How Long to Cook Shoestring Fries in Air Fryer

Making french fries in your air fryer is a total breeze! Just one bite of these perfectly crispy fries is like a trip to your favorite burger joint!

Frozen French Fries in Air Fryer

Air Fryer French Fries are so crispy and flavorful!

Gone are the days of limp, lifeless french fries that take forever to cook in the oven!

One bag of frozen fries and 12 minutes in the air fryer gives you amazing results every time!

Paired with an air fryer hamburger or hotdog, your kitchen will feel like the best mom & pop roadside diner around - and you won't even have to leave your house!

cooked fries in the square shaped basket of a red air fryer

Ingredients for Frozen French Fries in Air Fryer

For this air fryer french fry recipe, all you need is one bag of your favorite store-bought french fries.

That's it! There's no oil required, and you don't even have to season them!

Of course, you are welcome to add a shake of your favorite seasoning salt before or after cooking if you like, but it's not a deal breaker!

Either way, these frozen french fries in the air fryer will hit the spot!

a pile of french fries on a round white plate over a red and white striped towel

How do I cook frozen french fries in the air fryer?

Believe me when I tell you that this is the EASIEST way to cook french fries!

Step 1: Choose your favorite brand of french fries from your preferred grocer's frozen foods aisle.
Step 2: Pour the frozen french fries into the basket of your air fryer. Be sure not to crowd the basket so that the fries will cook evenly!
Step 3: Give the air fryer basket a gentle shake to spread the fries out as much as possible.
Step 4: Cook the fries in your air fryer at 400 degrees F, then serve and enjoy. It's that easy!

a collage of four images showing directions for cooking french fries in an air fryer

Air Fryer Frozen French Fries Cooking Time

How long to cook your fries depends on the style and thickness of the potato. Follow these guidelines for the best results:

For shoestring fries: Cook for 12 minutes.
For crinkle cut and standard sized fries: Increase the cook time to 18 minutes.

*Cooking tip: Be sure to remove the air fryer basket halfway through cooking to move the fries around.

This will allow them to cook to their crispiest potential!

Do I need to defrost frozen french fries before frying?

No! Take it from me - do not thaw the fries before air frying!

With all of the advice you've seen around the web about water being the enemy of a crispy crunchy finish, it may seem counter-intuitive to put frozen potatoes right into an air fryer.

However, freezing peeled, cut potatoes creates an outside seal that keeps the moisture inside the potato flesh.

Thawing your frozen fries will cause moisture to leak out and your fries won't crisp up properly.

Nobody wants a pile of mushy fries!

Toss them right into your air fryer and cook them at a high temperature, and you'll have beautifully crisp fries in minutes!

fresh cooked golden brown french fries in an air fryer basket

Best Dipping Sauces for French Fries

Tired of the same old ketchup?

Try some of these tasty homemade sauce recipes that you can whip up in no time!

We have so many sauces for you to try! Beer Cheese Sauce, Nut Free Satay Sauce, BBQ Ranch Sauce, Homemade BBQ Sauce and Dr. Pepper Barbecue Sauce

Looking for more irresistible air fryer side dish recipes? Check these out!

We have so many air fryer recipes to choose from!

If you are having trouble figuring out which one to try next, we suggest: Air Fryer Chicken Wings, Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Wings and Air Fryer Fried Pickles. Maybe you'll want to try these No Potato French Fries!

Have you made this recipe? Please leave a comment AND rating below! It helps other readers!

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Air Fryer French Fries

Making french fries in your air fryer is a total breeze! Just one bite of these perfectly crispy fries is like a trip to your favorite burger joint!

Cook Time 12 mins

Total Time 12 mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: air fryer french fries, french fries, frozen french fries

Servings: 10

Calories: 130 kcal

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Air fryer

1 bag Frozen French fries

Pour your frozen french fries into the air fryer basket. Be sure not to crowd the basket. Give the basket a gentle shake to even out the fries.
Place air fryer basket into air fryer unit.Set temperature for 400 degrees F. If you are cooking shoestring fries, cook for 12 minutes.
After 6 minutes have passed remove the air fryer basket and shake it gently to move fries around. Return air fryer basket to air fryer unit and continue cooking.
Enjoy!

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Make sure that you do not crowd the basket with too many fries. The fries will not cook evenly. Work in batches if needed.
You may need to adjust the time if your are using different types of fries.
For shoestring fries - cook for 12 minutes
For crinkle cut and regular Fries - cook for 18 minutes
Pro Tip: This recipe can be made in the air fryer unit with a basket or the air fryer oven. If you are using the air fryer oven, use the middle rack and select the "Air Fry" function.

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Air Fryers can vary greatly. Please take the time to learn your specific air fryer. You may need to adjust times and temperatures based upon your air fryer.All though this website attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, the information should only be considered an estimate. Varying factors such as different product types, different brands, etc. can change nutritional information. It is your responsibility as a consumer to read all labels to make sure the ingredients fit your dietary needs as well as calculate your own nutritional information as a double check.