Air Fryer Frozen French Fries – Perfect & Crispy!

4.80 from 5 votes

It’s super simple to learn how to cook frozen fries in your air fryer! They’re kid (and adult!) friendly, and a really easy side dish you can make directly from frozen with no extra oil. Trust me, these Air Fryer Frozen French Fries come out perfectly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside!

Tongs serving fries on a plate.

🍟 Why it Works

French fries are literally everybody’s favorite side dish. But here’s the rub: They have to be nice and crispy! And if you’re like me, the faster they can get in my mouth, the better.

Well, air fried frozen French fries are cooked faster than traditional baking, and they’re perfectly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, every single time!

Best of all, they don’t require any extra oil! Obviously, they’ll going to be better for you than deep fried french fries.

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I like to serve fries with burgers, ribs, sandwiches, and more, so this recipe will definitely be on repeat, like they are at my house. They’re so yummy paired with buffalo chicken cheddar sliders too.

I always keep a bag of French Fries in our freezer for when dinnertime hits and we need an easy, delicious, kid-friendly side dish to go with our meal. Frozen French fries it is!

👉 Make sure you go get my free Printable Air Fryer Cooking Chart!

Close up of French fries cooking in the air fryer basket.

Ingredients

  • Frozen French Fries: Any store brand will work great, so long as they’re relatively the same size. Alexia is probably my favorite brand, but whatever you like is great.
  • Salt and Pepper, optional. Most frozen fries are already seasoned, but if you like a little extra, season to taste!

For Dipping: Use ketchup, or whip up a quick batch of homemade Chick Fil A Sauce or Special Sauce. A fancy lemon garlic aioli would be a tasty dip too.

Step by Step Instructions

First, preheat the air fryer! If your air fryer doesn’t have a preheat setting, turn it to temperature and wait about 5 minutes.

👉 Important: Do not defrost the French fries before cooking. They can be cooked directly from frozen!

Transfer the frozen fries to the air fryer basket, spreading into one layer as evenly as possible. It’s important not to overfill the basket. Close the basket to cook.

Halfway through cooking, open up the air fryer and shake the basket well, rotating and turning the fries. Close and continue cooking until they’re perfectly crispy and ready to enjoy!

A gray plate with crispy French fries and a small ramekin of ketchup.

⌛ Cook Times & Temps

Once you’ve got your air fryer preheated, it only takes between 15 and 18 minutes to cook them, depending on what kind of fries you’re cooking.

  • Regular Frozen French Fries: 15 minutes at 400° F, tossing or shaking once halfway through.
  • Waffle Cut Frozen Fries: 18 minutes at 400° F, tossing or shaking once halfway through.
  • Crinkle Cut Frozen Fries: 17 minutes at 400° F, tossing or shaking once halfway through.
  • Frozen Steak Fries: 18 minutes at 400° F, tossing or shaking once halfway through.

Frozen French Fries come already parcooked, which means they’ve been partially cooked and just need to be finished by you. They cook faster than fresh cut potatoes.

👉 Important: Air fryers cook differently based on their size, power, and the mass of its contents. Use these times as a guide, but know that there may be some minor adjusting needed to get your fries exactly how you like them.

Close up of a hand holding one French fry dipped in ketchup.

Expert Tips & Notes

  • Don’t overcrowd the air fryer basket. This is the most important thing to remember! The air inside the air fryer needs to circulate in order to cook evenly, and you don’t want to end up with some fries with burnt ends and some that are soggy and undercooked. It’s better to cook your fries it in batches than to overfill your air fryer. The max you can fit will depend on your model, but as a rule of thumb just try to spread them into one layer and leave a little room between the fries.
  • Preheat the air fryer. Just as you preheat your oven before cooking, preheat your air fryer, too! If your model doesn’t have a preheat setting, simply turn it on and wait about 5 minutes.
  • Cook directly from frozen. You do not need to thaw frozen french fries before cooking. They go straight from freezer to air fryer!
  • No additional oil is needed in this recipe. Frozen fries are already coated in oil and seasonings, so you only need to cook them! You may spray the basket with oil if you’re worried about sticking, but it’s not necessary if your basket has a non-stick coating.
  • Storing and reheating: Allow the fries to cool completely to room temperature, then transfer them to an airtight container or zip top bag. Store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, per USDA. Reheat in the air fryer set to 400°F for 4-5 minutes, just until heated and crispy.

More Air Fryer Snacks

Making this recipe? I’d love to hear about your experience making it!
Drop a star rating below or tag me on Instagram @cookathomemom!

A gray plate with crispy French fries and a small ramekin of ketchup.

Air Fryer Frozen French Fries

The best way to cook frozen french fries is in the air fryer! They're perfectly crispy and it requires no oil!
4.80 from 5 votes
Print Pin Rate
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Preheat Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Author: Laura Miner

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. Frozen french fries

Video

Instructions

  • Preheat your Air Fryer to 400°F (204°C).
  • Once preheated, add the frozen french fries directly to the air fryer basket. Do not defrost the french fries first.
    Space the fries out evenly in a single layer as much as possible. If necessary, cook the fries in batches to avoid overcrowding the basket.
  • Close the air fryer and set the timer to 15 minutes.
    Halfway through cooking time, shake or toss the fries inside the basket to allow for even cooking.
    Two to three minutes before the end of cook time, open the air fryer basket and check to make sure no ends are getting too dark. Continue cooking to your desired crispiness.
  • Once the fries are done cooking, carefully remove them from the basket and assemble on a plate. Season to taste and serve!

Notes

French Fry Cook Times
  • Regular Frozen French Fries: 15 minutes at 400° F, tossing or shaking once halfway through.
  • Waffle Cut Frozen Fries: 18 minutes at 400° F, tossing or shaking once halfway through.
  • Crinkle Cut Frozen Fries: 17 minutes at 400° F, tossing or shaking once halfway through.
  • Frozen Steak Fries: 18 minutes at 400° F, tossing or shaking once halfway through.
 
To store leftovers: Allow the French fries to cool, then transfer to an airtight container or bag. Store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, per USDA. Reheat in the air fryer set to 400°F for 4-5 minutes, just until heated and crispy.  

Nutrition

Calories: 295kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 556mg | Potassium: 488mg | Fiber: 5g | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg
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4.80 from 5 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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5 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    What an amazing and easy cooking frozen fries! Before reading this article that was really difficult for me. The 46-sec video teaches us how to do it?!

    Thank’s Laura for share this awesome technique!

  2. 4 stars
    Can I add a little baking powder to the fries before I air fry them…to add crispiness?

    1. Hi Bill! That’s a great idea! Some store bought fries are already coated with corn starch or something else to crisp them, so just check the ingredient list to see if that’s the case. Let me know how it turns out! -Laura

  3. Can I use one rack/basket for fries and another for chicken tenders?which would be better on the top basket? Thanks

    1. Hi Lynne, That’s a great question! I haven’t tried that myself, but I’d imagine as long as there was room for air to circulate between the racks and the cook time of your chicken and fries was similar, it would would work okay. It may take some experimenting. My guess would be to put the fries on top. Please let me know how it works out for you! -Laura