Air Fryer French Fries (Homemade)

Try making hand cut homemade air fryer french fries for a healthy option when you have a craving for the salty crunch of potato fries.

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Scroll down for the recipe card for these crispy air fryer homemade French fries, or read on for all the details.

How to cook homemade French fries in an air fryer

Air fryer french fries rare the perfect side to so many dishes, and so easy to make! The secret to getting them really crispy is to soak them, and then thoroughly dry them before seasoning with salt and oil.

Air frying is a great way to cook potatoes for a quick and easy side dish. Some of my other favorite air fryer potato recipes are: air fryer roast potatoes, air fryer potato wedges, or and air fryer baked potatoes.

Ingredients

What variety of potatoes to use?

For fries that are fluffy on the inside with a crisp outside then you need to choose a starchy variety of potatoes. Choose yellow or gold varieties or all-purpose potatoes. Any of the following will be great:

• Russet potatoes
• Yellow varieties
• Idaho
• Maris Piper
• Red gold
• Yukon gold
• Most varieties of sweet potatoes

Oil

I use light olive oil, but avocado oil, vegetable oil are also good options. The amount of oil you use will determine how crispy your fries get (but also how healthy they are), so use less oil for a healthier (though maybe less crispy) version, or lots of oil to crisp them right up!

For extra healthy air fryer french fries you just use a tiny spray of oil. However, try to use the type of oil spray that spritzes rather than an aerosol, and avoid using generic ‘cooking spray’ – both can damage the non-stick coating of your air fryer.

Salt

I use kosher salt or finely ground sea salt. You need around ½ teaspoon per pound of potatoes. If you are using table salt then use ¼ per pound of potatoes.

Step-by-step instructions

• Step 1: Peel the potatoes and cut them into 2 inch long fries around ½ inch wide.
• Step 2: Soak the potato fries in cold water for at least 20 minutes. This is to remove the potato starch that forms on the outside of the potato pieces when they are peeled and cut. This is important if you want to get really crispy fries. If you are really short on time you can just rinse them under running water, but you’ll get the best results from soaking them.
• Step 3: Dry them thoroughly. The fries need to be dried thoroughly before air frying. This allows the cooking process to start straight away, without waiting for the surface moisture to dry out first. If you want really crisp potato fries don’t skip this step!
• Step 4: Place dried fries in a large bowl, add oil and salt, and toss potatoes to coat thoroughly in oil and seasoning.
• Step 5: Place french fries in air fryer basket, and air fry for 10 minutes, then give the basket a good shake to redistribute the fries. Cook for an additional 10-15 minutes until golden and crispy.

Homemade Air Fryer French Fries Recipe Card

You may also like:

• Air fryer frozen potato wedges
• Air fryer sweet potato fries
• Air fryer parsnips
• Air fryer carrots
• Air fryer vegetable recipes