If you’ve never made homemade french fries, now is your chance! The air fryer makes cooking so easy; gone are the days of a deep fryer splattering oil and figuring out what to do with leftover hot grease! Instead, just toss the potatoes in a little bit of oil, pop the fries in the air fryer, and the beloved appliance does all of the hard work for you! Crispy french fries are easier than you could have ever thought!
Just because this recipe calls for a fraction of the oil required for deep frying doesn’t mean that these air fryer french fries have any less flavor. A simple yet intentional seasoning of salt, pepper, and rich olive oil produces perfectly crunchy and satisfying spuds. For more easy air fryer recipes, check out my air fryer chicken tenders and air fryer chicken wings.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Potatoes – choose russet potatoes for the crispiest potatoes. Other varieties of potatoes, like red potatoes, don’t have sufficient starch to crisp up properly as russets do. Yukon golds can work but will have a slightly firmer interior. Always scrub the potatoes well before cutting and cut uniformly for even cooking.
Olive Oil – even though we do need less oil with this cooking method, we still need a small amount of olive oil for the potatoes to crisp up properly. Choose virgin or extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor. You can use vegetable oil as a good substitute.
Salt – salt is key in adding flavor to homemade french fries, so don’t skimp on it if possible. Restaurants season their fries liberally, and seasoning homemade french fries well can set yours apart. Choose fine sea salt if possible. However, ¾ teaspoons of kosher salt can be substituted if necessary! For a finer finish, use flaked salt for the last sprinkle once cooked.
How to Make Air Fryer French Fries
1. Peel the potatoes, if desired, and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices across the length or width of the potatoes.
2. Cut the slices into 1/4-inch sticks.
3. Fill a large bowl with cold water and soak the cut potatoes for 1 hour.
4. Drain the potatoes well and pat dry with paper towels.
5. Once dried, toss the potato sticks with oil, salt, and pepper in a large bowl or on a rimmed baking sheet.
6. Arrange enough potato sticks in an air fryer basket to create an even layer of potatoes with space between fry. Air fry at 375°F until golden brown and crispy, or for about 10 to 15 minutes. Repeat with the remaining batches of potatoes until all of the fries are cooked.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- Potato cutting variations. For longer french fries, cut the potatoes lengthwise in long ovals before cross-cutting them into ¼-inch sticks. For shorter fries, cut the potatoes into rounds first.
- Don’t skip the potato-soaking step. The cold water helps to remove excess starch from the exterior of the potato pieces, making for crispier fries. Always soak them in cold water for the full hour for the best results.
- Thoroughly dry the potatoes after soaking. Removing all of the excess moisture from the fries is also paramount in creating the ideal textured fries! If necessary, blot out the moisture with two rounds of paper towels.
- Cook in batches if needed. To prevent soggy fries, spread the fries out in a single layer before air frying, as the fries need space for the hot air to evenly circulate and create a crispy golden brown exterior. Place cooked fries on a large baking sheet fitted with a wire rack and keep them in an oven preheated to 200°F to keep them warm when air frying additional batches.
- Adjust the cooking time for the strength of your air fryer. Different brands of air fryers can run at different temperatures. For the most accurate temperature reading, place an oven thermometer inside the air fryer for a minute or two before adding the food. Adjust the cooking temperature up or down based on the thermometer’s reading. Otherwise, check the fries at 10 minutes and add additional cooking time as needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
These air fryer fries are best enjoyed fresh, but thanks to the moderate amount of oil used in their preparation, they are very easy to store and reheat, much better than classic fried french fries. Keep Leftover fries in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat them in an air fryer preheated to 375 degrees F for 2-3 minutes or until hot and crisp. Leftover fries can also be frozen in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. Reheat in the air fryer as directed, adding additional time as needed to heat them through and crisp them back up.
Serve these fries hot with your favorite dipping sauces: ketchup, ranch dressing, mayo, sriracha mayo, or even bang bang sauce! They are the perfect side dish for so many main dishes but are a classic combination when served with veggie burgers, fried chicken, chicken nuggets, or even my juicy turkey burger recipe.
There are so many different ways to season fries! To make garlic fries, add ½ teaspoon of garlic powder to the salt and pepper seasoning or sauté two fresh garlic cloves until just golden in 2 additional tablespoons of olive oil before tossing with the freshly cooked fries. Add 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped rosemary to the sautéing garlic for an additional aromatic flavor boost. Make truffle fries by drizzling the hot fries with truffle oil and sprinkling shredded parmesan cheese before serving. Finally, experiment with other seasoning blends – seasoned salt, taco seasoning, and more – for additional delicious flavor twists!
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this air fryer french fries recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Air Fryer French Fries
Equipment
- Air fryer
- Paper towels
Ingredients
- 2 large russet potatoes (about 1¼ pounds/579g)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes, if desired, and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices. (You can cut them lengthwise in long ovals for long fries or crosswise into rounds for smaller fries.) Cut the slices into 1/4-inch sticks.
- Fill a large bowl with cold water and soak the potato sticks for 1 hour. Drain well, and pat very dry with paper towels.
- Once dried, toss the potato sticks with oil, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
- In an air fryer basket, arrange the potato sticks in an even layer with a little space between each one. (Cook in batches if needed.) Air fry at 375°F until golden brown and crispy, 10 to 15 minutes.
Notes
- Potato cutting variations. For longer french fries, cut the potatoes lengthwise in long ovals before cross-cutting them into ¼-inch sticks. For shorter fries, cut the potatoes into rounds first.
- Don’t skip the potato-soaking step. The cold water helps to remove excess starch from the exterior of the potato pieces, making for crispier fries. Always soak them in cold water for the full hour for the best results.
- Thoroughly dry the potatoes after soaking. Removing all of the excess moisture from the fries is also paramount in creating the ideal textured fries! If necessary, blot out the moisture with two rounds of paper towels.
- Cook in batches if needed. To prevent soggy fries, spread the fries out in a single layer before air frying, as the fries need space for the hot air to evenly circulate and create a crispy golden brown exterior. Place cooked fries on a large baking sheet fitted with a wire rack and keep them in an oven preheated to 200°F to keep them warm when air frying additional batches.
- Adjust the cooking time for the strength of your air fryer. Different brands of air fryers can run at different temperatures. For the most accurate temperature reading, place an oven thermometer inside the air fryer for a minute or two before adding the food. Adjust the cooking temperature up or down based on the thermometer’s reading. Otherwise, check the fries at 10 minutes and add additional cooking time as needed.
Leave a Reply