Baked French fries are a healthier, delicious alternative to conventional French fries. Coated in a delicious homemade seasoning blend and baked to a perfect, crisp finish you’ll never fry french fries again. 

These healthy baked french fries are a super easy side dish we all love. They’re great with a venison burger, some crockpot pulled pork, or alongside some pan-fried bluegill.

These homemade fries are so good. No more fast-food restaurant fries that lack flavor and are deep-fried in vegetable oil. These delicious fries are the real deal. Coated in a yummy seasoning blend and baked to crispy perfection. You’ll never make plain fries again.

Tips for Making Crispy Baked French Fries in the Oven

These really are the perfect fry, but there are a few tricks to make sure you have the crispiest, best tasting french fry you’ve ever had.

First off, you need to start with fresh russet potatoes.

Russets are generally preferred for any french fry, but this is especially true for baked fries because the skin is thicker, which crisps up really nicely in the oven.

As I mentioned, the potatoes need to be fresh. If you pull potatoes out of the pantry and they’re beginning to get mushy, those are best saved for a mashed potato or some other similar recipe, not french fries. That mushiness will translate to the final product and they won’t crisp up.

Another trick to get crispy fries is to make sure you soak them in cold water with a bit of sugar after cutting for at least an hour before baking. Can you get away with not soaking them? Of course, soaking them is going to result in a crispier fry, so if you have the time, do it.

A third tip is to make sure the fries are completely dry before seasoning and baking them. If they have a lot of moisture on them when you put them in the oven it’s not likely they’ll crisp very well.

And lastly, make sure you’re using a good amount of oil. That oil will help the fries crisp up in the oven.

How to Make Oven Baked French Fries

Cut the Fries

I don’t ever peel my fries before cutting them, but this is a personal preference. If you don’t like the skin, feel free to peel them first.

While you can definitely slice potatoes with a sharp knife, to make them more uniform it’s best to use a cutter. I use this French fry cutter and it works well. The uniformity helps them bake to a crispy finish all at the same time.

I love mine tender-crisp, but my husband prefers the crispier fries so if I hand cut the fries we wind up with a mixture that everyone appreciates because they’re all different sizes.

Soak the Fries

This extra step makes all the difference. While you can skip this step if you want maximum crispiness you need to take the time to soak them.

After the potatoes are cut up, you’ll want to soak them in some cold water with a tablespoon of sugar. Place the cut potatoes in a large bowl, cover them with cold water and pour in sugar and mix it around.

Leave sitting, for one hour, covered. This helps pull the excess starch out of the potatoes which results in that crispy fry we are looking for.

Bake French Fries

Preheat your oven to 425°F.

Whether you soak the fries or not, they’ll be wet. You can drain them in a colander and then dry them off with a paper towel. The dryer, the better.

Mix together thyme, oregano, rosemary, garlic powder, old bay seasoning, and parmesan cheese with olive oil and place the fries in a gallon bag. Shake them to mix the oil and seasoning mixture together, making sure the fries are well coated.

Arrange the fries on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper in a single layer. Sometimes I add a little additional seasoning or some kosher salt to really make the flavor pop.

Bake in a 425°F oven for 45 minutes, or until crisp and golden brown. Cooking time will vary, of course. The smaller the fries, the more likely they’ll burn, and the thicker fries are going to take longer to bake to a crispy finish.

Remove from the oven and serve hot with a dipping sauce such as ranch dressing, honey mustard, or just regular ketchup.

You can also cool to store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer in a freezer bag for up to 6 months.

How to Reheat Oven Baked French Fries

I often make double or even triple batches of these so I can freeze them for an easy side dish later. That being said, if you have some leftover fries, they’re easy to reheat. I often use our toaster oven, especially in the summer, so I’m not heating up the whole house.

Refrigerated fries can be reheated in a 425°F oven on a baking pan lined with parchment paper for 5-10 minutes. Alternatively, you can put a few tablespoons of oil in a cast iron skillet and warm them on the stovetop over high heat for 5 to 10 minutes.

Frozen french fries can be reheated in a 425°F oven on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper for 15-20 minutes or until heated through. These can also be warmed on the stove top in a skillet, but I find they require more oil and are more like fried french fries instead of baked.

Do not microwave refrigerated or frozen fries.

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