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Air Fryer Frozen French Fries are crisp on the outside, tender on the inside. They taste exactly like deep fried French fries, only much healthier.
Air Fryer Frozen French Fries
Got a craving for some good, crispy fries? Skip the fast food fries with all the fat and calories and make a batch of Air Fryer Frozen French Fries at home! Air frying a bag of frozen fries results in perfectly golden, crispy potatoes that look and taste just like the fast food favorites but with a fraction of the sodium, fat, or calories. Plus, they cook up faster in the air fryer than in the oven.
Seasoning the Fries
Air fryer French fries are really a blank slate when it comes to flavors. There are all sorts of ways to add flavor before or after the cooking process.
- If your fries are unseasoned you can spray with a little cooking spray and toss with a little salt, paprika or your other favorite seasonings.
- Sprinkle onion powder or garlic powder before cooking.
- Avoid adding pepper to the fries before they cook because the pepper can actually burn in the air fryer and make the batches of fries taste burned as well.
- Add grill seasoning, Greek seasoning or any other seasonings you like.
Do Frozen Fries Need to be Thawed?
Nope! In fact, it’s better for the end result if you just toss the frozen fries right into the air fryer basket. It doesn’t affect the cooking time and actually results in crispier fries.
How Long To Cook Frozen French Fries in the Air Fryer
Cooking times vary greatly depending on the air fryer. Make sure to check your own air fryer for the most accurate cooking time for French fries. If your air fryer has a basket, be careful not to crowd the basket with fries. Start with a single layer and leave a little bit of breathing room between each potato. If you get too many fries in the basket, too much steam will get trapped inside the fryer and they won’t get as crispy. As a general rule, start with about 10-12 minutes at 400 degrees, give them a quick toss and then decide if they need more time.
Cooking Times for Different Types of Fries
Of course, cooking times vary also for the types of fries you want to make. Here’s a good baseline to start, then use your judgement to determine whether they need to be crisped up a bit more. And remember, all of these cooking times are for FROZEN potatoes. Don’t thaw them out before cooking.
- Crinkle Cut French Fries – 12-15 minutes
- Straight Cut Fries – 12-15 minutes
- Sweet Potato Fries – 15-18 minutes. These may need a bit longer than regular fries to get crispy.
- Shoestring Fries – 8-10 minutes. Keep an eye on these thinner cuts of fries, they’ll take much less time to crisp up.
- Steak Fries – 15-16 minutes. They’re thicker, so they’ll take a bit longer.
- Potato Wedges – 15-18 minutes.
- Waffle Fries – 10-12 minutes
- Tater Tots – 10-12 minutes
Dipping Sauces for Fries
Once your fries are perfectly crisp and golden, time to start dipping! Ketchup is delicious but you can make a variety of homemade sauces to serve alongside your air fryer French fries. Here are some of our favorites:
- Fry sauce – basically a mix of ketchup and mayo but made four different ways!
- Red Robin Campfire Sauce – a twist on regular fry sauce with your favorite barbecue flavor.
- Ranch dressing – This homemade dressing tastes way better than the bottled kind!
- Honey mustard – Simple, sweet and tangy
- Cheese sauce – an easy cheesy sauce perfect for dipping pretzels, chicken, and of course, fries!
- Poutine – make your own poutine with cheese, gravy and your air fryer fries.
Reheating Fries in the Air Fryer
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for three to five days. To reheat, skip the microwave! They won’t be crispy at all. The cooked fries can be easily reheated in the air fryer and they’ll taste just as fresh as the first day you made them.
Frequently Asked Questions
How hot the air fryer is and how crispy you like your fries will determine how long you cook the french fries. Generally, however, you can cook the frozen french fries at 400 degrees for between 12 and 18 minutes. Be sure to arrange the fries in a single layer before cooking, and plan to flip or toss them halfway through cooking. Often, you can find air frying instructions on the back of the bag of frozen french fries.
No need to thaw! Simple toss the frozen fries in the air fryer, arrange them in a single layer for even cooking, and let them cook away! Added bonus – they will be done in a fraction of the time it would take to cook the fries in a conventional oven!
Of course you CAN add oil for added flavor or crispness, but you don’t NEED to. The beauty of cooking with an air fryer is the ability to get food (such as french fries) crispy without frying the food in oil. That said, it might be a good idea to give the air fryer pan a light spray with cooking oil to prevent the fries from sticking, but otherwise no oil is needed!
More Air Fryer Recipes:
Air Fryer Frozen French Fries
Video
Ingredients
- 1 bag frozen French fries (26 oz. – 32 oz.)
- cooking spray
- 1 teaspoons salt or seasoning (optional, if unseasoned fries)
Instructions
- Spray bottom of air fryer basket with cooking spray or brush with cooking oil.
- Add fries to the basket and cook at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove basket and toss a few times to redistribute and cook another 2-3 minutes if needed.
- Check fries for doneness and then toss with salt or seasonings if needed before serving. Serve with your favorite dipping sauces.
So much better and healthier than fried! This is our new favorite way of making french fries for sure. Thank you for sharing this great recipe with us.
My air fryer is one of my favorite kitchen appliances!! It comes in so handy & makes everything turn out so perfectly!! My kids can’t get enough of these fries!
Absolutely amazing! And such a huge time saver. Thank you!