Oven Baked French Fries
Oven Baked French Fries – extra crispy edges, soft centers, baked not fried and healthy! So you can feel good about eating them!
Why are my fries not crispy in the oven?
Below are a few techniques I use in this recipe to make sure the fries come out extra crispy every time…
I cut the fries pretty thin. Not shoestring-style and not too thick. I like them about 1/4 inch wide. This is big enough to keep a soft interior, but small enough to get them extra crispy.
Then I soak the raw potatoes before baking to remove some of the excess starch. Less starch = more crispiness. Starch also tends to burn easily. So removing the starch helps with burning!
Make sure you dry off the potatoes very well with paper towels.
Parchment paper is key in keeping the fries from sticking and getting the best crisp on the outside while keeping a soft inside. Using foil sometimes causes the fries to stick to the foil and then all that amazing crispiness gets stuck to the foil!
Don’t overcrowd the pan. If too many fries are on a baking sheet then they’ll just steam, not bake. I can normally fit the fries from 3 potatoes on a 13×18-inch jelly roll pan. I would recommend two separate baking sheets for any more potatoes. Or you can get these three-quarter baking pans!
The last trick is a double baking method. The fries are first baked in the oven at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, then baked for another 20 minutes at 425 degrees.
How do you make fries taste better in the oven?
Season them!!! We love the seasoning mix below for fries. But you could also toss them with some truffle salt.
What to serve with these oven baked french fries?
Steak and fries is a winning combination. Maybe some lemon parmesan asparagus on the side?
This turkey burger is also a favorite meal! Plus this watermelon salad = the best summer dinner ever.
Oven Baked French Fries
Ingredients
Seasoning mix:
- 2 Tablespoons seasoned salt
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/8 teaspoon cumin
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
For the Fries:
- 3 russet potatoes
- 1-2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan optional
Instructions
- Combine seasoning ingredients in a small bowl; set aside.
- Wash and peel the potatoes. Cut off the ends. With a very sharp knife, cut the potatoes into thin slices about 1/4 inch wide.
- Add the fries to a large bowl and cover with cold water. Allow them to soak for at least 30 minutes but they can soak for as long as overnight. (Place in the fridge if soaking more than an hour).
- After the fries have soaked, drain, rinse, and lay the fries on a paper towel lined cooling rack to dry while you preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Blot the tops with additional paper towels to absorb any excess moisture.
- Line a baking pan with parchment paper or foil and spray with non-stick spray. Make sure the previously used bowl is dry and add the potatoes to it, add 1-2 tablespoons of oil and half of the seasoning mixture based on how much salt you prefer. Toss around to mix.
- Evenly line the baking pan with the fries in a single layer. Don’t overlap or they fries won’t cook properly. Bake for about 30 minutes, flipping with a spatula once or twice after 15 minutes of cooking. Increase heat to 425 degrees and continue baking until the edges look a little burnt!
- Sprinkle the fries with the other half of the seasoning mix and Parmesan cheese (optional). Serve immediately.
How lovely, and healthier too! Thanks for your tips, and for giving me some fries I can enjoy and include in my diet while I am in my peak season…without putting a ton of extra unhealthy fats in there. Yum!
The Real Person!
Author Jen and Emily acts as a real person and passed all tests against spambots. Anti-Spam by CleanTalk.
Thanks Tina! Glad you liked our tips 🙂
Do you have any advice for making these yummy looking fries in a convection oven? Thanks!
Jean and Emily, This recipe is genius. So so delicious and crispy – thank you for creating it and then for sharing it with us. I will be making these over and over.
Your picture looked so good, I had to use my giant farmer’s market potato and shoved all the fries together on the sheet. Next time I will have to be more careful and maybe split onto two sheets–you are right, you cannot compromise the space between fries or else they steam!
Not terrible, I satisfied my pregnant craving for fries anyway. Glad I found your site through Pinterest!
The Real Person!
Author Layers Of Happiness acts as a real person and passed all tests against spambots. Anti-Spam by CleanTalk.
Thanks for the feedback! Hope it works out next time. 🙂
These look amazing! I was wondering if you knew the how many calories are there per serving?
Jen and Emily, you are SO right about the texture of the fry… these look phenomenal, pinned!
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Thanks, Gloria! 🙂
Wow!! You have me drooling! Thanks for linking up at Whimsy Wednesday! I am pinning 🙂
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Thanks, Ashley! 🙂
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So happy you’ve found us Whitney!! Heading over to your blog now! 🙂
Those look delicious, its hard to tell they are not deep fried! Thanks for the great tips, I will definitely try them next time I make baked fries
Your fries look awesome! My kids are going to love those!
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Thanks, Michelle! 🙂
I like that these are baked and not fried. All of the oil from fried potatoes upsets my stomach. So I’ve got to try your recipe.
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Thanks, Heidi! So glad you’re going to try it 🙂
Love the idea of double-baking to get extra crispness. I have never tried that! I will try it next time I make sweet potato fries in the oven (can’t do regular potatoes due to a nightshade intolerance).
I like to use a silicone liner/silpat to line my baking sheets when making oven-fries – no sticking and it is reusable which I like a lot….
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Yes! Let us know how the sweet potatoes turn out… that’s next on our list! 🙂 I’ve been wanting to get a Silpat for a while now, just haven’t gotten around to it yet!
Double baking smart idea. I need to try your method.
Thanks for sharing.
These look AMAZING! I love french fries, especially crispy ones, so I will have to make these soon. Thanks for the recipe!
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Thanks Ashlyn! So excited for you to try them 🙂
I made these for lunch today, and my kids devoured them! I used a slightly different spice mixture, but otherwise followed your recipe. Thank you so much.
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Hi Jocelyn! Thank’s so much for sharing – We’re so glad you liked them!! 🙂
Good lord I think it’s supposed to be 2 teaspoons on the seasoning salt not tablespoons! I’ll try again next time!!
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Oh no! So sorry to hear they didn’t turn out – Make sure you’re not add all of the seasoning mixture… only add 1 tablespoon of the seasoning mix per 3 potatoes 🙂
Just a little question.. if you are making these for a crowd, can you do 2 jelly roll pans at the same time?
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Hi Julianne! You could definitely try it… I will warn you that we have done that before and we cut the fries too thick, so they were more soft than crispy. So, just make sure that you cut them very thinly, have one single layer of fries and increase the cooking time by about 20 minutes or so. When you’re finish making them all, you could reheat them in the oven! Hope that helps! 🙂
I just made these with lunch today and they were by far the crispiest fries I have ever made! YUM! I will be using this method for my fry making in the future for sure. I’m curious to see how it works with sweet potato fries.
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Yay!! Thanks so much for leaving some love 🙂 We haven’t tries sweet potatoes yet – it’s on our list of things to make – but I would imagine everything would be the same!
These look wonderful, I’ve recently had to make a huge change in my diet, which includes absolutely no fried foods. So I think I will definitely try these.
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Thanks Kathleen! Good for you for making the huge change! So inspirational!
Great technique. I have no idea what I did wrong, but I just made them and they’re way way way too salty. I only put half of the seasoning on them and yikes! The faces my kids made were priceless. LOL! I will try again soon. 🙂
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Hi Kristina, make sure you only use one tablespoon of the seasoning mixture per 3 potatoes!! 🙂
Thank you! I don’t know what I did the first time. I made another batch today and they were great!!! Everyone gobbled them up. 🙂
I don’t know how thick you cut your potatoes, but just 1 tablespoon of the spices was way too salty. I’m going to cut it back to 1 teaspoon for the next batch.
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Thanks for the feedback, I’ll add it to the recipe! 🙂
These were awesome fries and easy to make. Bookmarked!
You can also do baked polenta french fries very easily. First preheat your oven to 450F. Then grease a baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray. Then open up one of those tubes of cooked polenta, then cut the polenta in half crosswise then cut each half lengthwise into 8 wedges. Place the wedges on the cookie sheet and spray the wedges with more olive oil cooking spray. Then sprinkle the wedges with salt, pepper, and any other favorite herbs and spices you’d like to sprinkle on them (smoked paprika would probably be a good spice to sprinkle on them). Then bake at 450F for 45 – 50 minutes, turning once about halfway through. This is a great way to have mock french fries without all the muss and fuss of traditional french fries made from potatoes 😀
I made these fries for dinner last night and they were fantastic! My boys loved them – said they were the best fries I had ever made. I’m not a huge fan of fries, but these guys could make me change my mind. I forgot to soak the cut potatoes to remove the starch and they were still delicious. Thanks for a great recipe.
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Love that the boys gave their approval 🙂
I just love french fries, but other than the frozen variety, I haven’t tried making them myself. This looks simple enough to do and healthier too without all those “how do you pronounce that” ingredients.
These are the only fries I make now. I never use oil or frozen fries anymore.
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Yay! So happy to hear that!
One word… YUM! I have been craving french fries so badly, but I try to stay away from fast food. I will definitely be making this soon 🙂
Yummy..these look great..just wondering is the oven temp fan fprced pr conventional?
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I’m not sure what fan forced is, but I didn’t use conventional, just the regular oven setting!
I just made these, I only used salt and pepper though, but they were amazing! And they looked exactly like the picture! Will be making these probably weekly!
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So happy to hear!! 🙂
I love fries, but hate how greasy they can be! This looks absolutely amazing! Can’t wait to try it!
Great recipe! So crispy and delicious — I could eat these every day! (Definitely do not miss frozen fries cooked in oil.)
I made these tonight with regular and sweet potatoes. They were awesome! My kids and I loved them to bits! Thank you for posting this recipe.
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Thanks for the awesome feedback… love hearing our readers make our recipes!
Jen and Emily, My husband and I are enjoying these ever so tasty treats right now! Thank you for the idea and the seasoning. Back to the table to enjoy baked fries!!
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Yay! So happy to hear!
My family absolutely loved the fries!!!! I made them last night for dinner and my kids were begging me to make more for lunch! Thanks for such a great recipe!!!!
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Ahhh! Soooo happy you liked them! 🙂
I need these in my life!
Could I ask about the “seasoned salt” you use. I live in Japan and about the only seasoned salt I can get may be Crazy Salt. If I used just plain salt, how much should I use for this recipe? 1 tablespoons or even less. Even that much seems a lot to me. The amount of salt we can eat in a day seems to be getting reduced every year by the nutritionists!
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You can use regular salt in replace of seasoned salt. The salt in this recipe is used to create a seasoning for the fries, and only about 1 tablespoon of that seasoning is used to season a portion serving 2-4 people. Hope that helps! 🙂
Such an amazing recipe! Followed it to a T and the fries turned out amazingly. I have made these numerous time since then, such a family favorite. Thank you for a healthier version of our favorite indulgence. A MUST try.
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Yay! So happy to hear. 🙂
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Excited for you to try them!
Wow! I just came across this recipe today and cooked these babies tonight with bison burgers. Absolutely amazing! I shared this recipe on all my social networks, I was so impressed. I’ve never done that before! Thank you!
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So glad you liked them Brian! Bison Burger….YUM!
Could I make these ahead and either refrigerate or even freeze them. Then bake them for a couple minutes to heat/crisp them back up?
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I have never tried freezing them… but if I were to try it, then I would do it this way (steps 4-7): http://www.food.com/recipe/frozen-french-fries-52058
Hope that helps! 🙂
Great idea. I’m going to try it this weekend.
You can’t beat crispy oven baked “fries.” Definitely going to try it this weekend!
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Yay! hope you like them. 🙂
This is the best oven fries recipe I’ve ever used- a staple in my household! Thanks do much for sharing, your technique makes foolproof amaaaazing oven fries 🙂
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Thanks, Finn! So happy to hear! 🙂
Thanks, Jen & Em!
I made these for my husband the other night. I over cooked them but they were still good! I LOVE the basil, so I added more! Next time, I will cook them for 30 mins on 400 because my gas oven heats up quickly.
I have added it to my “Dinner rotation” Pinterest board. I make a side dish and a main dish once a week from that board. This is a side dish I will be making at least once a month, a staple in our home! Thanks for the great dish, Jen & Em!
~Kat
So glad i found this. Their in the oven as i type! Making fries has never made the house smell so good! This isnt just healthier but money saving. I go through oil SOOOOO fast and the fact that i only need a couple tablespoons is such a relief. I hate dumping oil.
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Yay! So happy to hear! 🙂
These were perfect! I had been making my fries in the same way but baking them on a wire rack, but the results were not as good…the parchment paper is the key I think. This is my new method! Thanks so much for the great recipe! 🙂
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Yay! So happy you liked them! 🙂
Planning on making this Saturday for Valentine’s Day 2015 with panned fried London Broil and veggie. Hubby loves French fries but he can’t have them anymore so this should be a nice treat. Thank you for the alternative!!
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Yay! Hope you like them 🙂
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That’s Great!!! Thanks for sharing it with your readers as well! Enjoy and have a great day 🙂
These came out really good. As you stated, making sure the fries are as dry as possible after soaking and not crowding them on the baking sheet are crucial to getting them to crisp up. My favorite part was the seasoning mix, it was delicious on the fries.
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Great! Thanks for the feedback!
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Thanks for the share!
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Woah! That’s an awesome tip!!! Hope you love them 🙂
These were super yummy! I have made SO many baked fries in my time, but these were the best ever. Don’t know if it was the soaking part, or what, but they were nice & crisp, and tasted very good..
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Awesome!! So happy to hear you liked them 🙂
Just made these for our dinner tonight….Amazing! Great flavor and crispness! Loved them, thanks for the recipe!
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so glad you liked them!
Hi there. Found your recipe after a quick Pinterest search. We were making beer-battered cod from Sam’s Club and needed some “chips” to go with our fish! 🙂 I’m so glad I made this recipe…honestly, the best homemade fries I’ve ever had. (not to toot my own horn…more tooting your horn!)
-You were right about spacing the fries: I used 3 medium potatoes and split them amongst 2 cookie sheets covered in foil with spray. The sheet with fewer fries crisped up quicker and overall were crispier than the one with more fries.
-You are also spot on with the timing of the seasoning. I seasoned before (1 tbsp; 1 tbsp of oil); during (right after I flipped halfway thru); and after. The flavor was great. I could have used even more (I think it just depends on how much seasoning a person prefers).
Here’s what I did –
I followed the recipe to a “T” except for 2 things:
1) On one of the sheets of fries, I sprinkled garlic salt (in addition to your salt mix) over them before putting into the oven. DELICIOUS. I’m a huge garlic fan, it gave them a little crunch, too.
2) I followed the oven temperature (400* at 30 minutes) for the first “roast,” then because I had to bake the cod at 450* for 20 minutes, just decided that the fries would be in there too, at 450*, for 20 more minutes. DELICIOUS.
I never comment on recipes (usually because I don’t like using my email address) but I had to comment here. Excellent recipe: thank you so much for sharing!
The Real Person!
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Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts about it and also things you added. I love garlic on my fries so great addition! I appreciate the time you took to share your comments! <3
These look really delicious! I have one question. What happens between the first and second time of baking? Am I supposed to let the fries cool completely before baking them a second time?
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Thanks Ricky! The only thing that happens is an increase in the oven temperature. No cooling is necessary.
The recipe looks great! Do you think I could bake them for the first 30 minutes at 400 and finish them at 425 the next day?
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Thanks Ashlan! I wouldn’t separate the baking rounds because it could dry the fries out.
Hi! Can I skip the cumin? Is it ok without that? and if I only use 1 potato. How many salt I need?
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You can skip the cumin if you would like, I would say to keep everything else the same!
I tried this today; I never trusted baked fries would be better than the fried ones. But with this recipe they are! Thank you so much! ^^
Could I leave the skin on the potatoes?
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Yes!
Has anyone tried with skin on the potatoes? Did they turn out as good?
Just wanted to tell you that I have used this recipe for two years and have memorized it because I use it so often! It is amazing!!!! Most of the time we eat all of the fries before dinner, so we make another batch! Thanks for the recipe!!!!!
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Yay!! Thank you so much for sharing! 🙂
These look awesome! I love French fries, but don’t eat fast food, and try not to eat fatty foods, period. I am totally trying these tonight. How long do i need to soak the potatoes for? Would you soak sweet potatoes as well? Thanks!! 🙂
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I typically soak mine for at least 30 minutes but they can soak for as long as overnight! And yes I would soak sweet potatoes, but maybe not as long because they don’t tend to have as much starch!
Going to try out this recipe tomorrow night! Quick question first, have you ever tried to make garlic fries with using this recipe? I was originally trying to find a recipe specifically for garlic fries but I came across yours first!
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Awesome! I haven’t tried garlic fries… but I am sure it will work.. just add some minced garlic in when you drizzle the olive oil on the fries!
This was amazing I baked it for 20 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit and baked it for about 10 minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit. This was so simple that I, a novice cook could make it. It was very crispy and all my family members thoroughly enjoyed it. I added some paprika, black ground pepper, salt, seasoned salt, and onion powder, and it was AMAZINGLY.
Made these as my chips to go with my curry. Amazing!! I only used kosher salt though as the curry is the star here competing with an amazing fry 😉 Thanks for a great oven baked alternative to frying.
These fries are delicious, but must agree the spice combo completes it! So yummy. Definitely worth the time and effort!
So happy I clicked on your site. I was looking for timing for baking fresh french fries. These are amazing and by the way we are having a big blue cheese burger with them! Thanks for your recipes, I already know I will be back to make those beautiful oven roasted parmesan potatoes!
Hi wonder if you can recommend any way to freeze these so you can just throw then in the oven when your ready for some fries??
Tried these tonight – we loved them! My boyfriend was so excited about these. Thanks for an awesome recipe 🙂
I made them tonight! I used two potatoes & too much (1 & 1/2 tbs) of seasoning which was way to salty for me…I only baked them 30 mins. & they came out golden, crispy on the outside & chewy on the inside. They were good besides the salt. I will definitely make again & again! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
These are amazing!!! I made them for dinner 4 nights ago and they were so delicious I’ve made them for lunch the last 3 days! They are perfectly crispy and the seasoning is such a great combo! I’ve always liked seasoned salt, but never would have thought to make some additions. Can’t wait to try some more of your recipes!
Don’t usually comment but, Wow, made these tonight and it passed the teenager test. None left. I just used sea salt and the were very crispy and good.
Excellent recipe. Made these “fries” today to serve with baked fish. My partner said it was the best meal outside of roast beef that he’d ever had. I’ll take the kind of compliment anytime! I don’t believe I would ever want to ever make fries any other way again. I followed the recipe to a T. I’m going to try your sweet potato fries next. Thank you for your post.
Better than fried
U can enjoy the taste of something fried that tastes better & guilt free
The best
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So happy you love them!!