Air Fryer Frozen French Fries

5 from 9 votes

Jan 05, 2022, Updated Dec 13, 2023

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Make restaurant-quality fries right at home with these crispy Air Fryer Frozen French Fries! They are perfectly seasoned and golden brown, offering a delightful crunch with every bite. Enjoy the simplicity and convenience of creating this classic favorite in your own kitchen.

overhead shot of a plate with Crispy Air Fryer Frozen French Fries. Little bowls of mustard and ketchup on a plate.

If there’s anything in this world that inspires me to try new things, it’s gotta be the humble potato. From soup to gnocchi to chips – I love it all – but, above all, let’s not forget french fries! Golden-brown and crispy on the outside, soft and steamy on the inside, they’re like the best addictive chips and the most nourishing baked potato, all in one. For a long time, I was fairly happy with baking my fries – who would say NO to Cajun Fries! – but since I got my Air Fryer, I am obsessed with how perfectly they turn out! While you can make your own fries from scratch, on a busy day or night, I like to just toss in a bag of good ol’ Ore Ida fries. Easy. Peasy.

frozen french fries in a black air fryer basket.

What You’ll Need

To make these fries, you only need a few simple ingredients. You can pull them together on the fly, anytime you need a quick, indulgent snack!

French Fries: This recipe makes one 16 ounce bag of frozen french fries. You can make extra batches easily, though, if you want to.
Cooking Oil Spray: Make sure to use a non-aerosol cooking oil spray to avoid damaging the finish on your air fryer basket.
Seasoned Salt and Pepper: I love using plenty of seasoned salt and pepper on my fries, but you could also use any seasoning blend you like: Cajun seasoning, Italian seasoning, Montreal steak seasoning, or just plain salt!

How to Make Air Fryer Frozen French Fries

Making air fryer frozen french fries is so quick and simple! To make sure that you get the crispiest result, be careful not to overfill the air fryer basket. If the basket is too full, the moisture from the fries will cause them to steam and soften!

Prep the Air Fryer and Basket. Before you add the fries, make sure to preheat the air fryer to 400˚F. Then spray the air fryer basket with your choice of cooking oil. (Again, be careful to use non-aerosol spray! A little bit of high-heat oil like avocado oil works well in a spray bottle.
Add the Fries and Season Them. Add your frozen fries to the basket, being careful not to overcrowd it. Spritz the fries with a bit more, oil and season with seasoning salt and pepper.
Air Fry the Fries. Cook the fries for 12 minutes. When that time is up, shake the basket, and continue to cook the fries for 10 more minutes, or until the fries are all browned and crispy.
Enjoy! Serve the fries hot, with your favorite dipping sauce.

Tips for Successful Air Fryer French Fries

Keep the Fries Warm: If you are working in batches, remove the fries from the air fryer basket and set them aside as you work through each batch. You can keep them warm on a cookie sheet in a low oven (250°F), until all of them are cooked.
Be Frugal with the Oil: While a little oil does help the fries turn out more crispy, it’s best to spray too little oil rather than too much. If you use a lot of oil, the fries will turn out greasy and not crispy.
Keep the Fries Frozen Until the Last Minute: You may think that thawing the fries or leaving them out on the counter for a bit would make them cook faster—and that is true, technically. But, it also allows the fries to soak up more oil and turn out mushy. Frozen fries soak up less oil, so keep them frozen until you’re ready to add them to the basket.

Variations

You can also use this basic method to cook lots of other frozen potato goodness! While each brand and type of “fry” cooks differently, here’s a basic list of cooking times. Be sure to shake the basket and avoid overloading it.

Tater Tots: 12 to 14 minutes
Curly Fries: 10 to 12 minutes
Waffle Fries: 10 to 12 minutes
Potato Wedges: 12 to 15 minutes

Serving Suggestions

To serve these fries, I like to have a special dipping sauce. Ketchup is fantastic, but so is this homemade Ranch Dressing Recipe! This easy Honey Mustard Sauce is so sweet and scrumptious I could eat it by itself! Also, the yogurt sauce in this recipe for Baked Chicken Tenders with Chili Yogurt Dipping Sauce is amazing on fries.

How to Store and Reheat Leftovers

To refrigerate, pop the fries into airtight food storage containers or bags, with a clean paper towel to absorb any moisture as the fries cool. They will keep in the refrigerator for up to two days.
To reheat, place the fries back in your preheated air fryer (400°F) for a few minutes, shaking the basket every minute or so, until hot. You can also pan-fry the french fries over medium-high heat until crispy.

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5 from 9 votes