Gloriously golden and crispy Baked French Fries are the perfect side dish for dinner tonight! My foolproof method delivers perfectly crisp oven fries every single time! Perfectly seasoned and incredibly delicious!
Try this yummy aioli recipe or fry sauce with these oven French fries!
French fries are, without a doubt, a staple in most households. They go so perfectly with so many meals. This Baked French Fries recipe is our go-to when it comes to fries. Incredibly delicious and so easy to make. We love them with our favorite grilled chicken made with my 5 star chicken marinade or served alongside these Turkey Burgers.
This easy oven fries recipe requires only a few ingredients and very little prep time. The result? Fantastically golden and crispy homemade baked French fries that will wow you with their flavor. You’ll never go back to deep fried or store bought French fries again.
Oven Baked French Fries
This oven fries recipe is the perfect side dish for so many dinners and is also a great starting point to delicious dishes like chili fries and garlic fries. Try my turkey chili or crockpot chili for the BEST chili fries of your life!
Today I’m sharing a basic recipe that will pair with any type of cuisine but don’t miss the variations to try section right above the recipe card for some more delicious options.
Crispy Oven Fries
Yep, I said it: C-R-I-S-P-Y. It’s true. Crispy oven fries are not only possible, they’re downright easy to make. A few simple steps ensure your fries bake up crispy, not soggy, and are perfectly golden.
More Side Dish Favorites
I love to seve these oven baked French fries with one of these easy side dishes for dinner:
- Easy Grape Salad
- Creamy Cucumber Salad
- Easy Creamed Corn
- The BEST Pea Salad
- Broccoli Salad
Oven Fries Ingredients
As you might suspect, there are just a handful of ingredients needed to make oven fries which makes them the perfect last minute, go-to side dish. You can find the full, printable recipe at the end of this post as always. Let’s take a look at what you’ll need:
- potatoes – you’ll need about 4 large potatoes, cut lengthwise into ¼ to ½ inch sticks. I prefer russet potatoes for this recipe.
- extra virgin olive oil – you can also use another cooking oil if you prefer.
- kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper – for seasoning
- Parmesan cheese – grated or shaved, the Parmesan cheese can be tossed with the hot fries after baking. Totally optional.
- fresh parsley – this is optional along with the Parmesan cheese but adds a lovely freshness to the oven fries.
Yukon Gold potatoes can also be used to make Oven Baked French Fries but they won’t be quite as crispy.
How To Make Fries In The Oven
I highly recommend reading through the instructions first before getting started. This recipe is far from difficult but there are a few crucial steps that must be followed for the crispiest, most delicoius oven French fries you’ve ever had.
- Clean potatoes and cut into sticks. Aim for ¼ to ½ thick sticks or anywhere in between. The more uniform your french fries, the more evenly they’ll bake.
- Place cut potatoes in a bowl filled with hot water. Let sit for 15 to 30 minutes to remove some of the starch.
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- Dry potatoes thoroughly. Read my tips for how I get super dry potatoes.
- Toss potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Spread French fries evenly on prepared baking sheet in a single layer.
- Bake for 45 to 60 minutes until browned and crispy. After about 25 minutes you’ll want to gently turn the oven fries over and then again every 10 minutes after that for even browning. Use a thin, stiff spatula for best results.
- Test for seasoning and sprinkle with additional salt and pepper if needed.
- Toss with Parmesan and parsley just before serving
Trish’s Tips For Fabulous Baked French Fries
This recipe is really very simple but here are my best tips for the best results:
Cut your fries as evenly as possible. If you happen to have a French fry cutter, use it! Some mandolines even have attachments that work too. This is the mandoline I have. Some variation is fine and is what, in my opinion, gives these oven baked fries some characters and shows they’re homemade.
Soak your fries in hot water. This the same thing I do when I make hashbrowns. It releases much of the starch and allows the oven fries to get extra crispy.
Get those fries really, really dry. Like dry to the touch. This is without a doubt the most important step. I use a salad spinner not just for salads but for drying rinsed herbs as well. And guess what? It also works great for french fries.
My favorite method is to drain the water from the fries, give them a quick rinse with fresh water and then stick them in the salad spinner basket to let them drain for a minute. Then I put my salad spinner to work followed by a thorough drying with some really absorbent kitchen towels. It takes a couple minutes but guys, it’s worth it. Trust me.
Don’t skimp on the oil. I know it seems like a hefty amount of oil but it’s necessary. It’s what makes these fries beautifully golden and crisp.
Use a smooth surface baking sheet. While I love the baking sheets that have ridges for even baking, that’s not what we want for oven baked fries. You want a solid smooth surface that the fries can brown on. Remember to spray your baking sheet with nonstick spray for easy clean up and to keep those fries from sticking.
Don’t forget to check the seasoning. When the fries come out of the oven, I like to hit them with a little more salt but only after a quick taste test. You don’t want to over season but under seasoning can be even worse.
Oven Fries FAQs
After a lot testing my favorite potatoes remains the homely russet potato. The skin crisps up so beautifully using my method, they’re irresisitble. Yukon gold potatoes would be another option although they don’t get quite as crispy.
You don’t have to, but I highly recommend it. Soaking the fries releases some of the starch which translates to beautifully crisp fries. Even 5 minutes makes a difference.
Never a better time for dips than with these fries. I am partial to this aioli and my kids are obsessed with fry sauce so sometimes I’ll make both. You can also serve with some Spicy Ranch Dip and a classic choice, ketchup!
About 5 to 10 minutes in a 400°F oven will do the trick. The microwave will make them soggy.
Variations To Try
These Baked French Fries are delicious as is, so please, try the recipe as written at least once. But then, my friends, feel fry to season and spice those potatoes to your heart’s content. Here are some of our favorite variations:
- Savory Spice Blend. In addition to the salt and pepper, toss in 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika. This savory blend of spices is one of our favorites.
- Make Garlic Fries. While the fries are baking, heat 2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add about 2 to 3 cloves of chopped garlic to the skillet, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute. Don’t let it burn! Toss fries with garlic and fresh parsley and serve.
- Seasoning Blend. Use your favorite seasoning blend or seasoned salt instead of salt and pepper. Try Cajun Seasoning or Lemon Pepper for bold flavor.
Try this yummy aioli recipe or fry sauce with these oven French fries!
More Potato Recipes
- Funeral Potatoes
- Mashed Potatoes
- Loaded Scalloped Potatoes
- Twice Baked Potatoes
- Twice Baked Potato Casserole
- How To Bake Sweet Potatoes
How To Make French Fries In The Oven
Crispy Baked French Fries (Oven Fries)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds baking potatoes this is about 4 large potatoes, cut lengthwise into ¼ to ½ inch sticks
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1½ teaspoons kosher or sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 ounce Parmesan cheese grated or shaved, optional garnish
- 1 tablespoon parsley chopped, optional garnish
Instructions
- Clean potatoes well and cut into sticks. You can peel the potatoes if you want but honestly, the crispy skins are the best part! Aim for ¼ to ½ thick sticks or anywhere in between. The more uniform your french fries, the more evenly they'll bake.
- Place cut potatoes in a bowl filled with hot water. Doesn't need to be boiled or anything, just really hot tap water will work. Let sit for 15 to 30 minutes to remove some of the starch.
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- Remove potatoes from water and drain well. Dry potatoes thoroughly. My favorite method is with a salad spinner and really absorbent towels. The more moisture you remove, the crispier your oven baked french fries will be. (The salad spinner also works great for quickly drying freshly rinsed herbs!)
- Place dry potatoes back into a dry bowl and add olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss potatoes with tongs until the ingredients are evenly distributed and each French fry is coated with oil.
- Spread French fries evenly on prepared baking sheet in a single layer.
- Bake for 45 to 60 minutes until browned and crispy. After about 25 minutes you'll want to gently turn the oven fries over and then again every 10 minutes after that for even browning.
- Test for seasoning and sprinkle with additional salt and pepper if needed. Toss with Parmesan and parsley just before serving.
Dan Revol says
Spot on using the salad spinner been using it for years. Works like a charm.