These Perfect Baked Fries are oven-baked but still crispy on the outside and soft inside thanks to a few tips and tricks.
These aren't fried french fries; they're baked
But they are perfectly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
I hate when I make baked fries and they are soggy or they burn or they just don't turn out right! It's sooo frustrating!
So I have a couple of tricks that I've accumulated along the way to help make the perfect baked french fry:
1) try to cut them into similar shapes/sizes - you want them to be roughly all the same size, so they cook evenly
2) you must soak your potatoes in {ice} cold water for at least 20 minutes - the longer the better, especially if you rinse them a couple of times. This helps wash some of the starch off the potatoes which helps them get crispier
3) dry them really really well after soaking and rinsing them
4) cook them at a high temperature {try to use an oil that has a high smoke point like avocado oil or safflower oil; extra virgin olive oil is not recommended here because of its lower smoke point but it still works if that's all you have}
5) when you're preheating your oven, "preheat" the pan, too - put the baking sheet in the oven while the oven heats, so it will be hot. Right before you bake the potatoes, add some oil to the pan & put it back in the oven to get hot before adding the potatoes to the pan
6) it's a lot more fun to make fries when you have an adorable little helper, but it's not required
Using these tricks, you can make really good baked fries that aren't soggy or disappointing
That's totally something to celebrate!
Perfect Baked Fries
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb baking potatoes about 3 medium potatoes
- 1 tablespoon oil with a high smoke point like avocado oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
Instructions
- Slice the potatoes into sticks or wedges. As you are cutting, put the cut potatoes into a bowl of ice cold water.
- Once all the potatoes are cut, rinse them and cover them with fresh cold water. Let them sit in the water for at least 20 minutes. {If you're keeping them in there longer, keep them in the refrigerator}
- Put a large baking sheet in the oven and preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Drain potatoes and dry them very well. Dry out the bowl.
- Toss the {very well dried} potatoes with the oil, salt, paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, and cayenne pepper in the dry bowl.
- Meanwhile, carefully take the baking sheet out of the oven {it will be hot!}, and spray lightly with oil. Put back in the oven for a minute or two. {Remember to use pot holders because the baking sheet will be really hot!}
- Take the baking sheet out of the oven and put the seasoned potatoes on it in a single layer. You might need to use a spatula to make sure they are in a single layer. {You really want them in a single layer, so they can get crispy}
- Put in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Take out and stir potatoes, making sure to get them back in a single layer on the baking sheet.
- Put back in the oven for 12-15 minutes until the potatoes are lightly browned and crispy.
- They are best served right out of the oven. Enjoy!
Notes
Pin for later:
Krystle(Baking Beauty)
I'm always looking for new ways to make potatoes! These sound so yummy!
memeinge
Thanks!! They are pretty delicious 🙂
Amanda
These are some great ideas for crispy baked fries. Thanks!
Meme
Thank you! Hope you try them
Nicole
I've made these a few times for friends, and they have gotten rave reviews. So easy and so tasty. Love them!!
Natalie Rizzo
Very interesting! I try sweet potato fries all the time, and they either turn out soft or burnt. I'm going to try this for sure. Thanks for sharing!
Meme
Soft or burned fries are the worst! These will make you happy 🙂
Paige
The smoke point of coconut oil is 350 degrees and is not a good option for this recipe unless you want your kitchen filled with smoke.
Meme
True - feel free to use whatever oil you feel comfortable using. I generally use avocado oil or olive oil (not extra virgin). Thanks, Paige 🙂
L
Hi.. new to your site and LOVE me some fries! Skimming thru, I cannot wait to check out all your variations. (Butternut squash fries with Blue Cheese... !SIGH! ... sounds so good!)
For now, would MCT oil work for this one?
Meme
Thank you so much!! I’ve never tried cooking with mct oil, so I can’t say for sure. However, I think any oil that is suitable for cooking would work 🙂
Christina
Any suggestions on how to prep these ahead of time for quicker dinners?
Meme
I think you could make them in advance then reheat in the oven or do a quick broil to keep them crispy. Hope that helps!
Enjoy!