Want to make delicious crunchy fish sticks quickly, then you have to make them in an air fryer!
As a mom making frozen fish sticks or dino nuggets fast is one of my favorite things about my air fryer.
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I used to try to time preheating the oven and cooking the fish sticks so they’d be done around the time I expected my daughter to wake up. Toddlers do not want to wait all that time.
With an air fryer, I can have them done in about 8 minutes with no waiting for an oven to preheat. It’s also great in the summer when the last thing I want to do is turn on an oven just to cook a few fish sticks!
All my air fryer recipes are made in a Cuisinart TOA-60. Timing may vary slightly based upon your particular air fryer so watch closely the first time you make any new recipe.
How to make fish sticks in an air fryer
Which fish sticks to use
You can use any frozen fish stick, or fish fingers as they are also known, in your air fryer.
Personally, we like to use this pack from Gorton’s. All the Gorton’s ones look alike so you have to read the ingredients to get this type that has minimal ingredients.
Since we buy them mainly for our kids we try to get the simplest option.
How to cook them
Cooking them is pretty simple, if you have a larger air fryer like us you can either cook them in the fry basket or on the small baking sheet.
If you use the baking sheet you’ll want to cover it with a piece of aluminum foil and spray it lightly with cooking spray to avoid sticking.
If you use the fry basket I also recommend you spray it lightly to prevent sticking.
Place the frozen fish sticks in a single layer so they can all get equally crispy.
What temperature should you cook them at?
I set our Cuisinart air fryer between 350-400. You may need to play around with the temperature to get yours as crispy as you like them.
We don’t make ours too crispy as we have small children. If you like yours to have an extra crunch you may need to turn up the temperature a bit or add some extra time.
How long should you air fry fish sticks
Air fryers are amazing as having food done fast. Fish sticks will be done in the air fryer in 8-10 minutes.
Again, this can vary slightly due to your specific machine and how crispy you want them.
I recommend turning them over halfway through so they can get crispy on both sides.
Make sure they are cooking to an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees for food safety purposes.
Downside
The only downside to making fish sticks in your air fryer instead of the oven or the microwave is that you can’t make a large batch.
If me, my husband, and our two kids are going to eat them we usually have to go back to the oven as my husband will eat at least 10 on his own.
But it’s perfect for making small batches or a single batch for a child.
The maximum number you can make at a time will vary according to the size of your air fryer.
You can make the fish sticks in two batches if you like as they will be done in less than 10 minutes.
What to serve with fish sticks
This is pretty much my kid’s favorite fish sticks meal. The sticks, a vegetable, and macaroni and cheese. Usually, we serve some fruit with it as well.
My daughters usually choose ketchup or barbeque sauce to dip them in but you can make a tartar sauce which is a more traditional choice.
Sometimes we also serve them with fries and call them fish and chips if we aren’t trying for a healthier meal that night.
Grab those frozen fish sticks and get frying!
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