Frozen Food in the Air Fryer

Cooking frozen food in air fryer baskets is quicker than using the oven, needs no thawing and gives a crisper finish. This guide gives you one chart of temperatures and times for the most common frozen foods, plus the rules that make them cook evenly and safely.

Treat every time in the chart as a starting point. Brands, thicknesses and machines differ, so check the pack first and look at the food a couple of minutes before the end.

Frozen food in air fryer: the quick chart

All times are for a single layer in a preheated basket of 4–6 litres. Shake or turn the food halfway through.

Frozen food	Temperature	Time	Recipe
Straight-cut oven chips	200 °C	15–18 min	Frozen chips
Skinny or crinkle-cut chips	200 °C	10–15 min	Frozen chips
Chunky chips	190 °C	18–22 min	Frozen chips
Sweet potato fries	200 °C	12–15 min	Sweet potato fries
Potato wedges	190 °C	14–18 min	Potato wedges
Hash browns and rösti	200 °C	12–15 min	Rösti
Roast potatoes	200 °C	18–22 min	–
Jacket potatoes	180 °C	25–30 min	Jacket potatoes
Fish fingers	200 °C	8–10 min	Fish fingers
Breaded fish fillets	190 °C	12–14 min	Frozen fish
Fish cakes	190 °C	14–16 min	Fish cakes
Salmon fillets, 150 g	180 °C	15–18 min	Frozen salmon
Chicken nuggets	200 °C	8–10 min	Chicken nuggets
Breaded chicken fillets	200 °C	12–15 min	Chicken fillets
Chicken goujons	200 °C	10–12 min	Chicken strips
Pork sausages	180 °C	16–18 min	Frozen sausages
Chipolatas	180 °C	10–12 min	Frozen sausages
Burgers	180 °C	12–14 min	Burgers
Frozen meatballs, cooked	180 °C	10–12 min	Frozen meatballs
Onion rings	200 °C	8–10 min	–
Spring rolls	200 °C	10–12 min	Spring rolls
20 cm pizza	180 °C	8–10 min	Pizza
Garlic bread	180 °C	5–6 min	Bread
Ready-to-bake croissants	160 °C	8–10 min	Croissants
Yorkshire puddings	180 °C	4–6 min	–
Broccoli or green beans	200 °C	10–12 min	Broccoli
Frozen sprouts	190 °C	15–18 min	Brussels sprouts

For more foods, see the full air fryer cooking times chart. Frozen Yorkshire puddings and roast potatoes have their own pages.

The rules for frozen food

• Preheat for 3 minutes. Frozen food dropped into a cold basket steams before it browns.
• Do not thaw most foods. Chips, nuggets, fish fingers and breaded products cook best straight from the freezer. Thawing makes the coating soggy.
• Use one layer. Overlapping food cooks unevenly. Cook two batches rather than crowd the basket.
• Shake or turn halfway. Small items such as chips and hash browns need a shake; larger ones such as burgers and fillets need turning.
• Skip the extra oil. Most frozen products are already coated in oil. A light spray is only useful on plain vegetables and unbreaded chips.
• Shake off ice crystals. Tip loose ice off before cooking, because it melts into water and softens the food.

Cook until it is done, not just brown

Frozen food that looks golden may still be cold in the middle. Poultry, sausages, burgers and minced meat products must be cooked all the way through, with no pink meat and clear juices. When you reheat a ready-cooked frozen product, it should be steaming hot all the way through, which means a core temperature of 75 °C. The Food Standards Agency says that 70 °C for 2 minutes or 75 °C for 30 seconds is enough, and a probe thermometer makes it easy to check. Their advice on cooking food safely explains more.

Chips, hash browns and other starchy foods are best cooked to a golden yellow rather than dark brown. This is the FSA's "Go for Gold" advice, and it also stops them tasting bitter.

Foods that need extra care

Raw chicken breasts and large cuts. A frozen chicken breast can burn outside while the middle is still raw. It is safer to thaw it fully in the fridge first and follow the chicken breast timings.

Sausages. Frozen sausages cook well without pricking. Start at 180 °C and turn them twice. Thick sausages need up to 22 minutes.

Fish. Breaded fish is cooked straight from frozen. Plain frozen fillets can go in from frozen too, but the thickest part must flake easily and be hot all the way through.

Pizza. Use a pizza that fits the basket with a little space around it. If the cheese is browning too fast, lower the heat by 10 °C.

Anything with a sauce or filling. Pies, pasties and filled parcels take longer than their outside suggests. Check that the centre is steaming hot.

Typical mistakes

1. Overfilling the basket. Crowded chips turn soft instead of crisp.
2. Using the oven time. Pack times assume an oven. Air fryers usually need 20–30% less, and a shorter first check saves overcooking.
3. Lining the whole basket. Blocking the holes stops the air circulating. Read baking paper in the air fryer before lining it.
4. Forgetting to clean up. Crumbs and grease left in the basket smoke at the next use, so follow how to clean an air fryer.

Frequently asked questions

Can you cook frozen sausages in an air fryer?

Yes. Cook pork sausages at 180 °C for 16–18 minutes, turning twice, until browned and cooked through with no pink inside. See frozen sausages for chipolatas and thick sausages.

How long do frozen chips take in an air fryer?

Straight-cut oven chips take 15–18 minutes at 200 °C, shaking halfway. Skinny chips are ready in 10–12 minutes and chunky ones in 18–22 minutes at 190 °C.

Do you need to defrost food before using the air fryer?

Not for most products. Chips, nuggets, fish fingers, burgers and pizza cook best from frozen. Large raw items, such as chicken breasts, are safer thawed in the fridge first.

Can you cook frozen burgers in an air fryer?

Yes, at 180 °C for 12–14 minutes, flipping once. The centre must be steaming hot with no pink meat. Take a look at the burger recipe for details.

Is it better to cook frozen food at a lower temperature?

Dense or thick foods, such as sausages and salmon, do better at 180 °C so the middle catches up. Thin, breaded food crisps well at 200 °C.

Can you cook frozen food in foil?

Only in small amounts, and never covering the whole basket. See foil and baking paper in an air fryer.