I’ve spent YEARS chasing that perfect fry. I’ve double-fried, air-fried, smashed, seasoned, truffle-oiled, and cheese-smothered my way through more potatoes than I care to admit. My kitchen has seen a lot of oil splatters and my family has been my very willing taste-testers.
So I finally did it. I narrowed it down to the absolute best of the best.
These are my 5 all-time favorite French fry recipes – the ones I make on repeat, the ones my friends beg me for, and the ones that will absolutely ruin regular fries for you forever.
Ready to get crispy? Let’s dive in.
My Favorite French Fries Recipes
Each recipe below tells you how it cooks, how long it takes and how many it feeds when I know it, plus the full ingredient list and the video to cook from. Pick the recipe that fits your kitchen tonight: a deep pot, the oven or the air fryer.
Crispy fries with cheese sauce
Thick-cut fries in a thin coat of corn starch, fried twice in a deep pan, with a quick cheddar dip on the side. Its video has over 43 million views on YouTube, the most of any fries recipe I came across.
What sets them apart is a short boil. The potatoes soak, then go into salted water for a few minutes before the starch goes on. That keeps the middle soft, while the starch and the double fry make the outside crackle. The cheese sauce cooks on the stove while the fries rest between the first and second fry, so both are ready at once. Plan on about an hour and a half for a big bowl.
People who made it say these were crispier than any fries they had tried, crisp outside and soft inside, and I get that same crisp-and-soft every time. Russets give the fluffiest middle. For more flavor, toss the fries with a pinch of onion salt, paprika or garlic powder before the starch goes on. The spice won’t change the crunch. The sauce is a little sweet from the sugar.
Ingredients
- 800 g potatoes
- Water for soaking and rinsing
- Water with 1 tsp salt for boiling
- 20 g corn starch
- Vegetable oil for frying
- 20 g unsalted butter
- 5 g flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp chili powder
- 10 g sugar
- 100 ml milk
- Black pepper
- 70 g cheddar cheese
- Parsley, to garnish
Classic double-fried French fries
When I want French fries that taste of nothing but potato, oil and salt, I make the classic double fry.
Frying twice means the inside cooks first, soft and pale, and a second, hotter fry turns the outside crisp and golden. I cut russets into sticks about half an inch thick and soak them in cold water before they go in. It takes about an hour start to finish. The recipe doesn’t say how many it feeds, so I make as many as my pot holds.
Yes, frying twice is more work than tossing a bag in the oven. People who made it say the fries came out crunchy and the family loved them, and some have made it three times with the same result. It is worth it when you want that clean potato flavor. The fry times are only a guide, so I go by color. After the first fry, I can freeze the fries flat and finish them another day. Ketchup and mayo go on the side.
Ingredients
- 4 large russet potatoes
- Cold water
- Oil for frying
- Salt and pepper for seasoning
- Ketchup, to serve
- Mayonnaise, to serve
Copycat McDonald’s fries
Copycat McDonald’s fries get their light golden color and a little sweetness from a hot soak in water with corn syrup and sugar. That corn syrup is the McDonald’s-style touch.
The potatoes are long russets cut by hand into thin shoestrings, the size you get at the drive-thru. After the sweet soak they chill in the freezer, then fry twice, a short fry and a longer one after a rest. Plan on about an hour and a half for four potatoes. Once they have had the first fry, they freeze well for another day.
I tried this recipe because the comments under the video say the fries taste like McDonald’s, or better. People who made it call them the best fries they ever ate and say their kids and husbands loved them. Someone in the comments who said they worked at McDonald’s uses sugar too, but puts it in the cold soak instead. Some cooks fry them in beef tallow for the flavor McDonald’s fries used to have. Eat them hot.
Ingredients
- 4 or 5 long russet potatoes
- Cold water for soaking
- 12 cups water
- 1/2 cup corn syrup
- 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
- Canola oil for frying
- Salt
Crispy oven fries
For fries with no pot of hot oil on the stove, I make these crispy oven fries the way the British make roast potatoes.
Thick-cut russets boil until they almost fall apart, then roast in one layer on a big oiled tray until the outside turns crisp as glass. The one mistake to avoid is boiling them too long, which turns them to mash.
No pot of oil does not mean little oil. It still takes a good pour on the tray to get that crunch. Olive oil works, or peanut oil if you want a more classic fry taste. The whole thing takes about an hour and a half to two hours, but almost all of it is hands-off oven time, and one tray feeds four at once.
People who made it say the family loved them and the time was worth it, and that is how it went for me too. I finish them with coarse salt, garlic powder, cilantro and parmesan. They stay hot and crunchy for a good while after they come out.
Ingredients
- 1 large russet potato per person (4 in the video)
- Water for boiling
- Olive oil, or a neutral oil like peanut oil
- Coarse salt
- Garlic powder
- Black pepper
- Chopped cilantro
- Grated parmesan
Air fryer French fries
My air fryer French fries use only one to two tablespoons of oil for 1.5 pounds of russets.
Most of the work is getting the starch off and the sticks dry. I rinse them until the water runs clear, give them a short soak in hot tap water and dry them well. A salad spinner makes that last part fast. Then they air fry in two rounds, and I toss them in a bowl with the oil and seasoning between rounds and every few minutes while they cook. It takes about 45 minutes and feeds three.
People who made it exactly as written say the fries came out crispy outside and creamy inside, and one person making fries for the first time said their daughter called them the best in the world. All that tossing is a chore, but it is what makes them brown evenly, so I don’t skip it. For more crunch, give them a few extra minutes at a higher heat at the end.
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds russet potatoes
- 1 to 2 tablespoons oil (avocado oil in the video)
- 1/2 tsp salt (optional)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder (optional)
Frequently Asked Questions
These are the questions that come up once you start making fries at home.
Can I make fries ahead and freeze them?
Yes. I fry them once until pale and soft, let them cool all the way, and freeze them flat on a tray so they don’t stick together. Then they go into a bag. When I want fries, they go straight from the freezer into the last fry. For the best quality, I use them within about 2 months.
How do I store and reheat leftover fries?
I get them into the fridge within 2 hours and keep them 3 to 4 days. To reheat, I use a hot oven or a quick dip in hot oil until they crisp up again, not the microwave. They are never quite as good as fresh, so I try to fry only what will get eaten right away.
What is the best potato for French fries?
Russets. They are starchy, so they fry up fluffy inside and crisp outside. Waxy potatoes stay dense and won’t get the same crunch, even when you fry them twice. When a recipe just says “potatoes”, I still reach for russets, because the inside comes out lighter.
Which oil should I use, and can I reuse it?
I use a neutral oil such as canola, vegetable or peanut oil. Beef tallow gives an old-school flavor if you want it. After frying, I let the oil cool, strain it, store it covered and use it again a few times. That is my own habit for frying at home, not a hard rule.
Why do my homemade fries go soggy?
Three things usually cause it. The oil was not hot enough, the pot was too crowded so the oil cooled down, or the potatoes went in wet. Dry the cut potatoes well before they hit the oil, and fry in small batches so the oil stays hot and the fries can crisp.
Start with the recipe that fits the pan you already own and the time you have tonight. Then open its video and start cutting potatoes.
