Air Fryer French Fries
Crispy homemade fries from russet potatoes using a quick soak, a light coat of oil and two temperatures. Golden outside, fluffy inside.
Ingredients
Ingredients for servings
Enter a number of at least ½, in steps of ½.
Original recipe serves 3. Ingredient amounts adjust automatically. Cooking times and pan size may need adjusting separately.
- 2 lb russet potatoes, about 3 large
- 1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil, or avocado oil
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder, optional
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Steps
Step 1: Scrub the potatoes (peeling is optional). Cut into 1/4- to 3/8-inch sticks.
Step 2: Soak the fries in a bowl of cold water for at least 30 minutes (or up to a few hours in the fridge). The water will turn cloudy.
Step 3: Drain and dry the fries very well with a clean towel or paper towels.
Step 4: Toss with the oil until every fry is lightly coated.
Step 5: Spread half the fries in the air fryer basket. Air fry at 330°F for 12 minutes, shaking once.
Step 6: Turn up to 400°F and cook 8 to 12 minutes more, shaking every few minutes, until golden and crisp. Repeat with the second batch.
Step 7: Toss the hot fries with salt, garlic powder and pepper right away. Serve hot.
Swaps
- Seasoning: Old Bay, Cajun seasoning, or Parmesan and parsley.
- Sweet potatoes: Cut the same way and skip the soak; cook at 380°F for 15 to 18 minutes.
- Frozen fries: 400°F for 12 to 16 minutes, shaking halfway. No oil needed.
Tips
- Soaking pulls surface starch off the potatoes so they crisp up instead of gumming together.
- Salt the fries after cooking; salt before cooking draws out moisture and makes them soggy.
The story
HAM Cooking. Let’s fire it up.
Homemade fries in an air fryer used to be a disappointment for me. They’d come out pale, a little leathery, and nothing like the drive-through. Then I learned it’s not the air fryer’s fault. It’s the starch.
Cut potatoes are covered in surface starch, and in a hot, dry air fryer that starch turns gummy before it gets crisp. A cold-water soak washes a lot of it away. Drying the fries well is just as important, since water on the surface has to steam off before anything can brown. Then the two-temperature trick: low heat cooks the inside fluffy, and high heat crisps the outside.
Don’t overfill the basket. Air fryers work by moving hot air around the food, and a crowded pile blocks the airflow. Two batches of crispy fries beat one big batch of soggy ones every time.
HAM out.
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