Air Fryer Fish Sticks

Air Fryer Fish Sticks are an easy-to-make crunchy air fryer food that you will love. Cooking frozen fish sticks in the air fryer couldn’t be any easier!

Air Fryer Fish Sticks Recipe

Fish sticks can be tricky.

If they are not cooked in the right way, they can come out soggy, limp, and unappetizing. But when you cook fish sticks in air fryer, they come out crispy!

Perfectly crispy air fryer fish sticks are the goal, and we’ll show you exactly how to make them.

You are going to melt when you taste the crunchy outside and tender inside!

If you cook frozen foods frequently, you should check out our Air Fryer Corn Dogs, Air Fryer Pizza Rolls, Frozen Chicken Tender in air fryer, and our Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Nuggets.

Frozen foods cooked in the air fryer are great for busy families, and you already know that fish sticks are a shortcut to a delicious meal on a crazy weeknight.

Traditionally, fish sticks are a favorite among children and adults.

This is a quick and easy meal or an easy snack for everybody involved!

If you’re wondering if air fryer fish sticks are better than fish sticks cooked in the oven, the answer is definitely “YES”!

Air frying fish sticks is faster than baking them, uses less dishes, and makes the fish sticks crispier.

We LOVE the ease of making seafood sticks in air fryer because within minutes you have a crispy and tasty treat!

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE FISH STICKS IN AIR FRYER

This “recipe” is better described as a method, because there aren’t any additional ingredients needed to make perfect fish sticks!

Grab your favorite brand of fish sticks – I’m using the Kroger brand ones here, but you can make Gordon’s fish sticks, Van De Kamp’s fish sticks, gluten-free frozen fish sticks, or any others you enjoy.

If you’re in the UK, you might know these tasty sticks as fish fingers! No worries, you can cook fish fingers in the air fryer too.

DO I NEED TO USE OIL TO MAKE AIR FRYER FISH STICKS?

Nope! Most frozen foods that are made to be baked, microwaved, or air fried have oil already added to the outside of them so that it crisps the food while it cooks.

You don’t need to add any additional oil to frozen fish sticks to air fry them perfectly crispy.

Keep reading and I’ll show you just how simple air fryer fish sticks really are!

You can cook quite a few of them in your air fryer basket too – I fit 23 fish sticks in my Cosori.

HOW TO MAKE FISH STICKS IN AIR FRYER

1. Remove the number of fish sticks you’d like to cook from the packaging. You can cook the whole box, or just enough to feed your family for dinner.
2. Put the frozen fish sticks (in a single layer) into your air fryer basket or air fryer tray. You do not need to oil the basket/tray.
3. Cook the sticks at 400°F/200°C for a total of 8 minutes. At the 4 minute mark flip them over and let them finish cooking. When the cooking time is complete, check one of the sticks to make sure they are hot throughout.
4. Gently empty the air fryer basket/tray onto a plate and enjoy!

WHAT TO SERVE WITH AIR FRYER FISH STICKS

Fish sticks are meant to be a convenience food, so I find that they go really well with other simple-to-make side dishes.

Sweet Potato Fries or Tater Tots in the Air Fryer are perfectly delicious with fish sticks.

A healthy meal might include a salad like this Kale Apple Slaw or a Greek Cucumber Salad.

If you aren’t regularly roasting vegetables in your air fryer, you have to try my Air Fryer Green Beans and Air Fryer Brussel Sprouts!

Looking for a homemade fish sticks recipe? I found this one for Parmesan-coated tilapia fish sticks.

STORING AND REHEATING FISH STICKS

Store cooked fish sticks in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Reheat leftover fish sticks in the air fryer for best results. They get crispy again this way! 1-2 minutes at 400°F/200°C should be perfect.

DO I NEED TO PREHEAT MY AIR FRYER?

Each air fryer runs a bit differently and each model comes with its own instructions.

It’s kind of a 50/50 split on whether you should or not. I personally do not preheat my air fryers.

I would refer to your air fryer manual to see what it says about preheating. If it says you should, then you should! Otherwise, don’t worry about it.

If you do preheat the air fryer for fish sticks, you might find that they need less time to cook.

HOW LONG SHOULD I COOK FISH STICKS IN THE AIR FRYER?

The exact amount of time you’ll need to make your air fryer fish sticks can vary based on the brand you’re cooking and the thickness of the sticks.

The time can also vary between different air fryer models.

We’ve tested air frying frozen fish sticks in a few different air fryers, and have found that 8 minutes seems to work well all around.

Feel free to add an extra minute or two if you want your air fryer fish sticks to be extra crispy.

Adjust the cooking time if you need to, and keep an eye on the fish as it cooks in case you need to pull them out early or add extra minutes.

HOW DO I KNOW WHEN AIR FRYER FISH STICKS ARE DONE?

Some fish sticks come pre-cooked and frozen, while others are frozen uncooked.

Either way, you want to cook fish sticks until they reach an internal temperature of 165°F/74°C.

Visually, the outside of the fish sticks should be golden brown, and the inside should be opaque and flaky.

ARE FISH STICKS MADE FROM REAL FISH?

Some types of fish sticks are cut from full fish fillets, while others are made using minced fish. Either way, fish sticks are made from real fish that has been processed in some way.

Typically fish sticks are made from mild white fish like cod, pollock, or haddock.

ARE FISH STICKS HEALTHY?

While frozen fish sticks might not be the healthiest way to eat fish, there are some benefits to eating fish in this way.

• Kid-Friendly. Getting kids to eat a breaded fish finger can be easier than serving them a whole fillet.
• They are real fish – Even if minced, fish sticks are made from actual fish.
• Easy to store and cook – You can keep frozen fish sticks in the freezer for quite a while, and they are always ready to cook right from the box.
• More and more brands are making them healthier. Look for fish sticks made from whole fillets, or made without additives and preservatives.

If you’d rather cook fresh fish fillets in your air fryer, check out our recipes for making Catfish, Tilapia, Mahi Mahi, and Tuna Steaks in the air fryer!

MORE YUMMY AIR FRYER RECIPES

We have so many delicious air fryer recipes on our site.

If you are looking for new recipes to try you need to check out: Air Fryer Potato Pancakes, Air Fryer Brats, Green Tomatoes in the air fryer, Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts and Air Fryer Mexican Corn