In the deeper part of polar ice sheets, air hydrates are the primary air inclusions. They trap most of the ancient air molecules used for paleoclimatic reconstructions in their crystal structure. This dataset presents Cryogenic Scanning Electron Microscopy (Cryo-SEM) images of air hydrates included in samples from the East Greenland Ice Core Project (EGRIP) and EPICA Dronning Maud Land (EDML) ice cores. The images were taken by Florian Painer, Martyn Drury and Maartje Hamers at the University of Utrecht. The aim was to investigate the microstructure of air hydates with sub-µm resolution. We thank Eric Hellebrand and Erik Betz-Güttner for their support in operating the Cryo-SEM. Access to the Cryo-SEM at MINT-UU (Utrecht University) was provided by EPOS-NL Facility Access, supported by the Dutch Research Council (NWO).