Frozen Food Air Fryer Times (°C): Chips, Pizza, Fish, Pies

Frozen food and air fryers are a natural match. Most freezer staples are already part-cooked and coated in oil, so the air fryer only needs to heat them through and crisp the outside — no preheating a big oven for a handful of fish fingers.

The times below are starting points for typical UK supermarket products. Packs vary in size and thickness, and air fryers vary in power, so check early the first time.

Ground rules for frozen food

A few habits make a big difference to how frozen food turns out:

• Cook straight from frozen unless the pack says to defrost. Defrosting breaded food makes it soggy.
• Do not add oil to oven chips or breaded products — they are already coated.
• Spread food in a single layer with space between pieces, and cook in batches if needed.
• Shake or turn halfway through.
• Check that anything containing meat, fish or poultry is steaming hot all the way through before serving.

Chips and potatoes

Thin fries cook fastest; chunky and steak-cut chips need the top of the range. All at 200°C.

• French fries / skinny fries: 12–16 minutes
• Standard oven chips: 15–20 minutes
• Chunky or steak-cut chips: 18–22 minutes
• Frozen roast potatoes: 20–25 minutes
• Potato waffles: 8–10 minutes, turning once
• Hash browns: 10–12 minutes
• Sweet potato fries: 12–15 minutes (they catch quickly, so watch the last few minutes)

Fish and chicken

Coated fish and chicken products are designed to be cooked from frozen. If you are cooking raw, uncoated frozen chicken pieces, the safest approach is to defrost them in the fridge first unless the packaging specifically gives cook-from-frozen instructions.

• Fish fingers: 8–10 minutes at 200°C
• Breaded or battered fish fillets: 12–16 minutes at 200°C
• Chicken nuggets: 8–10 minutes at 200°C
• Breaded chicken fillets / goujons: 12–15 minutes at 190°C
• Chicken kievs: 18–22 minutes at 180°C
• Fishcakes: 12–15 minutes at 190°C

Tip: Chicken kievs need the lower temperature and longer time so the inside cooks before the crumb burns. Check the centre is piping hot — a probe thermometer should read at least 75°C.

Pizza, pies and pastry

Pastry and pizza bases brown fast in an air fryer, so a slightly lower temperature works better than a full blast.

• Small or individual frozen pizza: 8–12 minutes at 180°C
• Garlic bread slices: 5–7 minutes at 180°C
• Sausage rolls: 12–15 minutes at 180°C
• Individual pies (puff pastry): 20–25 minutes at 180°C
• Pasties: 20–25 minutes at 180°C
• Spring rolls and samosas: 8–12 minutes at 190°C

Vegetables and sides

Plain frozen veg can go in from frozen with a light spray of oil and seasoning. Expect them to be roasted and slightly charred rather than steamed.

• Frozen broccoli or cauliflower: 10–14 minutes at 190°C
• Frozen mixed peppers: 10–12 minutes at 190°C
• Onion rings: 8–10 minutes at 200°C
• Yorkshire puddings (ready-made): 3–5 minutes at 200°C
• Frozen sweetcorn cobs: 12–15 minutes at 200°C

Converting oven instructions on the pack

Many packs now carry air fryer instructions, and these are your best guide. If there are only oven instructions, a common rule of thumb is to cook about 20°C lower and for around 20–25% less time, then check.

For example, if the pack says 25 minutes at 220°C in a fan oven, start with about 19–20 minutes at 200°C, checking at 15 minutes. Remember that the pack's oven temperature may be for a conventional oven; fan oven temperatures are already around 20°C lower, so adjust from the fan figure if both are given.

Mixing foods in one basket

To cook chips and fish fingers together, start the chips first and add the fish fingers for the final 8–10 minutes so everything finishes at once. Always keep raw meat products away from ready-to-eat foods in the basket, and do not add cooked food to a basket where raw chicken is still cooking.

General information only. Check product labels and manufacturer instructions before you start.