better than deep-fried french fries.
And they get cooked faster than in the oven. Air frying is the easiest way to cook frozen foods and I love using my Air fryer for most of my cooking now. We like to cook Air Fryer Frozen Pizza, Air Fryer Frozen Sweet Potato Fries, and Frozen Burgers in the Air fryer. My kids can make a quick meal or a snack without me in the kitchen now. That is super liberating 🙂
If you are new to air fryer cooking, start with frozen foods – frozen fries being the most common. You can cook the french fries to gauge your Air fryer’s temperatures and cooking times as there are many models in the market. Once you figure out the ideal temp and time for your specific Air fryer model you can use that as a guide to cooking other foods. Air fryers cook food by circulating hot air inside and makes them super crispy.
Check out my other Air fryer potato recipes if you want to venture out of frozen fries. We love Air Fryer Baked Potatoes and Air Fryer Crispy Roast Potatoes! They are so delicious and so easy to make!
If you are looking for more Air fryer recipes check our favorites in Air Fryer Recipe Collection.
Why we love to cook frozen French fries in an Air fryer:
- Crispy French fries
- No deep frying in a lot of oil
- Requires less time than baking in the oven
- Quick and easy
INGREDIENTS
Frozen French fries – I use a 1 pound (16 oz) bag of regular cut frozen fries. But if you are using crinkle cut, shoestring fries or waffle fries the cooking time will vary.
Cooking Spray– I use an olive oil cooking spray to spray oil lightly, so the fries won’t stick together. Any neutral oil would work.
Salt To Taste
Ground Black Pepper, Paprika – these spices are totally optional but I like to sprinkle some for more flavor.
How To Cook Air Fryer Frozen French Fries
A full printable version of this recipe with ingredient measurements is available at the bottom of this post.
Preheat air fryer at 400F for 5 minutes or according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Next, brush the air fryer basket with oil or lightly spray with an oil mister. So that the fries will not stick to the bottom of the Air fryer.
Remove the fries from the bag and spread them on a baking sheet. This is totally optional but makes it easier to coat the fries with oil and helps seasonings stick to them.
Spray the frozen fries with olive oil or your preferred oil lightly. This prevents frozen fries sticking together. DONT use aerosol cooking spray directly in the Air fryer as it will chip the coating. Even if you’re spraying it on food there’s a chance the basket might get sprayed. It’s safer to do this before placing the fries in the Air fryer.
Season the french fries. I like to keep it simple and season them with some salt, ground black pepper, or paprika. Use your favorite seasonings. Some seasonings options would be garlic powder and parmesan cheese.
Place french fries in the Air fryer basket. Make sure you don’t completely fill the air fryer basket if you’re doing a big batch. Fill up to half the basket.
Air fry at 400F for approximately 12 to 15 minutes or until crispy shaking the basket halfway through. This ensures that all the fries crisp up evenly. You can cook for an additional 1 or 2 minutes or until you like them.
Remove the french fries from the Air fryer and serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauce. I like to use ketchup, BBQ sauce or even ranch dressing.
Best Tips For Air Fryer French Fries
Preheat the Air fryer. This ensures the fries will cook fast and is crispy. If you skip preheating, add an additional 3 to 4 minutes to your cooking time.
Oil and season the fries before placing them in Air fryer. I use an Olive oil cooking spray and since aerosol spray can chip the nonstick coating, I spray my frozen french fries lightly and season on a baking sheet before placing them in the Air fryer basket.
Don’t overfill the basket. If you’re cooking a large batch, make sure you stack them up to half of the basket.
Shake the basket. This is to ensure that all the fries cook and crisp up evenly. You’ll want to move the bottom fries to the top and vice versa. Simply toss the basket or if you have a tray, move the fries around with tongs.
Common Questions
Can you cook store bought frozen french fries in Air fryer?
Yes absolutely. It comes out crispy and it’s the easiest method to cook frozen french fries. It’s the first food I recommend Air fryer newbies to try.
How to season frozen fries?
You can season frozen french fries with salt and your favorite seasonings like paprika, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning and parmesan cheese.
How long to cook frozen french fries in Air Fryer?
The cooking times for frozen fries vary on the cut of fries.
- Regular cut – cook for 12 to 15 minutes.
- Plank cut, crinkle cut, or other thick varieties – cook for 14 to 16 minutes.
- Shoestring or lattice cut or other thin varieties – cook for 10 to 12 minutes.
What temperature to cook frozen french fries in the Air fryer?
It’s better to cook the frozen fries at 400F or 200C. Cooking at higher temperatures make the fries come out crispy like deep fried.
Storing/Reheating French Fries
If you want to store any leftover french fries, place them in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for 3 days.
You can reheat french fries in the air fryer. No more soggy and limp microwave fries! Preheat air fryer to 400F.
Place the french fries in the Air fryer and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until they are warm and crispy.
More Frozen Air Fryer Recipes You Might Enjoy:
More Air Fryer Recipes
- Air Fryer Garlic Steak Bites
- Crispy and Juicy Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
- Air Fryer Shrimps
- Air Fryer Chicken Nugget
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Recipe
Air Fryer Frozen French Fries
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound frozen french fries (16 oz)
- olive oil spray
- salt to taste
- black pepper, paprika (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer at 400F for 5 minutes. Brush the air fryer with oil or lightly spray with an oil mister.
- Remove the fries from the bag and spread them on a baking sheet. This is totally optional but makes it easier to coat the fries with oil and season them properly.
- Spray the frozen fries with olive oil or your preferred oil lightly. Season with salt, black pepper and paprika.
- Place french fries in the Air fryer basket. Make sure you don't completely fill the air fryer basket if you're doing a big batch. Fill up to half the basket.
- Air fry at 400F for approximately 12 to 15 minutes or until crispy shaking the basket halfway through. You can cook for an additional 1 or 2 minutes or until you like them.
- Serve warm with your favorite dipping sauce or as a side dish.
Notes
- Store – leftover french fries in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days.
- Reheat – in the Air fryer at 400F for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Season – salt, black pepper, paprika, Italian seasoning, parmesan cheese
- Cooking times :
- Regular cut – 12 to 15 minutes.
- Crinkle cut, Waffle fries, thick-cut – 14 to 16 minutes
- Shoestring fries or thin varieties – 10 to 12 minutes.
