Air Fryer Frozen French Fries: Quick, Crispy, Delicious!

If you're craving crispy, golden French fries without the grease and mess of deep-frying, then it's time to break out your air fryer! This handy appliance can transform frozen French fries into a delicious, fast-food-level side dish in under 20 minutes. The best part? You only need a bag of frozen French fries and a few simple seasonings to achieve perfect, crispy results.

Here's a step-by-step guide to making French fries in your air fryer:

Step 1: Preheat the Air Fryer

First, preheat your air fryer to ensure even cooking. Set the temperature to between 360-400°F (180-200°C) and preheat for about 3-5 minutes.

Step 2: Prepare the Frozen Fries

Take your favourite bag of frozen French fries and spread them out in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Avoid overcrowding, as this can lead to soggy fries. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to cook in batches.

Step 3: Cook the Fries

Set the air fryer temperature to 375-400°F (190-200°C) and cook for 10-20 minutes. Shake the basket every 5 minutes or halfway through the cooking time to ensure even cooking and prevent sticking. Adjust the cooking time based on your desired crispiness.

Step 4: Season and Serve

Once your fries are golden brown and crispy, it's time to season and serve! Sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, or paprika. You can also get creative with seasonings like Cajun spice, curry powder, or Italian seasoning. Serve with your favourite dipping sauces, such as ketchup, mayonnaise, or chilli sauce.

And that's it! With these simple steps, you can enjoy crispy, delicious French fries from the comfort of your home, no deep-frying required. So, break out that bag of frozen fries and fire up your air fryer for a tasty treat.

Preheat the air fryer to 360-400°F

Preheating your air fryer is an important step in making crispy, golden French fries. While some recipes suggest that preheating is not necessary, others emphasise that it is key to achieving the desired crispiness. Preheat your air fryer to between 360-400°F for 3-5 minutes. This will ensure that your fries cook evenly and become crispy on the outside while remaining soft on the inside.

The ideal temperature for cooking French fries is around 360-400°F. Different types of fries may require slightly different temperatures. For example, waffle fries, which are quite thin due to their ridges, may require a lower temperature of 360°F to prevent burning. Fast-food-style fries and crinkle-cut fries are best cooked at 375°F, while shoestring fries, which are thinner, will need a lower temperature and shorter cooking time to avoid overcooking.

The cooking time will depend on the type of fry and your desired level of crispiness. For shoestring fries, 8 minutes at 380°F should be sufficient. Crinkle-cut or waffle fries may need 10-11 minutes, while sweet potato fries will take around 16 minutes. Steak fries or homestyle fries are thicker and will require a longer cooking time of around 15 minutes.

It's important to shake the air fryer basket a few times during cooking to ensure even cooking and to prevent the fries from sticking together. If your air fryer has a shake function, set it to notify you when it's time to shake the basket. If not, manually shake the basket at the halfway point and again at the 15-minute mark.

By preheating your air fryer to the appropriate temperature and adjusting the cooking time based on the type of fry, you can achieve crispy, golden French fries with a soft, fluffy interior.

Add frozen fries to the air fryer basket

When adding frozen fries to the air fryer basket, it's important to ensure they are spread out in a single layer. This is to make sure that they cook evenly and achieve the desired crispiness. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to cook your fries in batches. It is also crucial not to overcrowd the basket, as this can lead to soggy fries. You can pile them a bit since you will be shaking the basket during the cooking process, but it's best to keep the basket no more than 2/3 full.

Before adding the frozen fries to the basket, you can give them a light spray of cooking oil or olive oil spray and season them with salt or garlic salt. However, this step is optional, as most frozen fries already come with sufficient oil and seasoning.

Once the fries are in the basket, you can proceed to set the air fryer temperature and timer. The ideal temperature and cooking time will depend on the type of fries you are using and your preferred level of crispiness. For example, thinner fries like shoestring or waffle fries will require shorter cook times, while thicker fries like crinkle-cut or steak fries will need longer. As a general guideline, cook the fries at a temperature between 360-400 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-15 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through.

By following these steps, you'll be on your way to enjoying delicious, crispy frozen fries from your air fryer!

Cook for 10-20 minutes

Now it's time to cook your fries! Set your air fryer to a high temperature—around 380°F (190°C) to 400°F (200°C) seems to be the ideal range. The exact temperature will depend on the type of fry and your air fryer model. For example, if you're using an Instant Slim 6QT Air Fryer Oven to cook shoestring or waffle fries, you'll want to set the temperature to 360°F (180°C). For crinkle-cut or classic-cut fries, 375°F (190°C) is a good temperature.

Set the timer for 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the type of fry and your desired level of crispiness. For example, sweet potato fries will take around 12 minutes, shoestring fries will take around 8 minutes, and waffle fries will take around 10 minutes. If you're using an air fryer without a shake function, manually shake the basket at the 8-minute mark and again at the 15-minute mark to ensure even cooking.

Once the timer goes off, your fries should be crispy and golden brown. If they're not quite done to your liking, put them back in the air fryer for a few more minutes.

Shake the basket halfway through

Shaking the basket halfway through is an essential step in ensuring your fries cook evenly and become crispy. By giving the basket a good shake, you're redistributing the fries so that every bit of each fry gets exposed to the hot air circulating in the air fryer. This helps to prevent your fries from burning or getting too crispy, and also ensures that they don't end up soggy or undercooked. Depending on your air fryer model, you may need to manually shake the basket, or your air fryer might have a shake function that you can set to automatically shake the basket at the appropriate time.

If you're unable to rotate the fries well with a shake, you can use tongs to gently toss them in the air fryer basket and redistribute them that way. This is especially important if you've piled the fries on top of each other a bit, which is fine to do as long as you're shaking the basket during the cooking time.

In addition to shaking the basket, it's also a good idea to check on the fries halfway through the cooking process. This way, you can see how they're doing and adjust the cooking time as needed. If they're starting to burn or getting too crispy, you can stop the air frying short. If they're not crispy enough, you can add an extra couple of minutes.

Serve with your favourite sauces

There are many sauces that you can serve with your French fries. Here are some ideas:

Classic Sauces

• Ketchup is the classic, original sauce for French fries.
• Mayonnaise is another classic option.
• Ranch dressing is a good dip for fries, too.

Spicy Sauces

• If you like your food spicy, try hot sauce, sriracha sauce, or chili sauce.
• You could also make your own spicy sauce by adding a pinch of garlic powder and onion powder to mayonnaise and ketchup.

Sweet Sauces

• Honey is a sweet option to dip your fries in.
• Try making your own sweet and spicy sauce by mixing one part sriracha sauce with one part honey.
• For a unique sweet and tangy sauce, try cranberry salsa.

Savory Sauces

• Cheese sauce is a rich, thick, and savory option.
• For a more grown-up version of ketchup, try fry sauce.
• For a tangy and flavorful option, try a dressing such as Caesar or ranch.

Creative Sauces

• For a unique combination of sweet and salty, try a curry-honey glaze.
• If you're feeling adventurous, how about a poached egg to dip your fries into?
• If you're a fan of peanut butter, make a basic peanut sauce by blending peanut butter, soy sauce, sriracha sauce, brown sugar, and chicken broth or water.

Frequently asked questions