Updated on July 10th, 2023

Who doesn’t appreciate how convenient frozen french fries are? You open the bag and enjoy a quick and easy meal in 20 minutes or less. But what if you could get frozen french fries to taste better, have a better texture, and be healthier? Well, that is possible.

Air frying frozen french fries saves time, effort and helps you avoid calories compared to baking or deep frying. If you’re not sure how to do so, keep reading. You’ll also learn the ideal cooking time for frozen fries and the best tips to get excellent results.

Frozen French Fries Nutrition Facts

Tips for Cooking Frozen French Fries

These tips listed below will help you achieve delicious and crispy french fries when cooking them in an air fryer:

Preheating is best – Always preheat the air fryer for the best results. When you put any meal in the basket, the hot air seals the outside, ensuring a crispy finish.

There is no need to thaw the frozen fries – The frozen fries do not need to be thawed. Instead, they can be cooked straight from the freezer. The hot circulating air crisps and cooks the fries from start to finish. You also don’t need to put any additional oil on them.

Timing and temperature – Some frozen fries have been pre-cooked, and some have been cooked more thoroughly than others. As a result, you recommend starting with the base time and temperature and adjusting them to your specific preference.

Also, you’ll need to adjust the cooking time for thicker or thinner fries. Some air fryer brands also cook slower or faster than others, so adjust appropriately. Finally, you’ll know what timing works best for your favorite texture when you’ve made your first batch.

Don’t overcrowd the air fryer – To ensure that the hot air circulates all sides of the fries, don’t overcrowd the air fryer. The maximum amount of frozen French fries that will not overcrowd the air fryer is 1 pound, and the more you fill the basket, the more often you’ll want to shake it to help them cook evenly. You can cook more if your basket is larger, as long as it isn’t more than half full.

If you’re worried that some fries will get cold while cooking the next batch, keep the fries warm in the oven. Afterward, return all batches to the air fryer for 2 minutes before serving to crisp and heat.

Cooking Frozen French Fries in an Air Fryer

The issue with frozen french fries is that they can be difficult to prepare. They taste great when cooked in a deep fryer, but they get soaked in unhealthy oil during the process, adding fat and calories to your waistline. It’s also inefficient to cook frozen fries in the oven, as you tend to waste time making fries that will probably still be mushy in the middle after preheating the oven to 400 degrees, cooking them for ten minutes, flipping them, and cooking for another ten minutes.

Frozen french fries cooked in the air fryer are the best, especially because you can have excellent, ready-to-eat fries on your plate in about 15 minutes. When cooked in an air fryer, frozen french fries taste better, have a more excellent texture, and are considerably healthier than deep-fried versions.

The following are the steps involved in cooking frozen French fries in the air fryer. As you’ll see, the process is quite easy, straightforward, and pretty quick.

Frozen fries should first be placed in the air fryer basket.
Remove the basket and toss the fries halfway through the cooking time.
Fries should be golden brown and crispy when done. Toss with any of the seasonings listed below:
Ranch Seasoning
Cajun Seasoning,
Lemon Pepper Seasoning
Truffle Oil or Truffle Salt
Taco Seasoning

When cooked this way, French fries always come out crispy on the exterior and fluffy and delicate on the inside. However, determining how long to cook various types of fries can be difficult, so we’ve offered some tips to assist you. There are some benefits to cooking french fries this way:

It’s easy to create and takes only minutes to go from frozen to fresh
There is little to no cleanup involved
Without the use of oil, there are fewer calories while maintaining the deep-fried texture
It’s simple to add flavor (e.g., truffle oil, seasoned salt, ranch mix).

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