These crispy homemade French fries are easy to make in the oven with fresh-cut Russet potatoes. Soak and dry the fries before baking at high temperature for a crisp outside with a tender center.
For the crispiest results, bake them on a rack in a convection oven. The circulating hot air crisps all sides, so there’s no flipping.
🤔 How do I make crispy homemade French fries in the oven?
For the crispiest fries:
- Potatoes: Use Russet potatoes, cut evenly, soak, and dry well.
- Oven: Use a convection oven.
- Baking: Bake in a single layer on a rack.
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Featured Comment by Linda:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"Dan, you da man! This is a brilliant recipe. I've made these fries four times and see no reason to use another."
📝 TL;DR — Recipe Summary
What: Crispy homemade French fries baked from fresh-cut Russet potatoes.
Why: A rack and convection give the fries a crisp exterior without flipping.
How: Cut, soak, dry, season, and bake until golden and crisp.
🥔 Ingredients
- Potatoes: Russet potatoes are best for crispy homemade fries. Yukon Golds work but are creamier and less crisp.
- Oil: Vegetable or olive oil.
- Salt: Kosher or sea salt. Other seasonings may be added.
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👨🍳 Quick Overview: How to Bake Crispy French Fries
1. Fresh-cut fries: Scrub and peel Russet potatoes. Cut into ¼- to ⅜-inch fries.
2. Soak in cold water for 20–30 minutes to remove excess starch, rinse, and dry thoroughly. Coat lightly with oil.
3. Arrange fries on the rack in a single layer. Sprinkle with coarse salt.
4. Bake at 425°F convection until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Season again while hot.
👇 Scroll down for the printable recipe card and complete step-by-step photo instructions—or keep reading for tips.
🤔 Tips for Baked Homemade French Fries
♨️ Baking Tips:
- Always fully preheat the oven.
- Convection at 425°F gives the crispiest results. No convection? Use 425°F–450°F and flip halfway through—it may take longer.
- Use a rack on a baking sheet for airflow around the fries. No rack? Use parchment paper and flip halfway through.
- Cook in a single layer for even browning.
🥔 Potato tips:
- Russets: Make the crispiest fries but should be peeled.
- Yukon Golds: Creamier but less crisp and may be left unpeeled.
- Cutting: A mandoline works well, but follow its safety instructions.
- Soaking: Soak fresh-cut potatoes to remove surface starch, then dry completely to prevent steaming.
- Frozen fries: Do not thaw. Transfer directly from the freezer to the rack, season, and bake.
🧂 Seasoning Ideas
Salt is all you need, but other seasonings work well.
- Spices: Try paprika, garlic powder, chili powder, cayenne, Cajun seasoning, or ranch dressing mix.
- Finishing: Add Parmesan or chopped herbs like parsley or chives while the fries are hot.
❄️ Leftover French Fries: Storage and Reheating
Storage: Refrigerate leftover fries in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
🔁 How to Reheat French Fries: For crispy leftover fries, skip the microwave.
- Air fryer: Reheat at 375°F for 3–5 minutes.
- Oven: Reheat in a single layer at 400°F for 5–8 minutes. A rack helps restore crispness.
❓ FAQs
Not with this method. Sweet potatoes need a different approach to crisp up in the oven.
No. Bake frozen fries straight from the freezer—do not thaw.
📖 Crispy Potato Recipes
- Easiest Homemade French Fries — Stovetop fries starting with cold oil.
- Grilled French Fries — An easy alternative for grilling.
- Crispy Smashed Potatoes — An easy crispy potato side.
📖The Recipe Card
Crispy Homemade French Fries in the Oven
Ingredients
- 2 russet potatoes - about 1 pound
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt - to taste
- 1 tablespoon oil
Step-by-Step Instructions
Preheat the oven and prep the tray
- Preheat oven to 425° convection.
- Line a baking sheet with foil and place a rack on top. Spray the rack with PAM cooking spray.
Prep fresh-cut fries
- Scrub the potatoes. If using Russets, peel first. Cut into ¼–⅜ inch fries. A mandoline works well—just follow safety directions.
- Soak in cold water for 20–30 minutes to remove surface starch.
- Rinse several times, then dry thoroughly with paper towels.
Coat with oil
- Dry the bowl, return the fries, and toss with 1 tablespoon of oil.
Arrange and season
- Arrange fries on the prepared rack in a single layer. They can touch slightly, but don’t overlap. Sprinkle lightly with coarse salt.
Bake until crispy
- Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Season again while hot.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- Russet potatoes work best; Yukon Golds are creamier but less crisp.
- Soak cut potatoes for 20–30 minutes and dry thoroughly.
- Frozen fries may be substituted; do not thaw. Start at the oiling step.
- Without a rack or convection, flip halfway through and expect slightly softer fries.
- Two large potatoes fill a half-sheet pan and serve four.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You can adjust the number of servings above; however, only the amount in the ingredient list is adjusted, not the instructions.
Nutrition Estimate (may vary)
Editors Note: Originally Published: September 23, 2012. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Diane B says
Where are the 272+ reviews? I don’t see them.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Diane,
Welcome to the blog.
Good question, and I hope I get my terminology right—it matters to Google.
There are two types of things included in the 272+ votes. There are comment reviews where somebody comments and can leave a star rating—this can be called a review per Google. And some votes/ratings can be done without comment by clicking on the stars in the recipe card—this is the most common.
Since food blogs try not to make Google mad, we don't use the term review much. Ratings and votes can add the two type together. That is what most of us use. More discussion about comments and ratings can be found at https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/comments/
So, the number of votes is always bigger than the total number of comments and many commenters don't bother to leave a star rating.
Lastly, the number of comments visible on a page is limited to speed up loading. I chose to show newest first but at the bottom of the comments, you can click to older comments. There are 18 only per page but it is not a flexible system so it there are 25 comments, there will be the 7 newest on the first page and the remaining 18 on the second page. Some posts have hundreds of comments and would take a minute or more to load. There is one post with 30 pages of comments.
Hope that helps but is clear as mud sometimes.
Dan
Tom Wright says
Just did a couple potatoes in my rarely used convection oven at 425 degrees for 30 minutes on a wire-rack basket. Way too hot so they weren’t pretty visually. Inside nicely cooked and for one who has been known to like hospital food (or did) they were still tasty.
Next time I’ll try a lower temp like 400 and 25 minutes but keep a much closer eye. I am hooked on this so I will not give up.
Phil Hartman says
Just made it in Black and Decker air fry toaster oven and came out great. Wife liked because WW is OK with potatoes band a little oil. Thanks for the recipe.
Vanessa says
Random question of the day - but I've been looking for a mandoline like yours! I had one for several years that was very similar to yours, that sadly melted in the dishwasher. I find the newer ones to not be as sturdy and overly complicated. Is there any chance you can tell me the brand of the mandoline you're using in the picture here?
Thanks!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Vanessa,ave
Welcome to the blog.
That is an older model Oxo. I now have a newer version linked in the shop that goes to Amazon. About $40. Oxo are always solid kitchen accessories..
I check what I have linked in the shop last winter and it was correct (then) but now Amazon was redirecting to a Grammercy Kitchen model that looks similar (not the same). I replaced the image and link to the new Oxo model.
I got mine about 5 yrs ago at Sur La Tab.
Dan
When you need solid and reasonable price, I opt for Oxo usually.
Dan
Linda says
Dan, you da man! This is a brilliant recipe. I've made these fries four times and see no reason to use another. I want to try sweet potatoes and kabocha squash, using the same recipe. I'll let you know how they turn out. Thanks so much for your blog.
David says
question:
Please
What is the serving size ie weight of serving 1oz .... 6oz or in grams?
I weight everything I eat as I am on WW and must do so for the point system intake per day.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi David,
Welcome to the blog.
I just ran this recipe through my spiffy new calculator (3 months old) and have some different values for you. I update the calculator but have not had time to go back through and manually redo 450 recipes. Also, since I no longer have access to the old database, I couldn't answer your question any other way.
According to my new calculator and Goggle, one medium russet potato weighs 173 grams, or 6 ounces. It contains 168 calories and almost no fat. I added some salt in to the calculator also since it is "to taste" the old calculator left it off.
So there is your answer. Realize a "medium potato" could vary a lot in size and that about half the weight of a potato is water.
Thanks for the note, questions and rating.
Dan
cindi says
I just made these tonight (in the oven now!) and I used the WW app to enter the nutritional values for 1 serving, which is 3 oz and the points are 4 per serving (Yes, I know this is an answer to an OLD post, but someone else might see it ;)
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Cindi,
Welcome to the blog.
I doubt others will see this in a timely manner, so I will add a few comments.
A medium russet potato is about 6 oz, so the 3 oz serving is about right. Years ago, I knew the WW formula for points but they kept changing their formula and never were forthcoming with the formula, and then they started different types of points. I gave up.
So if their current calculator says 4 points based on the nutrition, it is probably correct or close. The oil in my calculations may be a bit over depending on how much sticks to the mixing bowl.
Dan
Julie says
Thanks for sharing this recipe. I’ve made it a few times along with your chicken drumstick recipe. It’s so easy to follow and tastes delicious. I’ve got drumsticks and fries baking in the oven as I type this. It inspired me to buy a crinkle cut mezzaluna knife so my delicious fries will be extra pretty. Thanks again!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Julie,
Welcome the blog. Sorry for the delayed response.
I do love the baking of the fries on a rack. It just makes it so easy.
Glad it is working well for you and I may need to get one of those knives.
Thanks so much for the note nd rating.
Dan
Kelly H says
My family loved these fries! Great recipe! Thank you!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Kelly,
Welcome to the blog and sorry for the delayed response.
Glad you enjoyed the fries.
Thanks for the note and rating.
Dan
Angela says
Thank you, I was looking for a fast fix. delicious simple and easy.
DrDan says
Hi Angela,
Welcome to the blog.
I do love simple and fast recipes.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Jessi says
Great recipe! And simple!!! Thank you Thank you Thank you!!!