French Fries Recipe (Crispy & Perfect)
French Fries, also known as Finger Chips, are a popular potato snack that is crispy outside and soft inside. This homemade Finger Chips recipe shares both the classic deep-frying method and a healthier air fryer version. Make them easily at home with simple ingredients.
About French Fries Recipe
This homemade French fries recipe gives you crispy fries with a golden exterior and a soft, fluffy inside. The method is simple and does not require parboiling of the potatoes.
To make them, cut potatoes are soaked in cold water for about 30 minutes to remove excess starch. They are then drained, dried well and fried twice at different temperatures. This double frying gives the fries their crisp texture and even cooking.
Table of Contents
Soaking prevents the fries from sticking and helps them crisp better, while drying removes moisture so the oil does not splutter.
For best results, use high-starch potatoes like russet, Idaho or Yukon gold. Avoid new potatoes as they do not give the same texture.
You can season the fries as you like. Serve them hot for the best taste and texture.
Explore More Potato Recipes
How to Make French Fries (Step-By-Step)
Peel & Cut Potatoes
1. First, grab 1 extra-large potato, 2 large potatoes or 3 medium potatoes equalling about 315 grams. Rinse well in water and then peel the potato.
Tip: Peeling the potato is optional. While I know some people like the skin on their french fries, I find that it creates a tough exterior. I personally prefer my finger chips to be bare and tender.
2. Now slice the potato in slices having 1 cm thickness. Before slicing, you can remove the top and bottom part of the potato to get a square or rectangle shaped potato.
Tip: If you are planning on making french fries at home often, there is actually a device called a french fry cutter that will do steps 2-4 for you! That said, I don’t have space in my kitchen for a tool that only achieves one end. Using a knife and cutting board takes a few extra minutes, but isn’t difficult.
3. Cut the potatoes in sticks having 1 cm width.
4. Cut the remaining potato slices in sticks as well.
Soak Potatoes
5. Rinse these potato sticks for a couple of times in water. Add the rinsed potatoes to a bowl and submerge them in cold water for 30-45 minutes to remove extra starch.
Tip: In a hot and humid climate, keep the bowl in the fridge. For extra crispy fries, soak potatoes in salt water instead.
6. After 30 minutes or 45 minutes, drain the potatoes in a colander.
Rinse and Dry Potato Sticks
7. Rinse the potatoes with running water. Drain all the extra water.
8. Then place them on a clean kitchen cotton napkin.
9. Fold the napkin over to press, pat and dry the potatoes. The potatoes have to be completely dried before you begin to fry them.
First Fry (Blanch)
10. Heat oil in a wok or pan over medium or medium-low heat, depending on the heaviness of your pan.
For a heavy pan or wok, keep medium flame and for a less heavy pan, use a medium-low flame. The oil should reach a temperature of 135°C (275°F).
11. Now, working in batches, add the potatoes to the oil. Do not overcrowd the wok (kadai) or pan. The oil will sizzle and bubble less when you fry the potatoes at this temperature.
12. Begin to fry them.
13. Stir in intervals while frying them for uniform cooking.
14. Fry/blanch in oil for about 3 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked, but not brown from outside.
They should just get a crust from outside without any major color change. Light browning of the edges is fine. Remove with a slotted spoon.
15. Place the half fried potatoes on paper kitchen towels. Stack 3 to 4 paper towels. Press some paper towels from top also to absorb extra oil. Let the half fried potatoes cool down at room temperature.
Note: After removing this batch, you can fry the second batch of potatoes. By the time you fry the second batch of the potatoes, the first batch will cool down enough for the second fry. So even though you have to fry twice, you’re using the same batch of oil all the way through!
Second Fry
16. Now increase the flame to a medium-high or high. Again here for a heavy pan, use a high flame and for a less heavy pan, use a medium-high flame.
The oil should be have a temperature of 180 to 185°C (356 to 365°F).
17. Add the first batch of once-fried potatoes to the hot oil. The oil will sizzle and bubble quickly and as soon as you add the potatoes.
18. Stir often while the potatoes fry to cook them evenly.
19. Fry french fries for 3 minutes or until crisp and golden. The edges should become golden.
20. Remove finger chips with a slotted spoon.
21. Place french fries on paper tissues again to remove the extra oil.
Serving Suggestions
22. While still hot, take the french fries in a bowl. Sprinkle with some salt, paprika or red chili flakes, dried herbs or dry rosemary. You can add your favorite herbs and spices.
23. Gently shake and toss the bowl so that the salt, herbs etc mix well with the finger chips.
You could also opt to use your favorite seasonings or spice mix. Sometimes I also sprinkle cajun seasoning on the fries.
24. Serve french fries hot with any dip or sauce of your choice. Tomato ketchup and Cilantro Chutney are our favorite dips to go with french fries. We also like to serve with some Mayonnaise.
Make Ahead & Storage
For freezing and storing french fries in large quantities, fry/blanch the potatoes in hot oil first for about 3 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels.
Wipe the extra oil with kitchen paper towels and when cooled, line the half-fried potatoes on a tray. Cover the tray with a kitchen napkin and freeze for an hour. Remove the frozen fries from the tray and transfer to a zip-lock bag or a container and store in your freezer.
Now you have the option to deep fry, bake or air-fry these frozen fries. When cooking the fries with any of these methods, you do not need to thaw the frozen finger chips.
While deep frying, heat oil until medium or medium-high hot and deep fry the fries until golden and crisp. Sprinkle salt or ground spices, herbs and serve straight away.
Air Fryer French Fries
I have also made air fryer french fries and they have a better taste and a crispy texture than the baked fries.
- To air fry, mix and coat the potato sticks after drying them thoroughly with 2 tablespoons oil. Take a batch and line the sticks evenly in the air-fryer basket.
- Prior to air-frying, preheat the air-fryer at 180 degrees Celsius (356 degrees Fahrenheit) for 5 to 6 minutes. Place the air-fryer basket with the potato sticks in the air-fryer. You can also line the potatoes on a parchment paper in the basket.
- Air-fry for about a total time of 10 to 12 minutes. Half way through the frying time, after 5 to 6 minutes, shake the basket or turn over each fry with a tong or spoon. Fry again for 5 to 6 minutes until golden.
- Work in batches this way to air-fry the potato sticks. Remove the air-fryer fries in a bowl and add in salt and herbs. Toss, mix and serve hot.
Dassana’s Recipe Tips
- Use high-starch potatoes: Russet or Idaho potatoes work best. They give a crisp outside and soft inside.
- Soak the potatoes: Soak cut potatoes in cold water for at least 30 minutes. This removes the excess starch and helps the french fries crisp better.
- Dry thoroughly: Drain and pat dry very well before frying. Moisture will make the fries soggy and cause oil splutter.
- Fry twice: First fry at 130 to 135°C to cook the potatoes through. Second fry at 180 to 185°C to make them crisp and golden.
- Fry in batches: Do not overcrowd the pan. This keeps the oil temperature steady and helps even frying.
- Serve immediately: French fries taste best hot. They lose crispness as they cool.
Recipe Q&A
Why are french fries fried twice?
The first fry cooks the potatoes through and sets the outer layer. As they cool, moisture from inside comes to the surface. The second fry removes this moisture and gives the fries a crisp texture and golden color.
Why do my french fries turn soggy?
Fries can turn soggy if the potatoes are not soaked and dried well, the oil is not hot enough, or they are fried only once.
For best results, soak and dry the potatoes well, fry first at 130 to 135°C, then fry again at 180 to 185°C until crisp.
Can I bake or air-fry these french fries?
Yes, you can bake or air-fry them, but the texture will be less crisp than deep-fried fries. I have listed the air-frying instructions above.
Can I add seasoning to the fries?
Yes, you can add spices or herbs after frying. Salt, paprika, garlic powder or peri peri seasoning all work well.
Step by Step Photo Guide Above
French Fries Recipe | Homemade Finger Chips
Ingredients
- 315 grams potatoes or 3 medium-sized or 2 large – russet, idaho, yukon gold or maris piper
- 3.5 cups cold water
- oil for deep frying – as required
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary or dried oregano or mixed herbs – as required
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder or paprika or cayenne pepper as required – optional
- salt as required, can use black salt or edible rock salt or pink salt
Instructions
Prepping Potatoes
- Firstly take the potatoes and rinse well in water. Then peel them.
- Then slice the potato in slices having 1 cm thickness. Before slicing, you can remove the top and bottom part of the potato to get a square or rectangle shaped potato.
- Then begin to cut them in sticks having 1 cm width. Rinse these potato sticks for a couple of times in water to get rid of the extra starch.
Soaking Potatoes
- In a bowl take 3.5 cups cold water and place the potatoes in it. Keep this bowl outside or in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 45 minutes. In a hot and humid climate keep the bowl in the fridge.
- After 30 minutes or 45 minutes, drain the potatoes in a colander.
Rinsing and Drying Potato Sticks
- Rinse the potatoes in clean fresh water using a colander or mesh strainer. Drain all the water.
- Then place them on clean kitchen cotton napkin.
- Fold the napkin above and press, pat and dry the potatoes. The potatoes have to be completely dried before you begin to fry them.
First Frying
- Heat oil in a wok or pan over medium-low or medium heat. For a heavy pan, keep medium heat and for a less heavy pan, use a medium-low heat. The oil should have a temperature of 135 degrees Celsius (275 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Now, working in batches, add the potatoes to the oil. Do not overcrowd the wok (kadai) or pan with the potatoes. The oil will sizzle and bubble less when you fry the potatoes at this temperature.
- Stir at intervals while frying them for uniform cooking.
- Fry/blanch in oil for about 3 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked, but not brown from outside. They should just get a crust from outside without any major color change. Light browning of the edges is fine. Remove with a slotted spoon.
- Place the half fried potatoes on paper kitchen towels. Stack 3 to 4 paper towels. Press some paper towels from top also to absorb extra oil. Let the half fried potatoes cool down at room temperature.
- Note that after removing this batch, you can fry the second batch of potatoes. By the time you fry the second batch of the potatoes, the first batch will cool down. So even though you have to fry twice, you’re using the same batch of oil all the way through.
Second Frying
- Now increase the heat to a medium-high or high. Again here for a heavy pan, use a high heat and for a less heavy pan, use medium-high heat. The oil should be hot on medium-high to high heat having a temperature of 180 to 185 degrees celsius (356 to 365 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Add the first batch of once-fried potatoes to the hot oil. The oil will sizzle and bubble quickly and as soon as you add the potatoes.
- Stir often while the potatoes fry to cook them evenly. Fry french fries for 3 minutes or until crisp and golden. The edges should become golden. Remove with a slotted spoon.
- Place french fries on paper tissues again to remove the extra oil.
Making Air Fried French Fries
- After drying them thoroughly, mix and coat the potato sticks with 2 tablespoons oil. Take a batch and line the sticks evenly in the air-fryer basket. You can also line the potatoes on a parchment paper in the basket.
- Before air-frying, preheat the air-fryer at 180 degrees Celsius (356 degrees Fahrenheit) for 5 to 6 minutes.
- Place the air-fryer basket with the potato sticks in the air-fryer. Air-fry for about a total time of 10 to 12 minutes.
- Half way through after about 5 to 6 minutes, shake the basket or turn over each fry with tongs or a spoon. Air fry again for 5 to 6 minutes until golden.
- Remove the air-fried fries in a bowl. Work in batches this way and make air-fryer french fries.
Serving Suggestions
- While still hot, take the french fries (whether deep fried or air-fried) in a bowl. Sprinkle with some salt, paprika or red chili flakes, dried herbs or dry rosemary. You can add your choice of herbs and spices.
- Gently shake and toss the bowl so that the salt, herbs mix evenly with the fries
- Serve these homemade french fries hot with any dip or sauce of your choice.
- Tomato ketchup and Cilantro Chutney are our favorite dips to go with french fries. We also like to serve with some Eggless Mayonnaise.
Make Ahead and Storage
- For freezing and storing french fries in large quantities, fry/blanch the potatoes in hot oil first for about 3 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels.
- Wipe the extra oil with kitchen paper towels and when cooled, line the half-fried potatoes on a tray. Cover the tray with a kitchen napkin and freeze for an hour.
- Remove the frozen fries from the tray and transfer to a zip-lock bag or a container and store in your freezer.
- Now you can deep fry, bake or air-fry these frozen fries. When cooking the fries with any of these methods, you do not need to thaw the frozen finger chips.
- While deep frying, heat oil until medium or medium-high hot and deep fry the fries until golden and crisp. Sprinkle salt or ground spices, herbs and serve straight away.
- Remove and add in salt and herbs. Toss, mix and serve hot.
Video
Dassana’s Notes
- Use starchy potatoes like Russet or Idaho for fries that turn crisp outside and soft inside.
- Rinsing the potatoes in water or cold water removes starch and prevents them from sticking together while frying.
- Soak the cut potatoes in cold water for 30 minutes to remove excess starch and prevent soggy fries.
- Dry the potatoes well before frying or air frying, as moisture causes oil splatter and makes for soft fries.
- Fry twice for best texture. First fry at a lower temperature to cook the potatoes, then fry again at a higher temperature for crispiness.
- Season immediately after frying while the fries are hot so that the salt and spices stick evenly.
- Do not overcrowd the pan or fryer, as this lowers the oil temperature and makes the fries limp.
Nutrition
French Fries recipe from blog archives was first published on October 2012.
I love to cook and especially with you!!
Thanks so much.
sooo simple & perfect! thank you so much!!!
Simple and easy recipes.. thank you very much for that…!!
Thanks for the feedback and rating. Glad to know. Happy Cooking.
Hi Dassana,In this all the recipes are amazing specialy the French fries.
Thanks Saranya
Hello dassana iam a big fan of ur blog tried many recipes nd they all came out gudthanq
thanks deepthi for your kind words. glad to know that you are liking the recipes.
Can i keep potato in cold water & in fridge whole night . . & Then make fries in the morning?
you can do this way.
Can we first dip the potatoes in cornstarch batter before putting them into the oil?
How would they taste?
the corn starch batter will coat them and they will have a taste somewhat like the paneer fried during preparing chilli paneer.
Thank you darsana, you are really helping. I love your recepies
thanks shahana.
Can we make this in microwave ?
i have never made french fries in microwave, so i do not know how good they turn out.
You can do that but in my experience excess baking powder or the amount of baking powder you use regularly, will absorb oil. So, it won’t taste good.. keep that in mind and do..! This is my suggestion!!
Am your fan….thanks a lot
thank you sriyaz 🙂
How to prepare ready to make fries?
Can we store them I’m the freezer after the first fry?
nagma, i have never made ready to make fries. so i have no idea.
An all time favorite snack…. Double frying trick has been helpful though tedious….. Amazing clicks….. Your children are lucky 🙂
thankyou priya 🙂
I love food
Thanks to give wonderful recipe
welcome rozina
Thanks a lot actually thanks is a very small word in front of my need as my kid is its fan a huge fan of burger and fries
welcome geetika. glad to know this.
Thank you soooo much for sharing this recp. I love french fries n wenevr i try n make it @ home it was always a complete disaster..
I followed ur recp n made absolute crisp fries. Tnx again
welcome nisha. thanks for sharing positive feedback.
Hi,
I am far from being an expert but my hubby is the Regional Manager of the most sought after outlets for fries (MCD)
Once we were making fries at home and I tried to make it in the same manner as most of the housewives will do, but then he told me one simple ingredient used by the chains all over the world.
Corn starch or if not available use arrawoot
Step
First cut the potato’s.
Let them soak in water for half an hour
Drain them
coat them either with corn starch or arrawoot
and fry them !!!
Yeppee you will have same crispiness
rita, thanks for sharing this trade secret on making french fries. i will give it a try. i hope it will help many readers.
waw.. thanks for sharing this… i will definately try this n let u know asap..
welcome vaishali. yes do share your feedback
Scrumptious fries!!!
nice one
thanks bhagyashri
hi dassana didi
i love frech fry
it is so Delicious.
thanks to give a wonderful recipe.
harjit
welcome harjit
hi Dassana i made the french fries today and they were crisp and tasty..i can keep munching on them all day long.. thanks for sharing..
hey shivani, even i can keep on munching the french fries all day long 🙂
good information for navratri recipe, but after navratri 9 days you have to join our kasturifinedining ………
french fry is very nice and delicious thank u nalinsai
thanks nalinsai.
Dassana I love french fries too my favorite 🙂
Great way to spice up vrat ..looks yum and who can say no to this …not me for sure 🙂
Hi Dassana!
Yumm, love french fries. especially when the weather is heating up outside. so easy and quick to make your own. I love that u sprinkled rosemary and chilli on top, great flavor combo. The shaks in Goa should take an example from your recipe. What they do here and what I dont like is that they add haldi to make them all yellow. I feel that spoils the taste of the french fries when u eat them with dips.
What I do to get them all crisp is, I keep the cut fries in water with a dash of coconut vinegar (that helps a bit in crispening the fries) then I deep fry them first, take them out, leave them to rest 5 min and deep fry shortly again. That will make them super nice crisp outside.
the shacks here serve horrible french fries. what you say is right, helene. i wonder why they add turmeric powder to the french fries. it does spoil the taste of the french fries. if they add some red chili powder, then it still the fries would taste good. i have to try the vinegar method.
I like the addition of herbs, as well as chili powder! Somehow making me feel like it’s less oily… I know, just a feeling… haha.
🙂
Oh my yum!!! Love that you double-fried the potatoes 🙂
Happy Navratri!!
happy navratri to you too kiran.
I boil the chips until it is tender but not cooked and fry them until it is cooked. Then I leave in the freezer for couple of hours and fry until it get nicely brown colour. This process helps to get crispy finger chips. My mother-in-low, she fries 3 times to get it right.
i know some recipes ask for frying three times. i have made the parboiled version but i feel it is too much of time consumed in the kitchen. but will try to make a perfect parboiled version soon.
Dassana,
I tried this process, semi-boil potato fingers ;then fry them next day. You will get really nice crispy fries…
thanks shruthi. will try this way soon.