Bring some excitement to snack time by learning how to make frozen french fries in the air fryer! They’re crispy, crunchy, and ready in less than 20 minutes.

French fries are the perfect food. Eat ‘em as a snack with ketchup, on the side of veggie burgers, or on their own as a meal! Whether you like homemade french fries or frozen french fries, you can never go wrong.
Making Air Fryer Frozen French Fries is the best way to take ‘blah’ frozen food to the next level. They cook so quickly and achieve a gorgeous golden brown crisp you would normally only find in restaurants. Sprinkle a little homemade french fry seasoning on top and you have a mind-blowing snack both kids and adults will love.
You won’t ever go back to long baking times or messy deep fryer oil when you learn how to make frozen french fries in the air fryer. They’re ready in less than 20 minutes and taste just like your favorite takeout place!
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Ingredient notes
- Frozen french fries - Use what you like. Any brand or variety of frozen french fries can be cooked in the air fryer. Try straight cut, crinkle cut, curly fries, waffle fries, homemade fries, or sweet potato fries!
- Oil spray - Oil isn’t always necessary but it can help the fries crisp really well, taste like deep fried french fries, and help the seasonings stick. If you don’t want the extra oil, simply leave it out.
How to make frozen french fries in the air fryer
Using an air fryer to cook frozen french fries is the best way to speed up the process and crisp the fries. Bonus: No deep fryer oil or long baking time necessary!
Here’s how it’s done:
- Prepare the fries: Pour your frozen fries into a large bowl and toss with cooking spray. If using my homemade french fry seasoning, sprinkle half of it over the fries and toss to combine.
- Air fry the fries: Air fry the french fries until they’re crisped to your liking. Make sure to toss them halfway through the cooking time so they cook and crisp evenly.
- Season and enjoy: Toss the cooked fries in the rest of the seasoning or the seasoning of your choice and enjoy! Full ingredients and instructions in printable recipe card below.
Season your french fries
Add BIG flavor to your french fries with simple seasoning mixtures. All of these french fry seasoning mixes are made with common spices and will help your air fryer fries taste like they've come straight from a restaurant:
- Vegan french fry seasoning: My homemade seasoning mixture is easy to put together using Lawry’s seasoned salt and simple spices. It’s a smoky, herby, and savory mix!
- Spicy french fries: Make the homemade seasoning mix above but add more chili powder, a dash of cayenne, or red pepper flakes to raise the heat.
- Cajun seasoning: Use a mix of paprika, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, white pepper, onion powder, oregano, red chili flakes, and cayenne.
- Garlic and parmesan: This cheesy seasoning is made of vegan parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast and minced garlic.
- Italian flavor: Sprinkle a pre-mixed Italian seasoning over the fries or make your own. All you need is dried oregano, parsley, basil, and thyme.
- Salt and pepper: When you want to keep it simple!
French fry dipping sauces
Serve any or all of these vegan dipping sauces next to the fries for dipping:
- Ketchup
- Mustard
- Spicy mayonnaise
- Ranch dressing
- Caesar dressing
- Nacho cheese sauce
- Barbecue sauce
- Gravy
- Burger sauce
Frequently asked questions
Nope! The frozen fries can be seasoned and cooked right from frozen.
Cook the fries at 400ºF in the air fryer.
Thin straight cut frozen french fries (like shoestring fries) should only need to cook for about 10 minutes in the air fryer. Thicker kinds, like steak cut, will take up to 20 minutes.
Sure. Go all out and make my homemade french fries with real Russet potatoes instead.
More easy vegan snacks you’ll love
- Air Fryer Breaded Mushrooms
- Baked Vegan Zucchini Fries
- Mexican Street Corn Salad
- The Best Vegan Chicken Nuggets
Enjoy everyone! Happy Day! Please feel free to comment below and give this recipe a rating. Your feedback is greatly appreciated!
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PrintAir Fryer Frozen French Fries
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 Side Servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Bring some excitement to snack time by learning how to make frozen french fries in the air fryer! They’re crispy, crunchy, and ready in less than 20 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 lb (454g) frozen french fries, regular straight cut, crinkle cut, etc,...
- Cooking oil spray (optional see notes)*
- 1 teaspoon french fry seasoning, divided (optional but recommended)
Instructions
- Preheat your air fryer to 400°
-
Add frozen fries to a large bowl, spray with cooking oil spray, toss, spray again and toss. Sprinkle half the seasoning over the fries and toss again.
-
Air fry at 400° for 15 minutes or until crisped to your liking, shaking the basked halfway through cooking. (10 minutes or so for shoestring fries- 20 minutes for steak fries) Toss with rest of seasoning. Serve with ketchup and or favorite dipping sauce, and enjoy! For photos, FAQ and more see above post
Notes
- Oil is not necessary. I add oil for the basic regular, crinkle cut and shoestring fries. I find it helps the seasoning stick, makes them crispier, and taste like deep fried restaurant style fries. If the package says crispy and seasoned (like some McCain fries and other brands) I find there is no need to add oil and you can omit seasoning too if you like ( I still add some😋)
- If making more than one batch of fries, return them all to the air fryer together to re-warm for a couple of minutes before serving.
- Air fryer cooking times may vary slightly, depending on the size and model you have. I have a larger 5.8 qt capacity air fryer (Cosori)
- Prep Time: 5 Minutes
- Cook Time: 15 Minutes
- Category: Snacks & Sides. Gluten free
- Method: Air fryer
- Cuisine: American, Canadian
Levi
Thank you! I made shoe string fries yesterday using this recipe. Was awesome and the seasoning was on point!
Verna
Thank you so much!