How to Make Frozen French Fries Extra Crispy in the Air Fryer

There’s a stubborn little gap between the freezer aisle and restaurant-quality fries: sogginess. This method closes it by combining three simple levers—an immediate blast of high heat from a preheated air fryer, a whisper-thin cornstarch envelope that crisps the surface, and disciplined airflow through single-layer cooking and regular shaking. The cornstarch doesn’t change the flavor so much as change the texture: it dries and browns faster than plain frozen starch and gives a delicate, shatteringly crisp skin that holds up under a squeeze of ketchup or a swipe of aioli.

This recipe is written for people who want reliably great fries without babysitting a skillet or heating an oven for half an hour. It’s forgiving—use it with shoestrings, shoestring-style, wedges, or seasoned crinkle cuts—though timing will vary slightly by thickness. Finish with fine salt right out of the fryer so the crystals stick, let them rest a minute to set the crust, and you’ll get hot, crunchy fries that are noticeably closer to fry-shop quality than standard frozen-bag instructions.