These Crispy Air Fryer French Fries are a healthy alternative to deep-fried fries. They also taste delicious – all flavor and no grease.
These french fries taste even better dipped in this yummy Copycat Chick-fil-a sauce. Love air fryer recipes?? Try our Air fryer chicken tenders and chicken wings!
Crispy French fries in the air fryer
French fries are so good. There is nothing better than a nice crispy french fry, especially one that doesn’t leave your fingers covered in oil. These crispy air fryer french fries are the best way to get fries that aren’t oily and taste delicious. Crispy and firm, they are easy to make and have none of the guilt of fast-food french fries. You’re sure to love their texture and flavor.
What is an air fryer and how does it work?
An oven air fryer is a kitchen appliance that cooks food by circulating hot air around with a convection mechanism. It thoroughly cooks your food from all directions (unlike a regular oven where you need to turn and flip things), but without the oil (as you’d have when you deep-fry something). It works in a similar fashion to a convection oven.
What to season the potatoes with
This air fryer french fries recipe calls for a few simple, but delicious, ingredients to season the potatoes. Avocado oil, which has a high smoke point and is well-suited for frying, is drizzled on the fries. They are then seasoned with salt and pepper. And that’s it!
How to make French fries in an air fryer
- Prep the potatoes. Peel your potatoes and then give them a good rinse. Cut them into fry-like strips.
- Soak them. Soak the uncooked fries in a bowl of cold water with a few tablespoons of salt for 10-15 minutes. This will draw out the extra starch and moisture from the potatoes so they’re crispy.
- Rinse and dry. Rinse the fries in cold water, making sure to scrub off the starch. Pat them dry as best you can (any moisture will reduce their crispiness).
- Oil and season the fries. Lay the french fries on a baking sheet and drizzle them with avocado oil (corn or vegetable will also work). Then, sprinkle salt and pepper over them.
- Cook. Place the french fries in the air fryer basket and cook for 15 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Be sure to toss them every 5 minutes during the cooking process.
How to cook frozen french fries
You can cook these french fries the same way when they are frozen. You do not need to thaw them. The only change would be to skip the oil if your fries come seasoned. Cook them at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes with shaking half way through and they should come out golden brown.
Tips to make the fries EXTRA crispy
- Soak in saltwater- This will pull even more moisture out of the potatoes than just plain water will.
- Rinse well– Getting all the starch out will result in crispier fries.
- Pat dry– Keeping the french fries dry before seasoning allows the oil to stick and give you crispier fries from the air fryer.
- Don’t overcrowd– If the fries are pushed together, moisture will gather and the heat of the air fryer won’t be able to get to every side of the fry, reducing the crispiness.
Different fry seasoning variations
There are so many things that you can do to enhance the flavor of your french fries. You can use seasonings, herbs, and spices. Here are some options:
- Garlic, onion, salt, and pepper
- Rosemary, garlic, and salt
- Paprika, garlic, cumin, and chili powder
- Thyme, basil, oregano, and garlic salt
How to reheat homemade fries
Just put them back in the air fryer and heat for about 5 minutes, tossing halfway through. This should heat the french fries through and also make them crispy again. You can also reheat them in the oven on a baking sheet. However, I would not suggest using the microwave because it will heat them, but also make them very soggy.
How long will they keep?
Homemade french fries will keep for about 3-5 days in the refrigerator. Just place them in an airtight container or ziplock bag to keep them fresh.
More Air fryer recipes to try!
- Air fryer pork chops
- Easy shrimp
- Air fryer zucchini fries
- Crispy french fries
- Air fryer Bacon
- Steak bites
- air fryer asparagus, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli
- Breaded Air fryer chicken tenders
- Air fryer chicken thighs
- Perfect Air fryer salmon
- Air fryer baked potato
Full Recipe Instructions

Air fryer French fries
Ingredients
- 3 large russet potatoes
- 3 tbsp avocado oil (or any other high smoke-point oil)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
Instructions
Peel, cut, and soak the potaoes
- First, peel the potatoes and rinse them. Then cut the russet potatoes into Thin fry strips.
- Now soak them in a bowl of cold water along with a few tablespoons of table salt for 10-15 minutes. This will allow the salt to draw out the extra starch and moisture from the potatoes for crispier fries.
Rinse and pat them dry
- Then rinse them with cold water making sure to really rub the starch off. Then pat them dry as best as you can.
Season and fry
- Now lay the fries down on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with the avocado oil and season with salt and pepper. If you don’t have avocado oil, make sure to use a high smoke point oil like corn or vegetable oil. Olive oil won’t work as well here. 
- Arrange the seasoned fries on the air fryer basket and cook at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes, making sure to toss them every 5 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
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Rosalie says
We loved the chicken tenders with the Mayo, mustard and Panko, bread crumbs.
I couldn’t believe how tender they were. Thank you
simplyhomecooked says
You are very welcome Rosalie! It sounds like you made my air fryer chicken tenders 🙂 Very happy to hear you loved that recipe! 🙂 Thank you for your feedback and I hope you find many more delicious recipes on my blog 🙂
Anna says
If there’s any reason for me to buy an air fryer it would be for these french fries. French fries are my weakness!
simplyhomecooked says
Yes! You could never go wrong with air fryer french fries 🙂 And making homemade chick fil a sauce would be another delicious touch 🙂 You should definitely get an air fryer! There are so many different recipes you can make in them 🙂
Malak says
Can you do a star bread recipe
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Maka, I will add that to my list 🙂 Thank you for the suggestion 🙂