What frozen foods are good in air fryer?

From frozen egg rolls to french fries, and chicken nuggets to frozen pizza, you may have a hard time deciding what to make from this collection of quick, easy and tasty air fryer frozen foods. Frozen foods are my favorite foods to make in the air fryer because they cook fast and turn out super crisp.

The air fryer is a great invention that allows you to cook your favorite foods in a healthier way by avoiding the use of a deep fryer. It’s also a good option when you want to bake smaller quantities of food but don’t want to heat up the oven.

The air fryer is great for cooking all kinds of recipes. But can you put frozen food in an air fryer? Well, by far, my favorite reason to use the air fryer is to cook frozen foods.

The air fryer is so good at heating up a frozen tasty snack or easy meal. The food comes out crispier and cooks faster than in a conventional oven.

The circulation of hot air throughout the compartment helps the air fryer frozen foods to cook evenly and super fast. The air fryer mimics the technology of a convection oven but in a small space.

Whether you’re using the Instant Pot air fryer lid, Cosori, or Ninja Foodi, frozen foods are ideal for beginners to learn how to use their air fryer.

Tips For How to Cook Air Frozen Foods

1. Keep foods frozen until ready to air fry.
2. Preheat the air fryer before putting the frozen food in air fryer basket.
3. For best results, don’t overcrowd the basket and do leave enough room around the food for the air to circulate.
4. If the food is breaded and bite-sized, it can be stacked. Otherwise you’ll have better results if the food is placed in the air fryer basket in a single layer.
5. In general, it’s not necessary to spray foods that are breaded or battered but you probably need to use oil spray for other foods. If you find the frozen food sticking to the bottom of the basket, next time use a little oil spray to coat the basket and the food. Don’t use grocery store cooking spray in a can because it can ruin the surface of the air fryer basket.
6. If using aluminum foil or parchment paper, make sure they have holes in them to allow air to circulate. In general, using a liner will impede air circulation.
7. Turn the food or shake the basket about halfway through the cooking process.
8. Measure the internal temperature of meats with a food thermometer to ensure food safety.
9. If you can’t find air fryer cook times for frozen foods, adjust the oven instructions by reducing the temperature by 25 degrees and the cook time by 20%.
10. In general, when I don’t have air fryer instructions, I use a high heat (temperature 400 degrees F) and cook time of 8 to 10 minutes, and turn the food at the 4 minute mark. Then, I add more time as needed. The next time I make the food, I adjust the temperature and time if I need to.

Favorite Frozen Foods for Air Frying

Here are some of the best frozen food for the air fryer that can be cooked quickly and easily. They include fries, hash browns, tater tots, Trader Joe’s snacks like samosa and gyoza, chicken snacks like popcorn chicken and nuggets, egg rolls, and kid-friendly snacks like pizza rolls.

Air fryer frozen fries

1. Air Fryer Frozen French Fries

There’s no need to turn on the oven to cook frozen french fries anymore! Air fryer frozen french fries turn out crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. And you can make them in less time than it takes to cook them in the oven or deep-fry them.  If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can also use a traditional air fryer or bake them in the oven.

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2. Air fryer frozen steak fries

Cooking frozen steak fries in the air fryer gets them crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. And you can make them in less time than it takes to bake them in the oven or deep-fry them. You can use a traditional air fryer or an Instant Pot air fryer.

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3. Frozen sweet potato fries in the air fryer

Cooking frozen sweet potato fries in the air fryer gets them crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. And you can make them in less time than it takes to bake them in the oven or deep-fry them. You can use a traditional air fryer or an Instant Pot air fryer.

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Air fryer potatoes

4. Frozen hashbrowns in air fryer

Air Fryer frozen hash browns are an easy way to cook crispy hash browns that make an ordinary breakfast extra special. Make diner-style breakfast hash browns with very little effort by using your air fryer to make them extra-crispy. Using the air fryer is a quick, no-mess way to make hash browns.

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5. Air fryer tater tots

Air Fryer tater tots are kid-friendly snacks that come out exceptionally well in the air fryer. Cooking tater tots in the air fryer is quicker than in the oven and they come out crispy and crunchy on the outside and tender and fluffy on the inside. These golden potato puffs are a great alternative to french fries and kids seem to love them.

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6. Air fryer frozen potato skins

Making frozen potato skins in the air fryer is quick and easy. Sometimes, you just don’t have the time or energy to cook from scratch when you’re having company. If you need a quick appetizer for entertaining, such as for a Superbowl party or New Year’s Eve party, grab a few boxes of potato skins and you’ll be ready for your guests in no time!

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Trader Joe’s Air Fryer

7. Air fryer frozen falafel

Trader Joe’s falafel in the air fryer are seriously amazing. They’re pillowy soft on the inside and crispy crunchy on the outside. They’re also so delicious, healthy and can be a super easy snack, appetizer, or main dish.

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8. Air fryer frozen samosas

These air fryer frozen samosas are an easy appetizer or side dish for Indian food or an all-around great snack. Perfectly crispy, with just the right amount of spice, the delicious samosas are golden brown in just minutes when you make them in the air fryer. I love Trader Joe's samosas.

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9. Air fryer frozen gyoza

Air fryer frozen potstickers are an easy appetizer or side dish for an Asian meal or as a crowd-pleasing snack. Air frying gyoza, wontons, dumplings, or potstickers is so easy and they become crispy on the outside and tender and perfectly cooked on the inside.

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10. Frozen empanadas in air fryer

Air fryer frozen empanadas can be ready in less than 15 minutes. These delicious savory pastry turnovers of meat, cheese, or vegetables are cooked to flaky perfection when you make them in the air fryer.

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Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Nuggets and Fish

11. Air fryer chicken fries

Making these Tyson chicken fries in the air fryer is so easy that you’ll find yourself making them again and again. Frozen chicken fries are a kid-friendly snack and a great alternative to chicken fingers or chicken nuggets because kids have so much fun eating them!

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12. Air fryer frozen popcorn chicken

Air fryer frozen popcorn chicken cooks up perfectly crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. And you can make them in less time than it takes to bake them in the oven or deep-fry them. Use a traditional air fryer or an Instant Pot air fryer.

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13. Air fryer frozen chicken nuggets

Air fryer dinosaur nuggets cook up perfectly crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. And you can make them in less time than it takes to bake them in the oven or deep-fry them. Air fryer Tyson fun nuggets are kid friendly chicken nuggets in dinosaur shapes that are an easy snack for picky eaters.

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14. Air fryer frozen fish fillets

Making frozen fish fillets in the air fryer is a game changer. You can get crispy, perfectly cooked fish that can be used in a variety of recipes, without having to deep fry the fish. Delicate fish coated in a crisp coating can be cooked in less than 15 minutes in the air fryer. Use these fish fillets in fish tacos (recipe included.)

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Air Fryer Frozen Appetizers and Side Dishes

15. Air fryer frozen egg rolls

This air fryer egg rolls recipe is so convenient and easy! Whether you need a quick appetizer for a Chinese meal or a quick snack, cooking egg rolls in the air fryer is so much faster than baking them in the oven.

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16. Air fryer frozen onion rings

Air Fryer frozen onion rings are a quick and easy side dish or snack. Cooking frozen onion rings in the air fryer is much quicker and the onion rings turn out much crispier than baking them in the oven. Air fried frozen onion rings are also healthier than deep-fried onion rings.

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Air Fryer Frozen Snacks for Kids

17. Air fryer frozen party pizza

When you need a quick snack for a crowd or a bunch of hungry kids, there's nothing that's more of a crowd-pleaser than this Totino's party pizza. This air fryer frozen pizza is so convenient and easy!

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18. Air fryer frozen pizza rolls

When you need a quick snack for a crowd or a bunch of hungry kids, there's nothing that's more of a crowd-pleaser than pizza rolls. These air fryer frozen pizza rolls are so convenient and easy!

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19. Air fryer frozen taquitos

This frozen taquitos air fryer recipe is one of the easiest ways you can make snacks for a hungry crowd! Serve them plain or dress them up with sour cream, salsa, guacamole, green onions, or cilantro. The taquitos turn out so crispy in the air fryer.

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20. Air fryer cinnamon rolls

Freshly baked air fryer cinnamon rolls are such a delicious treat! Use Pillsbury's ready-to-bake dough and you can have piping hot, fragrant cinnamon rolls on the table in less than 15 minutes. Though NOT frozen, they're refrigerated, and I had to include them in this list because they come out so well.

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