Love the convenience of frozen fries? Use your air fryer for added convenience and even better crispy crunch! Use these easy instructions for air fryer frozen sweet potato fries and you'll discover another way that air fryers make your life even easier.
Can You Use An Air Fryer For Frozen Sweet Potato Fries?
Yes, you can! In fact, the air fryer is an awesome way to prepare just about any frozen food, especially those that are meant to be crispy or crunchy.
Food manufacturers have been taking note of how much people love their air fryers. More and more, I'm seeing actual air fryer instructions on the packaging right next to ones for the microwave and conventional oven.
If your package of frozen sweet potato fries doesn't tell you exactly how to use your air fryer to prepare them, this post will be helpful to you.
What Kind of Fries Should I Use?
For this specific recipe, I used a bag of Alexia frozen sweet potato fries, the thin style. For these thin-cut fries, the shorter cook time in the air fryer will be used. You want them crispy but you don't want them to start turning brown/black... which can happen quickly!
You can use other cuts too. The Alexia brand - I have no affiliation, by the way - also has sweet potato tots, waffle fries, and crinkle cut fries. Read ahead to learn about different air fry timing.
Do I Have To Preheat The Air Fryer?
Well, yes and no. I like to set my air fryer to 360F and let it run for 5 minutes or so before adding the fries to the basket. This amount of time may not get it all the way preheated, but I find it works well and is the method I use for most of my air frying, with the exception of baked goods.
Speaking of, try baking these air fryer muffins!
Do I Need To Add Extra Oil?
When making air fryer frozen sweet potato fries, you do not need to add any extra oil to the basket. I like to give the basket a spritz of cooking spray to prevent the fries from sticking. That's all you need!
Do I Thaw The Fries?
No! Always prepare frozen French fries directly from the freezer.
Can I Make Regular Fries, Too?
Yes! Don't limit yourself to only making air fryer frozen sweet potatoes. You can use any kind of frozen French fries, sweet potato, regular potato, thin cut, shoestring, waffle, crinkle, smiley... anything you want.
Set your air fryer to 360F for any of these products and check every 5-6 minutes, shaking the basket each time. Remember, thinner cuts of potato will air fry faster.
Can I Use The Air Fryer For Reheating?
So you've used your air fryer to prepare a batch of sweet potato fries, and you have some leftover. Cold mushy fries aren't all that tasty, and reheating them in the microwave often yields chewy or other unpleasant results.
The solution? Yup... toss them right back into the air fryer! Because leftovers are refrigerated instead of frozen, the fries will take much less time to reheat at 360F. Check them early and often (giving them a shake during each check) until they have regained their crisp and are heated through.
Toppings and Variations
If your frozen sweet potato fries are not already seasoned (beyond some salt of course) you can add your own spices. I recommend adding herbs and spices immediately after removing the fries from the air fryer, before the oils dry out, to ensure that the flavorings adhere to the surface.
Seasoning Suggestions:
- Ground Cinnamon
- Cayenne (just a tiny bit)
- Garlic Powder
- Paprika
- Black Pepper
- Pre-made seasoning mixes, like Cajun, Italian, taco, etc.
Air Fryer Frozen Sweet Potato Fries
- Total Time: 17 minutes
- Yield: Varies
Description
Using an air fryer to prepare frozen fries of any kind is a perfect and easy way to get that ideal crispy crunch!
Ingredients
- 1 bag frozen sweet potato fries, any variety
- Cooking spray
- Desired seasonings (paprika, garlic powder, cinnamon, cayenne, etc)
Instructions
- Set air fryer to 360F and let it run for about 5 minutes.
- Spray fry basket with cooking spray and add fries in a single layer. It's okay if they overlap a little bit, but you want air to reach as much of the surface of the fries as possible.
- Close fryer and air fry for 6 minutes. Shake fry basket well, then air fry for an additional 6 minutes or until fries are desired level of crisp. Keep an eye on them so that they do not brown/blacken.
- Dump fries onto a layer of paper towels to drain. If desired, add additional seasonings immediately.
- Repeat with additional batches as needed.
Notes
Helpful Equipment
Ninja 4-Quart Air Fryer: This is a good basic air fryer that won't take up too much space in your kitchen.
Heavy Duty Tongs: A good set of tongs is essential for air frying to keep your hands safe!
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 12 mins
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Air Fryer
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