Air Fryer French Fries: the best recipe for perfect homemade fries

Making beautifully crisp fries at home can be tricky, but with an air fryer, it becomes a cinch. Air fryer French fries are absurdly simple to make and yield perfectly golden brown crispy fries that make a phenomenal side dish to your favorite meals. What's more, you only need 3 ingredients to make these simple air fryer fries – potatoes, oil, and salt. You can easily mix things up and add other seasonings to give your fries more flavor, and these homemade fries are far healthier than classic French fries you'd order from a restaurant. Make these air fryer fries the next time you grill up some burgers or tuck into a sandwich. You won't regret it!

How to Make Air Fryer French Fries

Making air fryer French fries is easier than you think. Start by soaking the potatoes in water and let them sit for up to 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat your air fryer, dry the potato sticks and season them. Arrange the fries in a single layer in the air fryer and cook them for 12 to 13 minutes, untile golden brown and crisp. Drain excess oil and serve them up.

What are the best potatoes for Air Fryer French Fries?

Any type of floury potato will do. Russets, Burbank Russets, Maris Piper, and King Edward are all excellent choices.

Tips for making the Best Air Fryer French Fries

Keep things simple and season your air fryer French fries with salt or tailor them to your tastes by garnishing them with your favorite flavorings. Toss them with fresh herbs like rosemary, spice things up with a little chili powder, or mix them with seasoning mixes like Old Bay, Creole, taco seasoning, or curry powder. Drizzle them with flavored oils (try truffle oil for a luxurious side) and serve with your go-to dips.

To avoid soggy fries, dry the potatoes after soaking them, and cook the fries in a single layer.

What to Serve with Air Fryer French Fries

Air fryer fries are a simple, great-tasting side that goes with all sorts of dishes. Serve them with homemade sandwiches, burgers, veggie burgers, hot dogs, and dips.

Instructions

1. Soak the potatoes in water. Let them sit for a minimum of half an hour up to 1 hour.
2. Preheat your air fryer to 375°F.
3. Dry the potato sticks well on paper towels.
4. In a large bowl, toss the fries with oil and salt.
5. Arrange the fries in a single layer in the air fryer.
6. Cook them in batches for 12 to 13 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp.
7. Place a cooling rack over a baking tray lined with paper towels then place the fries in a single layer on the cooling rack to drain excess oil.
8. To keep the fries warm as you finish cooking the batches, place them in the oven at 250°F.

Notes

– Soaking the potatoes before frying them is essential for making super crispy French fries. You can skip this step, but it's well worth the extra effort.

– Toss the fries together once you've finished frying all the batches.