Can you cook frozen fish in air fryer? You sure can! Air fryer frozen breaded fish fillets take only 12 minutes at 350F (177C) to cook without thawing! You’ll love this quick and simple dinner entrée on busy weeknights. Even novice cooks will have success with this one-ingredient air fryer recipe. Don't miss this easy seafood recipe, with everything you need to know to ensure air frying success!
Let’s make frozen breaded fish in air fryer! It’s pretty much the easiest thing ever.
By the way, it’s totally fine make air fryer frozen fish from the standpoint of food safety. You don’t have to defrost the fish first!
When I was a kid, we’d always get the Van de Kamp’s frozen crispy haddock fillets. Air fryers weren’t a thing back then, and it’s too bad! Air fryers are the BEST way to make frozen breaded fish crispy, with no sogginess at all.
Plus, you can air fry frozen breaded fish filets in about the time it would take to preheat the oven. How’s that for near-instant gratification?
There are a lot of frozen breaded fish options out there! Gorton’s beer battered fillets are another popular option in the United States. For this recipe, I’m using Trader Joe’s Breaded Cod Fillets.
Tilapia, haddock, cod, halibut... whatever your favorite breaded white fish, you should be able to cook it in an air fryer. If your fish fillets are bigger or thicker than mine, you may need to cook them a bit longer. Also, some brands of breaded fish benefit from a light misting of cooking spray before air frying.
With some very minor tweaks to the recipe, pretty much any fish in the sea becomes a good contender for air frying. Don’t be afraid to experiment!
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➕ Frozen Fish in Air Fryer
Let’s air fryer frozen fish fillets! Remove the fish from the box of frozen breaded fish fillets and put them in a single layer on your air fryer tray or air fryer basket. I was able to fit them all in one batch on the top rack of my air fryer oven.
If your breaded fish contains a significant amount of fat or oil, you should not need to use cooking spray. White fish is naturally very low in fat (i.e., it’s not a fatty fish). However, most of the time store-bought breaded fish contains a lot of fat/oil in the breading.
⏲️ How long to cook frozen fish in air fryer?
How long to cook breaded fish in air fryer? It took a total of 12 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177c) to air fry frozen fish fillets.
Air fry frozen fish for 5 minutes at 350F. Then flip the fillets over and air fry for 7 minutes more. Serve with tartar sauce, cocktail sauce, or lemon wedges, and enjoy.
Cooking frozen fish is so fast and easy this way! You’ll likely have food on the table in less time than it would take to get fried fish at a fast food restaurant.
How to tell air fryer fish is done?
If you want to be extra certain that your frozen breaded fish fillets are done cooking, check them with an instant read thermometer. They should have reached the minimum safe internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit (63C).
Get a printable recipe card at the end of the article!
Frozen Fish Air Fryer Tips
I used Trader Joe’s Oven Ready Frozen Breaded Cod Fillets. These are par-cooked fish fillets (partially cooked). Since this product already contains plenty of oil, there’s no need to use cooking oil spray before air frying.
If you’re using a low oil or no oil breaded fish, you should mist the fillets with oil before air frying. The oil will help them to crisp nicely without drying out.
The fish fillets I used were approximately 4-inches long, 2-inches wide, and ¼-½ inch thick. If your fillets are considerably larger or smaller, you may need to adjust the air frying times.
There are a ton of air fryers and air fryer ovens out there! Your Ninja Foodi, Philips, Instant Pot Vortex, Cosori, Nuwave, Breville, or whatever brand you have should cook fish.
However, some air fryers cook more quickly than others. Always keep a close eye on the food the first time you try a new air fryer recipe.
️👪 What to Serve with Breaded Fish
French fries are a classic side dish for breaded fish! Lucky you, I have both fish and chips air fryer recipes on this site. Here are some of my favorite recipes for breaded fish side dishes:
- Air Fryer Frozen French Fries
- Air Fryer Frozen Sweet Potato Fries
- Jicama Fries Air Fryer Recipe (a low-carb substitute for fries)
- Air Fryer Radish (keto substitute for potatoes)
FAQs
Yes, you can make air fryer battered fish as well! If your fish fillets are about the same size as the breaded fillets I used, the air frying time should be similar.
Yes, you can reheat frozen fish fillets in air fryer. The cooking time and temperature will depend on the size of your fish fillets. As a general guide, mist the previously cooked fish with cooking oil spray and air fry at 400F (200C) for 2-4 minutes.
Yes! To air fry frozen white fish, add oil and seasonings first. White fish is very lean and will stick to the air fryer without the addition of some sort of fat (or fatty breading).
Looking for a Gorton’s frozen fish fillets air fryer recipe? You can use this recipe, adjusting cooking time as needed. Alternatively, Gorton’s recommends cooking air fryer breaded fish fillets at 400F (200C) for 13-15 minutes, flipping the fish after 7 minutes.
You can use this frozen fish fillets in air fryer recipe in a Ninja Foodi with a tender crisp lid. Cook the fish for 12 minutes at 350F (177C), flipping the fish after 5 minutes. No preheat needed!
👩🏻🍳 Other Air Fryer Fish Recipes
Are you looking for more ways to cook fish in an air fryer (and other seafood)? Check out these easy recipes for air frying fish:
- Air Fryer Fish Sticks
- Air Fryer Frozen Tilapia
- Salmon Patties in Air Fryer
- Frozen Salmon in Air Fryer
- Frozen Shrimp in Air Fryer
- Air Fryer Frozen Cod
You may also enjoy these recipes for Best Air Fryer Frozen Foods.
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📖 Recipe
Watch How to Make It!
Frozen Fish in Air Fryer (Breaded Fish Fillets)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb. frozen breaded fish fillets (454 grams; fillets measured 4-inches long by 2-inches wide by ¼-½ inches thick)
- dipping sauce
Instructions
- Put the fish fillets in a single layer on an air fryer tray. I was able to fit them all on one tray. If your breaded fish contains a significant amount of fat or oil, you should not need to use cooking spray.
- Air fry frozen fish for 5 minutes at 350°F (175°C). Then flip the fillets over and put the tray with the fish back in the top rack position. Air fry for 7 minutes more at 350°F (175°C). (Air fryer ovens: use top rack.)
- Check your fish with a meat thermometer to ensure it has reached the minimum safe internal temperature of 145°F (63°C). If it has not, you will need to air fry it a little longer. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
FKDIII says
Following this 12-minute instruction, Trader Joe's Panko Encrusted Tilapia cooked perfectly in our Breville Air Fryer. Thank you.
Summer Yule says
Great to know! Thank you for the info and rating 😀
CS says
Allyssa says
Super loved this! Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe! Will surely have this again! It's really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!
Summer Yule says
Hi Allyssa, thank you so much! I'm so happy you enjoyed it! 😀
Sara says
Worked great for speedy lunch fish tacos!
Summer Yule says
Awesome! Thanks so much for the rating! 😀