Air Fryer Frozen French Fries
Make perfectly crispy air fryer French fries every time following our simple and easy step-by-step instructions.
We have heard so much about how amazing the air fryer is for cooking frozen french fries that we had to give it a try ourselves. We tested 3 types of frozen french fries in the air fryer to determine the temperatures and times that give you the best results for perfectly crispy fries.
This simple way to make French fries means you can make easy recipes like our Loaded Steak Fries, or Loaded Cheeseburger Fries on game day or you can just serve them as a side for your Air Fryer Burger or air fryer chicken wings!
Serve them with your favorite dipping sauces! Try ketchup, mustard, ranch dressing, cheese sauce, BBQ sauce, honey mustard, and even gravy!
This easy side dish will give you the taste of fast food fries at home. It even works with frozen tater tots and homemade sweet potato fries!
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Ingredients
- Frozen French Fries
- Basket-style Air Fryer
That’s it! We wanted to give you all the information you need to make the BEST French fries in the air fryer so we tried out 3 different types, regular fries, crinkle cut fries, and waffle fries.
We used a 3 quart Philips Air Fryer with a 1.8 lb capacity and a 5 quart Cosori air fryer . If you use a larger fryer and use the same amount of fries listed here they will cook faster so you will need to adjust your time.
At What Temperature Do You Air Fry Frozen French Fries?
We found that 400 degrees F is the best temperature to cook any type of french fry. The time you cook them for will vary depending on your cut of fry.
How Do You Cook Frozen Fries in an Air Fryer?
Step 1 – Preheat – Start by preheating your air fryer. It isn’t a requirement but we have found that you get the best, and most even cooking results if you preheat your air fryer for 2-3 minutes before you start cooking.
Step 2 – Add the Fries – We added 10 ounces of French fries to the fryer basket and then put the air fryer basket in the fryer and set the timer (see times for different types of fries below). You may need to make multiple batches if you are making lots of fries for a party.
Step 3 – Toss the Fries – Halfway through the cooking time, remove the basket and toss the fries so that the fries on the bottom come to the top. If you are adding salt to your fries this is a good time to do it. Spray the fries with a little cooking spray, this will help the salt stick to the fries, then sprinkle on the salt and shake them up a bit before reinserting the basket to continue cooking.
You can also change up from the regular salty fry. Once they are out of the air fryer, try tossing them with garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, chili powder, Lawry’s seasoning, or any other of your favorite spices to give your fries a kick.
That’s it! When the fries finish cooking they are perfectly crisp and there isn’t all of the greasy oil you’d have with regular fries.
How Long Do I Cook Frozen Fries in an Air Fryer?
Regular, straight cut fries are cooked at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes. Halfway through the cooking time you should remove the basket and toss the fries well before continuing to cook. If you want these to be super crispy you can cook them for 15 minutes tossing halfway through.
How Long Do You Air Fry Frozen Crinkle Fries?
These fries tend to be a bit thicker and we found that they needed just a little longer in the air fryer to get them nice and crisp. Cook them at 400 degrees F for 14 minutes, stopping halfway through to toss. This gives you perfectly cooked, crisp french fries.
How Long Do You Cook Frozen Waffle Fries in Air Fryer?
Waffle Fries are my favorite! Even though it is a big fry the holes cut in it make the pieces of potato thin so they cook pretty quickly. We got the best results when we cooked them at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes, stopping halfway through to toss the fries. This gets the waffle fries very crisp. You can reduce the time to 8 minutes if you like them slightly less crispy.
No, you do not need to defrost them. In fact, you should not defrost them. Frozen fries should go straight from the freezer to the air fryer. Defrosting them will cause them to get mushy.
Yes, for best results you have to toss the fries as you cook them. This allows the bottom fries to make it to the top cooking all of the fries evenly and getting all of them equally crispy.
I wouldn’t say fries themselves are very healthy, but using an air fryer is the healthiest way to make them. By eliminating the oil and using an airy fryer instead, you get the same flavor of deep-fried French fries without all of that added fat. You can limit the calories without sacrificing flavor.
You can also bake your fries in the oven, but they just don’t get as crispy as they do in an air fryer.
How to Reheat French Fries in the Air Fryer
Using an air fryer is a great way to reheat french fries. We found we got the best results with leftover fries that had been stored in an airtight container so they didn’t get stale.
Simply place the fries in the basket of the air fryer and cook them at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes. Make sure to stop halfway through to toss the fries in the basket for the crispy-est results!
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Air Fryer French Fries
Ingredients
- 10 ounces Frozen french fries
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F for 2-3 minutes.
- Place the fries in the fryer basket and then put the basket in the fryer and set the timer: Regular fries – 10 minutes, Crinkle Cut fries – 14 minutes, Waffle fries – 10 minutes.
- Halfway through the cooking time remove the basket and toss the fries so that the fries on the bottom come to the top.
- When the timer is up remove the fries and serve immediately.
Notes
This is the way I’ve done it all along myself, I understand they are healthier but they do not taste the same as french fries that or Fried in oil
LOL, I’m not going to pretend that just about anything fried in oil doesn’t taste better but these are a nice compromise between getting to enjoy something you love and trying to eat healthier.
This recipe is great. I love fries i the air fryer. They come out delicious.