Crispy outside, tender inside, and seasoned to perfection, this Air Fryer French Fries recipe is the pinnacle of satisfaction. This recipe is the BEST method to make perfect homemade French fries in the air fryer!
I came up with this recipe when I was frustrated with french fry recipes that were confusing and lacked that perfect, double-fried crunch my kids and I were craving. This recipe is one that just always works.
Ingredients for French Fries in Air Fryer
To make this recipe, you’ll need:
- 3 large russet potatoes – we love russets for their rich, buttery taste, and how the starch works to puff and crisp perfectly in the air fryer. Russet potatoes have the classic, rich, potatoey flavor everyone loves. You can peel the potatoes or leave the peel on – but be sure to wash it well.
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil – use a good quality olive oil that you love the flavor of. You can change up the flavor of your fries by using flavored oils like garlic oil, chile oil, etc.
- Sea salt and pepper, to taste – I like to finish fries with either maldon salt or powdered salt for the light, salty flavor that distributes evenly.
How to make French Fries in Air Fryer
Once you’ve gathered your ingredients, we will use the following method:
- Prep. Using a mandoline, slice the potatoes into fries. I don’t worry too much about the size of fry I am making- some are bigger, and some are smaller. That’s fine!
- Soak. Next, place your spuds in a nice cool water bath. Completely submerge the fries in water. Let fries sit one hour. This helps to remove excess starch and will help the fries crisp up more in the oven.
- Preheat. Preheat air fryer to 375 degrees. After an hour, drain the water, and pat fries dry with a paper towel.
- Season. Toss with a couple tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Air fry. Add fries to bottom of air fryer basket, making sure they are all on the same level (don’t stack them on top of each other.) Cook 13 minutes, until crispy and golden brown. Place on a baking sheet lined with paper towels and a cooling rack over it. Place in warm oven (set to the minimum temperature, not over 250 degrees) and let rest while other batches of fries are cooking.
- Enjoy! Serve hot, with French Fry Sauce!
Air Fryer Fries Tips
Season fries. This recipe is so delicious because it can be made with all sorts of different flavors and seasonings to customize to your preferences – try some of these easy ideas, or come up with your own!
- Onion powder or garlic powder over oiled fries for a bit more flavor.
- Herbs de provence salt for a rustic French twist.
- Cajun seasoning sprinkled over fries gives a spicy Five Guys like french fry flavor – straight from your air fryer.
- Brush fries in the final 15 minutes of baking time with butter, diced garlic, and finely diced parsley for sinfully rich garlic butter fries.
Use Russet Potatoes. Russet potatoes give a classic french fry flavor. Leave skins on, but be sure to wash potatoes well and scrub off any excess dirt, remove any eyes or bruises.
Use a mandoline to cut fries. Cut potatoes with a mandoline for easy, perfect sticks that will crisp up well.
Soak fries. Make sure your fries soak for at least one hour in a large bowl of cold water – preferably changing the water after 20 minutes or 30 minutes with fresh new cold water. Soaking in water helps remove some of the starch, which will help them crisp up better!
Dry fries well after soaking. Make sure your fries are very very dry after soaking. Pat them with paper towels or a clean dish towel to be sure there is no residual moisture. Wet fries = soggy fries.
Cook in Single Layer. Allowing fries to have room away from each other while air frying helps them cook faster and get crunchier. Fries that have plenty of space to cook should not stick to the air fryer basket and should come out with a gentle shaking of the basket. Sometimes I will add more fries to the basket and simply increase cook time a few minutes, shaking often to make sure the heat is evenly distributed.
Adjust cooktime as needed. I watch my french fries closely while cooking, and make adjustments as needed. Every oven and air fryer is different, and I’ve noticed a ton of things impact cook time and even something as small as the humidity in the air can impact cook time.
Rest air fries in warm oven. I line a baking sheet with paper towels and place a cooling rack over it. When each batch is done from the air fryer, I toss them on the cooling rack and pop the baking sheet in the oven. I set the oven as low as possible – about 200-250 degrees at the most- to keep the fries warm.
This also lets any excess oil drip off, and prevents fries from becoming cold or soggy.
Servings: 6 servings
Prep: 10minutes mins
Cook:15minutes mins
Soaking: Time:1hour hr
Total: 1hour hr 25minutes mins
Ingredients
- 3 large russet potatoes
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- Sea salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Using a mandoline or sharp knife, slice the potatoes into fries. I don’t worry too much about the size of fry I am making- some are bigger, and some are smaller. That’s fine!
- Next, place your spuds in a nice cool water bath. Completely submerge the fries in water.
- Let fries sit one hour. This helps to remove excess starch and will help the fries crisp up more in the oven.
- Preheat air fryer to 375 degrees.
- After an hour, drain the water, and pat fries dry with a paper towel.
- Toss with a couple tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Add fries to bottom of air fryer basket, making sure they are all on the same level (don’t stack them on top of each other.)
- Cook 15-20 minutes, until crispy and golden brown.
- Place on a baking sheet lined with paper towels and a cooling rack over it.
- Place in warm oven (set to the minimum temperature, not over 250 degrees) and let rest while other batches of fries are cooking.
- Serve hot and enjoy.
Nutrition
Serving: 1gCalories: 205kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 4gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gSodium: 70mgFiber: 3gSugar: 2g
