Air Fryer Frozen French Fries

Use the air fryer to cook frozen french fries and you’ll get crispy fries fast! They’re golden, fluffy on the inside, and healthier than fries made with other cooking methods!

Whenever someone asks what I make the most often in my air fryer I have to confess that a bag of frozen french fries is high on my list. As someone who cooks a lot and leans toward homemade food, I know that’s not the answer anyone is expecting! But let’s be real. Sometimes we all need a good shortcut! And salty fries really are the best thing, aren’t they?

How does the air fryer work? The cooking process is a beautiful thing really. The air fryer cooks food by circulating hot air. You need less oil because of that great circulation. I have found it’s truly the best way to achieve crispy french fries.

Air frying frozen fries means the cook time is fast. Plus you only need a little oil spray and salt! So simple! It’s a healthier way to cook fries than using the deep fryer or oven. I swear they’re just as good as your favorite fast food fries.

You can cook all different types of fries in the air fryer. Crinkle cut fries, steak fries, waffle fries, shoestring fries, curly fries, or sweet potato fries… all the fries! So toss them in and simplify your dinner plans tonight!

Ingredients for Air Fryer Frozen French Fries

• Frozen french fries: A one pound (or 16-ounce) bag of fries is perfect for most air fryer sizes. If you’re using a compact air fryer you might want to divide the fries into two batches so they cook more evenly.
• Salt: Obviously a little salt is a must for french fries. You can also use other seasonings like black pepper, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and/or italian seasoning to really amp up the flavor. Those are totally optional but fun ways to customize fries.
• Oil spray: A little cooking spray will help the salt stick to the fries. An olive oil spray or avocado oil spray are two great options but use whatever you prefer.

How to Make Air Fryer Frozen French Fries

Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees. Add frozen french fries to air fryer. If using a basket-style air fryer fill the basket of the air fryer no more than ⅓ to ½ way full. (You can do multiple batches if the air fryer basket is too small to accommodate all the fries.)

Spray the fries with the oil spray and sprinkle with salt. Add any other optional seasonings you like.

Cook for 5 minutes at 400 degrees. Give the fries a good shake. This keeps the pieces at the bottom from being underdone. Cook for another 5 to 10 minutes, until fries are as crispy as you like them. I like my fries extra crispy so I lean toward 12 to 15 minutes of total cook time. That can vary depending on the type of fries you make. Voila! Now gobble up this easy side dish!

What Air Fryer is Recommended

I use this Cuisinart Convection Air Fryer every single day. It’s also a toaster oven. It’s big enough to cook a lot of food at once! Plus it looks nice and I keep it on the counter (I mentioned that I use it everyday so there’s no point in storing it elsewhere). It comes in white, silver, and black. I have it in white and my sister has it in silver.

This GoWise 7 Quart Air Fryer is my favorite basket style option. It holds a lot of food and is reasonably priced for an air fryer of this size. Since your food cooks in a fairly deep basket you’ll want to be sure to stir or shake the ingredients about halfway through cooking.

Tips for Perfect Air Fryer Frozen French Fries

• Don’t overcrowd your fries. You don’t need to cook the fries in a single layer but for the best results you don’t want your basket to be more than about halfway full. If they’re all piled on top of each other you’ll notice the fries on top will cook much faster than those on the bottom. You want to be sure the size of your air fryer is large enough to accommodate everything. If using a compact air fryer simply cook the fries in batches.
• Don’t skip the oil. You don’t need much oil when using the air fryer but a bit of oil helps make the salt or other seasonings stick. I usually just use an avocado oil spray.
• Your salt (and any other seasonings) will stick better if you add it to the fries before cooking instead of after.
• Stir or shake halfway through your cooking time. Moving everything around like this helps them cook more evenly.
• Adjust your cook time based on how crispy you want your fries to be. The longer you cook the crispier your fries. But keep an eye on them so the fries closest to the top don’t burn!

How to Serve Air Fryer French Fries

Serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauces. Ketchup is an obvious dip option but I also suggest my Comeback Sauce, 3-Ingredient Honey Mustard, or Ranch Dressing.

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