These are the BEST oven baked French fries that taste just like a restaurant! They come out crispy and perfectly seasoned: no need for frying.

Want to make the best homemade fries you’ve ever had? Try these Baked French Fries! Yes, we can guarantee they’ll be the best (really). Here at A Couple Cooks, we’ve made made countless batches to get to this ultimate oven baked fries recipe. This recipe uses a few tricks to get the best crispy texture and just the right seasoning blend. Everyone who tries these has a “whoa!” moment when they take the first bite. Here’s what you need to know about how to make baked French fries at home!

How to cut French fries by hand

To make baked French fries at home: you’ll need to learn how to cut them! It’s not hard once you’ve done it once. We’ve got a video to help break down the method. Here are a few notes:

Slice off the ends of each potato, then slice off part of the side to make a base.
Place the potato half cut side down and cut off a 3/8-inch slice, then lay the slice on its side and cut it into several long 3/8-inch wide strips.
Repeat until all potatoes have been cut into fries!

Alternative: use a French fry cutter!

Don’t want to cut fries with a knife? You can use a French fry cutter! Yes, a French fry cutter is a thing: Alex was able to find one online. Because we were doing so much baked fries recipe testing, we decided to get one to see how it worked. Turns out it’s very slick and cuts the fries in 2 seconds! We’d only buy this if you plan to make baked fries often. Here’s a link to the French fry cutter we use.

A secret: the 10-minute cold soak!

The secret to the perfect texture for crispy baked French fries? Soak the fries in cold water before baking. Here’s why:

Soaking makes the outside crispy and inside pillowy. In back to back tests, we found this makes for just the right tender interior and crispy exterior.
All you need is 10 minutes! Some fry recipes call for soaking for 1 hour or more. We also did back to back tests for this one, and found that the 10 minute soak was actually better!
You can soak while your oven preheats. You don’t lose any time with the soak because you can do it while the oven is preheating. Ideally you can cut, soak and season the fries before the oven is ready to go.

Best seasonings for baked french fries

What’s the best seasoning for baked french fries? We’ve tried about a million spices. But we finally narrowed it down to this delicious seasoning blend:

Smoked paprika: The Spanish version of paprika that infuses a hint of smokiness into each bite. When you buy a jar, you can use it up with these Best Smoked Paprika Recipes.
Old Bay: Old Bay is an American seasoning blend that’s often used to season seafood and potatoes. You can find Old Bay in your grocery store in the spices aisle, buy Old Bay online, or make homemade Old Bay seasoning.
Garlic powder
Black pepper
Salt

How to get baked French fries perfectly crisp

Now that they’re soaked and seasoned: let’s get to baking! Here’s how to bake your baked French fries so that they get perfectly crisp:

Use parchment paper. Lining your baking sheets with parchment paper makes for easy cleanup!
Space oven racks. Make sure your oven racks are evenly spaced for the most even cooking.
Spread the fries in an even layer. Don’t let them touch each other!
Bake 20 minutes, then flip and bake 10 minutes. This gets them crispy on both sides! Eat immediately for the best texture and flavor.

Also try: Bistro-Style Pomme Frites

Can you make a larger batch?

This baked French fries recipe makes a good amount of fries. But here’s something to keep in mind: each serving is much less than you’d get in a restaurant. That helps keep this recipe on the healthy side (see below).

If you want to increase the quantity, you can go up from 1 ½ pounds to 2 pounds of potatoes. This is the maximum that will fit across 2 baking sheets in the oven at once. And you don’t want to make them in batches: because you should eat them immediately!

Are baked French fries healthy?

Are these healthy baked French fries? French fries aren’t necessarily health food. But here’s why these are healthier than restaurant fries:

The ingredients are just potatoes, minimal olive oil, and salt! So it’s just healthy, whole food ingredients. The potatoes aren’t peeled, so you get all the nutrients from the potato skin too.
The serving size is moderate. Using less than restaurants serve keeps the calories down too!

Best dips for French fries

The best part of French fries: dipping them! Here are some of our favorite dips for French fries:

Aioli. Creamy, rich aioli is the perfect dipping sauce for fries! Try Mayo Aioli, Basil Aioli, Lemon Aioli or Pesto Aioli.
Honey Mustard. This honey mustard sauce is sweet and tangy.
Special Sauce. This special sauce is a combination of all the best condiments.

Also try: Step them up with French Fry Seasoning, or top them like Greek Fries!

This baked French fries recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.