Air fryer French fries are the perfect way to make fries at home , and my family loves these!
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This is my very first Air Fryer recipe…yay! I am starting off super simple, with our favorite use for our Air Fryer so far – French fries! 😍👌🏻
Side note: Since this post was originally published, I have made MANY more air fryer recipes. So you might want to check out my entire air fryer recipes collection here.
How to make air fryer French fries
Here is how to make the best, easiest air fryer French fries!
Tips – to soak or not to soak?
While I was doing my internet research for making Air Fryer French fries, I was surprised to see how many people were soaking them in water first.
With a hefty dose of ignorance and confidence, I charged ahead with making some fries pretty much as soon as my Air Fryer was delivered (thank you, Amazon Prime). This was pre-internet-research, so I was not aware that people were soaking them.
And y’all! I did not even peel my potatoes. 😂 I just sliced them up and made them like I always did in the oven pre-Air Fryer.
And you know what? I don’t think I will ever bother with soaking them. I like them just as they are!
Laziness for the win! 😆👍🏻
Maybe I’ll try soaking them one day, just to see if it actually makes a difference. But I know myself.
I know that I have two needy little kids always vying for my attention, especially at dinner time. Mamas, can I get and amen?! And I am adopting my lazy version for the foreseeable future. 👍🏻
Seasoning
Also on the lines of laziness, I toss mine with the oil and seasonings in the air fryer basket because…less dishes!
You have to be willing to move sort of quickly, because if you wait all that oil will run through/ beneath the basket.
Now for a few notes on seasonings! I seasoned mine up with what Paula Deen calls her “house seasoning” – salt, pepper and garlic powder.
I don’t bother to mix mine together first, but I just apply all three and trust that they will get evenly distributed during tossing.
For even more flavor: These would also be great with a little onion powder and paprika added in.
Or for even more simple, we often do just salt and pepper. So season however you wish!
How to cook air fryer French fries
So what temperature do you cook air fryer French fries? I have done anywhere from 375 to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. I landed on 400 F, because that is easiest for me to remember and seems to work best with my particular air fryer model.
I am realizing that some models may vary slightly in temperature and cooking speed. So use common sense and adjust accordingly!
And how long to air fry French fries at 400? These fries were done in about 20 minutes! If you cut larger cuts, like steak fries, these may need to go longer. Just keep an eye on them.
As for preheating, I have not noticed much of a difference. So I just don’t do it anymore.🤷🏼♀️ Again, experiment with your model and adapt accordingly.
Can I make these oil free?
Tools Used To Make Air Fryer French Fries
This post may contain affiliate links, which pay a referral fee to me at no additional cost to you. My full affiliate disclosure can be seen here.
- Air Fryer – I am using the Avalon Bay one, but any air fryer will work!
- Mixing bowl for tossing (or not, if you use the lazy method!)
- Tongs make tossing and serving super convenient, but you could also use a burger flipper
Air Fryer French Fries Recipe
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Air Fryer French Fries
Air fryer French fries are the perfect way to make fries at home, and my family loves these!
Ingredients
- 3 medium potatoes (I am using russet)
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder/ granulated garlic
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 1/2 tablespoons oil of choice (I love using avocado oil because it has a high smoke point. Coconut also works well.)
Instructions
-
Wash your potatoes, and pat them dry. I do not peel mine (#lazy 😆), but feel free to do that.
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Slice your potatoes to the size fries you want, and try to be somewhat consistent with the size to allow for even cooking. (Note: larger fries may require slightly more cook time.)
-
Toss your fries with the oil, garlic, salt and pepper. You can toss them in a bowl, or toss them in your air fryer basket if you are lazy like me! 😆👌🏻
-
Cook them on 400 in the air fryer for about 20 minutes (more for larger, steak fries), and toss them around a couple times during the cooking to help evenly cook.
-
Taste to see if you need more salt and pepper.
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If you want to make them look fancy, sprinkle some chopped fresh parsley on top. Honestly, I just did this for the pictures. We never add parsley in real life. 😉👍🏻
Recipe Notes
Nutrition information is approximate and was calculated using a recipe nutrition label generator.
Jen s says
My husband use to run a bar and soaking was a normal part of fries…but I think it’s because it keeps the potatoes from browning. It’s one of the reasons I soak, I can peel and cut earlier in the day (naptime) and then drain them for later! So my lazy it just doing it earlier! 🙂
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
I will try it one of these days.☺️
Shana says
Thanks for the recipe. Yeah…i think the only reason for soaking is to keep from browning ..but you know, everyone has an opinion. 🤷🏿♀️
Karra says
It’s not. I learned about this in high school biology and can’t remember the reason why, but it makes the fries crispier. It also works for soaking cut carrots.
SHARON ALLENBAUGH says
Would it work if I spiralized the potato like curly fries?
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Yes, that should work. Just keep an eye on them because I am not sure the amount of time to cook curly ones.
Jolene says
I did that recently. They cook really fast and ours ended up a bit too crispy. Going to try the thicker steak fries tonight #belatedvalentinesdinnerathome
normgensel@gmail.com says
What I find most helpful when using my air fryer is to be fairly regular with shaking/flipping/rearranging whatever you are cooking. I actually love our air fryer and we use it quite often.
jmurphy-gloss@gmail.com says
Can you use frozen french fries. I am receiving an air fryer today as a Father’s day gift for my husband.
Thank you.
j
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
I don’t see why not. I think these would cook up frozen fries perfectly. We use the air fryer for Trader Joe’s frozen chicken fingers for the kids, and it works great.
Susan Sentman/ SU says
I HAVE USED MY AIR FRYER TO RE-HEAT, RE-CRISP FRIES BROUGHT HOME FROM A RESTAURANT AND IT WORKED GREAT!
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Good to know!👌🏻👍🏻
Diane says
Yes
I think frozen fries cook in 5 minutes. Double check the cooking time, please. I’ve seen so many air fryer recipes and different cooking times that my brain is fried. Lol
jerry says
frozen fries takes 14min’s @400*f and they come out perfectly crisp
Brittany says
THIS ARTICLE MADE ME LAUGH 😂😂😂 I’M TOTALLY THE SAME WAY. IF I CAN GO WITH OUT THEN THATS THE WAY ITS GOING TO BE. HAHA
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
For reals 💁🏼♀️😆🙌🏻 Simple is always best for me.👏🏻
Penny says
The reason for soaking potatoes for any way of cooking them, is to soak away the starch, which is empty calories.
Pam McDonald says
I got my Power air fryer today. So I am going to try you recipe. The book I have calls for cooking the potatoes till tender then cut them and fry them. Hmm. lol we will find out.
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Ummm, I am much too lazy to do it that way…LOL😂 We like them just as written. I made some today at lunch, in fact. 😋🙌🏻 Hope they turn out delicious for you. 💖
Pam McDonald says
Ok, the potato did fine without any water soaking or cooking it half way. I used coconut oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder, I flipped them half way through and they were nice and crunchy.
The second potato, I put in the microwave and then cut it up, but it mostly fell apart. It is cooking, but I expect it will be fine, just in chunks. 🙂
Annie says
These are great exactly as written. My husband is very picky about his fries, and he loved them. Thanks for the delicious and fuss-free recipe!
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Hey Annie! Wonderful! I am so happy to hear that y’all enjoyed them. 💖
Lauren says
I’m going to make these and your burgers tonight for dinner with my new airfryer vortex over! My husband is looking forward to it because I’ll be honest I don’t enjoy cooking I’m a mom of four and it’s just never been my thing but with the vortex I can cook yummy healthy meals quick! Thank you for all your recipes! I’ll let you know how it all turns out!
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
I hope y’all enjoy it!💖🙌🏻
Mike Jansen says
Made these tonight, took about 35 minutes at 400 shaking every 7 minutes or so. 3 large potatoes. Turned out great! Thanks!
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
Yay! Happy to hear it. 💖👏🏻
Pauline Cymet says
Well, i followed your recipe as wanted to see if I could make ones I like. And they were ok. Not great. First of all, it took my Power fryer l8 minutes at 400 and they weren’t done…not close. Maybe I put too much olive oil on them, as I had drained off water & paper toweled them..maybe that’s why, asty as I added garlic powder & smoky paperika, but not crunchy. Still don’t have the right crunch. Not as good as regular fried ones, which I don’t want to eat because of the hot grease, but I guess that’s what makes them crunchy. So thanks for the recipe..it’s a lot of work. Peel them, cut them, soak them, crain them…all for fries. I don’t know. Maybe next time will shred and do shredded potato pancakes, probably easier and less work and faster. Any comments?
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
Perhaps you overcrowded the air fryer? One complaint I have about the air fryer is that you can’t put too much in it, or everything ends up soggy.