This homemade French fries recipe is my absolute favorite! By skipping the oil and frying, I achieve perfectly baked French fries that are tender on the inside with a crispy, golden-brown, caramelized exterior. These are so good!
If I’m going to have French fries, I want them to be crisp, golden, and well seasoned. These baked French fries check all those boxes!
My recipe is easy, and I’ve included a few secrets so that you can make them best. Serve these fries with your favorite dipping sauce. I love homemade ketchup or this incredible fry sauce!
Key Ingredients
- Potatoes: Russet potatoes are my top choice for the best baked fries. I prefer to leave the skins on for added texture but feel free to peel them if that’s your preference.
- Oil: While I skip the deep fryer, a little oil is essential for baking these French fries to perfection. I opt for a high-heat oil like avocado or vegetable oil to withstand the hot oven temperatures.
- French Fry Seasoning: For the best flavor and a bit of color, I generously sprinkle my favorite homemade seasoned salt onto the fries. This blend combines sea salt, pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder. It’s perfect for fries!
How to Make Homemade French Fries
I love thin-cut fries, but any thickness will work in this French fry recipe. The thicker you cut your fries, the longer they will take to crisp up in the oven.
If you have one, a French fry press or a mandoline with a fry blade is helpful, especially if you plan to make lots of French fries. You can find them online (make sure you look for a heavy-duty one).
You can also cut the potatoes by hand. To do this, slice the potato into 1/4-inch slabs, stack them up, and slice them into 1/4-inch matchsticks. You can see me do this in our video!
Next, I soak my potatoes in cold water. It’s an extra step (I know), but trust me. If you want to make the best baked fries, soak them. Baking fries without soaking them in water tends to stick to each other and the baking sheet. They also bake up to be gummy and don’t crisp as well.
Thirty minutes does the trick, but you can soak them longer if it works out better for you. For example, you can soak the rinsed and cut fries in cold water overnight in the fridge.
After soaking, pat them well with a clean dishcloth so they are dry, then toss them with the oil and seasoned salt.
Baking French fries in the oven takes about 40 to 50 minutes, but the key to achieving the perfect texture is using two different oven temperatures.
Begin by baking the fries at 375°F for 20 minutes. During this initial stage, the fries will start to cook through but may still appear pale and floppy. Don’t worry, this is perfectly normal!
After 20 minutes, crank up the heat to 425°F or even 450°F. This higher temperature is crucial for transforming those floppy fries into crispy, golden brown fries!
What to Serve with Homemade French Fries
I love these with some homemade ketchup on the side, but here are a few more homemade sauces to serve them with:
Easy Baked French Fries
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PREP
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TOTAL
Here’s how to make the best baked french fries that are tender in the middle, caramelized, and crisp on the outside. Don’t skip soaking the rinsed and cut fries before baking them. Soaking the cut fries in cold water helps to remove excess starch from the potatoes. When you bake fries without soaking them in water, they tend to stick to each other and the baking sheet. They also bake up to be gummy and don’t crisp as well. Soak the fries for at least 30 minutes. If you want to do this step in advance, soak the fries in cold water in the refrigerator overnight.
Serves 4
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
French Fries
1 pound russet potatoes, 2 large potatoes
3 tablespoons vegetable oil or high-heat cooking oil
Seasoned salt (recipe below) or fine sea salt
Seasoned Salt (Makes about 1 tablespoon)
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Directions
- Baked French Fries
1Adjust an oven rack so that it is towards the middle of the oven, and heat the oven to 375° Fahrenheit. If your oven has a convection setting, use it. You do not need to adjust the temperature. Set aside a large non-stick or anodized aluminum baking sheet; we prefer these because we can bake the fries directly on the baking sheet. If you do not have either, place a sheet of parchment paper or a silicone baking mat down onto your baking sheet to prevent sticking.
2Scrub the potatoes and cut them into sticks about ¼-inch thick.
3Submerge the potatoes in cold water and leave them to soak for 30 minutes. Drain and rinse, then pat the potatoes very dry. As a make-ahead option, you can soak the potatoes in cold water in the fridge overnight.
4Rinse and dry the bowl used to soak the potatoes, and then add the fries to it along with three tablespoons of oil and 1 ½ teaspoons of seasoned salt (recipe below). If you are using plain sea salt, use 3/4 teaspoon. Toss well.
5Spread the fries onto a baking sheet, and then bake, without moving them for 20 minutes.
6Increase the oven temperature to 425° Fahrenheit. Bake until the fries are golden and crisp, another 15 to 25 minutes. I’m giving such an extensive range because it depends on how browned you like your fries, how crispy you like them, and how thick you cut them. Keep an eye on them. If most of your fries are not browned or crisp, leave them in the oven for another 5 to 10 minutes.
7Wait to toss or move the fries around the pan until they are 25 to 30 minutes into the baking process, then give them a toss to promote even browning. I do this two or three times during the last 10 to 15 minutes so that all the fries have a chance to get crispy.
- Make Seasoned Salt
1Stir salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder together. Store in an airtight jar. After making the French fries recipe, you will have some leftovers, but the seasoned salt will last in your spice cabinet for months. Use this on vegetables, meats, and seafood.
Adam and Joanne’s Tips
- Airfryer French fries: Toss the soaked and dried fries with a tablespoon of oil and season with seasoned salt (or plain salt). You will need to cook the fries in batches. Place as many fries in the air fryer basket that will fit without them touching too much. Air fry at 375°F for 12 minutes or until crispy. Repeat with remaining fries. Just before serving, place all the fries back into the air fryer (it is okay if they touch this time), and air fry for another 2 to 3 minutes or until they crisp up again. Serve.
- Make-ahead, freezer-friendly fries: Freeze the baked fries in a single layer on a baking sheet. When they are completely frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe container and freeze them for up to 6 months. Bake the frozen fries in a 425°F oven until hot and crisp.
- Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values.
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Nutrition Per Serving
Serving Size
1/4 of the recipe
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Calories
180
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Total Fat
10.6g
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Saturated Fat
1.5g
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Cholesterol
0mg
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Sodium
441.7mg
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Carbohydrate
20.5g
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Dietary Fiber
1.5g
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Total Sugars
0.7g
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Protein
2.4g
