Make the best Air Fryer Frozen French Fries that come out crispy, flavorful, and addicting! Grab a bag of your favorite fries, some salt and your air fryer- that's all you need!
Knowing how to air fry perfectly crispy frozen french fries is a must for seasoned air frying chefs and beginners alike. You can never go wrong with this versatile side dish!
Serve crispy french fries with hamburgers, air fried hot dogs, air fried steaks, veggie burgers, air fried chicken wings, grilled lemon lime chicken and so much more!
This is a three times tested method for making the best air fried frozen french fries- french fries that turn out crispy and delicious rather than soft and mushy. All you need is a bag of your favorite frozen french fries, a little salt and a spritz of olive oil.
This recipe works in both basket and oven style air fryers. But as all air fryers vary, the time it takes to cook yours to perfection may be a little more or a little less than mine. I have an Instant Omni Plus air fryer and a Duo Crisp air fryer lid for my Instant Pot. Frozen french fries come out fantastic in both, the only difference is how much I can make at once.
Ingredients
- Frozen french fries: a bag of your favorite brand- I love extra crispy Ore-Ida french fries. You can also use crinkle cut, waffle fries, and curly fries.
- Salt: freshly ground pink salt is my preference, but good old table salt, sea salt, or seasoned salt all work. Whatever salt your tastebuds love! Or use no salt at all.
- Olive oil cooking spray: any other neutral spray oil for cooking works fine, such as vegetable, canola or avocado oil.
Seasoning your fries with this french fry seasoning will take them up a notch, and it's encouraged if you love tasty fries.
Tips For Making The Best Air Fried French Fries
- Stack, but don't overcrowd. Potato french fries can be stacked and still become crispy, unlike sweet potato fries which tend to become mushy if not cooked in a single layer. Don't overfill the basket though, as overcrowding will prevent them from cooking evenly. The basket should be no more than ยพ of the way full.
- Spray fries with oil. They key to fries becoming crispy in the air fryer is to spray them with oil before cooking and after tossing them halfway through. This causes the exterior to become crispy crunchy like the deep-fried restaurant and fast food fries that we know and love.
- Toss halfway through for even cooking. It's equally important to toss or shake the basket when stacking food in your air fryer. This helps it cook evenly and crunch up on all sides.
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400ยฐ Fahrenheit (if your air fryer has a preheat setting) and set the time to 18 minutes. Once heated, spray the air fryer basket lightly with oil and pour frozen french fries into the basket. Spritz with olive oil to completely coat the fries.
- At the "turn food" notice (or halfway through if your air fryer does not give this notice) toss the french fries using tongs. Spritz again lightly with oil and continue air frying until time is up or until the fries are as crispy as you'd like them.
- Remove from the air fryer and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
Store french fries in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container or wrapped in foil. To reheat, use the microwave or air fryer and spritz lightly with oil so that they crisp up again. In the freezer, french fries will keep for up to 6 months when stored in airtight freezer safe bags.
Serving French Fries
We all know that ketchup is probably the most loved dipping sauce for french fries. Change it up by serving french fries with:
- barbecue sauce
- honey mustard
- blue cheese dressing
- ranch dressing
- spicy mayo
- queso dip
Don't want to eat them plain? Jazz up air fryer frozen french fries by turning them into the base for nachos or drizzling with melted cheese sauce to make cheese fries.
Variations
- Add seasonings: try this delicious french fry seasoning blend or another seasoning of your choice.
- Use a different cut fry: follow the same method with waffle fries, crinkle cut fries and curly fries.
- Make sweet potato fries for a slightly healthier side dish.
When compared to deep-fried french fries, air fryer french fries are healthier as they do not become submerged in a big pot of vegetable oil. I also use extra virgin olive oil cooking spray, which cuts down on calories and unhealthy fat.
In general, they take between 15 and 20 minutes. Thawed fries will take less time. How long they take depends on your air fryer and how crispy you want them to be.
Stick with 400 degrees Fahrenheit whennair frying your frozen french fries.
Enjoy!
Recipe
Air Fryer Frozen French Fries
Equipment
- air fryer
- Tongs
Ingredients
- 16 oz bag of frozen french fries
- olive oil spray or vegetable oil spray
- salt
- seasonings of choice optional
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400ยฐ Fahrenheit (if your air fryer has a preheat setting) and set the time to 18 minutes. Once heated, spray the air fryer basket lightly with oil and pour frozen french fries into the air fryer. Spritz with oil to completely coat the fries.
- At the "turn food" notice, or halfway through if your air fryer does not give this notice, toss the french fries using tongs. Spritz again lightly with oil and continue air frying until time is up, or until the fries are as crispy as you'd like them.
- Remove from the air fryer and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
Amy Liu Dong
French fries are one of my kid's favorite snacks because it's easy to make and delicious.