Cooking frozen fish sticks in an air fryer is the best way to get your fish sticks golden, crispy, and crunchy, without deep frying or waiting for the oven. Fish sticks cooked in the air fryer come out perfect every time, take less time than traditional cooking methods, and are healthier than deep-fried fish sticks. A quick and easy lunch or snack, frozen fish sticks in air fryer is a great way get comfortable using your fryer.
Air Fryer Fish Sticks
When people get a new air fryer, the first thing most of them do is go out and grab a whole bunch of frozen snacks and treats to fry up. No longer do you need to wait for a huge vat of oil to warm up like you did with your deep fryer, the air fryer takes the oil out of the equation but still allows you to get that crisp and crunch that frying creates.
And while fish sticks were not one of the first things we cooked with our air fryer, they were on the list. A simple food, we were sure the frozen fish stick in air fryer would be a hit - even without any small children in our home.
While fish sticks may not be up there on the list of the 10 most healthy food available, there are some ways you can take your frozen fish sticks up a notch or two. Read the labels in the store before you buy and choose brands that are made without artificial ingredients or organic. And remember, you won't be submerging your frozen fish sticks in a vat of oil either. 😉
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Cooking frozen fish stick in the air fryer means you won't be deep frying in oil but you will still end up with a crispy, crunchy, and golden fish stick.
- Air fried frozen fish sticks cook up in less time than deep-frying and a lot less time than baking.
- Frozen fish sticks in the air fryer make a great lunch, afternoon snack, or quick dinner for busy weeknights.
Serve the frozen fish sticks in air fryer with even more air fryer snacks! Why not turn it into a snack party? Some ideas include air fryer pizza rolls, air fryer frozen mozzarella sticks, and air fryer kale chips. And for even more dinner ideas try our air fryer frozen breaded fish.
Be sure to read our post and download our cheat sheet on air fryer cook times for the 50 most popular air fryer foods.
Ingredients
Grab your favorite brand of frozen fish sticks made f, some cooking spray (if you need it), and get your air fryer warming up because we are about to create crispy, crunchy, and golden fish sticks in your air fryer!
- ½ lb to 1 lb frozen fish sticks - how many will fit depends on your air fryer model
- Cooking spray or oil- just use for an aluminum basket, do not put on a non-stick one
- Optional sauces- tartar sauce, ketchup
Needed Supplies
An Air Fryer- We have an Omni Plus oven style air fryer and a small 3.2L Farberware basket style air fryer.
Be sure to read our post and download our cheat sheet on air fryer cook times for the 50 most popular air fryer foods.
Making Fish Sticks (Air Fryer Method)
Be sure to read through the steps before you start cooking. While cooking frozen fish sticks in air fryer may seem pretty easy, we are including some tips that will ensure your fish sticks come out amazing the very first time!
Temperature
We love to cook the majority of our air fryer snacks on 400F. We have found that it's the perfect temperature to create light and crispy air fried fish sticks with breading as quickly as possible.
Preheat your air fryer to 400F for 3-5 minutes.
If you're using a non-stick unit like our Farberware air fryer, do NOT add cooking spray to the basket. If you have an air fryer oven with an aluminum basket, it IS fine to add a spritz of cooking oil or cooking spray to help prevent sticking.
Lay the frozen fish sticks in air fryer in a single layer in the preheated air fryer with a little room to breathe on all sides. You don't want to stack the breaded fish sticks because it prevents them from getting as crispy and may leave some spots undercooked.
Cooking Time
Cooking the air fryer frozen fish sticks takes about 10 minutes. We did NOT need to flip these in our basket style air fryer, it did a good job browning both sides, but you can flip the fish sticks if preferred. It should take most air fryers 9-10 minutes to get fish sticks lightly crisp. If you prefer your frozen fish sticks to be browner, it is fine to add a little additional cook time - just be sure to keep an eye on them.
We suggest checking the air fryer fish sticks with breading after 5 minutes of cooking to make sure it is evenly cooking, if yours aren't, by all means, you can flip them over to get them evenly brown and crisp.
Serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauce like ketchup or tartar sauce. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Keep your frozen fish sticks or fish fingers in the freezer until the air fryer has had time to preheat.
- Some models do not recommend cooking sprays as it can potentially damage the basket, so read the directions that came with your air fryer.
- To cook frozen fish, there needs some air between them, so be sure not to overcrowd your fryer and cook the frozen foods in single layers. Cook in batches if necessary.
Common Questions
How to Reheat Fish Sticks in an Air Fryer?
Preheat air fryer to 400F. Lay the fish sticks in a single layer and cook 1-2 minutes on one side until warm and crisp again. They reheat fast, so keep an eye on them so they don't start to burn.
What to Serve with Fish Sticks?
Frozen fish sticks are a great option for a quick snack or meal. If you want to create a meal around your frozen fish sticks, consider these options:
- Air fryer sweet potato fries
- Air fryer mozzarella sticks
- Air fryer french fries
- Air fryer kale chips
- Veggies slices or a veggie platter - cucumbers, carrots, peppers, cherry tomatoes, broccoli (with or without dip)
- Salad
- Make fish tacos!
How Long to Air Fry Fish Sticks?
Fish sticks in an air fryer take about 10 minutes to cook at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. The cooking time can vary based on your model of air fryer and also the desired degree of doneness.
More Air Fryer Snacks
- Air fryer sweet potato fries
- Air fryer pizza rolls
- Jalapeno poppers in an air fryer
- Air fryer Chicken wings from frozen
Please leave a review if you make our air fryer fish recipe! We love feedback from readers, plus it helps others too.
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And pin the air fryer frozen fish sticks recipe for later on Pinterest so you can easily get back to it!
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Frozen Fish Sticks in Air Fryer
Frozen fish sticks in air fryer is the perfect way to create crispy, crunch, and golden fish sticks!
Ingredients
- ½ lb to 1 lb frozen fish sticks
- Cooking spray or oil
- Optional sauces- tartar sauce, ketchup
Instructions
- Preheat your air fryer to 400F for 3-5 minutes.
- Optional - Lightly spray your air fryer basket (check your fryer's recommendations before using oil or spray).
- Place your frozen fish sticks in a single layer in your basket, leaving space between the sticks.
- Air fry for 9-10 minutes, checking after 5 minutes for even cooking.
- Serve immediately with your favorite sauce!
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