Air Fryer French Fries – so crispy!
Crispy and golden, homemade air fryer French fries are simply the best.
Guess how many ingredients are in these air fryer French fries? Two! One large potato and a half tablespoon of olive oil. All right, if you want to add salt and pepper, that’s two more but do they really count? Nah.
Guess how many ingredients are in a popular brand of store-bought frozen French fries? Just a minute, let me count: Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (Sunflower, Cottonseed, Soybean, And/Or Canola), Modified Food Starch, Rice Flour, Salt, Dextrin, Cornstarch, Leavening (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate), Dextrose, Xanthan Gum, Annatto (Color), Disodium Dihydrogen Pyrophosphate. Twelve!
Guess which French fries I would rather eat and serve my family?
Do homemade air fryer French fries taste great? You be the judge, but I know we find them absolutely irresistible, especially with this homemade fry sauce or homemade ranch dressing.
About these Air Fryer French Fries:
I love my air fryer when it comes to making crispy and healthy “fried” food. This countertop appliance is similar to a convection oven in some ways. Hot air is circulated around the food on a rack, producing a crispy product without the added oil and extra calories of deep frying. Just a bit of heart healthy olive oil is added to these French fries for flavor, saving a ton of calories.
For my air fryer French fries, I use Yukon gold potatoes because I like the flavor; however, Russet potatoes are most commonly used for fries.
Slice scrubbed potatoes into one-quarter inch French fries. These are skinny fries similar to fast food restaurant fries. A mandolin works best to cut evenly sized fries. Be careful of your fingers!
This next step is important for crispy fries–don’t skip it! Soak the cut potatoes in a bowl of cold water for 20 minutes. Soaking removes some of the starch. After the potatoes have soaked, drain them and dry them thoroughly. I spread them out on paper towel or a lint free dish towel and pat them dry. Wet potatoes equals soggy fries!
Put the potatoes into a dry bowl, add oil, salt, and any other seasonings you like. Preheat the air fryer and “fry” those fries. Don’t overcrowd the fryer. You want to have space between the fries so they crisp up. That means you probably will have to do the fries in batches. Spread the cooked fries on a wire rack in a warm oven to keep them warm and crisp.
Cooking time will depend on the thickness of your fries. My skinny fries take about 10-15 minutes. Check them often near the end of the cooking time to see how brown they’re getting.
You can make as many fries you want–just double or triple the recipe.
How to make these french fries your own:
- Experiment with potato varieties. There are lots of different kinds of potatoes, each with unique properties. See which one you like best. Maybe you can have a French fry tasting party.
- Peeled or unpeeled? It’s up to you. I like to leave the peelings on.
- If you want, these fries can be made with no oil whatsoever. Olive oil does add good flavor, though. Other types of oil can be used.
- Try different spices. While plain salted fries are great, you could try adding black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, smoked paprika, chili powder, and so on. Raid your spice cupboard.
- Add grated Parmesan cheese for a real treat!
- Serve air fryer French fries with your favorite dipping sauce, including ketchup, homemade ranch dressing, or homemade barbecue sauce. Or douse them in your favorite chili, smothered with cheese sauce.
Reheating and Storage Tips
Air fryer French fries are best eaten fresh. If you have leftovers (can’t imagine that scenario, but you never know), pop them back in the air fryer to crisp them up again when you’re ready to serve them.
Other air fryer recipes:
Don’t let your air fryer sit in the pantry unused! Check out these delicious recipes:
- Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets
- Air Fryer Potatoes
- Air Fryer Salmon
- Breaded Air Fryer Pork Chops
- Air Fryer Falafel
- Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts (you won’t believe how good these are!)
- Air Fryer Mozzarella Sticks (perfect with marinara sauce)
- Air Fryer Turkey Breast from Skinny Taste (can’t wait to try this)
- Air Fryer Baked Potatoes from A Pinch of Healthy (crispy skins, ready in 40 minutes)
Air Fryer French Fries
Crispy and golden, homemade air fryer French fries are simply the best.
Ingredients
- 1 medium Yukon gold potato, scrubbed (and peeled if you prefer) (about 6 oz)
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, more or less to taste
Instructions
- Slice the potatoes into french fry shape, about 1/4-inch thick (if you have a mandolin, you may wish to use that). Submerge cut potatoes in a bowl of cold water and let soak for 20 minutes.
- When the fries are almost done soaking, preheat air fryer to 375ºF.
- Drain potatoes and pat dry with a paper towel or a lint-free tea/dish towel. Dry bowl and place fries back in bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper
- Place a single layer of fries in the basket of the air fryer and cook for 10-15 minutes or until crispy and golden brown. Keep an eye on them towards the end.
- Serve immediately, or see notes to keep warm while air frying additional batches.
Notes
- This recipe is a good guideline for proportions. It’s easy to double or triple, but you’ll still want to cook them in batches so the air can flow around them and make them super crispy.
- If you choose to make a large batch, put cooked fries on a wire baking rack placed on top of a sheet pan in a warm oven (175-200ºF). This will keep the cooked fries warm and crispy while you finish cooking the rest.
- You may also try adding other seasonings to the fries, like 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1/4 teaspoon chili powder, or 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika. Grated Parmesan cheese is good, too.
- Fries can be made with no oil. Spray air fryer rack lightly with cooking spray so fries don't stick.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 3 Serving Size: 2 ounces friesAmount Per Serving: Calories: 74Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 182mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 1g
RachelCooks.com sometimes provides nutritional information, but these figures should be considered estimates, as they are not calculated by a registered dietitian. Please consult a medical professional for any specific nutrition, diet, or allergy advice.
Husband’s take: These fries never last long at my house!
Changes I would make: None are necessary, but they’re a fun blank slate for lots of good seasonings.
Difficulty: Easy!
18 Comments on “Air Fryer French Fries – so crispy!”
i didn’t have an air fryer so i made them in the oven and they were just as good! i made them in the air fryer at a friends house and both turned out amazing! the only thing about the oven is that they shrink a lot so you need to cut more and make them bigger, and cook them for longer! but they were so delicious!! love your recipe rachel!!
So glad to hear it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Great and easy to follow.
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Why is it that no matter there website, no matter the recipe, we must first scroll through the authors entire life story never they’re trying to write like or the New York Times. Just give us the recipe..
My life story is actually not about making french fries…the information in this post is mostly to help the readers who wish to delve a little deeper in the subject. Also, fyi, Google will not give our recipes the time of day if we don’t have supporting content, which means you would likely have never made it here. That’s why we do it. BUT I also include a “jump to recipe” button so that you can easily click that and pass right by all the supporting content to get to the recipe if scrolling seems like too much.
Dude, why are you picking on this ONE, specific blogger out of the millions that do this?
Did you not get a recipe out of clicking on this website?
Its not like anyone lead you here out of false pretenses.
Thank you for this wonderful recipe, Rachel :)
Thank you for the kind words and support! :)
Sometimes it’s the straw that breaks the camel’s back you know? And you have no choice but to shout into the void (aka a comment section) about something annoying.
No choice?
I work in marketing, and she’s right. :)There has to be a certain amount of words in order to have rank relevancy. That’s why so many recipes have a “life story” first.
:) Thanks for the support!
These were a home run !!
So glad to hear it! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
Just got a air fryer from my granddaughter for Mothers Day and haven’t used it yet but today is our grandsons birthday and I want to make the fries..
I love your recipe just a bit nervous.
Thank you…
I have Russet potatoes.. do they tastes as good as Yukon.
Either variety will work! I hope you love them!
these make it tempting to get an air fryer.
It’s a fun little gadget!