No flipping needed for crispy, golden fries—fresh-cut or frozen. This easy oven method uses a rack and convection heat to crisp all sides at once.
Just toss with a little oil, spread them out, and let the oven do the work. No frying, no fuss—just real-deal oven fries that actually turn out crisp.
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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."
❤️ Why This Method Works
- No flipping, no mushy fries. A rack and convection heat crisp all sides at once.
- Faster cooking. Convection speeds things up and gets dinner on the table quicker.
- Fresh-cut or frozen. Works great with either—no thawing needed.
- Healthier than frying. Less oil, less mess, still crispy.
- Beginner-friendly and flexible. Simple steps with endless seasoning options.
🥔 Ingredients & Potato Options
You can use either fresh-cut or frozen fries with this method.
- Potatoes: Russet potatoes are the classic choice—starchy and crisp when baked. Peel them for best results and cut into ¼–⅜ inch fries. Yukon Golds are a good alternative with a creamier texture and don’t need peeling.
- Frozen fries: Use straight from the freezer—no thawing or soaking. Just toss with oil and bake. They may need a few extra minutes in the oven.
- Oil: A light coating of vegetable or olive oil helps the fries crisp up in the oven.
- Salt: Season before and after baking with kosher or sea salt, or use your favorite spice blend.
👨🍳Quick Overview: How to Bake French Fries
Learn how to make the crispiest French fries in a convection oven with a rack, using fresh or frozen potatoes. No flipping needed.
1. Preheat the oven and prep the tray
Preheat to 425° convection. Line a baking sheet with a rack and coat with cooking spray.
✅ Pro Tip: Always fully preheat your oven before baking. Starting cold means steam, not crisp.
2. Prep fresh-cut fries (skip for frozen)
Scrub the potatoes. If using Russets, peel first. Cut into ¼ to ⅜ inch fries.
✅ Pro Tip: Use a mandoline for consistent cuts, but follow safety instructions carefully.
Soak in cold water for 20–30 minutes to remove excess starch, then rinse and dry thoroughly with paper towels.
3. Coat with oil
Start here for frozen fries. Do not thaw.
Coat the fries (fresh or frozen) with a light coating of oil.
4. Spread and season
Arrange fries on the rack in a single layer. They can touch a little, but don’t overlap. Sprinkle with coarse salt.
✅ Pro Tip: No rack? Use parchment paper, but flip halfway through baking.
5. Bake until crispy
Bake at 425° convection until golden brown—about 30 minutes. Season again while hot.
✅ Pro Tip: Frozen fries will take a few minutes longer. Thicker fries may also need more time—bake until deep golden and crisp.
👇 Scroll down for the printable recipe card and complete step-by-step photo instructions—or keep reading for tips.
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🌡️ Oven Temperature and Baking Time
For best results, bake at 425°F convection. Always preheat the oven. A rack and convection heat will crisp all sides evenly—no flipping required.
Baking time is about 30 minutes for standard ¼–⅜ inch fries, but it may vary based on your oven and fry thickness.
👍 Pro Tips for Crispy Fries
- Don’t thaw frozen fries. Bake them straight from the freezer until deep golden brown for the best crunch.
- Use the right setup. A rack plus a fully preheated convection oven crisps all sides evenly—no flipping needed.
- Pick the right potatoes. Russets or Yukon Golds work best. Skip sweet potatoes—they need a different method.
- Soak and dry fresh-cut fries. A 20–30 minute soak removes starch. Dry thoroughly after rinsing—wet fries steam, not crisp.
- Cut evenly and not too thin. Stick to ¼–⅜ inch thickness. Thin fries can burn before crisping.
- Bake until golden brown. Color = crunch.
🧂 Seasoning Ideas
A light sprinkle of salt is all you really need—but feel free to get creative.
- Before baking: After oiling, lightly sprinkle with kosher or sea salt. Table salt works too (even if it feels a little retro).
- After baking: Add more salt if needed, or finish with grated Parmesan, chopped herbs like parsley or chives, or a pinch of spice.
- Flavor options: Try paprika, garlic powder, chili powder, cayenne, Cajun seasoning, or ranch dressing mix.
✅ Pro Tip: Add cheese and herbs right after baking, while the fries are still hot.
🔁 How to Reheat French Fries
Microwaving may seem quick, but it turns fries soft and mushy—not crisp. You worked hard for that crunch—don’t lose it on the reheat.
- Air Fryer (Best): 375°F for 3–5 minutes until hot and crispy. Great for small batches.
- Oven Method (Best for more):
Preheat to 400°F with a baking tray inside. Once hot, spread fries in a single layer and bake for 5–8 minutes.
Pro Tip: Use a rack if you have one—it helps restore the crisp.
Avoid foil wraps or containers—they trap steam and take your fries straight back to limp.
❄️Storage
Leftover fries can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. For best results, reheat using one of the methods above.
❓FAQs
Yes—it’s for convenience and better results. The rack lifts the fries, allowing hot air to circulate and crisp all sides evenly. Without it, you’ll need to flip halfway through and still may not get the same results..
Fries need space to crisp. If they overlap, they’ll clump together and steam instead of brown. It’s okay if they touch slightly—they’ll shrink a bit while baking—but no stacking.
Not if you want them crispy. Soaking removes excess surface starch. If you skip it, your fries may come out soft or gummy instead of golden and crisp.
Nope—not with this method. Sweet potatoes need a different approach to crisp up in the oven.
📖 Crispy Potato Recipes
- Easiest Homemade French Fries — Stovetop version starting with cold oil
- Grilled French Fries —A smoky twist for your grilling meals
- Crispy Home Fries — Perfect for breakfast or as a dinner side
- Crispy Smashed Potatoes — So easy, so good, and fun to make
- Oven Roasted Red Potatoes — A classic, reliable side for any meal
📖The Recipe Card with Step-by-Step Instructions
Crispy Baked French Fries – Fresh or Frozen
Ingredients
- 2 russet potatoes - about 1 pound
- 1 pound frozen French fries (as a substitute for fresh-cut)
- 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 (skip for frozen)
- 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—Start here if using frozen fries (do not thaw)
- Dry the bowl, return the fries, and toss with 1 tablespoon of oil.
Spread 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
- Easy to cut in half or double.
- Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes are preferred. Avoid sweet potatoes—this method doesn’t work well with them.
- Frozen fries? Start at the oiling step. Do not thaw. They may take a few extra minutes.
- Oil is required for crispy fries.
- Seasoning options are listed in the post.
- Fries can touch slightly, but don’t overlap.
- If you don’t use a rack and convection, flip halfway through and expect slightly softer results.
- Two large potatoes will fill a half sheet pan (18x13) 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!!!