Air Fryer Fish Sticks

Air fryer frozen fish sticks are WAY better than cooking them in your oven, and faster. This way you’ll get ultra crunchy crispy battered fish in just a few minutes with Gortons or Van deCamps bite size dinner pieces right out of the freezer. 

Have you tried cooking frozen fish sticks this way yet?? The crunch you get in this machine is over the top compared to baking them in your oven. Air fryer recipes are game changers y’all! (affiliate links present)

Ready for something that’s going to blow your mind?? Seriously I will never bake these again. They are way better than heating up your oven, and whole house, and take way less time too. Just like at a restaurant, great texture and ready for crunching.

I mean if you are anything like me you’re ready to see for yourself but need guidance on the timing and a few tips, we’re here to help. When we have had a really busy day and all I have time for is frozen food for dinner this is what my kids ask for, every time.

This may seem silly. You might think “why would I bother, I’ve always made these on a baking sheet and they’re just fine.” Let me convince you otherwise. I thought the same exact thing at the beginning of this whole journey. My husband was super into trying this new hot air appliance and I was not sure I really needed something else on my countertop. He made me believer and I will show you as well…….Okay?

How Long to Air Fry Fish Sticks

You are going to want 9-10 minutes generally to cook fish perfectly. This doesn’t count the 5 minutes it will take to pre heat the air fryer basket initially so 15 total if you are timing out your meal.

You know the difference between making them at home and getting them at a restaurant? The texture is the biggest difference right? I mean the flavor is all pretty much the same, unless you make them homemade. Right out of the box most brands all taste the same. It is the CRUNCH that makes you want seconds and thirds.

Well, using a hot air machine will get you pretty close to that…and like I said, won’t heat up your entire house when it is hot outside already.

Cooking Tips

One important thing to remember when cooking these is to make sure they do not overlap. If they do they won’t get really crunchy because not all sides will “feel” the hot air on every side. Flipping halfway is vital to getting the perfect crunchy texture too. For extra crunch spray with olive oil for before the last minute.

Ninja Foodi Option

For this machine you will use the lid that is attached with the air crisp button on the front. The cook time and temperature will remain the same as below.

Notes

Box of regular sized frozen fish sticks were used here. Air fryer is necessary too of course. Timing varies based on whether you’re using larger beer battered fish versions or not because they are thicker. This is based on “regular” sizes you see here

As I mention in our tips and tricks to getting the crispiest ever Air fryer frozen chicken nuggets, you may want a light spray of olive oil the last minute. I do like a bit of non stick cooking spray for the basket also to make sure they slide out. Salt and pepper when done is optional for flavor.

What are the best fish sticks?

That probably depends on whom you ask really, but when a questionnaire was thrown out there these were the results: The best were Van de Kamp’s crunchy style which is what we used. Gorton’s came in 2nd and we really like their beer battered versions Trident Seafoods has an ultimate style that ranks high as well

Can you air fry homemade fish sticks?

Yes, you can slice thawed fish into strips and then follow our air fryer tilapia or air fryer catfish recipes from there. Dry with paper towels to remove moisture. Dip into a bowl with a whisked egg and press bread crumbs or almond flour mixture on the outside. Air fry it for 4-6 minutes and done! Serve inside air fryer fish tacos with our cilantro lime sauce and dinner is done.

For little fingers, make air fryer fish nuggets. Printable recipe card with nutritional information will vary with these. If you want non-breaded follow our frozen fish in an air fryer directions.

Other Frozen Foods in Air Fryer You’ll Love

Then we went on to make frozen mozzarella sticks in air fryer that day and they were way better than even those at the fair that I love! We just kept going after we made both of these and made things like frozen air fryer corn dogs and frozen onion rings in air fryer.They’re MUCH better “baked” this way because it’s faster and the overall crunch is amazing.