There’s no need to turn on the oven to cook frozen french fries anymore! Air fryer frozen french fries turn out crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. And you can make them in less time than it takes to cook them in the oven or deep-fry them. If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can also use a traditional air fryer or bake them in the oven.
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Table of Contents
Introduction
There’s nothing faster or easier than making frozen french fries in the air fryer. I now rarely use the oven to cook them. This recipe for air fryer frozen french fries was tested in the Instant Pot Duo Crisp + Air Fryer but will work with the Instant Pot air fryer lid accessory and traditional stand-alone air fryers.
Yes, ideally making french fries from scratch would be best. But more often than not, I just don’t have the time! I keep a bag of frozen french fries in my freezer and whip it out when we’re grilling burgers or having sandwiches.
I could probably eat air fryer fries much more often (technically, potatoes are a vegetable, right?!) but they are more of a special occasion indulgence. Also, make sure you check out my recipe for frozen steak fries in the air fryer.
Here are Instant Pot Air Fryer Recipes you might enjoy:
– Instant Pot Air Fryer Chicken Wings
– Instant Pot Air Fryer Pound Cake
– Instant Pot Air Fryer Cauliflower
Tips and Substitutions
Oil
Although you can spray the fries with oil using a spray mister, you really don’t need to with frozen french fries.
Frozen French Fries
- My favorite brand of frozen french fries is good-ole Ore Ida french fries. I also like Alexia frozen french fries.
Types of French Fries
Frozen french fries come in many sizes and shapes. Here are the cooking times for the different types. Remember to toss the fries partway through cooking.
| TYPE OF FRIES | COOKING TIME |
|---|---|
| Waffle Fries | 13 minutes |
| Shoestring fries | 12 minutes |
| Steak fries | 16 minutes |
| Crinkle-cut fries | 15 minutes |
| Sweet potato fries | 12 minutes |
Flavorings
Most of the time, I just dip the fries in ketchup without adding any seasonings but sometimes I like to change things up and sprinkle seasoning on the fries.
While the fries are still hot, sprinkle your choice of seasonings on the french fries. If you find that the seasoning isn’t sticking to the fries, lightly spray them with an oil spray first.
Here are some ideas for flavorings. Just watch out for the salt content. Each brand is different:
- Lawry’s seasoned salt
- Old Bay seasoning
- Creole seasoning
- Cajun seasoning
- Homemade spice mix of:
Garlic powder + onion powder + paprika (equal quantity of each) + salt (optional, to taste)
FAQS
No, you can add the fries to the basket in a bunch. Just make sure the fries are evenly spread out.
No, keep the french fries frozen until you’re ready to air fry them and put them into the air fryer still frozen.
Although I usually recommend spraying the basket and food with oil to avoid sticking while air frying, I don’t find the need to spray with oil before air frying frozen fries.
If you find that the fries are sticking to the bottom, spray the basket with a light spritz of oil. Don’t use the canned oil spray but an oil spray mister that can be filled with vegetable or olive oil. [Read More: Go to the section Air Fryer Tips in my guide on how to use the Instant Pot Duo Crisp]
Depending on the type of french fries, it can take from 12 to 20 minutes to cook frozen french fries in the air fryer. Ore-Ida golden fries take about 15 minutes.
Yes, you can use the same timing and temperature to make air fryer fries using the air fryer lid.
Yes, the timing and temperature works with other brands of air fryers such as a traditional air fryer or a Ninja Foodi.
If the fries are limp at the end of the cooking time, shake the basket and air fry for another two minutes.
The next time you make them, decrease the cooking time by two minutes or decrease the temperature to 350 degrees. Different air fryers may have slight variations, so you have to find a time and temperature that works for you.
Yes, for sure! You can reheat restaurant fries in the air fryer and they come out good as new. Air fry them for 2 to 3 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. If you have leftover frozen fries, they can also be reheated the same way.
I don’t preheat the air fryer before air frying the fries. When I make two batches, I do notice that the second batch cooks faster since the air fryer is quite hot. So preheating will probably save you a couple of minutes.
I generally do no more than half a bag of fries in a batch. If I want to do the whole bag, I air fry in two batches.
If you’re new to the Instant Pot and aren’t familiar with how to use it, you might find it helpful to first read one of the following guides and then come back here to learn how to make this recipe.
- Instant Pot DUO Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot ULTRA Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO EVO PLUS Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO NOVA Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO GOURMET Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO CRISP Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot PRO Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot PRO CRISP Beginner’s Manual
Air Fryer Frozen French Fries – Ingredients
- Frozen french fries
More details in the recipe card at the bottom of this post
How to Cook Frozen French Fries in the Duo Crisp Air Fryer (Step by Step Instructions)
- Add fries to basket and close lid
- Program the air fryer
- Remove lid to turn the fries partway through cooking
- Shake the basket to turn the fries and continue cooking
- Remove lid after cooking is complete
- Remove fries and season
Add fries to basket and close lid
- Place air fryer basket in the Instant Pot.
- Add frozen french fries to the basket.
- Put the air fryer lid on the base unit.
Program the Instant Pot to Air Fry for 15 minutes at 400 degrees.
- Press the Air Fry Button.
- Press Temp + or – until the temperature says 400F.
- Press the Time + or – until the time says 00:15.
- Press Start.
- The display will say On, and once it has heated up, it will start counting down from 00:15 to 00:00.
Remove lid partway through cooking to turn the food
- Partway through air frying, the Instant Pot will beep and the display will say Turn Food.
- Lift the air fryer lid and place it on the protective pad.
Shake the basket to turn the fries and continue cooking
- Using silicone gloves, lift the basket by the handles and shake the fries up a couple of times.
- Close the lid.
- Cooking will automatically continue.
Remove lid after cooking is complete
- When the timer runs down, the Instant Pot will beep and the display will say End.
- Lift the air fryer lid and place it on the protective pad.
- If the food’s not cooked to your liking, program the Instant Pot to air fry for another few minutes.
Remove fries and season
- Remove the fries to a serving dish.
- Season while still hot, with your choice of seasonings, if desired. See tips for ideas.
Oven Instructions for Frozen Fries
To make this recipe in the oven:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Spread fries in a single layer on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the fries are golden in color.
- Season with your choice of seasonings, if desired.
See the recipe card below for detailed instructions.
Air Fryer Favorite Recipes
I think one of the air fryer’s greatest strengths is how good frozen foods turn out. the foods cook fast and they are super crispy on the outside!
– Air fryer corn dogs
– Frozen shrimp in air fryer
– Frozen chicken tenders in air fryer
– Frozen chicken wings in air fryer
Instant Pot Air Fryer Frozen French Fries
Ingredients
- ½ bag frozen french fries (16 oz.) or 500 grams *
Instructions
Air Fryer Instructions
- Place the air fryer basket in the air fryer.
- Add half a bag of frozen french fries to the basket and make sure they're evenly spread out.
- Close the lid and air fry for 15 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- If you are using an Instant Pot air fryer, partway through cooking, the display says turn Food. If you are using an air fryer without this feature, set a timer to turn the fries 10 minutes into the cooking process.
- Open the lid and using silicone mitts, lift the basket and shake the contents so the fries are tossed well. Close the lid and continue cooking.
- When the cooking time is up, open the lid and check to make sure the fries are cooked to your liking. Toss the fries again and air fry for another 2 minutes, if desired.
- Transfer the fries to a serving dish using tongs and coat with your choice of seasonings, if desired. **
Oven Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Spread fries in a single layer on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the fries are golden in color.
- Season with your choice of seasonings, if desired.
Notes
- * Ore Ida brand of golden fries were used in this recipe.
- ** Fries are already salted. Seasoning choices include Old Bay, Lawry’s, Creole, Cajun seasoning or garlic powder + onion powder + paprika + salt (optional)
- See the blog post for more detailed recipe tips.
Nutrition
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I am not a certified nutritionist. I provide my best estimate of nutritional information merely as a courtesy to my readers. If you depend on nutritional information for dietary or health reasons, I suggest using your favorite online nutrition calculator to confirm the nutritional value of this recipe based on the actual ingredients that you use.
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Instant Pot Duo Crisp and Recipes
Terri White
Simply put, this recipe worked like a charm! I’m new to Instant Pot and I’ve found other recipe bloggers to be confusing or lacking real instructions. I realize french fries should be a no brainer, but they aren’t. I was thrilled to read I could make a half bag at once, with a simple shake! Thank you for giving such great detail and hints.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Terri, thank you so much for commenting – I’m glad you liked the detailed instructions for air fryer french fries!
Roberta
I have a instant pot duo crisp air fryer I need to know how long to cook shoe string French fries for.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi Roberta, because shoestring fries are thinner, I would check on them at the 9 to 10 minute mark. Good luck.
Jan
Thanks, I followed your instructions for the frozen fries in my Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid and they turned out perfect!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Awesome, Jan! Thank you for taking a moment to comment – much appreciated!
Caroline
How would one use the parchment liners when cooking? Do you use at all?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Caroline, I use them with some recipes, especially meats. But no, I don’t use them all that often. You can get parchment rounds with holes in them or you can punch holes.
Shanu J
Thank you! I wasn’t sure whether my duo crisp lid would have the same time as other airfryers. Turned our crisp and cooked well.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Shanu, I’m glad it worked out for you – thank you for your comment!