Yes, it IS possible to make crispy French fries at home! With this delicious homemade French fries recipe you can have a crispy exterior and a fluffy interior oven fries for dinner any night of the week.

I’ve been making these easy homemade fries in the oven for over 25 years and our family loves them. I’m always surprised when I hear people say they’ve tried to make homemade fries…you know, from fresh potatoes, but they didn’t turn out good for them.

So I thought I’d share what we do to make some amazing oven fries. This is really more of a process than a specific recipe, so feel free to customize it however best fits your family; I’ll share the basic ingredients and some variations in the body of this article.

Let’s chat for a minute about expectations. Homemade fries are NOT going to taste like fries from your favorite fast food joint. We shouldn’t even be comparing them as they are in two totally different categories.

I think if we can get our family to understand this, they will enjoy home fries more. When I say my family loves our home fries, that’s not to say that they don’t also love fries from Chic-fil-A. You can love both, they’re different and that’s okay.

There is no reason for the home cook to be intimidated by making the “perfect fry”. In fact, you can easily make your own fries that are perfect for your family.

Why make French fries from scratch?

I realize you can buy frozen French fries fairly inexpensively, however, potatoes are even cheaper and you don’t have to worry about questionable ingredients. You can enjoy French fries made from a whole potato without wondering what else you’re putting in your body.

Plus, home fries are so much more tasty than frozen French fries.

Potatoes to use for homemade fries

As with most recipes, I think the best potatoes to use to make homemade fries are whatever potato you happen to have when you want to make them. You don’t have to buy a certain potato to make good oven fries. That being said, different varieties of potatoes will cook up differently.

Russet potatoes (aka Idaho potatoes) are ideal for making the best fries. They have a lower moisture content than waxy potatoes and will give you that fluffy interior that we all love in a fry.

Yukon Gold potatoes are another good choice for home fries. Although they have more moisture content than russet potatoes they have less than waxy potatoes.

Red potatoes and fingerling potatoes are waxy potatoes and are the least desirable for making home fries because of their high moisture content.

Sweet potatoes also make a great homemade French fry. You can use this same process for making sweet potato fries, just be sure to cut the sweet potato into thin slices, 1/4-inch slices is ideal.

To soak or not to soak potatoes

As a rule, I soak potatoes before cooking them to make them easier to digest. I usually soak them in a 2% brine (1/2 cup salt to 1 gallon water) for up to 24 hours. I drain the brine and rinse the potatoes before cooking them.

Most people recommend soaking sliced potatoes in cold water for at least 20 minutes before making homemade fries. This is a good practice as it helps remove the excess starch from the potatoes. This gives the fries a golden brown color when baking and keeps the outside from browning too quickly.

If you’re worried about the potatoes turning brown while soaking (they won’t if they are completely submerged) you can add a small splash of white vinegar to the soaking water.

After soaking, remove the excess moisture by patting the potato sticks dry with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel.

That being said, I’ve baked many batches of homemade fries without soaking them and they turn out fine. They usually take a little longer to bake and may not be evenly browned but they taste just fine.

If you don’t have time for the extra steps of soaking, you can still make crispy homemade French fries.

How to cut potatoes for homemade fries

The only time I peel potatoes are when when I’m canning potatoes. Instead of peeling, I just scrub the potatoes and cook them with the skin on. If your family doesn’t like the skins, you can certainly peel them before cutting them.

We like our homemade fries cut fairly large, I usually get 6 fries from a medium potato. You can use a French fry cutter and make uniform 1/4-inch potato stick but honestly, a knife and cutting board work just fine.

Here’s a quick and easy way to cut potatoes for homemade fries.

1. Cut the potato in half lengthwise
2. Turn each half cut-side down on cutting board
3. Cut each half into three long strips (if the potato is larger, cut into four strips)

When you’re done cutting the potato, just toss it in the water for soaking.

Seasoning for home fries

I usually just use salt and black pepper on our fries but sometimes we want spicy fries and will use Nashville hot chicken seasoning to season them. You can also use garlic powder, chili powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, Cajun seasoning, Old Bay seasoning, or even Parmesan cheese to make seasoned fries.

What oil to use for homemade French fries

People have strong opinions on the best oil for frying French fries. Fortunately, since these fries are made in the oven you can get crispy fries with a variety of oils.

I usually use avocado oil when baking at high temperatures because it has a high smoke point. But olive oil can be used, as can peanut oil.

I don’t use vegetable oil or canola oil in my kitchen but if you do, you can use them for making homemade fries. I’ve also never used beef tallow or lard for making homemade fries but they should also work well.

Making crispy homemade fries

Soggy fries are always a disappointment. The good news is that when you make fries in the oven, you can get crispy fries by just baking them a little longer.

Fully coating the fries with oil will also help make crispy fries. This is why its important to pat the potatoes dry if you soak them before cooking. I put the potato slices in a large bowl, drizzle them with oil, and toss them with my hands to ensure they’re fully coated.

If you want even crispier fries, try adding a little cornstarch to the seasonings when you coat the potato sticks with oil.

How to store leftover fries

We rarely have any leftover fries but when we do, I store them in an airtight container and put it in the refrigerator. These can be reheated in the oven, microwave, or air fryer for a snack or side dish later.

My favorite thing to do with leftover fries is to dice them and add them to scrambled eggs to make breakfast tacos the next morning.

How to make homemade French fries in the oven

Now that you know all the variables, here’s the process for making the best homemade French fries…

1. Preheat oven to 425F degrees.
2. Wash and scrub the potatoes. I don’t peel the potatoes but you can if you want to.
3. Slice the potatoes into strips. Try to keep them about the same width. 
4. Put the sliced potatoes in a large bowl filled with cold water. 
5. Soak for at least 20 minutes.
6. Drain the water and rise the potatoes.
7. Rinse and dry the bowl.
8. Pat the potatoes dry and put them back into the bowl.
9. Drizzle the potato sticks with oil.
10. Sprinkle some salt and pepper (or other seasonings) over them – don’t be shy, potatoes NEED salt and pepper.
11. Using you hands, toss the potatoes until they are all coated with oil, salt and pepper.
12. Lay the slices on a baking sheet in a single layer. You can line the baking sheet with parchment paper to make clean up easier if you want.
13. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the underside of the potatoes are brown and crisp. If you want the fries to be more evenly browned, turn them over when the bottoms begin to brown.
14. Remove the fries from the oven. Using a metal spatula, transfer the fries to a platter for serving.

Enjoy!

Thanks for sharing with your friends!