Lemon Garlic Air Fryer French Fries Recipe
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Lemon Garlic Air Fryer French Fries – delicious crispy crunchy lemon garlic seasoned air fried french fries that use a fraction of the oil of deep fried french fries and are crunchier than baked!
Lemon and garlic are two of my favorite flavors – and when covering crispy, crunchy french fries, it can’t be beat!
If you’re craving a great side dish, these Lemon Garlic Air Fryer French Fries can’t be beat!
These french fries are crispy, crunchy, and totally addictive… but you can feel a lot better about serving them to your family since they use a fraction of the oil of regular french fries.
They are delicious on their own, or paired with Air Fryer Tri Tip Steak, Garlic Butter Pork Tenderloin, Creamy Garlic Chicken Thighs and Mushrooms!
Here at Sweet C’s, we have lots of types of readers – those who like to get straight to the recipe, and those who would like more information, including tips and tricks to feeling more comfortable in the kitchen.
We provide a skip to recipe button in the top left corner, as well as a clickable table of contents, just below, to help make this page easier to navigate.
How To Make These Your Own
- Experiment with potato varieties. There are lots of different kinds of potatoes, each with unique properties. See which one you like best. Maybe you can have a French fry tasting party. Make sure you try Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries, too.
- Peeled or unpeeled? Its up to you. I like to leave the peelings on.
- If you want, these fries can be made with no oil whatsoever. Olive oil does add good flavor, though, and helps them get crispier. Other types of oil can be used.
- Try different spices. While plain salted fries are great, you could try adding black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, smoked paprika, chili powder, and so on. Raid your spice cupboard.
- Add grated Parmesan cheese for a real treat!
- Dont want to bother cutting the potatoes? Make air fryer baked potatoes! They are so good and are perfectly baked in 40 minutes.
Serve air fryer French fries with your favorite dipping sauces, including ketchup, homemade ranch dressing, or homemade barbecue sauce. Or douse them in your favorite chili, smothered with cheese sauce.
How To Make French Fries In Air Fryer:
- First, peel the potatoes. Then cut the potatoes into 1/4 strips making sure they are all the same size. This will help them to cook evenly.
- Second, put the potatoes once you cut them in a large bowl with the olive oil. Make sure the potatoes are coated in the oil by tossing them. Then sprinkle with the salt.
- Next, preheat the air fryer to 390 degrees. If your air fryer does not have a preheat option, it is ok. You can run the air fryer at 390 degrees for 5 minutes.
- Once the air fryer has warmed up, put the potatoes in the air fryer basket. Make sure to put them in a single layer so that they do not overlapping. They need plenty of room so the air circulates around them and makes them crispy. You may have to do more than one batch depending on the size of your air fryer.
- Finally, allow the fries to cook for 12 to 15 minutes. You will need to flip the potatoes halfway through the cook time.
- Make sure the potatoes are cooked all the way through and crispy. Then place the Air Fryer Fries on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil. Salt and pepper to taste.
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Add The Perfect Side To Your Next Burger With These Air Fryer French Fries Made With Freshly Sliced Potatoes
One of my absolute favorite sides to make in the air fryer is french fries. If you are looking for frozen french fries, be sure to check out this post on making frozen french fries in the air fryer.
This recipe is adapted from these Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries, same method and concept only this time using regular Russet Potatoes.
What Potato Is Best For Making French Fries
Russet potatoes are the best choice for making extra thick fries. The potatoes, also known as Idaho potatoes, have a rather thick skin, fluffy flesh, and high starch content. That combination allows them to hold up well when cooking in direct heat, especially in the air fryer.
Since the potatoes have such a mild flavor, I toss them in a blend of smoked paprika and garlic powder. This adds to the overall flavor and makes them perfect for dipping into ketchup or ranch.
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How To Make Air Fryer French Fries:
Wash the russet potato and remove any bruises.
Cut potato lengthwise into ¼ to ½ inch thin slabs then cut the slabs into ¼ inch thin matchsticks. Cut potato into uniform slices to ensure that the fries cook evenly. You can also use a mandoline to cut perfectly sized fries.
Soak the potatoes! Put about 3 inches of water in a large pot and bring it to a boil Once boiling, remove from the heat and place your cut potatoes in the hot water to soak for 30 minutes. . Drain water and lay potatoes onto paper towels, patting them until dry. Preheat Air Fryer to 360 degrees.
Season: Add potatoes to a Ziploc bag. Sprinkle cornstarch and seasonings over top and shake to coat. Add the oil and shake again to coat.
Air Fry: Fry at 360 for 15-20 minutes, checking on the fries and tossing them every 5 minutes until they are golden and crispy.
How To Prep Your Potatoes
I did not peel the potatoes because I like the texture the skin offers, but you can peel them if you want. I also think they taste better with the skin on, and you lose some vitamins when you peel them.
I cut them into 1/2-inch or so wedges, maybe a little smaller or bigger, give or take 1/8 of an inch. Just know that the thinner you slice them the more quickly they will fry upyou might have to shave a couple minutes off the fry time if they are skinny.
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What You Need To Make French Fries In The Air Fryer
I make these French Fries almost every week. They usually get eaten faster than I can make them. I love how they turn out so crispy in my Cosori 5.8 Quart Air Fryer. More importantly, I definitely love how crispy they are, without the grease.
Besides an air fryer, all you will need to make these fries is:
- Russet Potatoes
- salt
- pepper
Of course, any additional seasonings or sauces, are up to you! We like to dip them in Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing, or ketchup.
What Is An Air Fryer
For those who are new to the appliance, an air fryer is essentially a super-powered countertop convection oven.
The top contains a heating element and fan, which blows hot air down and around the food on a rack below, cooking it quickly and making it crispy .
Unlike a standard oven, air fryers can preheat in minutes and their compact size means the food is ready faster .
One of the biggest appeals of an air fryer is that it can crisp food with very little oil.
For example, French fries are healthier in an air fryer, because unlike a deep fryer where the potatoes are completely submerged in a large amount of oil and also absorb the oil, you only need 2 teaspoons of oil to cook a generous batch of fries in the air fryer.
And let me tell you, I air-fried so many potatoes in my quest for the perfect French fry, the healthier factor is something I appreciated deeply.
This recipe is based on my go-to oven Baked French Fries. < If you dont own an air fryer and want fries that are healthy, that recipe is fabulous and yields the crispest possible fries in the oven.
Translating the original oven recipe to the air fryer, however, did present a few challenges.
In addition to determining the obvioushow long you air fry French fries I wanted to delve deeper.
After testing different air fryer French fry times, potato varieties, cut sizes, and even numbers of fries in the basket, I can say with complete confidence: these are the best air fryer French fries ever!
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Soaking: A Crispy Essential
While it may seem like a pain, soaking the potatoes in hot water for 10 minutes prior to cooking them in the air fryer is essential.
- The water removes excess starch, allowing the fries to be their crispiest.
- I like to use hot water to cook the potatoes slightly. This creates the double fried effect that makes many restaurant fries so addictive.
Layering Food In The Air Fryer
One of my biggest frustrations with the air fryer is that, despite the baskets large overall volume capacity, in order for certain foods to crisp properly, they need to be cooked in a single layer.
Since the surface area of the basket is small, that means you end up making a lot of batches, taking away from the air fryers quicker cook time.
To determine whether or not you could fit more fries into the air fryer at once, I tested a few different methods. Here is what I found:
- Single Layer of Potatoes. Cooking just one layer of potatoes at a time resulted in the best, crispiest fries. The downside was that I needed to make at least 4 batches, which extended the recipes total time.
- Double Layer of Potatoes. My next test was to see if I could stack the potatoes in two layers. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the double-layer fries, while not *as* crisp as the ones I cooked in a single layer, were still delightfully crispy and very satisfying. This approach also cut my number of batches in half.
- Three Layers or More. When I stacked the potatoes in three layers or more, they were noticeably less crisp and representative of fried fries. I would not recommend this method.
Ultimately the number of layers of fries you air fry at once depends upon how picky you are about the fries being maximally crispy and how much time you have for multiple batches.
For us, the double layer was the perfect balance between crispiness and faster recipe time.
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How To Make Frozen French Fries Extra Crispy
To make the absolute crispiest frozen fries in the air fryer, here are a few things to keep in mind.
Ingredients For Frozen French Fries In Air Fryer
For this air fryer french fry recipe, all you need is one bag of your favorite store-bought french fries.
That’s it! There’s no oil required, and you don’t even have to season them!
Of course, you are welcome to add a shake of your favorite seasoning salt before or after cooking if you like, but it’s not a deal breaker!
Either way, these frozen french fries in the air fryer will hit the spot!
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Can You Prepare The Potatoes Ahead Of Time
You certainly can. Cut the potatoes as normal and place them in a bowl of cold water. Make sure they are completely submerged in the water.
Place in the fridge until you want to cook them. They need to be dried really well before cooking.
This is a great time saving tip since cutting the potatoes takes the most time. You can make this easy side dish even faster by doing the prep work ahead of time.
Air Fryer French Fries Cook Times
The amount of time you need to air fry French fries will vary based on your model and its power.
- I primarily tested these as Ninja air fryer French fries, as this is the model I own. My cook time was 8 minutes.
- Other popular air fryer models include the Phillips, the Vremi SkinnyTaste air fryer, and budget-friendly GoWISE USA.
Since models vary, I recommend you check a few minutes early, and then again towards the end of cooking time to make sure your fries do not burn.
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Tips For Making The Best Air Fryer French Fries
Keep things simple and season your air fryer French fries with salt or tailor them to your tastes by garnishing them with your favorite flavorings. Toss them with fresh herbs like rosemary, spice things up with a little chili powder, or mix them with seasoning mixes like Old Bay, Creole, taco seasoning, or curry powder. Drizzle them with flavored oils and serve with your go-to dips.
To avoid soggy fries, dry the potatoes after soaking them, and cook the fries in a single layer.
How To Make French Fries In Air Fryer
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Why We Love Fries In The Air Fryer
My air fryer is my new best friend! This easy recipe for homemade air fryer french fries replaces deep-fried fries for the perfect hamburger partner!
They are healthier than fast food and have great flavor. I definitely feel better eating these fries!
An air fryer circulates heat around each piece, crisping the outside while leaving the inside nice and fluffy making them quicker than oven fries.
Instead of deep-frying french fries, the air fryer uses a fraction of oil and has minimal cleanup, too! Or, stick with good old ketchup!
No Air Fryer?! No Problem!
You can make amazing crispy baked fries in the oven too!
What Makes Them Healthy
Air fryer fries are made with significantly less oil than the deep-fried version, so they are lower in fat and calories when compared to the traditional variety. In theory, you can even make them with no oil at all, but I think using a little oil helps with texture and mouthfeel
If you think oven-roasted potatoes are healthy, these are the same thing just crispier! In fact, you should try my crispy air fryer potatoes if you havent. They are addictive! You can also make baked potatoes in the air fryer, and baked sweet potatoes.
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What Kind Of Air Fryer For French Fries
As far as what kind of air fryer you can use to make french fries, it truly is anything goes – but the hotter you can get your air fryer, the better!
I have a Phillips Air Fryer I got from my parents – and were loving it!
We also have a Ninja Foodie – and I love how it acts as both an air fryer AND a pressure cooker – all in one! The Ninja Foodi cooks more french fries at a time so it can go faster.
Additionally, you can use an Instant Pot with a broil or air fry function, along with a crisping lid! Scroll to the next section for all the tips you need to make this recipe in an instant pot.
Air fryers are super easy, quick, and make cleanup a breeze.
Air Fryer French Fries Recipe
Crispy and crunchy homemade air fryer French fries. With just a few basic ingredients you can have French fries ready without the mess and grease of classic fried ones.
The air fryer is the fastest way to satisfy a craving. We love it for making Air Fryer Chicken Wings, crispy Air Fryer Bacon, and of course fries.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
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How To Make Crispy Fries
Step 1. The key to getting ultra-crispy french fries is to soak the cut potatoes in water for 10 minutes, to help remove some of their starch content. This helps the centers get tender, and the outsides get crispy!
The air fryer does an exceptional job of helping the process along, though, so if you dont have time to soak your sliced potatoes, its not a deal-breaker when you use the air fryer. They really do get crispy regardless!
I tested them both ways, just to be sure.
Step 2. If you soaked the fries, be sure to dry them well, then toss with a drizzle of olive oil and your favorite seasonings. I use garlic powder and salt to keep things easy.
Step 3. Arrange the seasoned potato slices in a single layer in the air fryer. Dont try to make more fit, or they will end up soggy! I usually have to cook these in two batches, but you can throw them all in together at the end to make sure all of the fries are piping hot when you serve them.
