Easy Seasoned French Fries (Oven & Air Fryer)

These Easy Seasoned French Fries can be made in either the oven or air fryer for a flavorful and crispy side. Perfect with your favorite dipping sauce!

Fries Sweet Fries

For as long as I can remember whenever someone asked me what my favorite food was, I always said french fries. I mean what’s not to love? Crispy, salty, fried…all the elements of perfection.

When we got our air fryer as a wedding gift, all I could think about is making homemade french fries. It makes cooking fresh or frozen foods such a breeze. No preheating and cooks in half the time!

I know not everyone has an air fryer (but you should), so I have also included an oven method recipe here as well.

Oven vs. Air Fryer

Can you tell which plate above was cooked in the oven or the air fryer? If you can’t, that’s good! It means both cooking methods have the same result. 😁

Air Fryer

Air Fryers are designed to allow hot air to circulate around foods, giving it the crispy deep-fried effect, without the oil – similar to a convection oven. The pros to this method over an oven are that it cuts your cooking time in half and you don’t have to flip each fry by hand to achieve an equal crisp. The cons are that depending on the size of your air fryer, you may have to cook them in batches, which would increase your overall time cooking.

Oven

We all know what an oven does, so I won’t get into that. If you don’t have an air fryer and you want to achieve an even crisp, I recommend placing your food on a cooling rack and then on a pan so the heat (and air if you have a convection oven) can circulate around the food. This way you won’t have any soggy spots from sitting on the pan! Some pros of using an oven over an air fryer are that you can cook the whole batch at once. You also can “set it and forget it” vs. having to shake the air fryer basket every few minutes. The cons are that the cooking time is quite a bit longer and you will have to flip each fry half-way through to make sure they cook evenly.

Whichever method you choose, I promise they both turn out equally delicious and crispy! 

Easy Seasoned French Fries

Ingredients:

• 1.5 pounds Yukon gold potatoes (about 5 smaller potatoes)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• seasoning blend
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp curry powder
  • 1/4 tsp lemon pepper (not required, but good!)
  • pinch of cayenne pepper, depending on your spice level

Wash your potatoes to remove any dirt and debris. Slice the potatoes into even(ish) wedges or match sticks, depending on your preference.

Soaking you potatoes

This step is optional if you need to save time, but HIGHLY recommended to achieve maximum crispiness! There is a lot of starch in the potatoes and soaking them helps release those starches, which makes for crispier fries.

If you have the time, soak your sliced potatoes in a bowl of cold water for at least 30 minutes.

Once done, layout on a paper towel and pat very dry!

Put the potatoes back in the dry bowl and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and seasoning blend, then toss.

Oven Cooking Method

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and arrange the fries evenly on a cooling rack. Then place the cooling rack on a cookie sheet to bake.

Bake for 30 minutes, flip, then put back in the oven for another 30 minutes.

Air Fryer Cooking Method

Place your potatoes in the basket of your air fryer and cook at 380 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Be sure to occasionally shake your basket to prevent sticking and ensure even cooking.

If you have a smaller air fryer, you may need to cook in batches. If you don’t really care about even cooking or crispiness, by all means, throw them all in the basket! Just keep shaking and maybe up your cooking time.

When you dip I dip we dip

Once your fries are piping hot and crispy, sprinkle with sea salt and serve right away!

I prefer to serve mine with some simple ketchup and my Truffle Fry Sauce that I have on hand at all times. The smokiness of the fries goes so well with the truffle flavor!

Enjoy!

I hope you love these Easy Seasoned French Fries, no matter which way you prepare them!

If you make one of my recipes, please tag me (IG @homemade_haley) or use the hashtag #homemadehaleyrecipes in your post or stories! I can’t wait to see how it turned out.

Also, be sure to leave a rating and comment! It really helps my recipes get seen and tried by others.

Thank you so much for your support. From my home to yours,

xo Haley

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