Air Fryer Frozen French Fries (Homemade or Store-Bought)

These air fryer frozen French fries are crispy, made with just a little bit of oil, and are ready in 20 minutes. This recipe works for both store-bought and homemade frozen French fries. You can also find the adjusted times for different cuts of fries in this post.

My family loves french fries, and I always have frozen fries in the freezer. Recently, I have stopped buying them and learned how to make and freeze french fries myself. If you have time, I recommend trying it. You will save money, and the ingredients are so much better.

Ingredients to Bring the Yum

• Frozen fries: you can use homemade or store-bought french fries, any shape.
• Oil: I always add a little bit of oil, even if frozen fries already have some o oil . Extra oil will make them crispier. Use avocado, vegetable, or light olive oil.
• Seasonings: for the store-bought fries, check the packaging how much salt is added (by looking at the sodium numbers), and if any other seasonings have been added. When fries are cooked, you can add salt, pepper, dried herbs, and any other seasonings you like.

From Frozen to Golden, Lets Get this Fries Rollin'

These are the step-by-step directions with images.

Step 1. Preheat the air fryer to 400°F for at least 5 minutes. Add frozen fries to the air fryer basket and drizzle them with a little bit of oil, shaking them to coat.

Step 2. Air fry frozen fries for 15-20 minutes, depending on the cut of the fries and your air fryer. Shake them well every 5-7 minutes. They should look crispy and browned when cooked.

Step 3. Taste the fries and season them with salt, and pepper to taste.

Note: for this recipe, I have used Ninja air fryer (basket style). If you have toaster style air fryer, you will need to add 1-3 extra minutes of cooking time, flip them carefully (instead of shaking) and rotate the tray half way halfway through.

Cooking Times for Different Types of Frozen Fries

These are the approximate cooking times for each type of frozen fries (homemade or store-bought), assuming you do not overcrowd the air fryer basket and flip them halfway.

The air fryer cooking temperature should be preheated to 400°F, air fryer mode.

• Regular fries: 15-17 minutes
• Steak fries: 18-20 minutes
• Crinkle cut fries: 18-20 minutes
• Waffle Fries: 15-17 minutes
• Shoestring fries: 8-10 minutes
• Wedges fries: 18-20 minutes

For Fries that Wow, Read this Tips Now

• Do not thaw the fries. Cook frozen fries in your air fryer straight from the freezer.
• Add a little bit of oil. Most store-bought frozen fries have been precooked with oil, and when I make my homemade fries I also toss them in oil before freezing. But before air frying them from frozen, I still toss them in a tiny bit of oil to help them crisp up better and not to harden too much ( so they do not taste like cardboard).
• Shake the fries every 5 minutes: Despite popular belief that you only need to shake fries once, I recommend shaking them every 5-6 minutes during cooking. It's a simple trick that helps them cook and crisp up more evenly!
• Cooking Tips: Always preheat your air fryer, avoid overcrowding the basket, and be sure to shake the fries cooking for even crisping.
• Packaged Directions: More and more frozen fry brands now include air fryer instructions right on the bag, which is super helpful. But from my experience, I usually need to increase the cook time by 2-3 minutes to get them perfectly crispy, especially if you like them golden and crunchy like we do.
• Seasonings. Adjust the seasonings, such as salt and pepper after the fries are cooked and you have tasted them.
• Dips: Fries love good dips. Here, we do not stop at ketchup. My family's favorite is homemade blue cheese - bold, creamy, and tangy. Of course, ranch, garlic aioli, or even a little hot honey all work too.

How to Store and Reheat

I'm not a big fan of reheated French fries, so I usually just cook as much as we'll eat. But if you do have leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

The best way to reheat them is in the air fryer at 400°F until they're hot and crispy again.

More to Mash, Bake and Fry

• Air fryer carrots and potatoes
• Mashed purple sweet potatoes
• Roasted red potatoes
• Air fryer baked potatoes
• Pan-fried potatoes and onions