I'm spilling my secrets for making the BEST air frier french fries, plus FOUR ways to season your air fryer fries!
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Chances are, if you purchased an air fryer, one of the things you were most excited about cooking was french fries. And maybe your first batch of air fried fries came out...underwhelming. I'm here for you.
I've been developing air fryer recipes for over 10 years, and today, I'm going to share my tips and tricks for making then absolutely best air fryer french fries: crisp, flavorful, perfection.
Here's how to make perfect air fryer french fries with four awesome options to season them. I'm also including a list of dos and don'ts and frequently asked questions to help you become an air fryer fries pro.
🥔 Ingredients and substitutions
- russet potatoes - When it comes to fries, russets (aka Idaho potatoes) are the ideal potato. You can use other potatoes to make Air Fryer french fries, but russets will give you the best texture.
- oil - Helps the fries get crispy. You can use aquafaba for oil-free.
- spice mix of choice - See the recipe card for how to make salt and pepper, ranch, BBQ, and garlic air fries!
🍟 How to Make Air Fryer Fries
In a large bowl toss the potatoes with 1 teaspoon of the oil or spray with oil, coating thoroughly. Air fry at 400° F for 17 minutes, shaking every 5 minutes.
With the potatoes still in the air fryer basket, toss with the remaining teaspoon of oil or spray with a little bit more oil, then toss the fries with your spice mix of choice (For the garlic fries, DO NOT add the parsley at this point - toss with the parsley just before serving).
Cook at 400° F for 5 more minutes, then serve. If you're making the garlic fries, this is the point at which you'll add the parsley.
💡 Tips for the Best Air Fryer Fries
These are my dos and don'ts for making perfect air fryer french fries every time.
- DON'T overfill the basket! Depending on the size of your air fryer, you can usually make between one and three Russet potatoes' worth of fries. Don't fill the basket more than ½ to ⅔ of the way.
- DO remember to shake! Shake at least once during the cooking cycle, preferably twice. Shaking helps ensure that all of your fries can a shot at being in the outer layer in the basket, which is how they'll get uniformly crispy.
- DO use some liquid. You can technically make air fryer french fries with no oil or other liquid, but I don't recommend it. I like to toss my cut potatoes together in a bowl with a little bit of salt, seasoning, and a tablespoon of oil before placing in the basket. If you absolutely do not do oil, toss your potato pieces with soy sauce or a fat free salad dressing or with a tablespoon or two of aquafaba (a trick I learned from A Virtual Vegan). That little bit of moisture will help you avoid dry fries. No one wants a dry fry!
- DO cut your potatoes into uniform pieces. When you're prepping your potatoes for the air fryer, you want your fries to be pretty much uniform in thickness. Different lengths are fine, but make sure they're all about the same width. If you have a mix of fat and skinny fries, you'll end up with some that are burnt and others that are undercooked.
🫙 Storage Directions
Leftovers will keep for three to five days in a closed container in the fridge. Reheat in the air fryer at 350° F for five to seven minutes, until crispy.
💬 Frequently Asked Questions
I know, the book that came with your air fryer (and many of the air fried fries recipes you'll find online) says that you need to soak your cut potatoes to remove excess starch. You certainly can soak, but I find that this is a waste of time.
Unsoaked potatoes yield perfectly fine air fryer french fries. Plus, skipping the soak shaves a lot of prep time off of this recipe!
When it comes to air fryer french fries, Russet potatoes are your friend. You can make fries out of other potatoes, but russets will be your best bet.
You can reheat leftover air fryer fries at 350° F for 5 to 7 minutes. For frozen French fries, air fry at 400° F for 10 to 12 minutes.
❄️ Making Frozen Fries in the Air Fryer
Got a bag of frozen fries that you'd like to use instead of cutting fresh potatoes? I've got you! The air fryer does an awesome job of cooking frozen fries to crispy perfection.
Just follow a few of basic dos and don'ts, and you're ready to go:
- DON'T overfill the basket. This rule applies to anything you make in the air fryer, including frozen french fries. If you overfill, you won't get evenly-cooked results.
- DO shake. Shake once for 1-3 servings. If you're filling the basket more, you should shake twice during cooking.
- DO cook at 400° F for 10 to 12 minutes. Think of 10 minutes as a starting point. If your fries aren't done at 10 minutes, add 1 to 2 minutes of cooking time at 400° F, and check again. In general, a fuller basket tends to need more cooking time.
And! You can use any of the seasoning mixes below to make your air fryer French fries! Just air fry them for 10 minutes at 400° F, add the seasonings as directed in the recipe card below, then cook for another two to three minutes at 400° F. For the garlic fries, you'll add the parsley after cooking, just like when you're making your air fries from scratch.
📖 Recipe
🍟 Air Fryer French Fries
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Fries
- 2 russet potatoes cut into ¼" thick 'fingers.'
- 2 teaspoons oil like sunflower oil (or spray oil, if you prefer - see note), divided
- 1 batch any of the spice mixes below
Salt and Pepper Seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Ranch Seasoning
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried dill
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast optional
- ½ teaspoon salt
BBQ Seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon mild chili powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- pinch of ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
Garlic Seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons minced parsley
Instructions
- In a large bowl toss the potatoes with 1 teaspoon of the oil or spray with oil, coating thoroughly. Air fry at 400° F for 17 minutes, shaking every 5 minutes.
- With the potatoes still in the air fryer basket, toss with the remaining teaspoon of oil or spray with a little bit more oil, then toss the fries with your spice mix of choice (For the garlic fries, DO NOT add the parsley at this point - toss with the parsley just before serving).
- Cook at 400° F for 5 more minutes, then serve. If you're making the garlic fries, this is the point at which you'll add the parsley.
Nicole
I was always wondering why my chips weren't crispy enough. Reading this I realized that I always forget to shake the air fryer. I tried it again and it is just perfect. Thanks for the help.
Becky Striepe
I'm so glad it was helpful, Nicole!
Ginny McMeans
I have made air fryer fries and I love them and now I especially love them with all of your different seasonings. Great mixes and hints!
Becky Striepe
Thank you, Ginny! And thank you for taking the time to rate and review the recipe!
Melanie McDonald
Ah thank you for the shout out! I'd love to try my Roasted Potatoes recipe in the air fryer actually. I bet they'd work well!
Becky Striepe
Ooh I bet they would! You should totally try it.
Linda Calloway
I have tried France fries in mine. They were same size some oil tossed them 2 to 3 times. They never complete even frozen ones tried less heat less and more time. I'm trying a new one when it comes. I really wanted one for fries the most but guess I will give up after this one if it don't work. Hopefully it will
Becky Striepe
I'm sorry to hear that - you must be so frustrated! The only thing I can think of is that maybe the basket was overfilled, maybe? The more room for air to circulate the better.