Air Fryer French Fries (Homemade)

Name: Air Fryer French Fries (Homemade)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 large russet potatoes, about 700 g (1.5 lb) total, cut into ¼-inch sticks; 1 tbsp (14 g) oil; 1 tsp fine salt, added after soaking and again to taste at the end if needed; Optional: ½ tsp paprika

By K-UBE Test Kitchen · Updated October 19, 2026

Homemade air fryer fries start with raw russet potatoes, a 15-minute cold soak, and a thorough dry. Cook them at 380°F (190°C) for 18–22 minutes with 1 tablespoon of oil, shaking often, and finish 2 minutes at 400°F (200°C) if you want a harder crust. Two large potatoes serve two. This is the from-scratch page. Frozen fries are a separate recipe and a higher temperature. If you are deciding between them, the fries hub compares effort and result.

380°F190°C

15 minprep

20 mincook

35 mintotal

2servings

Ingredients

2 large russet potatoes, about 700 g (1.5 lb) total, cut into ¼-inch sticks
1 tbsp (14 g) oil
1 tsp fine salt, added after soaking and again to taste at the end if needed
Optional: ½ tsp paprika

Estimated nutrition

Per serving, estimated: 330 kcal, 7 g protein, 61 g carbs,7 g fat, 8 g fiber, 1180 mg sodium.

Estimated per serving from typical USDA FoodData Central values for the amounts listed, then rounded. Not a laboratory analysis. 700 g raw potato plus 1 tbsp oil and 1 tsp salt, split across 2 servings. The soak water is discarded and not counted. Paprika is omitted.

Instructions

Cut the potatoes into ¼-inch sticks. Soak them in cold water for 15 minutes. This pulls surface starch so the sticks crisp instead of gluing together. Drain, then dry them harder than feels necessary. A wet fry steams.
Toss the dry sticks with the oil, most of the salt, and paprika if you are using it. They should look barely coated, not wet.
Preheat to 380°F (190°C). Air fry in a single layer 18–22 minutes, shaking every 5 minutes. Crowded sticks weld into a mat. Cook in two batches if the first shake does not separate them.
If the centers are tender but the color is still pale, raise the heat to 400°F (200°C) for 2 minutes. Salt any bare spots while they are hot. Serve immediately. Homemade fries lose their advantage over frozen ones if they sit.

Basket size and model notes

The 380°F start is lower than the frozen-fry recipe on purpose. Raw potato needs time for the center to cook before the outside is dark. Jumping straight to 400°F for the whole cook browns the tips and leaves a chalky middle.

A 5–6 qt basket handles about one large potato per layer. Two potatoes are often two batches. The second batch browns a little faster in an already-hot machine. Check it at 16 minutes.

Oven-style fryers: use the tray, do not stack, and rotate at each shake. Add 2–3 minutes. The oil amount stays the same.

Tips

Russets are the right potato. Waxy potatoes (red, many “new” potatoes) stay denser and less fluffy. Yukon Gold is a middle ground: creamy, slightly less crisp.
Cut size is the clock. Matchstick cuts can finish in 14 minutes and burn if you walk away. ½-inch steak cuts need closer to 25 minutes at 380°F.
Do not skip the dry. It is the step people shorten, and it is the step that decides the texture.

Substitutions

Russet potatoes. Yukon Gold, same soak and temperature, with a slightly softer crust. Sweet potatoes are a different cook: 380°F for about 15 minutes, and they scorch if you push them to the russet clock.
1 tbsp oil. You can drop to 2 tsp. Zero oil works poorly for raw potato. The surface dries and does not brown. Frozen fries are the no-oil fry.
Salt and paprika. Garlic powder and parsley after cooking, or a spoon of grated hard cheese in the last minute only.

Storage and reheating

These are best the minute they are done. Leftovers keep covered in the fridge up to 2 days and will be softer. Do not soak potatoes and then leave them at room temperature. If you soak ahead, keep them in the water in the fridge and dry them immediately before cooking, the same day.

Reheat at 375°F (190°C) for 3–5 minutes in one layer. They will not match the first serving. Raw cut potatoes should not be frozen without a blanch if you care about texture. Cook what you cut.

Questions

How do you make french fries in an air fryer from potatoes?

Soak ¼-inch russet sticks in cold water 15 minutes, dry them, toss with 1 tbsp oil, and air fry at 380°F (190°C) for 18–22 minutes, shaking every 5 minutes. Finish at 400°F for 2 minutes if you want more color. This is not the frozen-fry method.

Why soak homemade air fryer fries?

The soak removes surface starch that would otherwise glue the sticks and keep them gummy. Drying after the soak matters as much as the soak. Wet starch left on the surface steams.

Can you cook raw fries at the frozen-fry temperature?

Not for the whole time. Frozen fries are already par-cooked, which is why they take 400°F for 15–18 minutes. Raw fries need the lower 380°F start so the middle cooks before the outside burns.