Crispy, perfect french fries, that taste just like Five Guys’ French Fries. But made in the oven!
I was a little bit of a chunky kid in high school. When I realized I was not just going to magically outgrow my “baby fat”, I decided it was time to change how I was eating. I started to count calories. There are a few foods that were completely ruined for me when I learned they were full of so many empty calories.
Like Pop-Tarts- It’s like 400 calories for those things. They aren’t even that good, and I’m hungry 10 minutes later. Chips were also profoundly disappointing. A serving is like 10 chips, which is just laughable, and I could easily mindlessly chomp my way through my whole days’ calories.
At the time, I also decided french fries just weren’t worth the calories. For years, I didn’t eat them. I just decided I didn’t like them that much and they weren’t worth it.
Oh, how very wrong I was. Not about their calories; they are a serious calorie and fat bomb. But they are SO WORTH IT. I don’t remember at what point I reintroduced this great love back into my life, but I’ve spent the last years fastidiously trying to make up for lost time.
I usually reserve my french fry eating to restaurants. But every now and then, I get a real hankering for some french fries at home.
But I hate deep frying things. Not even particularly for health reasons. I just hate filling up a pot with all of that oil, trying to dispose of all of the leftover oil, the splatters, the fried-stuff smell that always permeates my hair.. I just don’t enjoy it.
Baking french fries has a lot of appeal. It’s much healthier and less messy. But in the past, my baked french fries have left a lot to be desired. They end up limp and soggy, and completely unsuitable for dipping. These are the issues, my friends.
So I’ve been on a mission to create baked french fries that actually taste like french fries. And after countless attempts, I’ve freaking done it. I’m so pleased. Crisp, sturdy, delicious french fries. I swear they taste just like the deep fried goodness we know at love. They seriously taste just like Five Guys french fries to me. We gobbled them all up!
Give these a try! All of the flavor and crispiness of the best and most indulgent french fries, with none of the mess and a whole lot less of the oil. Fri-nally! Fry-Five! (Like High Five, get it?)
How to Make Crispy Baked French Fries
I spent a lot of time researching and testing how to make oven baked french fries crispy, and I am now imparting my knowledge to you. There are a few key steps that take your french fries from soggy to perfect.
- The first step is to soak your cut potatoes. This removes some of the starch from the potatoes, which helps them crisp up. Slice your potatoes into 1/4-1/2 inch vertical slices, and then cut those slices into matchsticks. Put into a large bowl and cover with cold water. Leave them for about an hour.
2. The next important step is to thoroughly dry your potatoes. Rinse and drain them after they’ve soaked in cold water, and then spread out onto paper towels. Blot until completely dry. This is super important! Moisture will cause the potatoes to steam, rather than get crisp.
3. The last trick of the trade is a little oven magic. Heat oil in the baking sheets when you preheat the oven. This will help the potatoes get a little crust on them. Bake the potatoes first at a lower temperature of 375, to cook the potatoes without burning. Then bump the temp up to 450 to get your crisp on.
Oh french fries… I’m sorry I ever said you weren’t worth it. You are so very worth it.
Crispy Baked French Fries
Ingredients
- 3-4 russet potatoes
- 4 tbsp canola or vegetable oil divided
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Wash and scrub the potatoes thoroughly. Peel, if desired. I prefer the skins on. Slice each potato in 4-5 vertical slices, about 1/4-1/2 inch thick. Cut each slice into 1/4-1/2 inch matchsticks. Place into a large bowl and cover with cold water. Let sit for 45 minutes.
- Drain and rinse potatoes. Spread out on paper towels and dry very thoroughly.
- Preheat oven to 375. Spread 1 tbsp oil in the bottom of 2 rimmed baking sheets and place into warming oven, staggered on lowest 2 racks.
- In a large bowl, whisk together 2 tbsp oil, 1 tbsp cornstarch, and 1 tsp salt. Toss dried potatoes in mixture until evenly coated.
- Carefully slide out oven racks with baking sheets and spread potatoes into a single layer on each of the hot pans. Bake for 20 minutes.
- Flip fries, return to oven and increase oven temperature to 450. Bake for 20-25 more minutes, or until golden brown and crisp.
These were great, thanks for sharing! I can no longer go to restaurants because of dietary restrictions, so I was very happy to find a copycat Five Guys fries recipe that I could do in the oven. I don’t have a deep fryer and I don’t want to deal with the mess!
The only thing I would change about this recipe is making my fries less crunchy. They were crispy, but some of them were too crunchy. Maybe I cooked them a little too long. Also, when I whisked the corn starch with oil and salt I used the large bowl that the potatoes had been in so there was a bit of water left. I think that’s why the corn starch got clumpy. I’m thinking that wasn’t supposed to happen! Still, these were so delicious and I will make them again!!
I’m so glad they (mostly) worked out!! Baking French fries is so complicated sometimes to make them crispy without being soggy or crunchy!
I made these for dinner tonight (yup) and they were so good! I was surprised that they were actually crispy. My oldest two kids refuse to eat potatoes unless we’re talking fries at a restaurant, but they both loved these-which was kind of a downside for me. Thanks for the recipe!