Homemade French Fries

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Most of us know what fast food French fries taste like, and honestly, homemade French fries taste so much better, and yes, they are healthier too.

When you have enough fries on hand, what you can do with them is pretty limitless. They make excellent sheet pan meals that can feed a whole family on a budget. But not if you buy them premade.

Why Make Homemade French Fries?

Making your fries at home is both easy and delicious. You have far more control over the ingredients, and you can cook them in ways that are either healthier or far more decadent. I’ll go into that more below.

Fast food fries are well known for being full of unwanted ingredients. Added sugar is just the tip of the iceberg. If you buy frozen fries at the grocery store, the ingredient list might get a little better, but not by much. In all fairness, there are a couple of brands out there that have a very clean ingredient list. But even with those, you don’t know what type of potatoes were used to make those fries. If you try to avoid GMOs, you may be out of luck in the frozen section.

Enter, the humble, homemade French fry. You pick the potatoes, you pick the seasoning, you pick the budget, and you feel great about eating some fries that are far healthier for you and still taste amazing.

Tips For Making Perfect Homemade French Fries

1. Soak Your Potatoes – For at least 30 minutes (or overnight) to get rid of excess starch.
2. Dry Your Potatoes Thoroughly – Any water left on them will cause splattering in any oil you use to cook them and will leave you with soggy fries.
3. Choose The Right Oil – Use high smoke point oils such as peanut oil or avocado oil. Olive oil is also a good option.
4. Season Your Fries While They Are Hot – Seasoning sticks better when the fries are hot.
5. Always Flip Your Fries – Whether you bake them in the oven or fry them in an air fryer, always flip your fries at least once if not more for even cooking.
6. Add A Sprinkle Of Cornstarch – Tossing the fries in a little cornstarch before frying or baking will help give them an extra crispy outside.
7. Avoid Overcrowding – No matter how you cook your fries, give them room to breathe. Never layer your fries, or they will end up soft and soggy.

Best Potatoes To Use For Homemade French Fries

You really have only two choices for making good fries, and even then, one is better than the other.

1. Russet potatoes are the best choice for perfect fries.
2. Yukon Gold potatoes work pretty well too, but will give you a softer, creamier texture in your finished fries.

How To Cook Homemade French Fries

When it comes to cooking French fries, you have three options:

1. Deep fry them.
2. Air fry them.
3. Bake them.

Making Your Homemade French Fries More Decadent

You have a couple of options if you really want to go all out.

1. Deep fry your fries at home.
2. Add decadent toppings.

And of course, you can always be super indulgent and do both. They obviously won’t be as healthy, but at least you’ll know what’s in them.

Making Your Homemade French Fries Healthier

Here again, you have a couple of options.

1. Bake your fries.
2. Air fry your fries.

Again, what you put on your fries as toppings or use as dip will determine how overall healthy your finished fries are.

How To Cut Homemade French Fries

There are several ways to cut potatoes to make French fries. You can cut them the traditional way (like fast food fries), as shoestring fries, wedge fries, or curly fries.

General Tips For Cutting Fries

• Use a Sharp Knife – A sharp knife is a safer knife. Sharpness gives you more control.
• Mandoline or Fry Cutter – Use one of these to make life easier and to get your fries cut evenly for better cooking.
• Soak in Water – After cutting, soak the fries in cold water to remove excess starch and prevent them from sticking together.
• Dry Your Fries – Once they are fully rinsed, drain them. Then transfer them to a clean towel, and dry them well. This rinse-and-dry process will give you a much better finished texture with soft insides and crispy outsides.

Classic Fries (Straight-Cut)

This is what you find in a fast food restaurant. They are cut long and straight and make it easy to pack them in a French fry box.

1. Peel the potato if you prefer that. Otherwise, skip it.
2. Slice the potato lengthwise into ¼-inch to ½-inch thick slices.
3. Stack the slices and cut them into uniformly-sized fries, around ¼-inch to ½-inch thick. However thick you cut the slices, it should be how thick the fries are so that they are squared.

Shoestring Fries

These are very thin, fries, cut in the same way as regular fries, but thinner. They cook quickly and are usually extra crispy.

1. It’s your choice if you want to peel the potatoes first or not.
2. Just like regular fries, you’ll cut lengthwise into very thin slices. A mandolin works best for this. You want to cut them to about an ⅛-inch thickness.
3. Stack the slices and then, using a knife, cut the slices into very thin strips, around ⅛-inch wide. Here again, you are aiming for a square circumference.

Steak Fries (Wedges)

These fries are the thick wedges of potatoes that you are likely to get in a pub. They are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside and go super well with burgers.

1. Slice the potato in half lengthwise. (Peeling is up to you)
2. Place the flat side down for each half, and cut each half lengthwise into quarters.
3. If the slices are overly thick (because the potato was overly thick), you may want to slice these pieces in half again. But for most potatoes, quarter-size wedges are just fine. The size is up to you. Just make sure they are cut as uniformly as possible so they all cook at the same rate.

Curly Fries

These fun-to-eat fries are fantastic when the focus is on the dip. They hold dip super well, and kids of all ages love the shape of them. You can easily season them with herbs and spices, too.

1. Use a vegetable spiralizer or a curly fry cutter (amazon affiliate link). Insert the potato into the spiralizer.
2. Turn the handle and your potatoes will come out curly.
3. If the curls are too long, cut them down to the length you want.

Crinkle-Cut Fries

These fries are similar in shape to traditional fries but have a wavy surface. These ridges help the fries pick up and hold onto more dip. They tend to be a bit more crispy and are easy to hold.

1. Use a crinkle cutter (amazon affiliate link) or wavy knife (amazon affiliate link) to slice the potato into about a ¼-inch to ½-inch thickness.
2. Stack the slices and cut them into strips of the same thickness using the crinkle cutter. This is just like cutting regular fries, you are just using a special tool to do it.

Waffle Fries

These are usually fairly crispy fries with a lattice pattern. They are a uniquely fun way to eat your fries and hold onto your dip pretty well.

1. Use a mandoline with a waffle-cutting attachment (amazon affiliate link).
2. Slice the potato, turning it 90 degrees after each slice to create the lattice pattern.
3. Aim for about ⅛-inch thickness to help them cook properly. These are not thick fries.

Cottage Fries

These types of fries are essentially just slices of potatoes that have been fried, baked, or air-fried. They are great for dipping, and super easy to cut.

1. Slice your potatoes crosswise into thin, circular slices, about ¼-inch thick.
2. Try to keep them uniformly thick. It’s often best to use a mandoline slicer for this so they cook evenly.

Belgian Fries (Frites)

Belgian fries are thicker-cut fries that look almost the same as traditional fries, except for being a bit thicker. With these fries, it’s more about how they are cooked than how they are cut. But a thicker cut is necessary for these.

1. Cut the potato into ½-inch thick slices, lengthwise.
2. Cut each slice into strips a ½-inch wide to create thicker “traditional” fries.

Belgian fries are cooked twice with a rest to cool them in between. Here’s how it’s done in either an oven or in an air fryer. The obvious method is deep frying, but I don’t do that here on this blog.

Baking Belgian Fries

First Bake

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it.
3. Arrange the fries in a single layer on the baking sheet. Do not overlap these.
4. Bake for 15–20 minutes until they start to soften and slightly brown.
5. Remove the fries from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for 10–15 minutes. This helps set the texture and lets them cool enough to be prepared for the second baking.

Second Bake

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
2. Return the cooled fries to the oven and bake for another 15–20 minutes, flipping halfway through. Bake the fries until they are golden brown and crispy on the outside.
3. Remove them from the oven and immediately season with salt and any other spices you want to add.
4. Serve with your favorite French fry dip. Traditionally, these are served with mayo.

Air Fryingn Belgian Fries

First Fry

1. Preheat your air fryer to 350°F (175°C).
2. Toss the fries with 1–2 tablespoons of oil. Using a high smoke point oil is best (Avocado oil works great!).
3. Place the fries in the air fryer basket in a single layer. If you have to work in batches, do that. It’s important that these do not lay on top of each other.
4. Cook for 10–12 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through, until the fries are soft and lightly golden.
5. Remove the fries and let them cool for 10–15 minutes.

Second Fry

1. Preheat the air fryer to 400°F (200°C).
2. Return the cooled fries to the air fryer (remember the single layers. No overlapping) and cook for another 8–10 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through, until the fries are gold and crispy.
3. Season with salt and any spices or seasonings you want to add.
4. Serve with your favorite dip. Traditionally, these are served with mayo.

How To Freeze Homemade French Fries

This is a multi-step process, so you’ll want to set up an assembly line to make the whole process more efficient. Read through these steps fully before you begin.

1. Cut the potatoes to your desired shape and size.
2. Place them in a bowl of water and let them soak for about one hour.
3. Strain off the water, and transfer the fries to a clean towel. Dry them well.
4. Bring a large pot of water to boil.
5. Working in batches, add the cut fries to the boiling water.
6. Blanch for 2–3 minutes (4-5 minutes for very thick pieces like potato wedges). The fries should still be firm but slightly tender to the touch.
7. Quickly transfer the blanched fries from the pot with a straining spoon or scoop into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Let them cool for 5–10 minutes.
8. Drain the fries and pat them completely dry with a towel. You don’t want these to be wet when they go into the freezer.
9. Freeze in a single layer on sheet pans. Once frozen, you can transfer the frozen fries to a more space-saving, freezer-safe container.

French Fry Recipes To Try

• Chili Cheese Fries
• Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries
• Polenta Fries
• Cinnamon Butternut Squash Fries
• Spicy Cajun Fries
• Apple Fries
• Garlic Fries
• Greek Fries
• Nacho Fries
• Seasoned Air Fryer French Fries
• Pumpkin Fries

Dipping Sauces for French Fries

• Classic Ketchup
• Chipotle Aioli
• Ranch Dressing
• Honey Mustard
• Homemade Mayo

No matter how you make your fries or what you serve them with, they make an excellent snack or meal that you don’t have to feel guilty about if you prepare them right. Fries are part of our American comfort food culture, and for good reason. Nothing beats a batch of perfectly cooked fries.