Air Fryer Frozen French Fries – Perfect & Crispy!

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!

🍟 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.

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.

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!

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.

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!

⌛ 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.

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.

• Best dips for French fries? Serve fries with your favorite ketchup brand, or make my homemade Special Sauce or Chick Fil A Sauce for some extra deliciousness!

• 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

• Burger Bites. Kids and grown ups alike love this recipe.
• Pigs in a Blanket. A great game day snack!
• Sweet Potato Fries with Avocado Aioli. If you want to make homemade sweet potato fries, this is the recipe for you!
• Air Fryer “Boiled” Eggs. Breakfast can be made in the air fryer, cooking perfect soft, hard, or jammy eggs!
• Air Fryer Carrots. Earthy, sweet carrots are roasted to perfection in the air fryer!

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