I’ve been experimenting with baked French fries for years, but it surely wasn’t till not too long ago that I had a lightbulb second. If you happen to’ve tried my baked hen legs, a secret ingredient (baking powder!) makes the pores and skin ultra-crispy. Like, shatter in your mouth, crispy.
That had me questioning… can we do the identical factor to baked French fries?
I instantly headed to my kitchen to seek out out. First, I examined the fries with out soaking them in water to see whether or not including baking powder would give them a crispy texture in much less time. I additionally examined one other model by soaking the potatoes first. Sadly, soaking helps so much, so I don’t suggest skipping it. (Despite the fact that it’s tempting to avoid wasting time.)
However baking powder undoubtedly helps enhance the feel, too. If you happen to’re hoping to make scrumptious French fries with much less oil, I believe you’ll love this recipe as a lot as my household does.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Featured Evaluation
“WOW! These had been nice. I’m making an attempt so arduous to not purchase an air fryer. I don’t want one other piece of apparatus within the kitchen. Man, these are easy and spot on. This will likely be my “go to” for fries.” – Irene
Baked French Fries Elements
- Potatoes. You should use Russet or gold potatoes to make selfmade fries. The gold potatoes will likely be softer and creamier within the heart, whereas the Russet potatoes will likely be a bit drier on the surface. Select Russet potatoes for the crispiest outcomes.
- Olive Oil. You solely want a bit oil to bake fries, so use whichever sort you retain readily readily available.
- Baking Powder. This can be a current addition that helps the French fries crisp up much more as they bake. You’ll be able to’t style it within the closing fries.
- Spices. I like to make use of garlic powder, salt, and pepper for a easy seasoning that’s surprisingly flavorful. If you would like heavily-seasoned fries, examine the recipe notes for another.
How To Prepare dinner Fries within the Oven
Step 1:
Begin by slicing the potatoes into skinny, French-fry-like shapes. I like my fries to be 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch thick. The thicker the fries, the extra tender they are going to be on the within, whereas thinner fries are typically crunchier. (But in addition liable to browning sooner.)
The extra constantly you slice the fries, the extra evenly they’ll bake.
When you’ve sliced the fries, place them in a bowl of water and allow them to soak for 15 to half-hour. I do know it’s annoying to attend, but it surely actually does make a distinction. If you happen to don’t thoughts limp fries, you may skip this step.
Notice: If you wish to take issues a step additional, soak the fries in salt water. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of salt to the chilly water and stir vigorously. The salt helps pull much more moisture from the potatoes, so they’ll prove even crispier later. (However, that is elective.)
Step 2:
Preheat the oven to 400ºF and frivolously grease a big baking sheet with cooking spray or olive oil. (I take advantage of a half sheet pan, which is 13-by-18 inches.) Drain the fries of the soaking water and briefly dry them with a towel. Wipe out the soaking bowl, so you may reuse that, too.
Return the fries to the bowl and drizzle them with olive oil. Toss effectively, then season with the baking powder, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Toss once more, simply till the potatoes look evenly seasoned.
Switch the seasoned fries to the baking sheet and unfold them out evenly. You don’t need any of the fries to the touch one another for the crispiest outcomes. (Don’t crowd the pan.)
Step 3:
Bake the fries at 400ºF for 20 minutes. The fries gained’t essentially look golden on high while you take away the baking sheet from the oven, however use a sturdy spatula to flip them over, and the facet that was touching the pan ought to look frivolously golden.
When you’ve flipped all of the fries and unfold them out evenly within the pan, bake them for 15 to twenty extra minutes. Watch the smaller fries, as you may have to take away them from the oven earlier.
Serving Suggestions
Baked fries are greatest served straight away for the crispiest texture. Strive them with my wholesome ketchup (which is fruit-sweetened!) or with mayo-free Particular Sauce for an extra-flavorful dip.
Storage Tip: Leftovers may be saved in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 5 days. Reheat them in an air fryer for 3 to 4 minutes, till crispy once more. Or place them on a pan within the oven at 350ºF for about 10 minutes to reheat.
- 1 pound Russet potatoes (about 2 massive potatoes; or use Yukon gold)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon nice sea salt (plus further for soaking water)
- ¼ teaspoon floor black pepper
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Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Slice the potatoes into spears (about ¼-inch thick). Remember the fact that the thinner the fries are sliced, the sooner they’ll cook dinner. If you wish to make thicker fries, that is okay, too! So long as the fries are comparable in dimension and thickness, they’ll cook dinner evenly.
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Fill a big bowl with chilly water and stir in 2 tablespoons of salt. Place the sliced potatoes within the salt water and allow them to soak for 15 to half-hour. The salt water will draw out extra moisture from the potatoes, so they’ll assist bake up crispier. When the potatoes are achieved soaking, drain them and dry effectively with a towel. (Dry the soaking bowl, too, so you may reuse it for the seasoning.)
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Add the potatoes again within the dry bowl, and toss them with the olive oil. Then sprinkle the baking powder, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper over the fries, and stir once more to evenly coat.
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Prepare the fries in a single layer on a big baking sheet. Ensure that the fries aren’t too shut collectively or touching. (An over-crowded pan of fries will steam collectively and will not get as crispy.) Bake at 400ºF for 20 minutes. When the timer goes off, take away the pan and flip the fries to advertise even crisping.
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Return them to the oven to bake for 15 to twenty extra minutes, or till they give the impression of being golden and crispy. Regulate any smaller fries that may burn; they might have to be eliminated earlier. (Notice– thinner minimize fries will bake sooner than thicker minimize fries; so thinner fries won’t have to bake as lengthy.)
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Serve the fries heat straight away along with your favourite dip. Leftovers may be saved in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 3 days, however understand that the feel will not be pretty much as good when they’re reheated. (They have a tendency to dry out extra.)
Replace Notice: This recipe was up to date in February 2026 with the addition of baking powder for further crispiness. The unique recipe simply known as for a selfmade fry seasoning, which you could find beneath.
French Fry Seasoning: For extra seasoned fries, use this spice mix for 1 pound of potatoes: 1/2 teaspoon every of celery salt and nice sea salt, plus 1/4 teaspoon every of paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper. My French Fry YouTube video contains this seasoning.
Salt Water Soak: Including salt to the soaking water helps draw out extra moisture from the potatoes, however it’s also possible to soak them in plain water in case you desire. Any soaking is best than no soaking in any respect. (Unsoaked potatoes will seemingly prove softer.)
Energy: 122kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 2g | Fats: 4g | Saturated Fats: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fats: 3g | Sodium: 443mg | Potassium: 578mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 2IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 1mg
Extra Recipes to Strive
If you happen to attempt these selfmade French fries, please depart a remark and star ranking beneath to let me understand how you want them. I respect your suggestions!
