The Crispiest Oil-Free French Fries

MOVE ASIDE, sad oven-baked fries that are crunchy and weirdly hard! There’s a new fry in town!

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Yield: 2

Author: Courtney Crary

The Crispiest Oil-Free Fries

prep time: 2 hourcook time: 20 Mtotal time: 2 H & 20 M

The freezer and air fryer unite to give you the crispiest, fluffiest, most satisfying oil-free french fries ever!

ingredients:

4 Idaho Potatoes
Kosher salt, to taste
Garlic powder, to taste
Onion powder, to taste

instructions:

How to cook The Crispiest Oil-Free Fries

Cook the potatoes until fork-tender by pressure cooking them, steaming them, microwaving them, or baking them. I prefer to use my Instant Pot (place the potatoes on the steamer rack over 1 cup of water, seal, and pressure cook on high for 13 minutes).
Allow the potatoes to cool enough to handle.
Cut the potatoes into medium to large sized fries.
Place on a baking sheet and sprinkle with the kosher salt, onion and garlic powders, along with any other spices you enjoy (see recipe notes for more ideas).
Place the baking sheet in the freezer. Freeze for at least one hour and up to 12 hours (if you want to leave them in the freezer longer than 12 hours, transfer the frozen fries to a freezer-safe container).
Preheat your air fryer to 380 degrees F.
Place the fries in the fryer basket so they aren't touching, then air fry for about 20 minutes, turning them over half way through. Larger fries may take a bit longer, and smaller fries will need less time.
Serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauce!

NOTES:

The bowl in this picture depicts two potatoes' worth of fries (plenty for one person). Cut the fries into a "home style" type of size. Fries that are too small (think fast food size) burn easily and don't stay as fluffy in the middle. Spices must be added before freezing- otherwise they won't stick. Try mixing up the flavor with Old Bay Seasoning, poultry seasoning, za'atar, or a little lemon juice and rosemary!
Freezing the frozen potato slices creates the formation of ice crystals within the potato, which keeps the potato nice and fluffy on the inside! Prep and batch cook these ahead of time by cooking, slicing, and seasoning the potatoes. Freeze them as instructed, then transfer to a freezer safe container. Then, you'll have hot french fries available within 20 minutes to use as a last minute side, an after school snack, or as breakfast potatoes with your scramble!

Calories

331.00

Fat (grams)

0.47

Sat. Fat (grams)

0.13

Carbs (grams)

75.26

Fiber (grams)

7.93

Net carbs

67.33

Sugar (grams)

4.21

Protein (grams)

9.03

Sodium (milligrams)

327.09

Cholesterol (grams)

0.00

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About the recipe:

My husband is a french fry fanatic. A french fry fiend. He’s a big fan of fries. SO, part of my mission as the caring, wonderful, A+ wife that I am has been to find the BEST way to make him oil-free french fries.

We’ve tried baking them. We’ve tried air frying them from raw and cooked. We’ve tried air frying them after soaking them in salt water. And finally, we tried air frying them from cooked AND frozen. THIS is the winner. Allow me to describe the difference.

Have you ever tried making your own oil-free french fries in the oven? If you use raw potatoes, they will turn into something similar to french fries. It’s certainly a lot less work than this recipe. But they are…not good. A good french fry has two main components: a crispy exterior and a light, fluffy interior. While baked fries may develop a sort of crispy exterior, the middle becomes dense and chewy. All the other fry-making techniques were not quite able to deliver on those two components. BUT THIS ONE DOES!!!

So, this recipe is not for the people who are satisfied with an “okay” oil-free fry. This is for all the other fry-fiends who gotta have the crispy with the fluffy.

RECIPE NOTES:

DON’T SKIP ANY STEPS! I know it will save you time, but the result won’t be as good! I promise! I’ve tried making these SO many different ways and this was the clear winner.
To save time, try batch cooking these on the weekend by following every step until freezing them. Still freeze the fries on a baking sheet (not overlapping so they don’t stick together), but then transfer them to a freezer-safe container. Store in the freezer for up to a few months. Whenever you want fries, just throw some in the air fryer and they’ll be ready in 20 min!
I recommend using kosher salt over table or sea because the large flakes stick to the potato better.
Eat these as soon as they’re cooked (but blow on them first)! The longer they sit, the less crispy they become.
Mix up the flavors by using chili powder and cumin, nutritional yeast and dill, Old Bay Seasoning, Poultry Seasoning, or lemon juice with rosemary!
Clean your potato thoroughly so you can leave the skin on! The skin gets really crispy and delicious.
Last, and most importantly, make sure you use fresh potatoes!!! I have noticed that if I purchased my potatoes a week prior to turning them into fries, the flavor AND texture is affected (older potatoes are…slimier when you cut into them after cooking and cooling and the taste is a bit musty).

Go get it, gurl! Put a smile on the health-conscious french fry-lover in your life! Their taste buds AND their cardiovascular systems will thank you! There’s finally a way to scratch that itch without running to the nearest drive through.

Did you make this recipe? Let me know! Tag me on Instagram @notlikemama. I love to see your versions of my recipes!

I hope you enjoy these crispy, fluffy fries as much as we have!

Happy Cooking,

Courtney