Instant Pot Air Fryer Frozen French Fries. Crispy, golden french fries with my Instant Pot and its Air Fryer Lid.
What took me so long to air fry frozen French fries?
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What took me so long to air fry frozen French fries?
I bought the Air Fryer lid for my Instant Pot when it came out, tried it a few times, and it's been collecting dust ever since. Then I bought my kids Instant Pot Duo Crisps for their college apartments. (Amazon had a sale, and it was cheaper to get them with the air fryer lid than without.)They immediately started air frying and asked me questions about air frying that I couldn't answer. So, I gave my air fryer lid a second chance.
And I may have found its killer app. Frozen French fries come out crispy and golden brown, much better than what I get out of the oven, even with the convection setting turned on. (This has always been my argument against air frying - it's just a mini convection oven - but I was wrong.)
So, I'm going to keep on air frying…if I can come up with anything else. Any air frying veterans out there? What else should I try? Recommendations? Requests?
Ingredients
- Frozen French Fries
See the recipe card for quantities.
How to make Frozen French Fries in an Instant Pot with an Air Fryer Lid
Heat to 400°F and add the fries: Preheat the air fryer lid to 400°F. Sprinkle the frozen fries into the fryer basket, one handful at a time, so they are in a loose pile.
Air fry for 20 minutes, shaking every 5: Air Fry, shaking the basket every 5 minutes until the fries are crispy and a light golden color, about 20 minutes.
Substitutions
Different frozen fry shapes:
The cooking time is determined by how thick the fry is. 20 minutes is the right time for regular thickness times. Here's the list of times
- Shoestring Fries: 15 minutes
- Curly Fries: 20 minutes
- Regular Fries: 20 minutes
- Crinkle-cut Fries: 25 minutes
- Tater Tots: 20 minutes
- Waffle Fries: 25 minutes
- Steak Fries: 25 minutes
Equipment
A 6-quart pressure cooker with an air fryer lid. (Or an air fryer.)
Scaling
You can fill the air fryer basket with a whole bag of fries, but this increases the cooking time - I have to cook for 25 to 30 minutes to get the larger amount of fries crisped up.
Top Tip
Don't crowd the frozen fries! While they don't have to be a single layer, they must be loose enough for the air to circulate around the fries. That's why I say to sprinkle them in, one handful at a time, and give them a shake every five minutes. It keeps them loose and moves them around, allowing them to crisp up evenly.
Instant Pot Air Fryer Frozen French Fries (with an Air Fryer Lid)
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
Instant Pot Air Fryer Frozen French Fries. Crispy, golden french fries with my Instant Pot and its Air Fryer Lid.
Ingredients
- 13 to 16 ounces of frozen French fries (Half of a regular-sized bag)
Instructions
- Preheat to 400°F: Preheat the Air Fryer Lid for an Instant pot to 400°F.
- Make a loose pile of fries: Sprinkle the frozen fries into the fryer basket in a loose pile. (This keeps the fries loose enough, so they all crisp up. Pack them in tight, and you'll get soggy fries.)
-
Air fry for 20 minutes, shaking every 5 minutes: Air Fry, shaking the basket every 5 minutes until the fries are crispy and a light golden color, about 20 minutes. (Thin fries, like shoestring fries, take less, about 15 minutes. Thick fries, like steak fries, take about 25 minutes.) Serve and enjoy!
Equipment
Buy Now → Notes
If you cook fewer fries and can lay them out in a single layer, they'll finish in 10 minutes.
If you cook more fries (like the whole bag), they'll take 25-30 minutes.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: American
Related Posts
Instant Pot Rainbow Baby Potatoes with Rosemary and Garlic
Instant Pot Loaded Smashed Red Potatoes
Instant Pot Potato Salad
My other Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker Recipes
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Liane
I just bought a Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer. Price was enticing so I bit. Plus we have our home on the market with brand new appliances and I am trying to keep them pristine. I’ve had a hard time cooking French fries in the regular convection oven - they burned on the edges and still didn’t get what my kid calls ‘MacDonalds crisp’. So as soon as I can find some organic frozen fries that don’t have seed oils I’m going to try. Hopefully I can find real potatoes, not the formed potato slurry with the coating. Or maybe just get sweet potato fries!
Jason V
Can't wait to try these - just got an air fryer on special for Black Friday!
Mike Vrobel
Congratulations! Let me know if you find any other good air fryer recipes.