These Oven Baked Fries have been on the site for years, but in the past 2 weeks I’ve made them three times, so I wanted to give them love as they’re CRAZY good! If you make them you have to tell me in the comments below what you love to dip them in. Happy rewind Wednesday!

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Last week I had the moment many moms with kids older than mine have warned me about. I was driving with Kenya and at one point he looked out the window and said, “Mommy, what’s that place over there with the playground and hamburgers on the sign?” Now, I grew up eating McDonald’s, but now that I know what’s really inside fast food meals, I’m committed to trying to keep my kids away from it for as long as possible.

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That does not mean that I want them to miss out on the fun foods I enjoyed as a kid (and still enjoy), like burgers and fries. I simply want them eating the healthiest possible versions of those foods and I’ve realized through a lot of testing, that to do so, you don’t have to sacrifice great taste.

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For example, take one of my favorites_ French fries. Instead of deep frying, I bake them in the oven. My “fries” come out crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and I serve them up with a side of ketchup and mustard, just the way that I used to enjoy them when I was little. Do you think if I take Kenya and Chloe to our neighborhood playground with a sack of these it will be as much fun for them as a McDonald’s? My bet is as long as we’re all together sharing fun and “fries”, it will be!

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Photos by Matt Armendariz

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Oven Baked Fries

1 from 1 vote
Author: Catherine McCord
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients  

  • 3 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch sticks
  • 2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 450 F.
  • Place raw cut “fries” into a colander and rinse under cold water (to remove the starchy exterior of the potato). Then, pat “fries” dry with a towel to remove as much moisture as possible.
  • Place “fries” on to a sheet tray, drizzle with the oil and salt, and toss to coat.
  • Bake for 20 minutes, then toss and bake for an additional 10 minutes (for a total of 30 minutes).

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 280kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 7g | Sodium: 600mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 2g
Did you make this recipe?Mention @Weelicious or tag #weelicious!

About the Author

Catherine is a mama of three. A Kentucky girl living in California. Here’s what I know: all kids can be great eaters and mealtime must be easy. I create simple, healthy recipes the whole family will love.

Comments

  1. We loved these oven baked fries! I followed your instructions and they were perfect (no burning, no sticking to the baking sheet, and no need for longer baking time!). Thank you for another great recipe!

  2. I recently found this recipe in the cookbook. Can you share what tool I should buy to cut these? Also, is there a tool you recommend to make chips?

  3. Hi Catherine! My poor cutie has had the stomach bug and is on the brat diet. I used these fries (without oil) to make the brat diet (bananas, rice, apple sauce and toast…and potatoes) a little more fun. Thank you. 😉

  4. […] Oven-Baked Fries (use olive oil) […]

  5. If you plan to freeze uncooked fries you need to blanch them first, cool, then freeze. Blanching helps maintain structure.

  6. Great fries! But decided to freeze half the cut raw potatoes for later. Not good! They turned brown – except for the sweet potatoes! Will have to see what they taste like after I defrost and cook them!

    Loretta

  7. BurHey George what a game. I thought that 49ers were going to do to Baltimore what they did to the Falcons. Glad you had a great ggarae sale. Send me an E-Mail or call me about next week and where you will be. We are going to OKC on Friday. Love to see you when we are there.Love Dad

  8. I used an iron skillet in the oven and these turned out great. No sticking! Did take a little longer like you said.

  9. I just used this recipe to make potato chips. Yum yum! They my need to cook a little longer. If you wait until they are golden they are perfect!

  10. These are delicious. Thank you. I appretiate that you specify how much oil and how much salt. I am not a great chef and your step by step easy recipes help me make yummy healthy food that I am proud of. We’ve made these fries a few times now and they are so good.

  11. […] chicken nuggets with homemade nuggets, here and here are great recipes our family enjoys. Make homemade french fries in place of the ones you used to pick up from the drive through. Stock your counter with homemade […]

  12. This would have been awesome if I hadn’t had to pry them off the baking sheet. FYI GREASE YOUR SHEET even if you are coating them in oil.

  13. Made these last night – think I finally found a way to get the family off frozen french fries! I tried soaking in the sugar water, not sure if that made a difference in crispiness or not. They do stick a little, but after stirring them up midway through baking, didn’t stick anymore. Will try putting them on Release foil next time. Yummy!

  14. Turned out so beautifully that my 2.5 year old ended up eating a whole potato’s worth! However, we do line a tray with foil and spray the foil with some rice bran oil first to minimise sticking.

  15. Whoa! We loved these! My 3 year old asked it I got them at McDonalds. “Nooooooo… Mommy made them!” 🙂 Whole family loved them. Thank you! 🙂

  16. to make like a dessert; cinnamon and a little sugar tastes good on the sweet potato fries; even though I think they are fine on their own (it is so hard to win some people over to healthier food; whatever it takes!)

  17. Soak the fries in water to help remove some of the starch from the potatoes. Then make sure to dry them really well before placing them on the baking sheet! If they are wet they will stick to the pan! I hope this helps!

  18. My family loves both the sweet potato fries and regular fries. I sprinkle a little parmesan cheese on the sweet potato version after they come out of the oven and oh, so very good!

  19. Great start! Don’t forget your amiznag oil paintings.Someone once told me, “Start small, think big and work hard”Good luck!!

  20. I am having the same problem with this recipe! HELP!!! These are far too awesome to have them get mangled like this!!

  21. Use a silpat withe perforated baking sheet then you will not need to add more oil to your food and it will not stick

  22. What am I doing wrong?? Every time I make these, they stick to the pan and come out a complete mess. It doesn’t matter how much oil I put on them, or what pan I use. The fries stick and get all burnt on one side. Very few turn out ok and they’re oh so yummy which makes it even more frustrating 🙁

  23. I made these last night and they were perfect!! They were very crunchy and everyone ate them up. I turned my oven on broil the last two minutes just to get them really crispy. Thanks for the great recipe!

  24. If she wants to use a bag so what, It could be a bag from the grocery store and you dont know because you want to judge her for not being “green” what a jerk!

  25. […] used it last night to cut spuds for Catherine McCord’s Oven Baked Fries. It seems the secret to getting oven fries really crispy (which I hadn’t mastered before last […]

  26. Made these for the first time this afternoon (and will be making more for dinner) and they were yummy!

  27. i recently discovered doing this with butternut squash. it doesn’t get as crispy but they are really good. my 20 month old loved them

  28. I used to do this all the time with sweet potatoes, but it didn’t even cross my mind that I could do it with regular potatoes. I have to try this! My almost 2 year old LOVES french fries and this is what I need to do to make the treat even less damaging. Thanks!

  29. I do this all the time! lol I’m going to try the suger thing though. I used to work at New York Fries and I dare say the baked version is as good as the ones I used to make! To get the perfect cut fries I got a Potato fry cutter thing from Walmart. If I remember correctly it’s made by starfrit. Really easy to use too.

  30. You know, I’m so pleased that MCD’s finally has a couple of good choices on their menu.I’m simply obsessed with their oatmeal with apples, raisins and craisins.Yum.While I’m passing buy I often cant resist pulling up at the window to order muself one of those.Unfortunately the rest of my family is not too crazy about it 🙁

  31. Awwww…Meghan, don’t worry! We love McD’s…I worked there as a kid (probably my most favorite job). Everything in moderation!

  32. Also, try soaking the potato slices in water with 1-2tbls of sugar in the water for about 10-15 mins then rinse with cold water; the sugar in the water changes the starch component and makes for crunchier baked fries!

  33. We randomly go to MCD’s and if we do its usually for apples and some play time like Lisa said for the experience. Our big Burger pleasure though is In-N-Out. Being that is mostly organic and nothing is frozen or has preservitives I feel better about a little splurge there once in awhile 🙂

  34. I do this with sweet potatoes all the time, too – yum! I shake them up in a lidded bowl with italian seasoning, garlic powder, and salt, and then spread them on the cookie sheet.

    I occasionally take my kids to McD’s at non-meal times, like mid-morning, and we’ll all share 1 plain biscuit while they play, or I’ll get them a milk or a small ice cream cone. So they still get the experience without the bad food, and our local restaurant doesn’t mind at all! I grew up not being allowed to eat fast food, and as soon as I was on my own at college I ate way too much of it, thinking it must be great if I wasn’t allowed to have it. I’m trying to avoid that reaction in my kids by exposing them to it without them actually eating it!

  35. My 2 year has asked the same question, but more so can we go play there! I simply tell her we can go to the park later. We don’t need to go there, lol. My parents are absolutely dying to take her there. So she’s not allowed alone at their place yet :). They think I’m crazy for “depriving” her of MCD.

  36. How did you answer Kenya? I dread that moment with my son. Especially today when taco Bell announced their meat is only 35% real beef. What is the other 65%? Scary.

  37. It’s actually easy. Cut the potato into a block and then into “fries”. I use the end pieces too (they just don’t look as cute 🙂

  38. I do this with sweet potatoes nearly once a week. I follow the same recipe except I put mine in a plastic bag with the oil and salt and shake them up before dumping them onto the cookie sheet. They are so good!

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