Name: Air fryer cheese fries
Prep time: 3 min
Cook time: 15 min
Ingredients: 400g frozen fries; 60g cheddar cheese (I used a mix of different spiced cheddars)

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Using an air fryer is such a simple way to make a delicious, tasty, and even fun dinner. These air fryer cheese fries are super tasty and a hit with everyone in my home! I love to use air fryer frozen french fries, to speed up the process and lower the effort a little, but this post has both methods so read on!

Whether cooking a simple air fryer side dish or cooking a full roast dinner I love how crispy my air fryer makes everything. Follow my air fryer tips if you want to maximise the deliciousness of your recipes and lower cook time.

My air fryer allows me to make simple dinners for my 6-year-old and with very minimal fuss too. While I do enjoy making a slow cooker dinner too my daughter just loves crispy fries, like most children, and these cheese fries are one of her absolute favourite dishes. Especially if I serve with air fryer frozen chicken nuggets!

I almost always have frozen French fries on hand in the freezer, and cheese in the fridge, so it takes me just a few seconds to prep this meal and get it cooking.

A portion of air fryer cheese fries - cooked french fries topped with cheddar cheese mix

Ingredients for air fryer cheese fries:

A bag of frozen french fries.

Cheese of choice (grate it yourself to avoid caking agents that can impact the melting of the cheese).

That’s it..! (Who would’ve thought it, a ‘recipe’ that is really as simple as it sounds!)

When you’re wanting to make your fries a little more interesting then I love to use some garlic powder, salt, black pepper and a little bit of spray vegetable oil too to coat the fries. A lot of frozen french fries come with a coating on them already so just check this first.

Something to note about air fryer recipes is that all air fryers have different sizes, depths and as such the cooking times can vary. All air fryer recipes on this website are intended as a guide, and not a guarantee that the timings will be perfect. Enjoy!

Air fryer tortilla pizza on baking paper

Method for cheese fries in the air fryer:

Frozen fries method:

Take your frozen french fries and fill one layer of the air fryer basket.

Cook at 200C (390F) for 12 minutes. Shake at least once during the cooking process to avoid them sticking to the air fryer basket.

Add a layer of cheese to the top of your cookies french fries and then air fry at 200C for another 3 minutes. This should be sufficient to melt the cheese beautifully. You can also use either nacho cheese sauce or a squeezy bottled cheese sauce. You can find these in most UK supermarkets.

Handmade frozen fries method:

If you want to make your own french fries then check out my air fryer chips recipe and follow those instructions. Once your chips are ready then you can add the cheese to the top and serve and enjoy.

A stack of three fruit scones on a glass cake dish, alongside one fruit scone that has been sliced in half and dressed with cream and fruit jam, with text underneath that says 20+ air fryer desserts

How long do you cook frozen french fries in air fryer?

When I switch the air fryer on I don’t pre-heat it and I just set it to 20C below the recommended temperature on the packet. I set the air fryer to half of the quoted cooking time initially and I usually find that this is sufficient for french fries.

Halfway through I check the frozen french fries and shake up at least once. This prevents them sticking.

I find that 200C / 12 minutes is usually perfect for crispy, golden delicious french fries.

I feel that 12 minutes at 200C is usually about right for the perfect frozen french fries.little more.

What fries to use for air fryer cheese fries?

I use french fries but you can use other chips instead. Steak cut chips, crinkle cut chips, even sweet potato fries will all work great for this recipe, just update the cooking time a little. French fries are pretty much the fastest chips to cook, besides shoestring fries, and that is why I tend to use these for air fryer cheese fries.

Air fryer frozen onion rings in a metal bowl

What is the best cheese to use for air fryer cheese fries?

Personally I love to use cheddar cheese. I grate it myself, to make sure it’s not full of caking agents which can impact the melting of the cheese.

I also love to use parmesan cheese too, this works great, but really you can use just about any cheese if you can grate it.

What sauces work well with cheese fries?

Blue cheese sauce is really interesting with these cheese fries. I also love garlic mayonnaise, buffalo sauce, ranch dressing, sour cream, tomato and chili salsa, guacamole, brown sugar BBQ sauce or just plain old tomato ketchup.

When I want something really special I’ll defrost some of my roasted tomato pizza sauce and enjoy that poured all over – yum!

Air fryer onions - one bowl of grilled style onions and one bowl of crispy onions. In the background is a bratwurst in a bun decorated with sauerkraut

What toppings work well with cheese fries?

Topping these fries basically makes them loaded fries. I’ve got a recipe for those too, but if you want to jazz your cheese fries up then chopped spring onions bring a welcome crunch. I love to cook air fryer bacon too, cook it until it is extra crispy and then I break it up into lots of little pieces.

Shredded chicken breast is tasty, I love to use air fryer cajun chicken, and jalapeños bring a welcome hit of spice to the top.

Are air fryer french fries healthy?

They aren’t the healthiest when you use frozen ones, however, if you make from scratch, and keep the dressings on the lighter side, then yes, they’re surprisingly healthy. Especially companies to chips from the chip shop or cooking frozen chips.

two pieces of air fryer hunters chicken on parchment paper in a white enamel baking dish. In the background there are air fryer green beans and air fryer hasselback potatoes

How to air fry cheese fries in Ninja Foodi

I use the air fryer setting on my OL750UK Ninja Foodi to get these chips perfect and melt the cheese so well!

Follow the method mentioned above as no other changes should be required based on specific models.

Do you need to defrost frozen french fries before air frying?

Absolutely not. I always cook from frozen, at a high temperature, 200C, and get great crispy delicious results.

If you’ve got defrosted french fries, or even the fresh ones you can buy in the supermarket now, then take 1/3 off the cooking time as a minimum and keep a close eye on them.

Two chicken breasts that have been dressed with paprika, chopped rosemary, garlic and olive oil and cooked in the air fryer. The chicken breasts are in a white enamel dish

Want to cook the cheese fries from Aldi or Lidl in the air fryer?

Some of the food items in Aldi and Lidl have air fryer cooking instructions on them but if the box you have doesn’t then just start with reducing the temperature by 20C and halving the cooking time. From there you can build up to 2/3 of the cooking time if required.

Want to know what to serve these cheese fries with?

I love to serve with air fryer frozen halloumi fries, air fryer green beans or even air fryer garlic bread. If you’re laying on a spread then I have a whole host of air fryer recipes you might like.

A Ninja Foodi OL750UK multi-cooker on a kitchen worktop.

How to make cheese fries in the air fryer: