This oven fries recipe is healthy, easy and simply delicious! They are baked but still crispy as ever and the perfect family side.
I LOVE a good french fry. I eat them with ranch like I eat chips and salsa. This recipe is on the repeat around here, always changing it up with different flavors!
I’ve been making fries forever. Trying all sorts of tricks to get them extra crispy, without the frying. And while I am going to give you all my strategies, I have settled on my favorite of the bunch for the best crispy oven fries.
Ingredients
Really all you NEED are potatoes, but a few extra ingredients help to add flavor and texture. The following are recommended:
- Potatoes
- Oil or broth
- Cornstarch
- Sea salt
- Ground black pepper
How to Make Oven Fries
There are a few steps I take to get the best oven baked crispy fries:
- Cut the potatoes.
- Soak in salt water.
- Dry completely.
- Toss with oil and cornstarch and bake on a parchment lined sheet.
- Sprinkle with salt and enjoy!
Flavor suggestions
While we like simple fries, sometimes it’s fun to mix it up! Here are some of our favorite flavors we add to the salt:
- Greek– oregano, lemon pepper, dill, garlic powder.
- Italian– fennel seed, basil, oregano, thyme, lemon pepper, garlic powder, crushed red pepper.
- Smokey BBQ– smoked paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, touch sugar.
- Mexican– cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, crushed red pepper, oregano.
- Ranch– parsley, garlic powder, minced onion, onion powder, dill, black pepper, ground mustard.
- Spicy– chipotle powder, cayenne, garlic powder.
- Indian– curry powder, turmeric, garlic powder.
Dipping sauces
Other than the standard ketchup (or is it catsup?), I am known for dipping my fries in all sorts of sauces! Here are some of my favorites:
- The world’s best vegan ranch
- This incredible vegan cheese sauce, because uh cheese sauce
- Spicy cilantro cream sauce
- Creamy dill sauce
- Amazing homemade bbq sauce
- Easy homemade pizza sauce
Serving suggestions
Pair these oven baked french fries with just about anything! What can’t you eat fries with? Okay, maybe not ice cream. Here are some of our favorite besties to these oven fries:
- Lentil Veggie Burger
- Vegan Cheesesteak Sandwich
- Easy Black Bean Burgers
- BBQ Tempeh Sandwich
- Vegan Gyros
- Crispy Buffalo Cauliflower Sliders
- BBQ Black Bean Burger
- Buffalo Chickpea Burger
Tips and tricks
For the best homemade french fries, keep the following in mind:
- The soaking, drying, parchment paper, cornstarch, and arranging in a single layer all contribute to the perfect crispy fries. However, all of those steps are optional if crispness isn’t a big priority for you.
- The salt soak removes the starch and draws out the water from the potatoes. Soaking them for a few hours is ideal but a minimum of 30 minutes helps.
- If you do not use parchment paper, you will need to brush your baking sheet with oil.
- When making oil free baked fries, the cornstarch is your best bet for crispness.
- Watch the fries closely as cooking time will vary based on the thickness they fries are cut.
- Red potatoes or Yukon gold are best, but Russet potatoes may also be used.
- Cut the fries as uniformly as possible so they bake evenly. ¼ inch matchstick sized strips are best for a crispy texture, a mandolin makes it easy.
- Peel or not to peel, it’s up to you but it not necessary.
Common Questions
No, especially not compared to normal fried fries. Baking fries reduces the oil used, and therefore lessens the fat content. Your body needs some fat to function, but I like to count on whole food based fat to get most of this. A little oil here and there, especially when adding to flavor and texture, isn’t something I’m opposed to.
You can also make them oil free! Although they won’t be quite as crispy.
Getting crispy fries without frying or using gobs of oil is not easy. I have tried many different strategies and made a list of the ones I like best:
-Soak the cut potatoes in water prior to cooking.
-Salt the potatoes and let them sit to draw out water before cooking.
-Soak the fries IN salt water prior to cooking (my favorite).
-Making sure to dry the fries thoroughly before cooking.
-Using parchment paper on the baking sheet or coating the baking sheet with oil.
-Making sure the fries are spread into one layer and not touching each other.
-Coating the fries with a slurry of cornstarch and water, broth or oil (using the cornstarch with broth is the best trick if oil free).
Soaking the potatoes helps remove some of the starch molecules that the potato has. This helps get rid of some of the sticky/pasty texture and contributes to the end result of crispy baked fries.
Other than soaking the fries before baking, you want to make sure you don’t cover the fries while cooling. This traps heat which turns into moisture. Any moisture will make your fries soggy, which is another reason you want to dry your fries completely before baking.
In order to get that crispy texture all around the fries, it is definitely recommended to flip them during cooking.
More Vegan Side Dish Recipes
Make any meal amazing by including a tasty plant based side dish! The following recipes are healthy baked versions of fried food favorites:
- Broccoli Cauliflower Veggie Tots
- Baked Sweet Potato Fries
- Eggplant Fries
- Patatas Bravas
- Onion Rings
- Oven Baked Asparagus Fries
Crispy Baked Oven Fries Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds potatoes , red or Yukon gold work best (about 4 potatoes)
- 1 tablespoon roasting oil of choice , or veggie broth if you are avoiding oil
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch , optional (see note)
- 2 tablespoons sea salt , for soaking
- ½ -1 teaspoons sea salt , for flavor
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper , optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 F/ 230 C
- Cut potatoes into ¼ inch matchstick sized strips, trying to make sure they are all around the same size so they bake evenly. I use a mandoline to make it easy. I like to keep the skins on but you can peel them if you prefer.2 pounds potatoes
- Soak cut potatoes in a bowl of water with 2 tablespoons salt. I do this while I prep for the rest of dinner or do other things around the house, about 30 minutes. This is optional, but gives them a great crisp.2 pounds potatoes, 2 tablespoons sea salt
- Dry thoroughly. Drying also helps with the end crispy result.
- Place in a bowl with oil (or veggie broth if doing oil free) and cornstarch if using. The cornstarch also contributes to the end crispness of the fries.1 tablespoon roasting oil of choice, 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- Place fries on parchment lined cookie sheet (also helps with crispness and reduces the need for extra oil) and bake for 15 minutes. Make sure they are in a single layer to help with the crispy end result.
- Take the fries out and turn them over with a spatula. Spread into a single layer again. You don’t need to be perfect on getting every fry, just do the best you can trying not to get burned.
- Bake another 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.
- While the fries are hot, add the rest of the salt (may not be needed, adjust for your own taste) and pepper if using.½ -1 teaspoons sea salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Serve with your favorite dip and main meal!
Notes
- The salt soak removes the starch and draws out the water from the potatoes. Ideal is soaking them for a few hours but even 30 minutes helps.
- All of the strategies I give for getting fries crispy are optional. The soaking, drying, parchment, single layer and cornstarch all contribute to the perfect crispy fries.
- If you do not use parchment, you will need to brush your baking sheet with some oil.
- If doing oil free, the cornstarch is your best bet for some crisp to your fries.
- Watch the fries closely since the thickness will depend on how quickly they cook.
- You can also use Russet potatoes but I like the texture of the red or Yukon gold best, the Russets almost seemed a little dry to me.
- See the post for flavor ideas.
- The nutrition information includes the oil.
Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.
Nutrition
Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.
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