Crispy Homemade Fries (Oven Baked Recipe)

homemade fries served on a white plate with special sauce.

Crispy Homemade Fries (Oven Baked Recipe)

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: healthy

Keyword: baked french fries, homemade fries

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 35

Soaking Time:: 30

Total Time: 1 15

Servings:

Calories: 122kcal

Author: Megan Gilmore

These oven baked french fries turn out just as delicious as the deep-fried version, but they're cooked with a lot less oil. I borrowed a trick I discovered for making crispy chicken, and as it turns out, the same ingredient makes crispier fries, too! Paired with a few pantry spices, these fries turn out perfectly seasoned every time.

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Ingredients

1 pound Russet potatoes (about 2 large potatoes; or use Yukon gold)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt (plus extra for soaking water)
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Slice the potatoes into spears (about ¼-inch thick). Keep in mind that the thinner the fries are sliced, the faster they will cook. If you want to make thicker fries, that's okay, too! As long as the fries are similar in size and thickness, they will cook evenly.
Fill a large bowl with cold water and stir in 2 tablespoons of salt. Place the sliced potatoes in the salt water and let them soak for 15 to 30 minutes. The salt water will draw out excess moisture from the potatoes, so they will help bake up crispier. When the potatoes are done soaking, drain them and dry well with a towel. (Dry the soaking bowl, too, so you can reuse it for the seasoning.)
Add the potatoes back in the dry bowl, and toss them with the olive oil. Then sprinkle the baking powder, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper over the fries, and stir again to evenly coat.
Arrange the fries in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Make sure the fries aren't too close together or touching. (An over-crowded pan of fries will steam together and won't get as crispy.) Bake at 400ºF for 20 minutes. When the timer goes off, remove the pan and flip the fries to promote even crisping.
Return them to the oven to bake for 15 to 20 more minutes, or until they look golden and crispy. Keep an eye on any smaller fries that might burn; they could need to be removed earlier. (Note-- thinner cut fries will bake faster than thicker cut fries; so thinner fries might not need to bake as long.)
Serve the fries warm right away with your favorite dip. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, but keep in mind that the texture won't be as good when they are reheated. (They tend to dry out more.)

Video

Notes

Nutrition information is for 4 ounces of potatoes, or a quarter of the batch. This information is automatically calculated, and is just an estimate, not a guarantee.

Update Note: This recipe was updated in February 2026 with the addition of baking powder for extra crispiness. The original recipe just called for a homemade fry seasoning, which you can find below.

French Fry Seasoning: For more seasoned fries, use this spice blend for 1 pound of potatoes: 1/2 teaspoon each of celery salt and fine sea salt, plus 1/4 teaspoon each of paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper. My French Fry YouTube video includes this seasoning.

Salt Water Soak: Adding salt to the soaking water helps draw out more moisture from the potatoes, but you can also soak them in plain water if you prefer. Any soaking is better than no soaking at all. (Unsoaked potatoes will likely turn out softer.)

Nutrition