Air Fryer French Fries

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Skip the frozen, store-bought version and make homemade French fries using an air fryer.

By
Chandra Ram
Chandra Ram
Chandra Ram
Chandra Ram leads the digital food strategy for Food & Wine. She has 15 years experience writing and editing food content and developing recipes. A former restaurant cook and server, she also writes cookbooks.
Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines
Published on May 10, 2024
Tested by
Food & Wine Test Kitchen
Tested by Food & Wine Test Kitchen
Recipes published by Food & Wine are rigorously tested by the culinary professionals at the Dotdash Meredith Food Studios in order to empower home cooks to enjoy being in the kitchen and preparing meals they will love. Our expert culinary team tests and retests each recipe using equipment and ingredients found in home kitchens to ensure that every recipe is delicious and works for cooks at home every single time.
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Air Fryer French Fries
Photo:

Food & Wine / Photo by Morgan Hunt Glaze / Food Styling by Julian Hensaring / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless
Active Time:
15 mins
Total Time:
25 mins
Servings:
4
Yield:
4 cups

If you don’t want to deep-fry French fries at home, we’ve got the next best thing: an air fryer. You can make crispy, restaurant-worthy fries at home with nothing more than russet potatoes, salt, and a couple of tablespoons of oil in an air fryer. We like to use russet potatoes for French fries because they’re easy to slice, whether you prefer shoestring or steak cut. Plus, they have a high-starch, low-moisture content, which means they’ll hold their shape as they cook and will get perfectly crispy. Not only is this method less messy than stovetop frying, but you’ll use significantly less oil. The result is still golden brown, crispy fries that are designed for dipping in ketchup or aioli. 

Frequently Asked Questions

  • How much time do fries take in the air fryer?

    Homemade air fryer French fries cook in just 20 minutes at 375°F. This is enough time to allow them to cook through and become creamy on the inside with a crispy, golden brown exterior. Better yet, it’s an even shorter cook time than many of the prepared frozen options you’ll find at the grocery store. 

  • Why soak fries before air frying?

    Soaking potatoes in cold water removes some of their natural starches, which allows the fries to get crispy and golden brown. This can also prevent the fries from sticking together in tight clumps. Once sliced, we recommend rinsing the uncooked fries in cold water to remove some of the excess starch content. However, you may soak them in a bath of cold or room temperature water for about 10 minutes. Be sure to pat them dry thoroughly with a paper towel; any water droplets will prevent the fries from getting properly crispy in the air fryer.

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

Season the fries with salt as soon as they come out of the air fryer, as the seasoning will adhere better when they’re warm.

Ingredients

  • 1 (8-ounce) russet potato

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • Kosher salt

Directions

  1. Preheat the air fryer to 375°F.

  2. Cut the potato into 1/4-inch sticks and rinse with cold water. Pat the potato pieces dry with paper towels. Toss the potato pieces with the olive oil and place them in the basket of the air fryer. Season with salt and air-fry for 10 minutes. Using tongs, toss the fries, then air-fry them for another 10 minutes, until the fries are golden brown and crispy. Immediately season the fries with additional salt. Serve hot.

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