How long to put frozen french fries in air fryer

PSA: Your air fryer is the absolute best way to cook frozen french fries at home.

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Credit: Kelli Foster

PSA: Your air fryer is the absolute best way to cook frozen french fries at home (and yes, that includes tater tots, too). Try it once, and you’ll never go back to oven-baked. Trust me.

It doesn’t matter whether you’ve got a bag of crinkle-cut, waffle, shoestring, steak, or even curly fries: Frozen fries in the air fryer cook up with the most irresistible crispy edges and soft centers. The crisp-factor is higher than you’ll ever achieve from baking fries in the oven. And frozen fries in the air fryer are the closest you’ll get to crispy restaurant-style deep-fried fries, without the hassle of deep-frying. Here’s what you need to know. 

How Long Do You Put Frozen French Fries in the Air Fryer?

The cook time for air fryer frozen french fries will vary depending on the type of fries.

• Shoestring fries: 9 to 10 minutes
• Curly fries: 10 to 12 minutes
• Steak fries: 10 to 12 minutes
• Waffle fries: 12 to 14 minutes
• Crinkle-cut fries: 18 to 20 minutes
• Straight-cut fries: 18 to 20 minutes

How to Make Frozen French Fries Extra Crispy

To make the absolute crispiest frozen fries in the air fryer, here are a few things to keep in mind. 

1. Keep the temperature high. 400ºF is the sweet spot for frozen french fries. 
2. Don’t overcrowd the basket. It’s important that the fries are in a single layer in the basket. It’s OK if some of them are touching, but they shouldn’t be overlapping. 
3. Cook in batches, if you have to. If your air fryer has a large basket (say, like in most toaster oven-air fryer combos) you’ll likely be able to cook the fries in a single batch. Otherwise, cook the fries in batches; it’ll take more time, but the crispier fries will make it worth it.

What to Serve with Frozen French Fries

Ketchup will always be my top pick for frozen french fries, but all dipping sauces are fair game here. Here are a few of our other favorites to serve with fries.

PSA: Your air fryer is the absolute best way to cook frozen french fries at home.

An air fryer is one of the best ways to cook frozen foods. Everything is so much faster and extra crispy.

Frozen french fries come out just as good as deep-fried french fries when cooked in the air fryer! Tender inside and crispy outside, perfect for dipping!

Serve alongside a burger or whip up a batch as a snack with your favorite dipping sauce!

Why We Love Air Fryer Frozen Fries

Air fryers make the best French fries, right? While we love homemade air fryer fries (or even oven baked french fries) we also love that air fryer french fries are on the plate in about 15 minutes (without lots of oil and fat).

They always come out crispy on the outside and fluffy and tender on the inside. But wondering how long to cook the different types of fries can be confusing. Don’t worry, with this easy recipe anyone can become a French fry expert!

• Quick to make, go from frozen to fresh in minutes!
• Little to no clean-up.
• No oil means fewer calories without sacrificing that deep-fried texture.
• Easy to add flavor (eg. truffle oil, seasoned salt, ranch mix).

How Long to Cook Frozen Fries in an Air Fryer

Potatoes and salt, that’s all! Choose fries to match the entrees. For instance:

REGULAR OR CRINKLE CUT FRIES: 400°F. 12 to 14 minutes on high power. Try them with a Grilled Steak Sandwich or Mini Meatloaf Muffins.

SHOESTRING FRIES: 400°F.  7 to 9 minutes on high power. Try with Chili Cheese Fries, Homemade Mini Corn Dogs, or Homemade Poutine.

WAFFLE FRIES: 400°F.  10 to 12 minutes on high power. These go great with Chili Cheese Dogs or Philly Cheesesteaks.

SWEET POTATO FRIES: 400°F.  13 to 15 minutes on high power. Perfect with BLT Grilled Cheese, Broccoli Cheddar Soup, or Air Fryer Turkey Burgers.

Air Fryers are great for tater tots and homemade potato chips too.

How to Air Fry Frozen French Fries

There is no need to add extra oil to frozen fries. Simply place in the basket and cook.

1. Fill the air fryer basket with frozen fries (option: sprinkle with onion powder, garlic powder or seasonings).
2. Cook halfway (per recipe below) then remove the basket and toss the fries.
3. Cook until the fries are crispy and golden brown. Toss with any of the following seasonings.

• Taco Seasoning Recipe, Ranch Seasoning, Cajun Seasoning, parmesan cheese, Lemon Pepper Seasoning, truffle oil or truffle salt

Tips for Crispy Fries

For best results, always preheat the air fryer. When any food is added to the basket, the hot air immediately seals the outside guaranteeing a crispy exterior.

Avoid overcrowding the air fryer so the hot air can circulate around all sides of the fries.

If cooking in batches, keep fries warm in the oven. Prior to serving,  add all batches back to the air fryer for 2 minutes to crisp and heat.

Set out a tray of fries and add dipping sauces (and of course ketchup) for serving! Or take it one step further and make loaded cheese fries for a crowd!

French Fry Dipping Sauces

• Onion Ring Sauce – ready in 5 minutes
• Fish Taco Sauce – so fresh & flavorful
• Chipotle Ranch Dressing – creamy with a kick
• Homemade Garlic Aioli – only 3 easy steps
• Creamy Garlic Dressing – loaded with garlic

Did you make these Air Fryer Frozen French Fries? Leave us a rating and a comment below! 

4.93 from 14 votes↑ Click stars to rate now!
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French fries turn out crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside every time when they're cooked in the air fryer!

Prep Time 2 minutes

Cook Time 13 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

• ▢ 1 pound frozen french fries any style
• ▢ seasoned salt to taste

• Preheat air fryer to 400°F.

• Add frozen fries to the air fryer, fill the basket about ½ full.

• Cook 5 minutes and shake/toss the fries. Cook an additional 8-12 minutes or until crispy, see notes.

• Season with salt and serve immediately.

• Cook fries from frozen.
• Preheat the air fryer for best results.
• Do not overcrowd the air fryer.
• Keep batches warm in the oven at 200°F and place all batches back into the air fryer for 1-2 minutes before serving.

Total Cook Time

• Regular Frozen Fries: 12-14 minutes
• Frozen Shoe String Fries: 7-9 minutes
• Frozen Waffle Fries: 10-12 minutes
• Frozen Sweet Potato Fries: 13-15 minutes

4.93 from 14 votes↑ Click stars to rate now!
Or to leave a comment, click here!

Calories: 295 | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Sodium: 556mg | Potassium: 488mg | Fiber: 5g | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

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