The Best Frozen Food to Cook in an Air Fryer

This post shares 5 of my favorite frozen foods that can be cooked in the air fryer- from frozen! This helps to get food on the table much quicker than the oven, and cooks it through to crispy perfection.

The air fryer is such a great appliance for cooking crispy chicken (these air fryer chicken wings are the definition of crispy!), as well as roasting vegetables (check out our collection of air fryer vegetable recipes). It also happens to be AMAZING to cook your favorite frozen foods.

Not only does the air fryer cut down on cook time as compared to the oven, but it cooks your favorite frozen foods so perfectly crispy that you'll swear they were deep fried!

Confused by all the air fryer models out there? Check out Which Air Fryer is Best for you

Let's discuss:

Frozen french fries

Whether you cook potato or sweet potato fries, matchsticks or wedges, you are going to be blown away by the crispy factor! I have never been able to get my sweet potato fries this crispy in the oven. Not only that, but you can dump a whole bag into even a small basket-style air fryer, and still get crispy fries.

Tips:

• it's OK for the fries to overlap- we dump a whole bag into our small air fryer!
• shake the basket frequently- 3-4 times during the cook time to ensure they cook evenly
• salt before serving- taste first as all brands vary, but we find they almost always need a little boost of salt

Frozen meatballs

We struggle with protein in our house- my kiddos are going through a picky phase! One thing I can always get them to eat is a meatball, and I love how quickly they cook through in the air fryer- 3-4 minutes total from a fully frozen meatball to on the table. Not only that, but they get browned and slightly crispy on the outside.

Tips:

• cook them in a single layer
• for best results, turn the meatballs halfway through
• I advise using fully cooked meatballs, or checking with a digital thermometer to ensure they reach 165°F

Frozen broccoli or brussels sprouts

Frozen vegetables can end up so wet when thawed, so my go-to solution is to either roast them in the oven on convection, or to cook them through in the air fryer. The hot air helps the extra liquid evaporate, resulting in a way better texture.

Tips:

• toss with olive oil or spritz with spray oil before cooking
• shake basket frequently so they cook through evenly
• season with salt and pepper before serving- it won't stick well when they are frozen, so it's best to do after cooking through
• Check out Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts and Air Fryer Broccoli (add a few minutes onto the recipes to account for them being frozen)

Frozen pastries

Anything with some sort of 'pastry' or wrapper gets irresistibly crispy in the air fryer! From spanakopita to spring rolls to empanadas, they are brown and crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside.

Tips:

• these are best arranged in a single layer, but can touch
• flip halfway through cooking (unless the package directions do not call for it)

Frozen chicken nuggets or fish sticks

While we keep these for emergencies or treat nights, there is no better way to cook frozen chicken nuggets or fish sticks than in the air fryer- they just get the best texture! The air fryer can also have these guys on your table in a fraction of the time it would take in the oven!

Tips:

• these are best arranged in a single layer, but can touch
• flip halfway through cooking

Reader favorites

After polling the Sweet Peas & Saffron community, we've compiled a list of reader favorite frozen foods to cook in the air fryer:

• Hash Browns
• Tater Tots
• Frozen Shrimp
• Frozen Pizza
• Pizza Rolls
• Garlic Bread/Texas Toast
• Burgers
• Pot Stickers
• Potato Skins
• Mozzarella Sticks

💡 Have a favorite we missed? Leave us a comment below!

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