4 Rules for Making Perfect Frozen French Fries in an Air Fryer

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A craving for hot, crispy French fries usually means heading to a restaurant. If I want to enjoy those fries in the comfort of my own home, there's always delivery -- but fries become tepid and soggy during their trip to my door. Here's where my air fryer saves the day.

Sure, I could preheat the oven, but that feels like a lot for just a pan of fries, especially in the summer when my kitchen is already sweltering. I could bake up a little batch in my toaster oven, but it doesn't create the crunch I want. Luckily, transforming humble frozen foods like French fries into hot, crispy bites of deliciousness with minimal time and mess is exactly what the air fryer was made for. 

To make French fries in an air fryer, all you need is a bag of frozen French fries, a staple in my freezer that's perfect for busy dinners during the week and late-night cravings alike. Crinkle-cut, shoestring, waffle, curly -- whatever your favorite shape, it'll work. 

Here's how I make French fries in the air fryer for a perfectly crispy result every time. 

Air fryer French fries tips and tricks

A few techniques help me get the most out of my air fryer when I'm cooking up frozen goodies like French fries, chicken tenders and tater tots. 

1. Preheat for the best crunch

The hotter your air fryer is when you add your fries, the more golden brown and crisp they'll become. Not every air fryer has a preheat function, but you can run yours for about five minutes at the desired temperature to get the chamber nice and hot before you add the food.

2. Use a spritz of oil to make fries crispier

Some people swear by spraying a little of your go-to cooking oil, like canola, olive or avocado, into the basket and over frozen French fries before air frying. The idea is that the extra oil helps the food brown and crisp up. You don't need to go nuts with oil, but a light coating helps seal the potato strings in a divinely crispy crust.

3. Avoid overcrowding the basket

Air fryers create convection heat by using a fan (the noise you hear when you turn the machine on) to circulate air around the food, cooking it faster and creating that crunchy exterior we want. For convection cooking to work well, your French fries need to have as much surface area exposed as possible. That means loading up batches of fries in a single layer and leaving just a little space between each piece if possible. The result is tastier fries in a shorter cooking time. 

4. Shake for more even cooking

Halfway through the cooking time, pull out your air fryer's basket and give it a good shake. This will help your French fries brown more evenly. Try to get the fries back in a single layer before popping the basket back in and finishing the process. 

What you need for perfect air fryer fries

• Frozen french fries
• Cooking oil like olive or canola 
• Salt (optional)

How to make air fryer French fries

• Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about five minutes. 
• Spritz the air fryer basket with oil. 
• Add the frozen fries to the basket, arranging them in a single layer. If you're using oil, spritz the fries with it. 
  
• Cook the fries for 10 minutes. 
  
• Pull out the air fryer basket and shake it.
  
• Rearrange the French fries in a single layer, then replace the basket and cook for 5-7 minutes more. The exact time will depend on your air fryer, the size and shape of your fries, and your preferred doneness level. 
  
• Season your fries with salt, if using, and serve immediately.
  

What to serve with air fryer French fries

In my world, a pile of fries served alongside a salad with a zippy vinaigrette needs no other accompaniment (except maybe a glass of wine). If you're looking to round out your meal or feed a crowd, consider serving air fryer French fries with this easy 45-minute roast chicken or this 10-minute salmon recipe (both made in the air fryer, natch). 

You can even cook up air fryer bacon cheeseburgers, hot dogs, or chicken thighs to accompany your French fries. Add some veggies to the plate by air-frying Brussels sprouts, cauliflower steaks, broccoli florets or shishito peppers.