Air fryer frozen crinkle cut chips - cooking instructions

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Being able to use my Ninja Foodi air fryer setting is SO convenient. It allows me to cook super fast air fryer side dishes, such as air fryer chips from scratch, or even just cook up some tasty frozen goodies when I’m short on time or effort. These air fryer frozen crinkle cut chips are a tasty alternative to frozen french fries, and great for dipping into tomato ketchup too.

I’m a busy working Mum of two girls, 1 and 6, and sometimes I want a super low effort family dinner to serve up. We love to have something like an air fryer pukka pie, or air fryer frozen chicken nuggets, and serve it with baked beans and a green vegetable or two, such as air fryer green beans – just for a bit of healthy balance!

Sometimes I will make a slow cooker dinner, such as slow cooker pulled pork, and then add these to the air fryer just before serving up. That way we have a few different textures, and they’re also delicious in air fryer bread rolls too – yum!

Crinkle cut fries are great fun to eat, and kids love them too! If you want something a little healthier then be sure to try out my air fryer carrot fries. If you want something a little unhealthier then be sure to try these air fryer cheese fries – which are absolutely stunning!

What I love about cooking frozen foods in the air fryer is that I always have them to hand, and on my higher pain days with my chronic illness I am able to still cook a hot meal for my family, with very minimal mess, time or energy required.

If you want to liven up your chips be sure to check out my toppings for chips. This is a great post packed full of fantastic ideas for topping chips or fries.

While you’re here be sure to check out my air fryer tips and tricks. Whether you’re a total beginner to air frying, or just looking to get more from your air fryer, this is sure to help!

Cooked crinkle cut chips in a white and blue striped enamel dish

Ingredients for air fryer frozen crinkle cut chips:

A bag of crinkle cut chips. That’s it..!

If you want to jazz your chips up a little more then use some garlic powder, salt, black pepper and a little olive oil to ensure the fries are coated well. They are also great served with lashings of malt vinegar and salt of course too – the British way!

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 potato recipes - air fryer cheese fries, air fryer diced potatoes, air fryer hasselback potatoes, air fryer frozen potato wedges, air fryer loaded fries and air fryer baked potatoes

Want to make your own crinkle cut chips?

You’ll want this handle *crinkle cutter tool that I own. It makes crinkle cut fries with ease, and you can use it on other vegetables too of course.

Method for air fryer frozen crinkle cut chips:

Most frozen foods cook with ease in the air fryer.

Often, when buying frozen chips or fries, they come with a batter or coating on them already. The ones I purchased had a seasoned outer edge, with a little oil and lots of different nice seasonings, all combined to make them extra tasty and give them that golden brown look easily too.

This means you don’t need to add anything to them before popping them straight in the air fryer basket.

I always feel that frozen fries and chips go SO crispy in the air fryer, possibly because of the enclosed cooking space, and they are miles crispier than I would achieve in the oven.

A cooked air fryer frozen chicken burger in a sesame seed topped bun with burger cheese and tomato ketchup.

How long do you cook frozen crinkle cut chips in air fryer?

Turn your air fryer on and then set it to the cooking time that is recommended for oven cooking, minus 20C (68F approx). If there is a setting for fan ovens then this is usually the perfect temperature for air frying too.

I love to set the timer for half of the oven cooking time initially, which for the thick cut crinkle cut chips I purchased was 12 minutes.

At 12 minutes, at 180C (355F approx) I gave them a big shake, to avoid any sticking, and then turned back on for another 4 minutes.

Total cooking time was 16 minutes, however, this may vary slightly depending on the size and efficiency of your air fryer, as well as the thickness of the chips.

As you can see I’ve gone for a larger cut for this recipe, and so 16 minutes at 180C (355F) was the perfect cooking time.

Always make sure to shake the air fryer basket at least once during cooking, as this will avoid any chips getting stuck to the bottom of the basket and then ripping open when you remove them.

Exercise a little common sense obviously; if you notice something hasn’t browned then cook a little more.

An air fryer basket with loaded frozen french fries. Air fryer loaded fries with minced beef, peppers, tomatoes, onions and nacho cheese sauce

Are crinkle cut chips healthy?

No, not really..! You CAN make them from scratch, if you want to make them healthier – but sometimes you just can’t beat a freezer dinner can you!

What are the best frozen crinkle cut chips for the air fryer?

The Tesco homestyle ones are quite nice on the lower end of the budget, and the McCain home chips are good too.

Frozen churros that have been cooked in the air fryer. Four churros on a black slate board with a glass circular dish with melted chocolate sauce.

How do you make crispy crinkle cut chips in an air fryer?

Go for a bad that has a coating on the chips, as these will crisp up better.

If you want extra crispiness then just turn up to 200C (392F approx) for the final few minutes of the cooking time.

How to air fry frozen crinkle cut chips in Ninja Foodi

Use the crisper plate for cooking your frozen chips to get the best finish.

Follow the time method mentioned above as no other changes should be required based on specific models, which are all very similar.

A row of 6 cooked air fryer hash browns (were frozen) on a brown rectangle serving dish with a white dish filled with tomato ketchup.

Can you air fry frozen chips and other foods together?

Absolutely! Some foods, such as air fryer bacon, will probably stop the fries from crisping up, but others, such as air fryer frozen chicken fries, air fryer grilled cheese and air fryer chicken wings would cook great at the same temperatures!

If you’ve read this, and don’t want to make air fryer frozen crinkle cut chips then why not check out my homemade air fryer potato wedges? So convenient!

Do you need to defrost frozen chips before air frying?

No! Just cook from frozen, at a high temperature, and you’ll save time and effort.

IF you have fresh crinkle cut chips, or have defrosted chips, then reduce the cooking time by a few minutes and check one additional time during the cooking – at least.

An air fryer tuna panini, cooked, cut in half, on a white plate, with halved cherry tomatoes on the side.

What sauce to serve with chips?

My favourite dipping sauce would have to be classic tomato ketchup, but we also love sweet and sour sauce, BBQ sauce, mayonnaise or onion gravy for something a little different.

If you fancy making a little assortment of chicken dishes to accompany these then be sure to look at my air fryer chicken wings, air fryer chicken tikka or even air fryer stuffing balls if you fancy something different.

Do you need oil when cooking these in the air fryer?

No! Most chips already have oil on them, just check the ingredients to see. IF you need to add some oil then use some a little oil in a bowl with the chips, and shake well, to ensure an even coverage.