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Air fryer fries are a simple and easy way to make homemade fries without extra oil and calories. These air fryer french fries are much healthier than fast food fries and they are so delicious and crispy. Gluten free, paleo, vegan and whole30.

French fries are kind of a thing in our house because my kids love them! It’s really never a battle to get them to eat fries, especially these air fryer fries.
They come out perfectly crispy and flavorful and are great for dipping in ketchup or your favorite sauce. My husband even said they tasted better than fast food fries. Mission accomplished!!!
By now you probably noticed that I am obsessed with my air fryer. I have made so many crispy, healthier versions of your favorite foods like crispy breaded chicken breast, coconut shrimp and of course air fryer sweet potato chips. So I just had to try traditional French fries in the air fryer and wow are they AMAZING!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Perfectly crispy homemade fries
- Easy to make and reheat
- Gluten free, paleo, vegan, whole30
- Kid-friendly
- Healthier French fries with the use of less oil and calories
Ingredients for air fryer fries
This homemade french fries recipe only requires 3 simple ingredients.
- Potatoes – I used Yukon Gold potatoes but you can also use russet potatoes
- Olive oil + olive oil spray – just a little bit to get them nice and crispy
- Salt & pepper – to season the fries

How to make French fries in the air fryer
It is way easier than you think to make your own homemade fast food fries right in the air fryer. They come out perfectly crispy and golden and are loaded with great flavor.
- Prepare the potatoes – Scrub the potatoes and dry them so they are nice and clean. Then slice each potato into planks and then cut the planks into long French fry shapes. Place the raw, cut fries into a large bowl and cover them with warm water. Let them sit in the water for about 30 minutes then drain and rinse them. Transfer the potatoes to a clean kitchen towel and dry them really well.
- Season the potatoes – Wipe out the bowl you soaked with potatoes in and add the dry potatoes back to that same bowl. Drizzle them with olive oil and season them well with salt and pepper. Toss to coat them all in the oil and seasoning.
- Cook the potatoes – Preheat the air fryer to 380 degrees F and spray the basket with olive oil spray. Working in batches, place half of the potatoes into the air fryer in an even layer. Close and cook the fries for 10 minutes, flipping them in the basket halfway through. At around 10 minutes, open the air fryer basket and spray them with more olive oil spray and shake them in the basket. Cook for 10 more minutes until they are golden and crispy.
- Serve – serve these air fryer fries right away with ketchup or your favorite dipping sauce. See dipping sauce suggestions below.







Best Dipping Sauces For French Fries
- Ketchup
- BBQ sauce
- Ranch dressing
- Homemade fry sauce (pictured) – 1/4 cup mayo mixed with 1 tablespoon bbq sauce, 1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard and 1 tablespoon ranch dressing (similar to Chick-Fil-A sauce)
Tips for making the perfect air fryer fries
- Soak and dry the potatoes in water before you air fry them – This is an important step since it will remove a lot of the starch from the potatoes which helps them get nice and crispy.
- Cut the potatoes thinner rather than thicker – the thinner you cut the potatoes the faster they will cook. I prefer to cut them into shoestring fries since they just come out better in my opinion. This would be about 1/4 inch in thickness. Also make sure to cut them into even sizes so they all cook at the same time.
- Season the potatoes well before you air fry them – Potatoes are bland in nature and require lots of great seasoning to bring out their flavor. So it is important to season them well with salt and pepper before you cook them.
- Don’t overcrowd the air fryer basket – I know you have heard this one before but there is a reason why. Overfilling or crowding the air fryer will result in soggy fries and nobody wants that, lol! Make sure to place the uncooked potatoes in an even layer, which means you will likely have to cook them in batches. Which is fine since it will be 100% worth it!

How long to cook fries in the air fryer?
This will depend in a few things. The shape and size you cut the potatoes will vary, which will change the cooking time. In this French fries recipe I cut the potatoes to about 1/4 inch thick and they cooked perfectly in about 20-22 minutes. The other factor will be the type of air fryer you are using. I tested this recipe with a Cosori 5.6 quart air fryer. For the best crispy fries, I recommend checking the potatoes as they cook and then adjust the time and air fryer temperature from there.
Frequently Asked Questions
While you do not have to soak the potatoes, skipping this step will result in soggier fries. Soaking them removes a lot of the starch that potatoes contain which allows them to get perfectly crispy when you air fry them.
Yes! Drying the potatoes is another important step in this recipe that you should not skip. If they are not dry then the oil and seasoning will not stick to them well and they will not get as crispy when you cook them.
The best types of potatoes I have found for air fryer fries are Yukon Gold or russet potatoes. You can also try red potatoes or sweet potatoes, although I have not tried those yet.
To reheat fries in the air fryer, cook them at 350 degrees F for 3-4 minutes. They come out just the same as if you had just cooked them. It’s amazing! This also works for leftover restaurant fries.

Other healthy fries recipes to try!
- 15 Minute Air Fryer Carrot Fries
- Air Fryer Zucchini Fries
- Easy Baked Eggplant Fries
- Paleo Sweet Potato Fries
More Air Fryer Recipes!
- Zucchini Patties
- Healthy Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes
- Air Fryer Tortilla Chips
- Healthy Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets
- Air Fryer Apple Chips
Did you try this air fryer fries recipe? If you did then I would love to hear from you! Please leave a comment and rating for this recipe below! You can also pin it to Pinterest and save it for later and please follow Pinch Me Good on Pinterest for all of my latest recipes!
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Air Fryer Fries – Crispy and healthy
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Ingredients
- 3–4 Yukon Gold or russet potatoes
- 2–3 teaspoons olive oil + olive oil spray
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare the potatoes – Scrub and dry the potatoes well so they are nice and clean. Then cut the potatoes into planks and cut the planks into fry shapes that are about 1/4 inch thick. Place the raw, cut fries into a large bowl and cover them with warm water. Let them sit in the water for 25-30 minutes. Then drain them from the water and rinse them really well. Place the potatoes onto a clean kitchen towel and dry them. Wipe out the bowl you soaked the potatoes in and add the potatoes back to the same bowl.
- Season the potatoes – Drizzle the potatoes with olive oil and season them really well with some salt and pepper then toss to coat them all.
- Cook the potatoes – Preheat the air fryer to 380 degrees F and spray the basket with olive oil spray. Working in batches, add half of the potatoes to the air fryer basket in an even layer. It is okay if a few are overlapping. Close and cook the potatoes for 10 minutes, flipping them in the basket halfway through the cooking time. After 10 minutes, spray the fries with more olive oil spray and flip them in the basket again. Then cook them for 10 more minutes until they are perfectly golden and crispy.
- Serve – Serve the potatoes nice and hot with your favorite dipping sauce.
Notes
- Cut the potatoes into even size fries so they all cook at the same time.
- Do not skip the steps of soaking and drying the potatoes since this ensures they get nice and crispy and golden when you air fry them.
- To store these cooked fries, keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
- You can reheat these fries in the air fryer at 350 degrees F for 3-4 minutes.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Healthy Snacks and Appetizers
- Method: Air fryer
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: air fryer fries, air fryer French fries, homemade French fries, French fries
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