How To Cook Frozen Fish Cakes In An Air Fryer | Easy

Frozen fish cakes are a freezer staple that saves dinner on busy nights, but the pan can leave them greasy and the oven can feel slow. Learning how to cook frozen fish cakes in an air fryer lets you get a golden crust and soft interior with hardly any oil and little mess.

This guide covers timing, temperature, small tweaks for even browning, and serving ideas that work across brands, cake sizes, and air fryer styles.

How Frozen Fish Cakes Behave In An Air Fryer

Frozen fish cakes are usually a blend of cooked fish, potato or breadcrumbs, and seasoning formed into a patty, then coated and par-fried before freezing. Inside the air fryer, hot air flows around each cake, drying the coating while warming the center. When the balance is right you get a crunchy outside and a tender middle without deep frying.

Because fish cakes vary in thickness and coating, they do not all cook at the exact same pace. A thin patty from a budget box will heat through faster than a thick pub-style cake with a chunky crumb. That is why time ranges matter more than a single fixed number and why checking the center is so helpful.

Time And Temperature Guide For Frozen Fish Cakes

Most frozen fish cakes do well in a medium-high heat range inside the air fryer. Use the table below as a starting point, then adjust for your brand and your preferred level of browning.

Fish Cake Type	Air Fryer Temperature	Cook Time (Approximate)
Thin store-bought, about 1.3 cm thick	180°C / 360°F	8–10 minutes
Standard frozen patties, about 2 cm thick	190°C / 375°F	10–12 minutes
Thick pub-style cakes, about 2.5 cm thick	190°C / 375°F	12–14 minutes
Mini fish cakes or bites	190°C / 375°F	6–8 minutes
Homemade frozen cakes with breadcrumb coating	190°C / 375°F	12–15 minutes
Gluten free crumbed fish cakes	185°C / 365°F	10–13 minutes
Air fryer oven models with two racks	200°C / 390°F	12–15 minutes, rotating racks once

Always check the packet for any specific brand instructions and never go lower than their suggested safe time or temperature. The ranges here help you fine tune crispness, but your fish cakes still need to reach a safe internal temperature.

How To Cook Frozen Fish Cakes In An Air Fryer Step By Step

What You Need

• Frozen fish cakes, straight from the freezer
• Air fryer basket or air fryer oven
• Light cooking spray or a teaspoon of oil
• Kitchen tongs or a spatula
• Instant read thermometer

Simple Step-By-Step Method

1. Preheat the air fryer. Set it to 190°C / 375°F for most standard frozen fish cakes. Many units warm up in three to five minutes. Preheating helps the coating start to crisp as soon as the cakes go in.
2. Arrange the frozen fish cakes in a single layer. Place them in the basket or on the tray without thawing. Leave a little space between each cake so the hot air can move around the sides.
3. Add a light mist of oil if needed. If the coating looks dry or you prefer extra crunch, spray the tops lightly or brush on a very thin layer of oil. Skip this step if the packaging already mentions added oil.
4. Air fry for the first side. Cook for five to seven minutes. Do not stack the cakes or cover them, or steam will soften the coating.
5. Flip for even browning. Turn each fish cake with tongs and return the basket. This helps both sides brown evenly and reduces pale spots.
6. Finish cooking until hot in the center. Air fry for another four to six minutes, then check one cake by cutting into the thickest part or using a thermometer.
7. Rest briefly before serving. Let the fish cakes sit on a plate or rack for two minutes so steam settles and the coating firms up.

Checking Doneness Safely

The fish mixture inside the cake should be steaming, flaky, and opaque with no icy pockets. For best safety, aim for an internal temperature of about 63°C / 145°F, which matches the guidance for fin fish in the safe minimum internal temperature chart from FoodSafety.gov.

If you do not own a thermometer, gently press the center of a cake with a fork. It should feel hot and firm, and the flakes of fish should separate easily. When in doubt, give the basket another two or three minutes at the same temperature and check again.

Cooking Frozen Fish Cakes In An Air Fryer Safely

Good texture matters, but food safety always comes first. Frozen fish cakes are classed as a seafood product, so they should stay out of the temperature zone where bacteria grow fastest. Keep them frozen until you are ready to cook and chill leftovers promptly.

The FDA safe food handling advice and similar guidance from national agencies stress that seafood should reach 63°C / 145°F or look opaque and flaky before eating. Air fryers can reach that point quickly, so short extra checks make a real difference.

Handling And Storage Tips

• Keep boxes of frozen fish cakes at or below −18°C / 0°F and avoid repeated thawing.
• Seal the remaining cakes in a freezer bag with the air pressed out to reduce ice crystals.
• Use clean tongs or a fork when turning the cakes so crumbs from raw foods never touch the basket.
• Refrigerate cooked fish cakes within two hours and eat leftovers within one to two days.
• Reheat leftovers in the air fryer at 180°C / 360°F for four to six minutes until hot all the way through.

Fine Tuning Texture When You Cook Frozen Fish Cakes

Adjusting Time And Temperature

Shorter time at a slightly higher temperature can give more browning on the outside while keeping the middle moist. Longer time at a slightly lower temperature gives a drier coating and can help very thick cakes heat evenly. The ideal balance depends on your air fryer and the brand you buy most often.

When you test a new brand or a homemade batch, air fry a single fish cake first. Note how long it takes to reach a flaky center and the shade of browning you like on the crumb. That tiny test saves a lot of guessing next time you cook a full basket.

Using A Little Oil Wisely

Many frozen fish cakes already contain oil in the coating, so they brown even in a dry basket. If your cakes look pale or dusty after the first cook, a very light spray or brush of oil before the next batch can help the crumbs toast more evenly.

Use neutral oils with high smoke points, such as canola, sunflower, or light olive oil. Thick layers of oil or heavy breading sprays can lead to smoking and uneven patches, so stay with a fine mist and keep the basket reasonably clean between batches.

Cooking Frozen Fish Cakes In Different Air Fryer Styles

Basket Style Air Fryers

Basket models concentrate air and heat in a small space, which usually means slightly shorter cook times. Shake the basket once or twice if your fish cakes are small, or flip larger patties with tongs halfway through so the coating colors evenly.

Air Fryer Ovens And Dual Zone Units

Air fryer ovens with racks and dual zone units spread heat a little differently. When you cook frozen fish cakes in an air fryer oven, place the cakes on the middle rack, rotate the trays halfway, and watch the top rack closely because it often browns faster.

Troubleshooting Common Air Fryer Fish Cake Problems

Even with a solid method, frozen fish cakes can occasionally come out softer, drier, or darker than you hoped. A few small tweaks fix most of those issues and help you dial in reliable results for your exact appliance.

Problem	What You See	Fix For Next Time
Soggy or pale coating	Cake feels soft, little color on crumbs	Increase time by two to three minutes or raise heat by 5–10°C, and avoid crowding
Dry inside, dark outside	Crumb is very brown, fish tastes a bit dry	Lower temperature by 10°C and check two minutes earlier, add a short rest in the basket
Uneven browning	One side dark, one side pale	Flip halfway and rotate the basket or tray, especially in air fryer ovens
Center still cold	Outside looks done but middle is cool	Lower temperature slightly and cook longer, or start from a slightly lower shelf in oven models
Crumbs flying around	Loose crumbs collect in the base	Spray a fine mist of oil on the cakes before cooking and clean out loose crumbs between batches
Cakes sticking to the basket	Coating tears when you lift them	Use a light spray of oil on the basket or a perforated liner that is safe for air fryers
Strong fishy smell	Aroma lingers after cooking	Choose fresher brands, cook with a slice of lemon in the drawer, and clean the basket promptly

Serving Ideas For Air Fried Frozen Fish Cakes

Once you have a plate of hot fish cakes out of the air fryer, small touches bring the meal together. A squeeze of lemon, a spoon of tartar sauce, and a fresh side dish turn a freezer item into a relaxed weeknight dinner or a shareable snack plate.

Simple Side Dishes

• Crisp air fried potato wedges or chips
• Light coleslaw with a tangy dressing
• Green salad with cucumber, tomato, and herbs
• Steamed peas, corn, or mixed vegetables
• Soft burger buns or rolls for fish cake sandwiches

Easy Sauce And Garnish Ideas

• Lemon wedges and chopped parsley
• Tartar sauce, yoghurt and dill dip, or garlic mayonnaise
• Chilli sauce or sweet chilli for those who like some heat
• Pickles, capers, or finely chopped red onion for a little crunch

Why This Method Works So Well

Air frying frozen fish cakes uses strong, even airflow to revive the coating while bringing the center up to a safe temperature. Instead of waiting for an oven to heat or juggling oil in a pan, you slide the cakes into a compact appliance, flip once, and check the middle. The result is a reliably crisp outside and a moist interior with almost no effort.

Once you understand how to cook frozen fish cakes in an air fryer and how your own machine behaves, you can adjust small details like spacing, oil level, and side dishes to suit your taste. Keep your freezer stocked with a brand you like, note your ideal time and temperature, and you have an easy seafood meal ready whenever you need it.