The 16 Best Frozen Foods to Cook in Your Air Fryer

If you’re among the hoards of people who are all aboard the Air Fryer Express, you’ll see many members of The Kitchn on that same train. Of course, we food editors are busy creating recipes for all sorts of foods to make from scratch in our favorite new appliance, the air fryer. We tend to overlook one of its most well-suited applications: heating up frozen snack-y foods. 

It’s the kind of food you might order as an appetizer at an Applebee’s or a TGI Fridays, or maybe the local pub down the block. Bar food! Which is — when the dust settles — really just great fried food.

When we buy that frozen bag of wings or poppers or fries, we usually have the choice of cooking them in the oven (fine, but we have notes), cooking them in the microwave (usually not the best, but edible), or deep-frying them (a whole chore in itself). This is where the air fryer shines! You get all of the crispiness and flavor, little or no additional fat, near-instant gratification, and easy cleanup. It’s as close to magic as you can get, we think.

Illustrating the popularity of the air fryer, some frozen foods now have instructions for using this appliance right on the package, and I think we will see more of this in the months to come. Meanwhile, for a general rule of thumb, set the air fryer at 400°F and start checking smaller items at around eight minutes, larger items around 10 minutes, and give the basket a nice shimmy and shake halfway through the cooking to redistribute the food, which will give it a chance to brown and crisp up evenly.

And one more thing to note: In general we find that foods fried in the air fryer are significantly better when eaten while hot. They tend to harden up a bit as they cool, not unlike foods cooked in more traditional ways, but in a more pronounced way. So have your hungry fans nearby, and your dipping sauces at the ready when the buzzer goes off.

Got it? And now, here are some of the best frozen groceries that I have been air frying lately.

I was almost too curious to see what might happen when a soft pretzel was cooked in an air fryer.  It was certainly interesting (in a good way) — the crust was a little crispier than when cooked in a conventional oven (and certainly crisper than when cooked in a microwave), but the inside was still nice and soft, something that can’t be guaranteed in the microwave. I will be doing this again.

Buy: SuperPretzel Soft Pretzel Bites, $3.51 for 12 ounces at Instacart

One of my favorite breakfasts of all time is Trader Joe’s spin on the popular Brazilian dish, pão de queijo. You know when you get a pizza with those glutenous, fluffy, slightly toasty bubbles in the crust (my favorite)? That is very similar to the eating experience of pão de queijo, but with the addition of nutty Parmesan cheese. While the box doesn’t have directions for the air fryer (the best and quickest way to prepare them IMHO), they’ll just need a brisk six or seven minutes at 350ºF to get perfectly crisp and cheesy.

Find it in stores: Trader Joe’s Brazilian Style Cheese Bread, $4.49 for 11 ounces at Trader Joe’s

Laugh if you must, but you might not be laughing so hard after you’ve experienced a Four Cheese Pizza Hot Pocket cooked in an air fryer (skip the crisping sleeve). Parmesan, cheddar, provolone, and mozzarella in a crispy crust is so good that it nearly made me mad. And, if you’ve never heard Jim Gaffigan’s famous Hot Pockets comedy set, you have missed out on an iconic part of American Food Humor. (It’s also something you’ll be singing here on out as you wait for your Hot Pockets to finish crisping up in the air fryer.)

Buy: Hot Pockets Four Cheese Pizza Sandwiches, $3.39 for 8.5 ounces at Kroger

Crispy on the outside, molten cheesy loveliness on the inside, these taste-test winning mozzarella sticks are one of the best reasons to own an air fryer. I spent a certain amount of time determining whether I liked them better with marinara sauce or salsa for dipping. I will have to get back to you on this.

Buy: Farm Rich Breaded Mozzarella Sticks, $8.79 for 22 ounces at Amazon

Trader Joe’s has long had a special talent for combining so many of my favorite words in one product, and these snackable, pickle-y corndogs are no exception (especially when popped into the air fryer for about eight to 10 minutes). The Perfectly Pickled Pups are a mouthful in more ways than one, and have pickle seasoning infused into the cornbread batter that is subtle enough to not scare away even the very pickle-averse.

Find it in stores: Trader Joe’s Perfectly Pickled Pups, $4.99 for 6.3 ounces at Trader Joe’s 

I will say that these are terrific chicken nuggets from the get-go — whole breast meat pieces, air-chilled, antibiotic-free, flash fried in soybean oil before freezing. They’re just simply an above-average nugget. They perform like champs in the air fryer, with moist, seasoned chicken inside, and a lovely lightly breaded exterior, which crisp up a bit more when they rest post-air fryer for just a quick minute. They taste like good restaurant-caliber chicken nuggets, promise.

Buy: Bell & Evans Breaded Chicken Breast Nuggets, $8.85 for 12 ounces at Publix

I know, you might be thinking: Two nuggets on this list? I can explain! It doesn’t matter how old or childless I am, I will always have a bag of fun-shaped chicken nuggets in the freezer. Sometimes you need a fast track to nostalgic comforting dinners of your youth, and only dino nuggets will do. Especially these chef-approved Yummy Dino Buddies (both Dino and Alphabet-shapes are my forever favorites) that remain juicy yet crispy after a quick trip in the air fryer (400 degrees for six to seven minutes). BTW, they’re perfect dragged through some ketchup or topped on a salad for a grown-up twist.

Buy: Yummy Alphabet-Shaped Chicken Breast Nuggets, $8.99 for 35 ounces at Aldi 

These tapioca dough pastries are flaky on the outside, savory on the inside, and a lovely change of pace from other stuffed snacks. Try beef and bean, black bean and cheddar, chickpea veggie, or chicken and cheese for your next favorite party snack.

Buy: Brazi Bites Chicken & Cheese Empanadas, $5.19 for 10 ounces at Kroger 

The filling for these is juicy and flavorful and nicely packed with tender chicken, cabbage, and scallions. While the air fryer gives the exterior dough wrapper a nice firm, chewy-crispy texture with some definitive browned spots. My only quibble with these is that I wish the box was double the size. But that’s just me!

Buy: P.F. Chang’s Chicken Dumplings, $3.99 for 8.2 ounces at Target

When you’re accustomed to good, crispy restaurant-caliber egg rolls, the air fryer is the only way to do it at home as far as I’m concerned. Here, the P.F. Chang’s Chicken Egg Rolls’ crust gets nice and layered and flaky in the air fryer, plus the inside is really well-seasoned — so much so that I almost always forget to warm the sweet and sour sauce for dipping.

Buy: P.F. Chang’s Chicken Egg Rolls, $3.99 for 8.8 ounces at Target

Potato skins are the first thing I order when at a sports bar, yet something I never make at home — until the air fryer, that is. These loaded skins browned up really nicely and had great textural play. (Pro tip: Make sure to scoop up those bits of shredded cheese and bacon that may have fallen to the bottom of the bag and replenish the potato skins so they are cheesy and full.) Farm Rich’s French Toast Sticks, Crispy Dill Pickles, and Cheddar Cheese Curds are on deck to try soon!

Buy: Farm Rich Loaded Potato Skins, $6.68 for 14.3 ounces at Walmart

Oh, you knew I was going to recommend tater tots in the air fryer. Go all in and grab the extra-crispy kind, because YES, let’s double down. I’ve cooked them at seven minutes (cooked through) and nine minutes; they’re good at both, but do yourself a favor and keep them in the full nine. You do have to let them sit for just a minute no matter what, so you don’t burn your mouth and because that’s the time it takes for the extra-crispy crust to firm up.

Buy: Ore-Ida Extra Crispy Tater Tots, $5.99 for 28 ounces at Instacart

Okay yeah, you also knew there had to be onion rings on this list, especially Alexia’s ultra-crispy onion rings. These particular rings are proof life should come with a side of onion rings. Made with panko breading and sea salt, they’re best when cooked for about seven minutes so that they’re golden-brown and not too dark.

Buy: Alexia Crispy Onion Rings, $5.99 for 11 ounces at Amazon

It’s never been easier to eat your vegetables, particularly when it’s cauliflower coated in tempura batter, air-fried to golden and crispy perfection, then slicked with a sweet-spicy sauce (and maybe a drizzle of chili crunch for good measure). I’ve been known to forgo the sauce provided and toss these florets with a buttery Buffalo sauce, too, and they’re a pretty delicious canvas for riffing.

Find it in stores: Kung Pao Tempura Cauliflower, $5.49 for 24 ounces at Trader Joe’s 

Seapak is committed to responsible seafood production (you can easily spot the BAP-certified label on the front of its packaging), which is one reason to pick up this brand. Another is that its breaded jumbo shrimp — the size of a silver dollar — get pretty delicious after a 10-minute spin in the air fryer. (I let them brown up a little past golden.) Dip them into a sweet-spicy chili sauce for a fun, party-ready appetizer that is easy yet feels a bit elevated.

Buy: Seapak Jumbo Butterfly Shrimp, $10.75 for 9 ounces at Amazon

These viral, ultra-popular bars very much live up to their name. You’ll take one bite, and then want s’more, and s’more, and then, yes, a little s’more just for good measure. Imagine your best s’more combo but better, and that’s what Trader Joe’s did here: a graham cracker crust stacked with a fudgy brownie that’s then topped with a fluffy marshmallow creme topping. They’re good any way you choose to enjoy them. They can be thawed at room temperature, but I particularly love them in the air fryer for a minute or so to get as toasty as their namesake.

Find it in stores: Trader Joe’s S’Mores Bars, $4.99 for 7.5 ounces at Trader Joe’s

Got an air-fryer friendly frozen food to add to the list? Tell us about it in the comments below.