Tossed in an easy seasoning blend, these homemade French fries made in the air fryer are low in fat, but big on flavor!

I will literally eat potatoes in any and every form I can, but homemade French fries are definitely my favorite with baked potatoes as a close second.

I first started making homemade French fries when I did my first Whole30 in 2014 and when I realized how easy they were, I never looked back. Plus, they’re less expensive than a bag of frozen fries; literally just potatoes, oil and spices. Done ✔️

I love to make these homemade fries to serve in burger bowls, with juicy turkey burgers, wing nights, or just because I’m craving fries dipped in ranch dressing. Making them in the air fryer is such a time saver that also saves on oven space.

ingredients for homemade French fries

These fries are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside thanks to the air fryer. You only need two ingredients, plus a few pantry spices that you should already have on hand, making for the simplest French fry recipe, ever – I promise!

Potatoes: For this recipe, I suggest Russet potatoes. Russets are the best potatoes for french fries because they’re nice and starchy and creamy. Make sure to scrub clean and you can leave the skin on or peel. Russets are my first choice and are pretty common to find just about everywhere.
Oil: 1-2 tbsp of olive oil or avocado oil. I suggest oil to help ensure your homemade fries crisp up in the air fryer, but you can use nonstick spray to save on fat if you’d prefer.
Spices: salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika make a simple homemade French fry seasoning.

soak in cold water for 15-30 minutes to help remove starch

Do I need to soak my potatoes first?

I’ve tested these homemade fries a few times with soaking and not and both methods are fine, but if you want to ensure for the crispiest fries from the air fryer with fluffy insides, I do suggest soaking them before tossing in the air fryer.

You only need to soak for 15-30 minutes in a bowl of cold water. This will help to remove starch.
If you need to prep in advance, you can soak in a bowl of water in the refrigerator anywhere from 8-hours to overnight.
Drain and make sure to throughly dry before tossing in oil and spices.

How to Make Homemade French Fries in the air fryer

Slice your Russets. Cut into ⅓ -inch thick sticks, trying to keep them as uniform as possible so that they cook evenly together. You can leave the skin on or peel – it won’t affect the quality or texture. I leave them on but that’s a personal preference.
Soak the Potatoes. soaking the potatoes in cold water will remove the starch and make for homemade fries that are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
Season: Drain and pat your fries dry after soaking, and then toss in olive oil and dried spices.
Cook: Make sure to layer your fries evenly and not overcrowd the basket to ensure all fries are crispy. Cook for 15-20 minutes, at 375 degrees F, flipping halfway through or shaking your air fryer basket.

how to reheat french fries in air fryer:

Reheat leftover French fries at 375 degrees F for 3-5 minutes until crispy again. I don’t recommend using the microwave unless you want leftover fries that are soggy (I know you don’t!)

other homemade fry seasoning combos to try

The recipe card below is my go-to homemade fry seasoning for everyday fries but if you want to play with the flavors, here are few more spice combos to try:

Ranch. Add dried dill and onion powder to my base seasoning.
Seasoning Salt. Add seasoning salt for max flavor! I would use this as my only seasoning and forgo my base seasoning recipe.
Cajun. Toss your fries with Cajun seasoning spice blend for a kick of heat with added smoked paprika and Italian seasoning.
Parmesan Truffle. Use truffle salt and omit the salt from my base seasoning and top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese after cooking, before serving.

more potato recipes to make