Craving a tasty burger but need dinner on the table fast? Frozen burgers in the air fryer give you the best of cookout food in less time and with very little cleanup.
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Who doesn’t love a good juicy, delicious hamburger? We certainly love them at our house. There is nothing better than firing up the grill…unless it is raining. Or if I’m in a hurry. Or if my kitchen is already messy and I don’t want to wash more dishes. Or maybe I’m just too tired or hungry to wait for the grill to preheat!
The good news is you can air fry frozen hamburger patties! That’s right, air frying to the rescue, again. Seriously, air fried hamburgers are delicious and so much easier to accomplish on busy weeknights when dinner just needs to happen without an extraordinary effort on the chef’s part!
Your favorite hamburger is as easy as dropping a frozen hamburger in the air fryer. I know it sounds too easy. No thawing required, this recipe is the easy way to get a cookout quality burger on the table with the least amount of fuss.
And you can reheat burgers in the air fryer using these directions here!
How to Cook Frozen Burgers in the Air Fryer
STEP ONE: Preheat the air fryer to 370 degrees F.
STEP TWO: Remove your frozen burger patties from the freezer. No need to thaw. Generously season to your taste.
STEP THREE: Air fry frozen burger patties for 15-17 minutes for medium internal temperature. Adjust cooking time to your preferred doneness, less time for medium rare or more for a more well done burger.
STEP FOUR: If you plan to make a cheeseburger, open your air fryer after cooking and place a slice of cheese on each cooked hamburger. Close the air fryer and let the remaining heat from the air fryer melt the cheese.
STEP FIVE: Remove your burger from the air fryer, add to your bun with condiments and your favorite toppings. Enjoy your air fryer frozen hamburgers!
What to Serve With Air Fryer Frozen Burgers
- Air Fryer Vegetables
- Ninja Foodi French Fries
- Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
- Instant Pot Potato Salad
- Air Fryer Corn on the Cob
- Frozen Sweet Potato Fries in the Air Fryer
- Tater Tots in the Air Fryer
Variations to Spice Up Frozen Hamburgers in the Air Fryer
- Pile your air fried burgers high! Tomatoes, onions, lettuce, pickles, and all the condiments you love. Serve your air fryer burgers with your favorite sides. We love onion rings, french fries, and even a tasty side salad.
- Make it keto. Air fry frozen burgers but leave off the bun when serving. Frozen beef burgers or ground beef patties you make at home are a naturally keto meal. Season your burger with a little garlic salt and onion powder or grab pre seasoned beef patties from the grocery store. Air fry your burgers and load them up with your favorite veggies.
- Change up the flavor. Load up your air fryer frozen burgers with sauteed mushrooms and onions plus some melted provolone for a juicy and delicious dinner!
More Burger Recipes
- Impossible Burger in the Air Fryer
- Air Fryer Turkey Burgers
- Air Fryer Salmon Patties
- Air Fryer Hamburgers
- Beyond Burger in the Air Fryer
- Frozen Meatballs in the Air Fryer (for sliders!)
Tips for the Best Air Fryer Frozen Hamburgers
- Cooking times will vary based on the size and thickness of your hamburger patties. Thicker patties might take an extra couple of minutes, thinner patties a little less.
- You can prepare ground beef patties yourself and freeze them. Just make sure you freeze them in a single layer so they don’t stick to each other. Once they are frozen, you can transfer them to a gallon-sized freezer bag to conserve space if needed.
- There are several brands that make packaged burgers meant to be cooked from frozen. We really like the â…“ lb burgers from Bubba Burger.
- Make sure you don’t layer frozen hamburger patties in the air fryer. Keep your frozen burger patties in the air fryer in a single layer so the burgers cook evenly.
- Are you a meal prepper? Make sure you store your air fryer frozen hamburger patties in an airtight container after they are fully cooked.
- Avoid freezer burnt burger patties. Be sure to store your patties well-wrapped and in freezer-safe bags or containers, whether they are homemade or store-bought. Freezer burn doesn’t make beef burgers unsafe to eat, but it will hurt the texture and possibly the taste of your frozen burger patties in the air fryer.
How Long to Cook Frozen Burgers in the Air Fryer
A good rule of thumb for frozen burgers in the air fryer is 15-17 minutes for medium doneness.
You may have to adjust based on the size of the burger, the doneness you prefer, and if your burgers are all beef or an alternative like a turkey burger.
- Rare (125 degrees): approximately 13 minutes
- Medium Rare (135 degrees): approximately 14 to 16 minutes
- Medium (145 degrees): approximately 15 to 17 minutes
- Medium Well (155 degrees): approximately 16 to 18 minutes
- Well Done (160 degrees): approximately 17 to 20 minutes
Do You Need to Flip Frozen Burger Patties in the Air Fryer
Nope! No flipping is required. Just drop your frozen hamburger patties in the air fryer, set the time, and you’re done. This is a no-hassle dinner for the juiciest burger ever. Once you see how easy it is to air fry frozen hamburger patties, you will never stress about planning dinner again.
More Air Fryer Beef Recipes
More Ground Beef Recipes You’ll Love:
- Instant Pot Beef Stroganoff
- Taco Lasagna
- Ninja Foodi Meatloaf
- Taco Salad with Catalina Dressing
- Ninja Foodi Chili
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Frozen Burgers in the Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 4 frozen hamburgers 1/4 to 1/2 pounds each
Optional (for serving)
- Hamburger buns
- Cheese
- Lettuce
- Tomato
Instructions
- Preheat your air fryer to 370 degrees.
- Place the frozen hamburgers in the air fryer and cook for 10 to 20 minutes, depending on cook preference (15 to 17 minutes for medium).
- (optional) Turn your air fryer off and place a piece of cheese on each burger. Close your air fryer and let the cheese melt with the residual heat.
- Remove the hamburgers from the air fryer and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Rare (125 degrees): approximately 13 minutes
- Medium Rare (135 degrees): approximately 14 to 16 minutes
- Medium (145 degrees): approximately 15 to 17 minutes
- Medium Well (155 degrees): approximately 16 to 18 minutes
- Well Done (160 degrees): approximately 17 to 20 minutes
Nutrition
This nutrition information is based on the exact products I used in this recipe. Brands and sizes of products could alter exact nutrition and should always be calculated independently.
These turned out great in the air fryer, thanks to the good tips here.
The air fryer makes everything better even something as simple as hamburgers. Who knew you could cook from frozen??
Thanks a lot for this very helpful recipe! It turned out really good and it’s very easy to make!
Thanks a lot for this very helpful recipe! It turned out really good and it’s very easy to make!
It was delicious. Easy to make and my family loved it. Thanks for the recipe!
Sounds great! Does this recipe include the frozen hamburgers in a box?
Hi Mary Lout, the time will depend on how much ground beef is in each patty and how thick they are, but the temperature should work well with those!
I put pieces of bread crust between the basket and bottom as you suggest. I did bacon and let the drippings saturate the bread. The two stray cats that come around feasted on it. no waste
I like the comment about putting a piece of bread between the bottom of the basket and the bottom of the fryer. I am going to try this for sure!
I don’t have a basket with my fryer I have trays and I put the hamburgers on the tray do I still flip? I used 2 trays with 2 burgers and usually we just change the position of the trays instead of flipping such as with bagels? Will this work with the burgers?
Hi Colleen, if the heating element is on the top, I recommend flipping, but if it’s in the back, you do not need to!
Used this recipe tonight since it’s freezing outside. Our burgers turned out great. I just started using my air fryer recently & realized we needed a bigger one. My husband found one like yours on Amazon & bought it as my Christmas gift even though I won’t get it until Tuesday.
So glad you enjoyed the burgers! You are going to love the larger one. Stay safe out there. This weather has been crazy!
Your temperatures are all mixed.
You start by saying preheat to 370. That is 370 F = 188 C.
Later you have cooking temperatures from 125 (rare) to 160 (well done). Those or 125 C = 257 F to 160 C = 320 F. If these are your cooking temperatures, then preheating to 370 seems a bit much.
Hi Arif,
The temperature of the rare to well-done burger is the temperature of the burger itself, not the cooking temperature. The cooking temperature is 370 F for 15-17 minutes until your burger is the temperature you want it to be for the doneness of the burger wanted. Does this make sense?
Thanks 🙂
I think those temp references are for internal temp of meat. Not as heat settings. Heat setting remains 370°. Internal temperature is for rareness to well done.
Looks easy and great but my only question is how do you get over 40 carbs in a piece of meat? I thought most meats include hamburger have no carbs. Unless you’re including the bun.
Hi Tonya, You are correct, the nutrition facts include the bun and other optional ingredients. If you are looking for a carb count for the beef patties alone, it would be zero carb, given that there aren’t any additional ingredients added to the patties.