Air Fryer Frozen Fish Sticks

Learn an easy way how to cook frozen fish sticks in an air fryer! It's the perfect meal for busy weeknights. All you need are your favorite brand of frozen fish sticks, an air fryer, and some nonstick cooking spray.

Six fish sticks on a white plate with lemon sliced in half. Kitchen towel and parsley are beside the plate.

Easy Meal With Fish Sticks

There’s no need to cook your fish sticks (aka fish fingers) in the oven. You can easily cook them in your air fryer and get incredible results!

Fish sticks are crispy on the outside with white fish on the inside. Kids tend to love these!
I’ve found that my fish sticks turn out crispier using this method. It's also a great way to cook tater tots and mozzarella sticks.
Cooking in the air fryer is healthier than deep frying as it uses less oil.
You can serve them with your favorite dipping sauce, ours is classic tarter sauce, and side salad for an easy and delicious meal.
You can use your air fryer to make french fries or crispy potatoes to serve with these crispy fish sticks.
More air fryer seafood recipes include air fryer shrimp and air fryer salmon.

My favorite brand is the Ninja Foodi Deluxe air fryer, but this method can be used for any brand of tray or basket air fryer (which is every air fryer). So if your air fryer looks different than mine, not to worry as the results will be the same.

Box of store-bought frozen fish sticks with kitchen towel, fresh parsley and sliced lemon surrounding it.

Recipe Ingredients

Here are a couple of ingredients to help get the best results:

FROZEN BREADED FISH STICKS: You can use any type of frozen fish sticks available at your local grocery store. I prefer the Catch of The Day English Style Batter fish sticks.

NONSTICK COOKING SPRAY OIL: I prefer nonstick cooking spray purchased from Costco. Any cooking spray will work though!

FAVORITE SAUCE: If you want a dipping sauce for your fish sticks, you’ll need to grab that too. Many people enjoy tartar sauce, but ketchup, barbecue sauce and ranch dip are also great. Drizzle a bit of freshly squeezed lemon juice over top for added flavor.

Air fryer frozen fish sticks: Ninja foodi deluxe air fryer with fresh parsley, kitchen towel, and plate of cooked fish sticks and sliced lemons in front.

How To Cook Air Fryer Frozen Fish Sticks

Here is an overview of how to cook the frozen fish sticks in an air fryer with full detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Preheat Air Fryer – Spray the air fryer basket or tray with nonstick cooking spray. Turn the air fryer on at 400°F and preheat for 5 minutes.
Prep – Once air fryer is preheated, add the fish sticks in a single layer (careful, the tray will be hot) and very lightly spray the tops of the fish with non-stick cooking spray.
Cook – Close the lid and set timer for 10 minutes.
Flip Halfway – Halfway through (at 5 minutes), open the air fryer and flip each fish stick to the other side. Lightly spray the tops of each with nonstick cooking spray. Close the lid and cook for the last 5 minutes. Remove from the air fryer and serve.

Looking down at frozen fish sticks in an air fryer.

Air Fryer Tips

The best way to use your air fryer:

Preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes before. This will ensure even cooking.
Spray the air fryer basket or tray with nonstick cooking spray so that your food never sticks.
Always add food in a single layer. This allows hit air to circulate on all sides. Stacking food won’t produce crispy results. You might need to cook in two batches, but it’s worth it.
Most recipes do well when flipped halfway through cooking. Any type of fish sticks, fries, chicken wings, etc. This ensures a more even baking process.
Always check your food in the last 1-2 minutes to make sure it isn’t overcooking. Every air fryer will cook slightly differently.

FAQs

Do I have to flip the fish sticks during cooking?

I’ve found that the top layer tends to get crispier, so flipping the fish sticks halfway through cooking will ensure crispy air fryer fish sticks.

Do I have to use cooking spray on the fish sticks?

No, you don’t. However, it can help to get a crispier result. I use a very light spray of nonstick cooking spray (vegetable oil, olive oil or avocado oil spray all work) on the top side right before I close the lid to start air frying, and then again once I flip them halfway through. This helps prevent soggy fish sticks.

What can I serve fish sticks with?

Serve fish sticks with any side salad, coleslaw, homemade soup, rice or quinoa. For healthier alternatives, try my avocado quinoa coleslaw or my carrot apple cabbage coleslaw. Both are easy to put together. These would also taste great with homemade potato wedges.

What sauce can I serve with fish sticks?

Traditionally, many people like to dip their fish sticks in tartar sauce. You can also use ketchup, barbecue sauce, buffalo sauce, honey mustard, ranch, or mayonnaise.

Can I air fry the fish sticks while they're frozen?

Yes! These are added to the air fryer while frozen. I cooked mine from frozen at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes. If you’re using thawed fish sticks you will need to reduce the cooking time to about half.

Close up plate of fish sticks with sliced lemon .

More Delicious Air Fryer Recipes

Here are some more easy air fryer recipes:

Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks are crispy and another easy way to cook chicken.
Crispy Air Fryer Potatoes are delicious. I will eat a whole bowl of these myself easily.
Crispy Brussels Sprouts are crispy and the perfect side dish for chicken. You can also snack on these like kale chips.
Air Fryer Salt and Pepper Wings taste just like wings from the pub. They’re a big hit with my family.

Did you love this easy way to cook delicious frozen fish sticks? Be sure to leave a rating below!