These golden Air fryer French fries are golden, crispy and delicious with very little oil. If you want a no-oil option, I've got you covered!
If you love using your air fryer to make healthier versions of your favorite foods (like Air Fryer Tofu, Air Fryer Potatoes, Air Fryer Vegan Meatballs, Air Fryer Zucchini and Air Fryer Chickpeas), you have got to try these air fryer French fries.
I could nosh on French fries forever, which is the reason I rarely dared to make them at home. I knew they'd be gone before they ever got to the table. That changed after I got myself an air fryer. Suddenly French fries--or at least homemade French fries--were my friends. Because what's a fry anyway but a potato--a root veggie filled with minerals and other good-for-you stuff?
I've experimented with a million ways of making the perfect air fryer French Fries from scratch since. I've made them with different sizes of cuts. I've made them at different temperatures. I've made them with and without oil. I've salted them before air-frying, I've salted them after. I've happily eaten all of these experiments. Finally this, I promise, is the best French fry you will ever eat.
Table of Contents
Why you will love this recipe
- Golden and crispy fries, but without the fat.
- Delicious. This recipe makes the perfect French fries!
- Easy recipe. The fries they take minutes to make, with foolproof directions.
- Healthy. These fries have a fraction of the fat you'd find in regular French fries.
Top tips
- Choosing the potato. There's just one ingredient in a French fry, so you want to be sure it's the exact one you need: a starchy potato like russet potato or Maris Piper potato. These are dense and therefore perfect for achieving that golden, crispy texture. If you're going to keep the skin on, and I recommend that you do, use organic potatoes.
- Cut the potatoes into thin slivers, about 0.5 centimeters (or half a centimeter) across. There are lots of debates out there about whether or not French fries are really French, some even think they are uniquely American, and there seems to be some consensus that they originated in neighboring, French-speaking Belgium (where they are called Vlaamse frites or "Flemish fries" --I remember gorging on those amazing fries, which are sold in paper cones all around Brussels). My own, completely uncorroborated theory is that they are probably called French fries because of their distinctive cut--French fries are long, thin, and matchstick-like (as in they are julienned), as opposed to the thicker-cut British potato chips. But to get back to the point, julienne or French-cut your French fries or you'll end up with potato chips which, albeit delicious, are not French fries. You can do this by hand or do it with a mandoline.
- Soak the fries in water after cutting and before air frying. It's a good idea to get the excess starch out out of the fries before you air fry them. Doing so will give you crisper fries and it will prevent the fries from sticking together in the air fryer. You can remove the starch by soaking the potatoes in a bowl of cold water for a few minutes after you've cut them and before you put them in the air fryer. Or you can rinse the cut fries in a strainer for a couple of minutes until the water runs clear. Make sure you knead the fries with your fingers to get all the starch you can out.
- Dry the fries before putting them in the air fryer. Use paper or cloth towels to remove any visible moisture.
- Adding a little oil will make crispier fries. You don't need much--about three-fourths of a tablespoon for a pound of potatoes. It's enough to make them crisp up nicely and give you that satisfying crunch. Use a flavorless oil with a high smoke point, like avocado oil or peanut oil, and not extra virgin olive oil, for the best results. Coconut oil would just make the fries taste like coconut oil so please, don't use it.
- Salt and pepper the fries before they go into the air fryer and once again after they come out for the maximum flavor.
- Don't crowd the air fryer basket. This is really important. When I make air fryer fries with a pound of potatoes, I cook them in two batches in my air fryer which has a basket that's 7 ½ inches in diameter. Giving enough room for the air to circulate around the French fries is crucial in getting the crispiest, goldenest fries your heart and tummy desire.
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Ingredients
- Russet potatoes. Or any starchy potato, like Maris Piper potatoes.
- 1 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil. Since the air fryer will fry at a high temperature, use an oil with a higher smoke point, like avocado oil or peanut oil.
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste.
How to make air fryer French fries
- Wash two pounds of medium-sized potatoes. You can leave the skin on but peel them if they're not organic.
- Using a mandoline or a knife, cut the potatoes into slivers lengthwise, each one about half a centimeter in width.
- Immediately immerse the cut potatoes in a bowl of cold water. Toss them around gently so you get any surface starch out. Change the water and repeat a couple more times until the water remains fairly clear.
- Place the fries on paper or cloth napkins and dry them as thoroughly as you can.
- Throw away any water remaining in the bowl, wipe it clean and place the French fries back in it. Add 1 ½ tablespoon vegetable oil (I used avocado) and toss the fries until they are coated. Sprinkle on salt and pepper and toss them again.
- Place the fries in the air fryer basket. I did four batches with two pounds of potatoes for the best results. If your air fryer can hold more, lucky you.
- Air fry at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Every five minutes, remove the basket and gently and carefully toss the fries with a fork or spoon so they brown evenly. This also gives you a chance to keep an eye on your fries and make sure they are not overbrowning and to check the doneness of your fries. Keep in mind that if you make the fries thicker or thinner, you will need less or more time.
- Eat your fries hot. They taste best just out of the air fryer. If you save some for later, pop them back in the air fryer for a minute or two.
Air fryer French fries FAQs
Skip the oil and air fry the French fries according to directions. The fries made without oil are tasty enough, and they brown nicely in the air fryer (see photo below), but you won't quite get that crispy crunch you get with the small amount of oil. I make oil-free fries all the time when in the mood and dunk them into black bean hummus for a deeply satisfying, delicious -- and healthy -- snack.
This was a long-running conundrum for me so I tried salting both before and after and found that it gives me the best results. I season the fries lightly with salt and ground black pepper before they go into the air fryer, and then I lightly salt and pepper them again when they come out and are all hot and steamy from the fryer. You can also season the air fryer fries with your favorite seasoning mix or a no-salt herb mix if you'd rather.
I've tried these at different temperatures, but what has worked best for me is frying them at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
To reheat leftover French fries, pop them back in the air fryer for one to two minutes, checking after a minute to see if they're done and not drying out.
More yummy potato recipes
Recipe card
Air Fryer French Fries
Ingredients
- 4 medium russet potatoes (or any starchy potatoes, 2 pounds)
- 1 ½ tablespoon avocado oil or any neutral oil (like avocado oil or peanut oil)
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste (you can also use any French fry seasoning you love)
Instructions
- Wash the potatoes and cut lengthwise into ½-cm-thick sticks.
- Immerse the potatoes in a bowl filled with cold water. Toss them lightly to release as much of the starch as possible, then wash and repeat in two more changes of water. Alternatively you can put the fries in a strainer and wash them until the water runs clear.
- Place the washed fries on paper towels or a kitchen napkin and dry as thoroughly as you can. Don't fret if a tiny bit of moisture escapes you, it's fine.
- Throw out any water remaining in the bowl. Dry it thoroughly and place the fries in it. Toss with the oil, then add salt and ground black pepper. Don't go overboard because you want to add some seasoning after they have air-fried. For an oil-free version, skip the oil and simply season the fries.
- Air fry the fries in the air fryer at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. I do this in four batches for two pounds of potatoes, so approximately 1 potato goes into the fryer at a time. Every five minutes, so twice during cooking, remove the basket and toss the fries with a fork or spoon to ensure they cook evenly on all sides. The oil-free version might take a minute or two longer.
- Once the fries are air fried, remove to a bowl and toss with more salt and ground black pepper or your favorite herbs or seasoning mix.
Notes
- If you make these without oil, they'll come in at just 84 calories per serving.
Nutrition Information
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Mary
I used Yukon Gold potatoes and they were wonderful! I've been looking for some way to make potatoes in the air fryer and this is it. Hands down.
Robb
0.5mm is NOT half a centimeter. It's closer to paper thin. It should read 5mm.
Vaishali
Oh no, that was a bad typo on my part, but fortunately it was accurate in the recipe box. Thanks for pointing out though--I've corrected it.
Kavitha
Hi Vaishali,
The recipe looks awesome. By the way what air fryer do you use? I bought one but had returned it an year ago as I was not happy with it.
Vaishali
Mine is a Crux. I was not familiar with the brand but I found it on a great sale at Macy's around Christmas last year and couldn't pass it up. It works great. It's this model and was prob on sale because it was being discontinued.
Jack. Moore
Why didn’t you name the BEST Air Fryer and what Fryer you are using?