Ever since the Antarctic waters began to cool about 20 million years ago, Antarctic notothenioid fishes, comprising more than 120 species, have been living in the stable, extremely cold, and oxygen-rich Antarctic waters, when all other temperate fishes gradually disappeared. In order to survive the coldest area in the world, Antarctic notothenioid fishes have evolved many adaptive changes in their biochemical and physiological functions; among these changes, the origin and evolution of antifreeze proteins is one of the most important adaptations of Antarctic fishes. Antifreeze proteins are a family of macromolecules that are essential for survival in extreme cold conditions. For the time being, at least one antifreeze glycoprotein (AFGP) and four structurally different antifreeze protein (AFPs) types, known as AFP I, AFP II, AFP III, and AFP IV, have been identified from polar and subpolar fishes. Although these AFPs have similar structures and functions, their origin and evolution are significantly different. AFPs have also been found in insects, plants, and bacteria living in cold habitats. In fish, AFPs are typically secreted into the blood and also produced in the skin, scales, fin, and gills. AFPs cause ice recrystallization inhibition and contribute to non-colligative freezing point depression by binding to small ice crystals in order to inhibit their growth. AFPs can reduce the freezing point of Antarctic notothenioid fishes' body fluids to -2.2℃; this preserves the fluidity of body fluids at sub-zero temperatures and protects fishes from freezing damage. Due to the natural biological properties of AFPs, such as the thermal hysteresis activity (THA) and the inhibition of ice recrystallization activities (IRI), they have several commercial applications. AFPs can be used in the food industry for food preservation and ice cream production; they can also be used in the agricultural and biomedical fields to freeze and preserve a wide variety of biological samples including body tissues (cells, organs, embryos, and gametes) of human beings, animals, and fishes. Additionally, AFP transgenic plants show enhanced cold tolerance. Studies have demonstrated that AFPs are up to 300 times more effective than traditional antifreeze chemicals at the same concentrations and they can improve post-thaw viability regardless of the freezing method. Since AFPs show promising potential application prospects in the fields of medicine, food industry, agriculture, etc., there has been an accumulation of relevant published research recently. In this paper, the evolution, function, application, and current concerns regarding the use of AFPs were reviewed.