How to Make Frozen French Fries in an Air Fryer

Much as I love air fryer roast potatoes, homemade chips and sweet potatoes, sometimes the ultimate side dish has to be air fryer frozen French fries. Light and golden with a crispy exterior and fluffy on the inside, when you’re craving a French fry, nothing else compares. The good news is, making French fries air fryer-style from frozen is so easy. I love serving these with a vegan burger like this Beyond Burger cooked in the air fryer.

Why Air Fry Frozen Fries?

Frozen fries are already pre-cooked and coated in just the right amount of oil, which means the air fryer enhances their crispy potential. There is no extra grease, no babysitting a hot pan, and no sogginess, just golden, crunchy happiness in record time. Plus, when you cook your frozen fries in an air fryer, you can save oven space for other dishes or skip the oven entirely and reduce your energy bills.

How long to cook frozen French fries in an air fryer?

I find 12 minutes on the air fryer setting at 400°F (200°C) is usually about right. But it’s best to keep checking your frozen fries every few minutes until they’re just right for your preferred level of doneness. This means you can tailor them to your taste, whether you like them extra crispy, or still with a decent amount of softness. Either way, you’ll want to shake your air fryer basket every few minutes to ensure the fries cook evenly.

How to Cook French fries in Air Fryer from Frozen

This is the method I use to make frozen French fries.

What to Serve With French Fries

Pretty much anything goes when it comes to serving French fries. Eat them with your favourite dips, add cheese, chilli and soured cream for delicious, loaded fries or serve alongside a main meal. I love eating French fries with my air fryer frozen salmon.

Top Tips for Perfect French Fries

Do you add oil when cooking frozen French fries in an air fryer?

No, you don’t need to add oil as this is already added in pre-prepared French fry products.

What are the best frozen fries for air frying?

In the UK, my favourite brand is McCain, which delivers a super-tasty fry with just the right amount of crispiness. But as a rule, if you’ve found a brand of frozen French fry that you like cooking in the oven, it’s likely to give you great results when cooking in an air fryer.

Do you need to defrost fries before air frying?

No, just cook your fries from frozen exactly as you would when cooking frozen fries in an oven.

Why are my air fryer fries soggy?

If you try to cook too many French fries at once, they can end up soggy. Ideally, they should be in a single layer in your air fryer basket (a few overlapping is okay). If you need to cook for a crowd, try cooking them in batches.

Another reason for soggy fries is that they need a few more minutes. The best thing is to test one before removing them all. If it’s not quite crispy enough, give it another minute or two.

Why are my air fryer fries too crispy?

The most common reason fries are too crispy or burnt is that they’ve cooked for too long. Try reducing the cooking time next time you cook them. If you’re cooking a very small batch of fries (e.g., for a single serving), they might not take as long as larger batches, so keep checking on them as they cook.

Check out more air fryer side dishes like this easy air fryer garlic bread and air fryer halloumi fries.