These air fryer French fries are just as crispy and crunchy as regular fries, but they use far less oil. With just 3 ingredients, they're easy and delicious.
If you’re looking for an easy side to pair with your veggie burgers this weekend, these air fryer French fries are just the thing for you! I know, I know. When it comes to grilling sides, I’m usually all about salads or corn on the cob, but sometimes, I get a craving for a salty, crunchy snack that even the best summer salad can’t satisfy. That’s where these air fryer French fries come in.
In a lot of ways, they’re just like regular fries. They’re crispy on the outside, creamy in the middle, and dusted with an irresistible coating of salt. But there is one key difference between deep frying and air frying: you only need a light drizzle of oil to make crispy French fries in the air fryer. As a result, these fries are far healthier than average ones.
This is good news for Jack and me, because we’ve been making (and eating) these air fryer fries on repeat lately. They only require 3 basic ingredients, and they cook up in no time. Fresh out of the fryer, they’re hot, crunchy, and completely addictive. Try them once, and you’ll be hooked.
How to Make Air Fryer French Fries
When you’re ready to cook, here’s what you need to do:
First, chop your potatoes. Aim for them all to be a similar size, about 1/4-inch thick. That way, they’ll all cook at the same rate. I don’t recommend peeling your potatoes – the skin helps them crisp up nicely as they cook. Once you’ve chopped the potatoes into fries, toss them all with olive oil and salt.
Next, cook the first batch. Spread the cut potatoes in a single layer in the air fryer basket with a little space between each one. Don’t cram them in! The space allows the hot air to come in contact with all sides of the fries, which is what makes them golden brown and crisp. Air fry them at 380 for 12 to 15 minutes, flipping halfway. Take them out when they’re crisp and brown around the edges.
Repeat with the remaining potatoes, cooking as many batches as necessary to give the fries adequate space in the basket.
Finally, toss them all in together! When you finish cooking the last batch, add all the fries back into the air fryer basket (no need to worry about a single layer this time) and cook them for 1 to 2 minutes to warm and crisp up the earlier batches. When all the air fryer French fries are crispy, take them out, and dig in!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
Best Air Fryer Fries Tips
- Work in batches. It’s essential that you spread the potatoes in a single layer in the air fryer basket and that you leave a little space between each one. If they’re too crowded, the potatoes will steam inside the air fryer, and they won’t get crispy. In order to give them adequate space, you’ll likely need to work in batches. When I use 2 russet potatoes, I cook 3 batches of fries.
- Not crispy yet? Keep cooking! The exact timing will vary based on your particular air fryer. I recommend checking your first batch at the 12 minute mark and adjusting your timing based on how they look at that stage. If they’re still not crispy, continue cooking until they crisp up.
- When it comes to doneness, taste is more important than appearance. I’ve found that my air fryer French fries start to look done before they actually are done. Taste a fry from each batch to make sure it’s tender on the inside and crisp on the outside before you move on to a new batch.
- Toss them all in together at the end. Because you’ll be working in batches, some of the fries will have to sit around for a bit before you finish cooking. No one likes cold, soggy fries, so toss all the fries into the air fryer together (no need to worry about space this time) for 1 to 2 minutes before you eat. This quick step will reheat the fries from the earlier batches and make them nice and crispy. Yum!
Air Fryer French Fries Serving Suggestions
On their own, these air fryer French fries make a super fun snack or appetizer. Serve them simply with salt and pepper, or dress them up with fresh herbs, chili powder, garlic powder, or onion powder. They’re also fantastic with dipping sauces! I love them with ketchup and mustard, but they’re tasty with out-of-the-box choices like chipotle sauce, chimichurri, or vegan cheese too.
Of course, these air fryer fries are also a great side dish. Pair them with any of these recipes for a fun, delicious meal:
- Best Veggie Burger
- Portobello Mushroom Burger
- Black Bean Burger
- Crispy Cauliflower Po’ Boy Sandwich
- BBQ Jackfruit Sandwiches
Enjoy!
More Favorite Snacks and Appetizers
If you love these air fryer French fries, try one of these fun snacks next:
- Crispy Roasted Chickpeas
- Baked Sweet Potato Fries
- Parsnip Fries
- Sheet Pan Nachos
- Veggie Quesadillas
- Best Guacamole
Then, check out this post for 50 more easy appetizer ideas!
Air Fryer French Fries
Equipment
- Instant Pot Omni Plus Air Fryer (this model doubles as a toaster oven!)
Ingredients
- 2 russet potatoes, sliced into 1/4-inch sticks
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- Sea salt
Optional seasonings & dips:
- Fresh herbs, chili powder, or chipotle powder
- Ketchup, mustard, mayo, or chipotle sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 380°F.
- Drizzle the potatoes with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and toss to coat.
- Place the potatoes in the air fryer basket in a single layer so that the potatoes are not touching each other. You will have to work in batches. Air fry for 12 to 15 minutes*, flipping halfway, or until crispy. If your fries are not crispy, air fry them a little longer.
- Once all batches are finished, toss them all back into the air fryer (no need to place in a single layer this time) for 1 to 2 minutes to warm and re-crisp any that got cold from the first few batches.
- Serve with desired seasonings and dips.
Notes
Tastes almost as good as deep fried fries and way healthier!
Finally a guide to plain fry’s not ask that fancy stuff. Thank you
Amazing
So glad you loved them, Frankie!
These are my family go-to fries! So delicious! Thank you for the recipe! I need to try your onion rings next!
I’m so glad you’ve loved them!
There’s no way you really mean for the potatoes to be just a quarter inch thick. A half inch at least for a normal size fry, right? Also, measurements including weight of potato would be helpful to your readers. Otherwise, great simple recipe!
Hi Mike, thanks for the feedback. So glad you enjoyed the fries!
I’ve done both 1/4 inch and 1/2 inch, and we definitely prefer the bigger 1/2 inch because the thinner 1/4 inch loses the inside creamy part in the air fryer by the time they’re crispy enough. The 1/2 inch actually leaves some nice potatoeyness in the middle of the crispiness. I also found that 1 large russet potato is enough for 2 people, and 2 are enough for 4 (or for 3 much larger portions). As far as oil amount, think about how much oil you want to ingest per person: I made 2 large russets for 4 people and dribbled a full Tablespoon of oil and the fries were a teensy bit on the dryer side. That meant tho each person ate about 1/4 Tbsp of oil. It’s about experimenting for personal taste.
I’m glad you loved them! Thanks for your helpful feedback.
I do these with duck fat and I salt them as I toss prior to cooking….I don’t cook in small batches instead I shake them often and then they are all hot at same time.
The fries turned out nicely. Is there a way to get the measurement of olive oil? I think I may have poured too much on the potatoes because they never really got that crunchy. Thank you!!
I think you’d just cook them for longer if they’re not crispy….
THIS WAS AMAZING! i was originally going to get 2, but the store had a limit of 6 or more, i got 6 and it was amazing! (i used sunflower oil, worked amazing) new favorite recipe
Hi Mark, I’m so glad you loved the fries!
I’ve seen other recipes where we soak the potato before hand. Why don’t we do it here?
Hi Sarah, we’ve tried soaking the potatoes before making these fries before, but we haven’t found that it makes a huge difference in the final result. Because we don’t think soaking is crucial for making great fries, we skip it to streamline the recipe. Hope this helps!
To remove the starch so they çook better
I was in a hurry so i pre cooked the potato whole in the microwave a baseball sized potato Took about 4 minutes total turned over after 2 minutes
Cut into fries lightly sprayed with cooking oil separated and air fried at 400° for 4 to 5 minutes until gbd
Hi David, thanks for sharing your method!
I don’t know what I’m doing wrong but when I air fry any type of potatoes they never get crispy. I cooked them at 400 in batches for 30 minutes. Some got crispy but not all of them. I tried to cut them the same size. It is a good air fryer. I don’t want to rate it because it could be operator error.
Great recipe!! Super fast and easy. Used a single potato and seasoned with garam masala. Definitely using this one for small batches of fries from now on.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I didn’t do it in batches. Used 2 large baking potatoes. Air fried 390° total of 30 minutes. Turning often. Pretty good
I tried the French fries last night. We really liked them. I used just 2 potatoes & that was enough for the 3 of us. I got the approval from my mother-in-law, so you know it has a hit then!!
I’m so glad they were a hit!
I always see don’t use red potatoes for fries but that’s what I had. They turned out fabulous and nice and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. I had to cook them about 3 extra minutes. I used Cajun seasoning in them. Yummy. Now my favorite way to make fries.
I’m so glad you loved them!
Do you need to split the batches up if you have a rotating basket?
Has anyone tried making large batches and freezing them?
Question…..My Frigidaire oven is an air fryer, do I need to change my temperature and bake time settings for this recipe? Thank you
Our Samsung is as well. I just made these tonight. At 380 my first batch in the fryer basket took 22-25 minutes. I bumped it up to 420 for the second batch and they were done around 18 minutes.
Great recipe, and delicious <3
Of course