How to make perfect air fryer frozen french fries every time!
When you bake frozen french fries at home you want them to turn out golden and crispy, right?
But if you are like me you are often disappointed with how they come out of the oven. They are always just a little mushy and not crispy enough.
Enter the air fryer! French fries might be the perfect food to air fry.
But you might be wondering, can you air fry frozen french fries?
There aren’t instructions on the bag of frozen fries last time I checked!
In this post I’ll set you up for success with air frying frozen french fries right out of the freezer. You’ll never go back to baking them in the oven!
Air Fryer Frozen French Fries Ingredients
I am happy to report you don’t need much to cook frozen fries in an air fryer.
Just frozen french fries and a machine will do it!
Don’t add any oil since they are already coated in oil before they are frozen.
As for an air fryer, I love my 6-quart Gourmia Air Fryer that I got at Target.
I like the large size and pre-heating function.
This was an upgrade from a 1.6-quart air fryer that was way too small to make anything for the family!
How To Make Air Fryer Frozen French Fries
First, you’ll want to pre-heat your air fryer to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (about 160 degrees C).
This is very important! If you just throw them in without preheating they will likely turn out too crunchy.
Next, spread the french fries out evenly in the basket.
It’s ok if some are overlapping (that is inevitable) but I’d avoid putting too many in at once.
I think overloading the air fryer is the number one reason frozen french fries don’t turn out the way you want.
I wouldn’t fill it up to the very top but just put in a layer or two.
Set your timer for 10 minutes.
Note: Cooking time will vary depending on how thick your fries are! Shoestring fries will take less time, thick-cut fries more time.
Halfway through, shake the basket vigorously – you want to make sure the fries on the bottom have moved up to the top.
Check the fries at ten minutes. If they aren’t golden and crispy enough, add a few more minutes.
When they are done to your liking, shake them out onto a plate and add salt if desired (I don’t – they are already salted and it’s enough for me).
And that’s it! Perfect air fryer frozen french fries.
Variations To The Recipe
As I mentioned, how thick your fries are will dictate how long they need to cook.
Here are some suggestions for variations on the standard frozen french fry:
- Waffle Fries: Though Waffle fries are large, the parts are actually quite thin. I’d check them at 8 minutes.
- Steak Fries: These are thicker so I’d suggest at least 13-15 minutes. Shaking them around multiple times will also help them cook evenly if you don’t have a rotating fryer.
- Sweet Potato Fries: These come out notoriously soggy in the conventional oven since they have a higher moisture content. I’d crank the temperature up to 400 and check them at 10 minutes if they are average thickness.
Well I hope these tips and instructions will help you get perfectly golden and crispy fries from your air fryer every time!
Any questions about making air fryer frozen french fries?
Please leave a comment below or send me a message through The Frugal South’s Facebook page here.
Frozen Fries in Air Fryer
How to make perfectly golden and crispy air fryer frozen french fries.
Ingredients
- frozen french fries
- salt (if desired)
Instructions
- Pre-heat your air fryer to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (about 160 degrees C)
- Spread the french fries out evenly in the basket - don't overload.
- Set the timer for 10 minutes for standard fries, shorter for thin and longer for thick fries.
- Halfway through cooking, shake the basket vigorously!
- When done to your liking, shake out onto a plate and add salt if desired.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 90Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 207mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 1g
Nutrition information isn't always accurate.
Check out these other air fryer recipes: