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.
Quick links
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.
Pour frozen French fries straight from the bag into the air fryer basket.
Spread them out in an even layer, and don’t overcrowd them—they need space to get crispy and cook evenly. You don’t need any oil, as the manufacturers have already added it.
Cook the fries at 400°F (200°C) for 12-15 minutes, shaking the basket a few times during cooking. Keep an eye on them because air fryers can vary; you want golden, not burnt. Smaller batches cook more quickly so a single serving might be ready in just 10 minutes.
When the fries are cooked to perfection, lift them out using a silicone spatula or silicone tongs, season to your liking and serve immediately.
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.
Air Fryer Frozen French Fries
Ingredients
- 100 g frozen French fries
Instructions
- Pour frozen French fries straight from the bag into the air fryer basket. Spread them out in an even layer.
- Cook the fries at 400°F (200°C) for 12-15 minutes, shaking the basket a few times during cooking. Keep an eye on them because air fryers can vary; you want golden, not burnt.
- When the fries are cooked to perfection, lift them out using a silicone spatula or silicone tongs, season to your liking and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
If you've tried this method for Air Fryer Frozen French Fries, let me know how it went by leaving a ⭐star rating and a comment below. It really helps me out! Thanks for visiting!
Michael
Perfect, just remember to keep shaking and checking as you go
Jenny
I agree - regular shaking is the key to perfect fries 🙂