A Baked French Fries Recipe that is so easy to make! Learn how to make homemade fries that are oven baked, crispy, and delicious.
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Oven Baked French Fries
Is there anything better than biting into a perfectly crispy, slightly salty, warm french fry? Honestly, I don’t think so!
These baked french fries are seriously delicious and have the perfect amount of crunch!
These are a great side dish option for a weeknight meal, and they are a healthier alternative to greasy fries cooked in oil.
Fries get a pretty bad reputation because of fast food. A lot of people think that they have to be unhealthy, when in reality – potatoes aren’t the enemy!
When you bake potatoes with heart healthy oils and go light on the salt… they actually aren’t as bad for you as many people think.
Ingredients
In order to make baked french fries you’ll need:
- Russet potatoes (you can also use Idaho or Yukon Gold potatoes but we find russets to be ideal)
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil – our favorites are Bono and Garcia De La Cruz
- Salt and Black Pepper – We use a fine sea salt from Redmond
That’s it! We recommend having a good baking sheet and parchment paper for maximum crispiness.
Substitutions
This is a pretty straight forward recipe but there are a few substitutions you can make.Â
Peeled-We like to leave the skins on our russet potatoes because we like them/that’s where most of the nutrients are – but feel free to peel yours if you’d prefer them without the skin!
Oil – You can use avocado, coconut or vegetable oil for these fries. Any oil will work, but avocado or olive is best!
Variations for seasonings – You can add any seasonings to these baked french fries. Feel free to skip the salt if you’re following a low sodium diet. Paprika and garlic powder are yummy additions to these fries! You can also sprinkle some parmesan or shredded cheddar cheese on top at the end!
Potatoes – We recommend using russet potatoes for this recipe. They work the best because of their starch content. You can make this recipe with other potatoes like Idaho or Yukon Golds, but they will not come out as crispy – especially if you use sweet potatoes. If you want the crispiest sweet potato fries, check out the tips on this Baked Sweet Potato Fries Recipe.
Can you make these in the air fryer? Yes, you can. I would recommend cutting the oil in half and baking them at 450° for 20 minutes, shaking halfway through. Every air fryer is different though, so I recommend checking your brand for a conversion chart/instructions on how to best cook them!
How to cut french fries
You don’t need a fancy fry cutter to cut french fries. To cut potatoes into fries, follow these steps:
- Slice potatoes into thin slabs (see step 2). This gives you a nice flat surface to work with and cut even strips.
- Slice slabs into 1/4 inch thick sticks.
You now have perfect french fry shapes!
Once you have your potatoes cut – you’re good to go!
Cooking Instructions
To make baked french fries:
- Toss potatoes with olive oil, salt, and black pepper.
- Lay sliced potatoes on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Place in the oven + bake!
And that’s how it’s done! Super simple, delicious fries that are perfect as a side dish with pretty much anything. They’re crispy, just the right amount of salty, golden brown, and so yummy! Take out your favorite bottle of ketchup and enjoy!
Storing, Freezing, and Reheating Options
Storing French Fries: These fries will last in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Reheating French Fries: It’s best to reheat leftover fries in an oven or toaster oven. Heat your oven to 350 and cook for 4-5 minutes until they are warm through and crisp on the outside. We would not recommend microwaving these fries.
Freezing:Â I would not recommend freezing fries. Potatoes can get funny when you freeze them.
Are potatoes healthy?
Yes! Potatoes actually are high in fiber, and have a good about of nutrients in them including B6, potassium, and phosphorous! They are a good starch to have as a side dish with burger, chicken tenders, and wraps!
And did I mention that they just taste really good?  Try to convince me that you wouldn’t want to eat an entire plate of these. LOOK at how crispy they are!
Do you have to soak the potatoes before baking?
No, you do not need to soak potatoes before baking the french fries.
Some recipes call for this.. but it’s not necessary. These fries come out perfectly crispy without having to soak the potatoes ahead of time.
We recommend just making sure they’re all coated evenly with olive oil to ensure they bake properly.
What can you eat these healthy baked french fries with?
These fries go with pretty much anything! We could easily eat a whole tray on our own, but we like to serve them with these recipes too:
- Homemade Chicken Nuggets
- Crockpot BBQ Chicken
- Homemade Turkey Burgers or alongside Lettuce Wrap Burgers
- Burger Salad with Dill Pickle Vinaigrette
- Healthy Chicken Tenders
- Cashew Coconut Chicken Tenders
Are French Fries Cooked in the Oven Bad for You?
In my opinion, no – french fries are not bad for you if you bake them. They hold on to less oil, making them lower in fat. When you bake french fries, they’re similar to a baked potato.
Do You Need To Flip Fries In The Oven?Â
Yes, you do need to flip fries in the oven. Flipping fries in the oven helps to ensure that all sides are extra crispy!
How Do I Make Crisp Fries in the Oven?Â
To crisp french fries in the oven, you can broil them when finished cooking for 1-2 minutes. this will help them get really crisp. This recipe always results in crispy french fries though so you shouldn’t need to do that!
Other healthy potato recipes
My mom always jokes ‘I never met a potato I didn’t like’.. but we feel the same way! Check out these 45+ Healthy Potato Recipes or these favorites:
Baked French Fries
Ingredients
- 2 lbs russet potatoes cut into french fry shapes. about 5 medium potatoes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. While the oven is heating, cut potatoes into french fry shapes, approximately 1/4 inch thick.
- Add cut potatoes, olive oil, salt + pepper to a large mixing bowl. Toss with a spatula to cover all of the potatoes evenly with oil + seasoning.
- Place potatoes on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake at 450 for 25 minutes, flip + bake for an additional 15 minutes until all fries are golden brown.
- Depending on the oven you have which can cook at different temperatures, you can broil the fries for an extra minute at the end to make them extra crispy!
WeeKay says
I am making these tonight. How does the parchment paper handle 450 degrees? I will be using convect at 425 degrees is that ok or should I skip convect and go to 450?
The Clean Eating Couple says
I don’t have an issue with it at 450. I’ve never tried convect so I can’t be sure!
Lisa says
So good, My family loved these!
carol says
Delicious and easy
Michelle Linsley says
Excellent. Easy to make. A lot healthier than packaged French fries. I cannot wait to make them again.
Dora says
These were so good!!! I would totally recommend them and i will surely be making these again in the future. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Griff Neilson says
I used coconut oil and these turned out like a charm. Thank you for continually providing healthy versions of what we all grew up with!
Michael F says
I’ve made these fries twice now. Both times were big hits with the people I made them for.
The first time, I followed your recipe, but with a caveat. Your description on cutting near the top of the page says 1/2 inch while your description below in the summary instructions says 1/4 inch. We’ve done it both ways and the 1/4 works better.
The second time I made them, I swapped out the salt for garlic salt and added crushed rosemary. It added quite a kick to the fries. I would recommend trying it sometime.
Thanks again for the great recipe.
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked them!
Diana Hutson says
As a person with CHF, I was thinking this would be great because potatoes only have 20mg of sodium. But your recipe calls for one teaspoon which is equal to 2300 mg. , tho the salt you use is 2360 mg per tsp. If you add your own salt to your serving after it is cooked not before hand, it gives whoever’s at your table a choice how much they want to add.
The Clean Eating Couple says
Hi Diana – As a person with CHF you’re likely always going to have to read and adjust recipes per your diet. Omitting salt and adding to taste or your dietary restrictions is a great approach to this recipe and any other recipe on our website. My one recipe serves 8 people, which comes out to around 450 mg/sodium per 6 oz of french fries. The average 3 oz serving of frozen french fries has about 400mg of sodium, which is almost double what mine do.
Nin says
Ohhhh mama this was amazing! Thank you!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thanks, Nin! So glad you liked it!
Kris says
Great, easy recipe. Thank you!! (If you wanna sprinkle your fries with parm cheese, do it when you do the flipping. Putting it on with just 10 minutes to go worked out really well for me.)
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thanks Kris! I need to try these with parm – yum!
Carl Stclair says
Greatest fries I have ever eaten even my local fast food ones are bad because they sit soaking in grease you sure have a winner here.
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thanks, Carl! I appreciate it 🙂
Rachel says
This potato recipe was simple and delicious!! I highly recommend it as a healthy alternative to French fries!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked them, Rachel!
Marilyn Sponheimer says
How healthy are they for someone with pre diabetes? That is my DH and i am more or less maintenance for candidda, internally. They sound delicious and we both love potatoes but do not eat them a whole lot.
Thanks, Marilyn
The Clean Eating Couple says
Hi Marilyn – I would talk to your doctor. I am not a professional and I have no idea how potatoes affect people who are diabetic or have candida. Sorry I couldn’t be more help!
Amy says
I made with both regular and sweet potatoes, the recipe was amazing.( I will say that if anyone takes the sweet potato avenue like I did: take them out a little before the regular.)I also had a ton of time so I cut the potatoes into shoe string fries! I will be using the recipe until the end of time for fries!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked them Amy!
Kallie says
LOVE this recipe. So delicious and I don’t have to feel bad about eating them either! Been craving them all day and will probably have to make them again this week.
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you like them, Kallie! They’re so good with our Healthy Baked Chicken Tenders!
Barbara M Reynolds says
. I think i t would have been better if it didn’t include a picture of ketchup with the fries since ketchup usually includes sugar. Maybe you could include a recipe for sugarless homemade ketchup. Great recipe. So much better then fries bought at a fast food joint. Thank you.
The Clean Eating Couple says
Hi Barbara – I’m glad you liked the recipe. I wanted to show these with ketchup as that is how many people enjoy their fries. Out of the 9 photos of the fries.. only 2 show ketchup. You’re welcome to serve it however you like, but I don’t think photos are a reason to leave a lower review on a recipe! Here’s a link to a great sugar free ketchup recipe.
Alison says
LOVED these fries!! Sooooo good and super easy to make!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked them, Alison!
Michelle says
These were super with the healthy chicken fingers!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked both recipes! Thanks, Michelle!
Sara Akhand says
Can you use red potatoes?
The Clean Eating Couple says
I’ve never tried this with red potatoes, but they might need to cook a little longer than russet potatoes. It should work though!
Krysta Gibson says
I have a question, olive oil’s smoke point is lower than 450 degrees so how does that work?
The Clean Eating Couple says
Hi! You can use avocado oil or melted coconut oil if you’re concerned with cooking olive oil at this temperature!
Heather says
I have used avocado oil to make these and I think the avo oil makes them taste even better!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Avocado oil is great with these! Thanks for trying!
Ashley says
Hands down one of the best French Fried I have had.
The Clean Eating Couple says
I’m so glad you liked them, Ashley!!
Michael F says
Sounds good. I’m going to try this out.
One question: What about the peel? Do you leave it on the potatoes or should it be removed?
The Clean Eating Couple says
Hi Michael – The potatoes aren’t peeled, but you could peel them if you’d like! In the pictures you can see that the skins are still on and they get super crispy 🙂
Kelly S says
Best baked fries we have tried! They are a regular on our menu.
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thanks, Kelly!! They’re one of my favorites too 🙂
Kirsten says
I’ve made these twice now to rave reviews both time -‘s they’re so simple! So much better than a bag of frozen fries. So full of flavor!! They will be on rotation from now on! 10+ for sure
The Clean Eating Couple says
Love that they got rave reviews both times, Kirsten!! I totally agree they are WAY better and better for you thank frozen fries!
Madison | A Joyfully Mad Kitchen says
THESE FRIES. I’ve only made homemade fries once before, but I’m going to have to try these ASAP.
The Clean Eating Couple says
They are a game changer!! SO crispy and delicious. YOu have to try them!!