Baked Oven Fries: Fries will always be the perfect side dish for burgers but they don’t have to be limp and wimpy like so many store-bought, frozen fries are. This homemade baked oven fries recipe will give you crispy and fluffy fries that you’ll come back to making again and again and again.

I’m all for easy weeknight meals and most nights when I get home from work, I’m pretty organized in the meal department. Every week, I plan out a menu and keep it on the side of the fridge so that in the mornings, I’ll know what I need defrost and in the evenings, I’ve got a game plan for the meal at hand.

I’ve shared plenty of my weeknight meals with you here but it isn’t often that I share a side dish. And that may be why I’m so excited to share these baked oven fries with you!

How to Make Oven Fries

You won’t believe how easy these fries are to make! (Keep scrolling down to the recipe card for the full set of ingredients and instructions!)

Simply start by cutting the potatoes into wedges and soak the wedges in some hot water. Be sure to dry the potatoes really well with some paper towels.

Then coat a baking sheet with oil (vegetable, canola, or peanut) and sprinkle the oil with some salt and pepper. This will ensure the fries are nicely seasoned.

Next, lay the wedges head into the oven on a baking sheet in a single layer and wrap the sheet pan tightly with aluminum foil. The foil will help the potatoes to steam for the first few minutes of cooking so the insides cook evenly.

After a few minutes, remove the foil and continue baking. Then flip the wedges and continue to bake until they are beautifully golden brown and crispy.

The Best Potatoes for Oven Fries

Not surprisingly, the best potatoes for these fries are Russet or Idaho potatoes. These are starchier than Yukon Golds (or similar varieties) and they hold up better to high oven temperatures.

I also use Russets or Idahoes for my best baked potatoes and for my potato buns because of how starchy they are.

The Secret to the Best Baked Fries

Believe it or not, it isn’t the oil that makes these fries so flipping amazing. It’s the soak!

The water pulls out some of the starch from the potatoes which allows them to bake up perfectly tender. The oil on the baking sheet is what you’ll need to crisp up the outsides of the potatoes so don’t think you can skip this step to cut back on calories. It’s a necessary step for these baked fries!

I’ve made these fries so many times over the years and have found that the optimal soak time is between 10 and 20 minutes. Anywhere over the 20-minute mark will result in hollow fries. And nobody likes a hollow fry!

How to Reheat Fries

Whatever you do – and I BEG this of you – please DO NOT reheat your fries in the microwave. The microwave will ruin your fries.

Instead, pop them on a baking sheet and heat them in the oven while the oven preheats to 400° F. They shouldn’t need more than a few minutes to heat up and should be warmed by the time the oven reaches its set temperature.

If you have an air fryer, you can definitely use this! You’ve probably already cooked your fair share of fries in the air fryer if you’ve got one but reheating is a little different. The fries just don’t need a whole lot of time to crisp up. Give them 3 to 5 minutes and they should be perfect!

What to Serve with these Fries

To further ease up my weeknight, I’ve been pairing these fries with bbq chicken burgers. I make double-batches of burgers, shape the burgers, and freeze them in 2-pack portions so they are ready to pull from the freezer when we’re craving them.

I’ve also always got a batch of homemade bbq sauce (included with that chicken burger recipe linked above) in the fridge to slather on the burgers and to dip the fries in if I’m feeling like it.

Obviously, these homemade oven fries are perfect with all kinds of burgers and hot dogs. Some of our favorite burgers are these bacon burgers with bacon-onion jam and these pressed Cuban burgers.

And these reuben hot dogs are our ultimate favorite to make at home!

But in my humble opinion, fries shouldn’t be relegated to only burgers and dogs. What about brisket sandwiches? And pulled pork sandwiches? Oh yeah baby!

And how about a using these fries as a bed for other recipes like nachos like what I did for these grilled nacho fries, and this fiery shakshuka with runny poached eggs and feta cheese? Pass me a fork!

We adore these baked oven fries and we’re moving further and further away from buying frozen, store-bought fries and tator tots. I think the natural next step is to grow our own potatoes – and you may see that happening in the next couple of years!

Baked Oven Fries

Name: Baked Oven Fries
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3 russet potatoes (about 24 oz. total), peeled and cut lengthwise into even sized wedges; 5 tbsp vegetable, canola or peanut oil, divided; ¾ tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste; ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Baked oven fries are easy to make and are WAY more delicious than frozen, store-bought fries. This homemade oven fries recipe turns out fries that are crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside and I guarantee you'll be making them at least once a week after you try them!

Ingredients

3 russet potatoes (about 24 oz. total), peeled and cut lengthwise into even sized wedges
5 tbsp vegetable, canola or peanut oil, divided
¾ tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 475˚ F and move an oven rack to the second-lowest position. Place the potato wedges in a large mixing bowl. Cover with hot water; soak for 10-20 minutes.
Pour 4 tablespoons of the oil onto a rimmed baking sheet. Tilt the sheet side to side to evenly coat the pan with oil (a pastry brush can also help with this). Sprinkle the pan evenly with the salt and pepper. Set aside.
Drain the potatoes. Spread the wedges out on layers of paper towels or on clean kitchen towels. Pat dry with additional towels. Wipe out the now empty bowl so it is dry. Return the potatoes to the bowl and toss with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Arrange the potato wedges on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 5 minutes.
Remove the foil and continue to bake until the bottoms of the potatoes are spotty golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating the baking sheet after 10 minutes. Using a metal spatula and tongs, flip each potato wedge keeping them in a single layer. Continue baking until the fries are golden and crisp, about 5 to 10 minutes Rotate the pan as needed to ensure even browning.
When the fries are finished baking, transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate to drain some of the grease. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.

Notes

adapted from The New Best Recipe, by Cook's Illustrated via Everyday Annie

Recommended Products

As a member of the Amazon Associate affiliate program, I earn a small percentage from your qualifying Amazon purchases when you click the Amazon links on this page. I'm not informed of who purchases what, just of what products are purchased.