These Air Fryer French Fries are easy, fast, and turn out as crispy and delicious as anything you’d get as a restaurant!
You can season them tons of different ways (check out my variations below), and don’t forget the fun dipping sauces, like chick-fil-a sauce, ranch, bbq sauce or ketchup.
I’m convinced that making homemade french fries in the air fryer is the BEST way to make them! They turn out just as crispy and delicious as baked or fried french fries, with out the fat from frying. If you’re still learning, check out my air fryer tips and tricks!
I’ve got you covered with so many delicious options to serve with fries, like Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets, Burgers, Wraps, Cuban Sandwich, Air Fryer Grilled Cheese, or French Dip Sandwiches.
How to make Air Fryer French Fries:
Wash the russet potato and remove any bruises.
Cut potato lengthwise into ¼ to ½ inch thin slabs then cut the slabs into ¼ inch thin matchsticks. Cut potato into uniform slices to ensure that the fries cook evenly. You can also use a mandoline to cut perfectly sized fries.
Soak the potatoes! Put about 3 inches of water in a large pot and bring it to a boil Once boiling, remove from the heat and place your cut potatoes in the hot water to soak for 30 minutes. (This step is essential to crispy fries). Drain water and lay potatoes onto paper towels, patting them until dry. Preheat Air Fryer to 360 degrees.
Season: Add potatoes to a Ziploc bag. Sprinkle cornstarch and seasonings over top and shake to coat. Add the oil and shake again to coat.
Air Fry: Fry at 360 for 15-20 minutes, checking on the fries and tossing them every 5 minutes until they are golden and crispy.
Tips for Crispy Fries:
- Size: thicker fries cook longer, thin fries cook shorter
- Use russet potatoes! There’s a reason that most restaurants use russet potatoes for their french fries! They are the best when it comes to crispy perfect fries.
- Soak in HOT water – I tested this recipe so many times and the fries that turned out the best were the ones I soaked in HOT water.
- Leave the skins on
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:
To Make Ahead: The potatoes can be cut and soaked for up to 3 hours before baking.
To Freeze: After cooking, freeze air fryer fries in a freezer safe bag for up to two months. To air fry frozen french fries, cook in air fryer at 360 degrees for 5-10 minutes, or until crispy.
Recipe Variations:
- Garlic Parmesan Fries – Toss the fries in cornstarch, 1 minced clove of garlic, salt and pepper. After air frying, sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese and chopped fresh parsley.
- Sweet Potato Fries – Go to my recipe HERE!
- Yukon gold potatoes could be used, but they make softer fries.
- Wedge fries: Go to my recipe HERE!
- Baked Fries: Follow my instructions HERE!
More Air Fryer Recipes:
- Air Fryer Meatballs
- Air Fryer Pizza
- Air Fryer Wings
- Air Fryer French Toast
- Air Fryer Tofu
- Air Fryer Baked Potato
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Recipe
Air Fryer French Fries
Ingredients
- 1 large russet potato
- 1 Tablespoon oil , vegetable or canola
- 1/2 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons seasoned salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper.
Instructions
- Wash the russet potato and remove any bruises.
- Cut the potato lengthwise into ¼ to ½ inch thin slabs then cut the slabs into ¼ inch thin matchsticks. Try your best to cut the potato into uniform slices to ensure the fries cook evenly. You could use a mandoline.
- Soak in HOT water. Put about 3 inches of water in a large pot and bring it to a boil Once boiling, remove from heat and place your cut potatoes in the hot water to soak for 30 minutes. (This is essential to remove some of the starch from the potato which will help them get crispy while cooking).
- Dry the potatoes. Drain the water and lay potatoes out onto paper towels, patting them until very dry. Preheat Air Fryer to 360 degrees.
- Season: Add potatoes to a ziplock bag. Sprinkle cornstarch and seasonings over top and shake to coat. Add the oil and shake again to coat.
- Air Fry: Spray the basket with non stick spray and spread the fries out in the basket. Fry at 360 for 15-20 minutes, checking on the fries and tossing them every 5 minutes until they are golden and crispy. I use tongs to gently toss them and make sure they don't stick together. Exact cook time will vary depending on size of your fries. Mine are crispy after 15 minutes (tossing 3 times).
- Serve with dipping sauces like fry sauce (recipe in notes), ranch, bbq sauce, ketchup or Chick-fil-A sauce.
Notes
- Garlic Parmesan Fries – Toss the fries in cornstarch, 1 minced clove of garlic, salt and pepper. After air frying, sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese and chopped fresh parsley.
- Sweet Potato Fries – Go to my recipe HERE!
- Yukon gold potatoes could be used, but they make softer fries.
- Wedge fries: Go to my recipe HERE!
- Baked Fries: Follow my instructions HERE!
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup ketchup
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
Nutrition
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I never leave ratings, but this recipe?? GAME CHANGER. Tastes just like the deep fried homemade fries, but no grease! I’ve been trying a lot of recipes from Lauren, and I haven’t had 1 recipe to disappoint!
Im about to make these but just curious what the cornstarch is for
The cornstarch keeps moisture away from surface, which helps them to get crispy. If there was moisture from being drawn out, they’d be more soggy than crispy. It’s used a lot on wings in air, but usually they have so much oil in them they’ll get a little crispy anyway, best if you want really crispy. Which I don’t and love a tender wing not chicken jerky.
Do you have an air fryer recipe for onion rings ,cause the French fry one sounds so good
I’ve been trying to create one, but I so far don’t love how they turn out. My favorite onion rings are the kind that are battered, with the thick and chewy coating (the same coating I use on my fish and chips). That wet batter doesn’t work well in the air fryer. But if you like the crispy, breadcrumb style coating on your onion rings, that method will work! Here’s a recipe that looks great: https://www.spendwithpennies.com/air-fryer-onion-rings/
Followed the directions to a T and these turned out amazing!