Air Fryer Frozen French Fries

Name: Air Fryer Frozen French Fries
Prep time: 2 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 27 min
Ingredients: 32 ounce bag frozen french fries (regular or seasoned); 1 teaspoon salt (fine ); Spray oil

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If you love deep fried french fries, you’ll love these healthier Air Fryer Frozen French Fries. They’re golden brown and crispy, with minimal oil and almost no prep time! Serve them up as an easy side dish or quick snack.

We have a serious love for fries in our house! While we sometimes go with homemade fries like these duck fat parmesan truffle fries or these baked parsnip fries, you just can’t beat the convenience of frozen french fries!

Overhead of air fryer frozen french fries with ketchup on the side.

We used to deep fry or oven bake frozen french fries, but the air fryer is our new favorite way to prepare them. It’s less messy than deep frying (not to mention healthier!) and way crispier than oven fries.

We usually pair these french fries with goat cheese stuffed bison burgers or grilled flank steak, but we also love to load them up with toppings and serve them as a snack or appetizer!

Check out the air fryer frozen french fries story!

Why this recipe works

The air fryer gets crispy results without deep frying! You only need to lightly spray the fries with oil. The air fryer circulates hot air around the fries and creates a golden brown and crispy texture.
They’re better than fast food french fries. I know, that’s a bold statement but these fries are salty and crispy just like your favorite drive thru fries, but they’re on the healthier side!
You don’t need to turn on your oven (which is great on warm summer days) and you don’t have to worry about the messy oil splatters of deep frying.
You need about two minutes of prep time to get these fries in the air fryer. Just open the bag, toss with salt, spray with oil and add to the air fryer basket. This super easy side dish can be on the dinner table in very little time!

What is an Air Fryer?

The Air Fryer is a healthier alternative to frying foods. It's basically a small, powerful convection oven that sits on your countertop.

It circulates hot air around the food you're cooking, which is what gives it that crisp texture that mimics fried food (without all the grease).

Read more about the health benefits of using an air fryer.

I personally use this Ninja MAX XL Air Fryer because it hold 5.5 quarts, which is more than most. It has worked great so far and we just love how easy it is to use!

Other air fryer recipes

Ingredients

This recipe is so easy. It just requires 3 ingredients!

You’ll need a 32 ounce bag of frozen french fries. You can use regular or seasoned fries. If you use seasoned, you may wish to leave out the added salt.

If your fries are unseasoned, I highly recommend adding 1 teaspoon of salt. I like to use fine salt (or table salt) as it will stick to the frozen french fries better than coarse salt like sea salt.

You’ll need some spray oil for the air fryer basket and the fries. I'm partial to canola oil and grapeseed oil for my air fryer. The oil will ensure the fries don’t stick to the basket and a light spritz of oil on the fries will help them get golden brown and crispy!

Step by step instructions

Spray the air fryer basket lightly with spray oil.

Toss the french fries with salt and spray lightly with oil. Add to the basket.

Overhead of frozen french fries in an air fryer basket.

Use the air fry setting to cook at 400F degrees for 20-25 minutes, tossing every 5 minutes to ensure even browning.

Expert tips

While I used regular frozen french fries, you can use curly fries, steak fries, waffle fries or shoestring fries. You’ll just need to adjust the time slightly for each one to ensure they get browned.
For extra flavor, try adding Cajun seasoning, Italian seasoning or some ground black pepper.
When spraying oil in the air fryer basket, be sure to use real cooking oil and not PAM as it's not ideal for your air fryer. I like to use this oil sprayer and fill it with my favorite oil.
Don’t overdo it on the oil. The fries won’t necessarily get crispier and they may end up getting a little soggy.
If your air fryer model requires preheating, you should do so before adding the french fries.
Air fryers can vary so you may need to adjust the temperature and air frying time slightly.
You don’t need to worry about the fries being in a single layer, but be careful not to overfill your air fryer.
If you have a small air fryer, you may need to air fry the fries in two batches or just use half the bag.
To ensure the fries brown evenly, shake the basket every 5 minutes so the fries on the bottom get rotated to the top of the air fryer basket.
This recipe results in ultra crispy fries. If you like them less crispy, just reduce the air frying time by a few minutes.

Golden brown french fries arranged on a sheet of brown paper with ketchup on the side.

Common questions

What temperature should you air fry frozen french fries?

For the best golden brown and crispy results, you should air fry frozen french fries at 400F degrees. If your air fryer doesn’t go this high, just set it on the highest setting and air fry the fries until they are browned and crispy.

How long does it take to cook frozen french fries in the air fryer?

At 400F degrees, it will take about 20-25 minutes for regular cut frozen french fries to cook in the air fryer. Thicker cut steak fries will take a little longer, while crinkle cut, waffle fries, curly fries and shoestring fries will take less time.

The amount of time it takes also depends on the size of your air fryer and whether it is full. If you have a larger capacity air fryer, there is more room for hot air to circulate around the fries, so they will take a little less time to cook.

Are air fried french fries healthy?

Since we’re using very little oil, they’re definitely healthier than deep fried french fries.

Do you need to defrost frozen french fries before air frying?

Frozen french fries are meant to be cooked from frozen, so there’s no need to defrost these fries before adding them to the air fryer.

How do you reheat leftover french fries?

To keep leftover air fryer frozen french fries crispy, just reheat them in the air fryer for about 3-4 minutes at 350F degrees or until crispy.

Side view of air fryer frozen french fries on brown paper with a small bowl of ketchup.

Serving options

While we love our fries with ketchup, if you want to change things up, try serving them with homemade barbecue sauce, avocado dip, remoulade sauce or gravy!

Honey mustard, ranch dressing or garlic sauce would also be amazing!

If your fries are a side dish, you can always enjoy them with sous vide fried chicken, crispy Cajun wings, sous vide beef ribs, milk steak, or Instant Pot pork ribs.

Other air fryer frozen food recipes

Did you make this recipe? Leave a comment below and let me know how it turned out!