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Air Fryer French Fries Recipe

French fries are easy to make in the air fryer. They come out as great as oven fries and are just a tiny bit more effort than frozen fries.

I really like French fries. When I was first learning how to cook, one of the very few things I could make — with confidence — were waffle fries. And, I know, buying frozen French fries is so easy. But trust me. Air Fryer French Fries are delicious and simple, and don’t take much more time than baking frozen fries does.

The only thing that actually takes a while is soaking the fries after you cut them. You want to do this to get crispier fries. But, honestly, if you’re on a time crunch, you can skip this step and still make really good fries.

These fries are vegan and gluten-free, as is. However, some seasonings do contain gluten products, so be sure to read the labeling carefully if you have any restrictions.

This is an air fryer recipe because, well, I love our air fryer. But, at the end of the post, there are tips on how to turn this into an oven fries recipe.

Air Fryer French Fries Recipe

You can vary the seasoning on your Air Fryer French Fries based on your taste. This recipe calls for Creole seasoning to give them a little kick. But if you don’t like spice, or a spicy French fry just doesn’t go with your meal, skip it.

Air Fryer French Fries Ingredients:

How To Make Air Fryer French Fries:

Wash and dry the potatoes.

Slice the potatoes into equal, 1/4-inch thick slices.

The more uniform you can cut the potatoes, the better. That way, they’ll cook evenly.

Add the sugar to a bowl filled with water. Add the fries and soak for at least 30 minutes.

This will help to pull the starch out of the potatoes to make crispier fries. If you don’t have time for this step, you can skip it, but the fries won’t be as crunchy as they can be.

Rinse off the potatoes, then pat them dry.

The drier you can make them, the crispier they’ll become after you cook them.

Put the French fries back into the bowl. Drizzle the olive oil, salt, onion powder, and Creole seasoning over them. Toss until coasted.

If you want, you can actually buy a French fry seasoning blend, so you don’t have to make your own for every batch of fries.

Put the French fries in the air fryer basket. Air fry at 380 F for 25 minutes.

Shaking the fries at the 10 minute mark.

Two quick tips about timing.

First, since air fryers do cook differently, you’ll want to check for doneness at the 20 minute mark. If they’re crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, they’re done. If they’re still soft on the outside, keep them in the air fryer longer.

Second, if you cook all the fries at once, they’ll be a little crowded in the air fryer and will take the full 25 minutes to crisp up. If you cook them in a single, non-crowded layer in the air fryer basket, they’ll be done between 12 and 15 minutes. But, you’ll need four or five batches to cook all the fries. So that’s around an hour. In that case, just make them in the oven.

French fries are easy to make in the air fryer. They come out as great as oven fries and are just a tiny bit more effort than frozen fries.

Air Fryer French Fries: Frequently Asked Questions

Should you peel the potatoes?

Don’t waste your time peeling the potatoes. Removing the peel does nothing to add to the fries at all. And, in a way, it actually takes away from the fries. The air fryer French fries crisp up nicely thanks to a little assist from the peel.

Plus, time wise, it takes a while to peel potatoes. And, if you’re on a time crunch and you have to choose how to spend a few extra minutes, your time is better spent letting the potatoes soak in sugared water longer rather than spending those minutes peeling.

Of course, if you want, you can peel the potatoes. It won’t hurt the French fries or change the cooking time if you do.

Why do you soak potatoes in water before air frying?

Soaking potatoes in water before air frying them, or cooking them via any method, helps to draw out some of the starch in the potato. This helps them crisp up when you’re cooking them.

Ideally, the minimum amount of time that you want to soak potatoes is 30 minutes. The longer you can soak them the better, although I wouldn’t suggest exceeding two hours.

If you’re cooking dinner with a time crunch, I suggest cutting the potatoes first, soaking them in the sugar water, then doing the rest of your dinner prep. That will at least give the potatoes a few minutes to soak in water. And that’s better than zero minutes.

Why are my air fryer fries soggy?

There are three main reasons why your air fryer fries are soggy.

First, if you don’t dry the potatoes well enough after soaking them, your air fryer fries can potentially come out soggy.

So make sure to gently shake any excess water from the fries and pat them down completely with paper towels before adding them into the air fryer basket.

A second reason is that you’ve overcrowded the air fryer basket. I honestly always do this because I don’t have the time to make fries in batches. But, if you overcrowd the basket and don’t cook the fries long enough to compensate for that, the fries will come out soggy.

And third, if you just don’t leave them long enough in the air fryer, and they’re not finished cooking, air fryer fries will be soggy. Let them air fry for a few extra minutes and they should crisp up.

How do you store and reheat leftover air fryer French fries?

Store leftover air fryer French fries in an air tight container in the fridge for three to four days.

When you’re ready to reheat them, put the air fryer French fries in a single layer in the air fryer. Turn the air fryer to 370 F and heat them for about five minutes until they’re warmed through and crisp.

You can also heat them at 350 F in the oven for about ten to 15 minutes, until they’re warm and crisp.

This Creamy Cheesy Steak Fries recipe is the perfect side dish for burgers or chicken. They're covered in ranch, sour cream, cheese, and more.

Other ways to make French fries:

In the oven: To make this recipe in the oven, follow the steps to prepare the French fries. Then, cook them at 375 F for 20 to 25 minutes, depending on how thick you cut the French fries.

On the grill: If you would rather grill these, check out our Grilled French Fries post for instruction on how to do that.

As waffle fries: Waffle fries require the use of a mandolin in order to shape the potatoes. Check out our Waffle Fries recipe to learn how to do that.

As steak fries: This recipe shapes the fries as common, shoestring-like fries. If you’d rather make steak fries (which cook better in the oven than the air fryer), try our Cheesy Steak Fries recipe.

These Bacon-Infused Beef Burgers are the perfect grilled burger. Find out how to make them, with fresh ground beef, on www.drugstoredivas.net.

What to serve with Air Fryer French Fries?

Air Fryer French Fries are a great side dish to serve with burgers, chicken, or steak. Our favorite recipes to serve these air fryer fries with are:

Yield: 4 Servings

Air Fryer French Fries

French fries are easy to make in the air fryer. They come out as great as oven fries and are just a tiny bit more effort than frozen fries.

French fries are easy to make in the air fryer. They come out as great as oven fries and are just a tiny bit more effort than frozen fries.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Additional Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

  • 3 medium potatoes
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon Creole seasoning

Instructions

    1. Wash and dry the potatoes. Slice the potatoes into equal, 1/4-inch thick slices.
    2. Add the sugar to a bowl filled with water. Add the fries and soak for at least 30 minutes.
    3. Rinse off the potatoes, then pat them dry.
    4. Put the French fries back into the bowl. Drizzle the olive oil, salt, onion powder, and Creole seasoning over them. Toss until combined.
    5. Put the French fries in the air fryer basket. Air fry at 380 F for 25 minutes, shaking the fries at the 10 minute mark.

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 156Total Fat 4gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 0mgSodium 413mgCarbohydrates 29gFiber 3gSugar 3gProtein 3g

Have you tried this Air Fryer French Fries recipe? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

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