The Best Way to Cook Frozen French Fries, According to Our Tests

There are plenty of foods I always make from scratch, knowing that the effort is worth it. French fries aren’t included in that category. I rarely ever start with actual potatoes that I cut into uniform batons, soak in cold water, blot dry, and cook. Instead, I typically reach for a bag of fries from the freezer — conveniently prepped and ready to go. 

Depending on my mood or what I’m serving the fries with, I might bake, air-fry, or deep-fry them. But I’ve never systematically pitted one method against the other, tasting them side by side to see which one delivers the best results. Until now, that is — and the results shocked me. Read on for my method notes, the pros and cons of each technique, and the ways I’ll be cooking frozen fries from now on.

A word about my method

For all of the tests, I used Ore-Ida Crispy Straight-Cut Fries, which won the best classic category in our frozen french fry taste test. These fries are not super-skinny like a shoestring fry, not too chunky like a steak fry, but instead a happy medium between those two styles. I cooked a pound of fries for each test, which was half of a bag. This amount was ideal because it didn’t overcrowd a sheet pan or an air fryer basket.

For the three oven methods, I used the same oven for cooking, with an oven thermometer inside to ensure the temperature was accurate, and I cooked the fries on the same heavy-duty half sheet pan. For the two air fryer tests, I used a basket-style model.
The flavor remained mostly consistent among all the tests, so the biggest factor in my ratings was the texture. I enlisted the help of my sons, self-proclaimed french fry aficionados, who were home from college when I tested. 

Baked on a preheated pan

Cook time: 22 minutes
Total time: 32 minutes (includes preheating time)
Rating: 5/10

Method: Following the logic that preheating a sheet pan before adding the food works well for roasted vegetables, I decided to try this method for frozen french fries. I simply placed my pan in the oven and set it to preheat to 425°F per the package instructions. I then added the frozen fries to the hot pan and set a timer for 22 minutes, the lower end of the package instructions.

Results: Unlike roasted vegetables, frozen fries do not benefit from being cooked on a preheated pan. The fries’ exterior seemed a little tough, as if the extra shock of heat created a tough skin. And the more the fries cooled, the tougher and chewier that skin became. 

Pros: None, really. This method neither decreased the cook time nor benefited the texture.

Cons: Aside from the textural problems, this method also requires extra caution so you don’t burn yourself when adding the fries to the hot pan.

Microwave-thawed and baked

Cook time: 16 minutes (includes microwave thawing time)
Total time: 26 minutes (includes preheating time)
Rating: 6/10

Method: The idea with this method is to speed up the cooking process by thawing the fries briefly in the microwave before baking them. You arrange the fries on a microwave-safe plate and microwave on HIGH for 90 seconds. And then you’re supposed to be able to decrease the package instructions’ baking time by about half, which would be 11 to 12 minutes.

Results: I used my 1,100-watt microwave, and after 90 seconds on HIGH, the fries felt cool to the touch and seemed thawed. I placed them in an oven heated to 425°F and checked them after 11 minutes, but they were still very pale and limp. I ended up cooking them an additional 4 minutes (15 minutes total) to achieve a crispy texture. Although the results of this method were better than the previous one, the fries still had some textural problems, ending up a bit limp with a slightly tough exterior.

Pros: This method does speed up the cooking process, shaving off about 6 minutes.

Cons: The fries end up slightly tough and not as crisp as other methods.

Baked on an unheated pan

Cook time: 24 minutes
Total time: 34 minutes (includes preheating time)
Rating: 7/10

Method: The technique here is to simply follow the package directions for oven-baking: Preheat the oven to 425°F, arrange the fries in a single layer on a sheet pan, and bake for 22 to 24 minutes. I checked the fries at 22 minutes and cooked for another couple of minutes to get them crispier.

Results: Despite my stirring the fries after 12 minutes, they ended up a little unevenly cooked — some got crunchy and more browned than others. But overall they had a lightly crisped exterior and pleasantly fluffy interior. This was a surprisingly solid method that requires no special cooking equipment or technique.

Pros: This method is easy, doesn’t require special equipment, and is mostly hands-off.

Cons: The fries seemed obviously oven-baked — they lacked the distinct crispiness that the top three methods achieved.

Air-fried

Cook time: 12 minutes
Total time: 17 minutes (includes preheating time)
Rating: 8/10

Method: For this test, I followed the package instructions. I preheated my air-fryer (a basket-style model) at 400°F for 5 minutes. I then poured the fries into the basket and air-fried them for 12 minutes, shaking the basket after 5 minutes. The instructions say to air-fry for 8 to 10 minutes, but I felt that the fries needed a little longer and cooked them an additional 2 minutes. 

Results: The fries came out with a good texture — medium crispiness on the outside and a light and fluffy, baked potato–like interior. 

Pros: This is the quickest method I tested and doesn’t involve the messy cleanup of deep-frying.

Cons: An air fryer is a piece of specialty equipment that many people do not own.

Roughed-up, microwaved, and air-fried

Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 21 minutes
Rating: 10/10

Method: I saw this method on Instagram and I was immediately intrigued. Despite the video recommending steak fries and microwaving food in plastic, I tried the technique with the same straight-cut fries I used in all my other tests and opted for glass and ceramic options for the microwave. I placed the fries in a microwave-safe container (a glass bowl), covered them with water, and let them stand for 30 seconds. Then I drained the water, covered the container (with a microwave-safe plate), and shook aggressively to rough up the potatoes. Keeping the container covered, I microwaved on HIGH for 5 minutes. Then I transferred the potatoes to an air fryer basket and air-fried at 400°F for 15 minutes, shaking the basket once or twice.

Results: This method was a game changer! I was blown away by the results, which tied for first place. They were a dead ringer for double-fried french fries without the mess of frying. These fries were more deeply browned than any of the others and were impressively and audibly crunchy, with a light and fluffy interior. Perhaps even more impressive is that they stayed that crunchy as they cooled, maintaining their texture even at room temperature. And these fries would’ve been the sole winner, had there not been another method that delivered equally impressive, top-notch results.

Pros: The texture you get from this method is fantastic and it doesn’t require you to deep-fry the food.

Cons: It’s a process, for sure, involving several steps, a microwave, and an air fryer, but the results are worth it.

Deep-fried

Cook time: 8 minutes 
Total time: 20 minutes (includes preheating time)
Rating: 10/10

Method: I went back to the package directions for this test, using a Dutch oven for frying instead of the electric deep fryer that they suggest. I heated about 4 cups of canola oil in my pot to 375°F and cooked the fries in two batches so as not to overcrowd the pan and make the oil’s temperature plummet. I fried each batch for 4 minutes, then drained the fries on a paper towel–lined plate.

Results: These fries are what you want and expect from french fries, with an iconic buttery flavor and crisp outer shell. The texture wasn’t as crunchy as the other winning method, but it was wonderfully crisp on the outside and pillowy inside. And although they were deep-fried, these fries didn’t feel greasy or leave an oily mouthfeel thanks to frying in batches so the oil’s temperature didn’t drop. These are the fries that you think of when you daydream about fries, which is why they share the top spot with the other winning technique.

Pros: It’s a relatively quick method that achieves delicious, fast-food–type texture and flavor.

Cons: Deep-frying is messy and hot oil splatters are dangerous.

Final takeaways

If you want peak fast-food–style fries at home and don’t mind the cleanup, deep-frying gives you a beautifully crisp shell with a pillowy center in about 20 minutes total. But if you’d rather avoid a pot of oil, the rough-up, microwave, air-fry method is a revelation: extra-deep browning, real crunch, and impressive staying power as the fries cool. For speed with minimal mess, straightforward air-frying is a strong runner-up. Standard oven-baking works in a pinch, but skip the preheated-pan approach — it toughens the exterior without adding crispness.

Follow two simple rules no matter the method: Don’t overcrowd, and shake or turn once or twice for even browning. Do that and your frozen fries will taste far closer to the basket you’re craving.