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Crispy crunchy air fryer fries can be tricky to get perfect, every time – I designed this air fryer recipe to work – every time – for a side your whole family will crave!
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 – my friends and I swear by it and have for years – I’m going to share why!
Don’t want all the extras in a recipe post? We provide a skip to recipe button in the top left corner, as well as a clickable table of contents, just below, to help make this page easier to navigate.
At Sweet C’s, I add lots of tips in all of my recipes – because I am a home cook without any formal training, and I find I am more confident making dishes when I understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe. My goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.
Table of Contents
Crunchy Air Fryer Fries
This recipe is one of my favorite recipes to use with my Ninja Foodi – just like my popular air fryer chicken drumsticks recipe, and Air Fryer Steaks recipe, Air Fryer Tri Tip Steak, and Air Fryer Chicken Fried Steak that all do really well in an instant pot with a crisping lid! For another take on these fries, be sure to check out my Lemon Garlic Air Fryer French Fries – the lemon pepper and garlic seasoning can’t be beat!
I also LOVE to dip these fries in my Zhoug (Skhug) Sauce – its a spicy, tangy, totally addictive sauce I fell in love with in Israel.
Air fryers provide lightning-quick cook times and easy cleanup – with about 2 tablespoons of oil instead of quarts like a traditional deep fryer – but, they are a bit of a misnomer – as they don’t actually fry anything. Instead, air fryers work more as a small convection-like appliance to crisp and heat foods evenly. They also don’t heat up your whole kitchen like an oven!
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do!
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!
How long to Air Fry French Fries
French fries in the air fryer cook pretty quickly – they should take about 13 minutes, depending on how thinly they are cut.
Air Fryer Fries Tips
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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.
What Air Fryer To Use. As far as what kind of air fryer you can use to make french fries, it truly is anything goes – but the hotter you can get your air fryer, the better! I have a Phillips Air Fryer I got from my parents – and we’re loving it! Click here to buy a crisping lid for your instant pot. If you need to buy an Instant Pot Duo Crisp click here – to buy a crisping lid, click here.
Serve with dipping sauce! Whether its ketchup, Spicy Whipped Feta, mayo, Easy Homemade Blue Cheese Dip, or French Fry Sauce – fries are delicious when you dip them into something!
Air Fryer French Fries FAQs
Air fryer french fries take about 20 minutes to cook.
This recipe was designed after testing in the Instant Pot Air fryer, Instant Pot with Crisping Lid broiler function, Ninja Foodi + Broiler lid, and the Phillips Air Fryer. Cooktime was slightly different with each appliance, but each resulted in perfect air fryer fries. Check fries as you cook to make sure they are done to your preference!
We personally love the classic potato flavor of russet potatoes for this recipe, but Yukon Golds work well too.
While you can skip soaking your potatoes before frying, the potatoes will have a harder time crisping up since they won’t have given off some of their starch. Letting potatoes release starch helps them crisp and allows the outside to get crunchy while still light and airy inside!
For this recipe it is essential to pat potatoes dry of any water so that the olive oil can stick to the potatoes and help crisp them up without getting soggy.
It’s a matter of personal preference. You can leave the skin on for added texture and flavor, or peel the potatoes if you prefer a smoother texture.
Absolutely! Season the fries with your favorite spices such as salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, or herbs like rosemary or thyme before air frying for added flavor.
You can place the cooked fries on a wire rack in a single layer in a warm oven (around 200°F or 93°C) to keep them warm and maintain their crispiness until serving.
Common dipping sauces include ketchup, mayonnaise, aioli, BBQ sauce, ranch dressing, or cheese sauce. You can also get creative with homemade sauces or seasonings. We also love our French Fry Sauce.
Preheat your air fryer to 375-400°F (190-200°C). Cook the fries for about 15-20 minutes, shaking or flipping them halfway through, until they are golden brown and crispy.
These French fries are simple and delicious – and can be used with sweet potatoes, too! You will need to adjust cooking time for crispness with the sweet potatoes for sweet potato fries, but the rest of the recipe can remain the same.
Potatoes, while a starch, contain many health benefits when eaten in moderation. For more information on the health benefits of potatoes, consider this potato nutrition guide.
What to serve with air fried french fries
If you’re looking for other delicious, easy air fryer sides like these french fries, be sure to check out our Air Fryer Chicken Fried Steak Recipe, Air Fryer Cinnamon Raisin Bagels, The Best Air Fryer Baked Potato Recipe, Air Fryer Pumpkin Bundt Cake, Air Fryer Naked Chicken Tenders, Air Fryer Salsa Chicken Thighs Recipe, The Best Air Fryer Bacon Recipe and some of our recent favorite air fryer recipes below:
To find our entire air fryer recipe index, click here.
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More Like this from Sweet C’s Designs
Crispy Air Fryer Fries
Equipment
- StarPack Basics Silicone Kitchen Tongs for Cooking Set (9″ & 12″ Cherry Red) – Stainless Steel Tongs for Cooking with Silicone Tips – Non-Stick & Grill Safe, High Heat Resistant Silicone Tongs (480°F)
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.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Perfect fries!