The Best Baked Crispy Oven Fries

No need to stand over a pot of hot oil frying potatoes to get delicious and crispy homemade french fries. These Crispy Oven Fries are seriously THE BEST! The oven does all the work.

"This is the recipe I have been looking for for years! Fantastic recipe and thanks so much! Preheating the pan is a game changer. I really appreciate you."

Recipe review

A Quick Look at This Recipe

• Recipe Name: Baked Crispy Oven Fries
• Ready In: 1 hour 25 minutes (10 mins prep, 30 mins soak, 45 mins bake)
• Serves: 4
• Calories: 253 per serving
• Main Ingredients: Russet potatoes, olive oil, seasoned panko
• Difficulty: Easy
• The Secret: A preheated pan at 425 degrees F and a coating of seasoned panko

Crispy french fries are a classic side dish. And they're one that everyone loves! They're the perfect crispy and delicious accompaniment to a slow roasted prime rib roast, my go-to burger recipe, an easy 30 minute baked cod, and my favorite Instant Pot beef brisket sandwich recipe. These homemade oven baked fries go with just about any meal!

Why You'll Love This Recipe

This easy method for making the best oven fries is a keeper, and one you'll love for many reasons.

• Easy to make ~ Making fries in the oven requires very little prep. You can even skip peeling the potatoes. And the oven does all the cooking. You skip the time spent standing over a hot pot of oil frying batch after batch of fries.
• Healthy alternative ~ As compared to deep fried french fries, oven baked fries are a healthier option. They are typically lower in fat and calories than fried fries as only a little oil is used to make them.
• Taste delicious ~ This easy oven french fries recipe makes the most delicious, crispy fries. They're the perfect side dish. You'll make them over and over.

Oven Fries Ingredients

Gather just a few ingredients to make the crispy fries in the oven. If substitutes can be made to the recipe, they're listed. Scroll to the recipe card for full quantities of the ingredients.

• Russet potatoes ~ The high starch and low moisture content in russet potatoes makes them #1 for crispy baked french fries.
• Olive oil ~ Avocado oil or canola oil are alternatives.
• Seasoned panko ~ The crispy seasoned panko adds a nice crunch to the baked fries.
• Kosher salt ~ The larger grain salt enhances the flavor of food without making it overly salty.
• Fresh ground black pepper ~ Grinding your own pepper is more flavorful than already ground pepper.

How to Make Crispy Oven Fries

The oven provides the easiest way to achieve golden brown and crispy fries. And it involves a very little amount of kitchen labor. This is a brief overview of my foolproof method. Scroll to the recipe card for the complete instructions and a step by step video.

Step 1: Preheat the oven and place a large rimmed baking sheet on the middle rack. Cut the potatoes into french fries.

Step 2: Fill a large bowl with cold water and add the cut potatoes. Give the potatoes a swish and set aside for about 30 minutes.

Step 3: Drain the potatoes and place on a large clean dish towel or a few layers of paper towels. Blot off as much water as possible. You can also use a salad spinner to remove the excess water.

Step 4: Transfer the dry potatoes to a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil. Toss. Sprinkle with seasoned panko, kosher salt and pepper. Toss again.

Step 5: Remove the sheet pan from the oven ~ BE CAREFUL! It's scorching hot!. Spread out the sliced potatoes in a single layer. For the crispiest and crunchiest oven fries, make sure they're not touching each other on the pan.

Step 6: Roast for 25 minutes. Shake the pan (or flip the potatoes with a large spatula) and roast for another 15-20 minutes. When the fries are crispy and golden brown, they're ready to enjoy!

Expert Tip

Season the crispy baked fries as soon as they come out of the oven. The kosher salt will stick better when the fries are hot.

Variations

Try some of these creative ways to make this baked french fries recipe one of your favorites.

• Spicy ~ Along with the other seasonings, add ½ teaspoon of smoked paprika and ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
• Cheesy ~ During the last 5 minutes of cooking, sprinkle the fries with shredded cheese. Try mozzarella, cheddar, Gruyere or even dollops of my Pimento Cheese.
• Saucy ~ Pour warm gravy over the crispy fries and sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese.
• Add a dip ~ Grab some ketchup, honey mustard, dill dip, this creamy cilantro lime dressing, Caesar dressing, or even mayo and start dipping!
• Entree ~ Place a serving of fries in a bowl. Top with chili, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream and guacamole. My Vegetable Chili is delicious with baked fries.

How to Reheat French Fries

• Oven ~ Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place a baking sheet in the oven. Spread the fries on a preheated baking sheet. Heat for 5-10 minutes or until heated through.
• Stovetop ~ Heat a large nonstick sauté pan over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, add the fries in a single layer. Heat for 5-8 minutes. Flip the fries over once during the heating time.
• Microwave ~ The microwave is my last choice for heating oven baked fries. They'll become soft and a little bit soggy, but will be heated through. Place the fries on a microwave safe plate. Microwave on 60 percent power at 30 second intervals until the fries are heated.

Frequently Asked Questions

One of the keys to crispy oven fries is soaking the cut potatoes in cold water for about 30 minutes. This step removes some of the starchiness from the potatoes. The resulting fries will have a great texture and maximum crispiness.

Don't line the baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. I always thought this was the way to go for easy clean up. But with this added layer on the baking sheet, the potatoes (or any other vegetable you roast) will steam more than roast.

For the best results, preheat the baking sheet. This step will help prevent the potatoes from sticking to the pan. And try not to flip the potatoes before 20 to 25 minutes of roasting. They still may stick a little before this amount of roasting time.