These Skinny Oven Fries are a deliciously healthy makeover of an all-time favorite side dish — french fries! Bonus: they are ready in 40 minutes, have only 3 ingredients and are vegan!

Skinny Oven Fries on baking tray and in parchment paper

I originally shared this recipe on April 5, 2011. I have updated the images and some of the text today.

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Why We Love These Oven Fries

Potatoes, oil and salt. That’s all you need to get yummy and crispy homemade French fries. You don’t have to have a Fry Daddy or submerge the potatoes in a lot of oil either. Surprisingly, the technique for perfect, golden brown oven fries is really easy and you only need a little oil (less than a teaspoon per serving!).

Which potatoes are best for oven fries?

There are two main types of potatoes, waxy and floury.

Waxy Potatoes are the thin-skinned varieties that include White, Chef, Red Bliss and Yukon Gold. These potatoes are typified by their thin, smooth skin and creamy texture. These potatoes really lend themselves nicely to moist heat cooking methods, such as boiling and steaming as for stew or for mashed potatoes.

Floury Potatoes: The other type is the floury potato, and the Russet or Idaho fall into this category. These have a rough and thicker skin and a light/fluffy/starchy interior, perfect for baking, roasting and other dry heat methods. Because the temperature gets above 212ºF, frying is considered a dry heat method too.

Verdict: Use floury potatoes or Russet potatoes for making oven fries for crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside homemade french fries!

How to Make the Best Oven Fries

Making crispy oven-baked fries is incredibly easy. Here’s how to make the absolute best oven fries:  

the cut potatoes on a board

Prep the potatoes

Cut the potatoes into 1/3- to 1/2-inch batons (or fries.) They won’t cook correctly otherwise. If you cut them too big or small, you’ll end up with bitter burnt fries, raw centers, or worse — they could be limp. Eeek!

the potatoes in a bowl with hot water on them

Soak them in boiling water 

Russets like a nice hot bath before they go in the oven. The boiling water helps wash off the starch, which tends to stick to the pan. The boiling water also raises the temperature of the fries too, which speeds the baking process. I was first turned on to a variation of this trick by Cooks Illustrated. Back in the day when I had time (before kids), I used to read Cooks cover to cover. Sigh.

Spread the potatoes out on the sheet pan

Bake the oven fries

Spread the potatoes over the baking sheet in one layer and bake on the bottom rack of the oven. This will give you a golden crust on the bottom of each fry. Then, all you have to do is turn them occasionally with a spatula to brown them all over.

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Skinny Oven Fries on baking tray with parchment paper

How to Reheat

These oven-baked fries use 3 large potatoes, so you’ll likely wind up with leftovers (always a good problem to have!). To prevent your homemade fries from turning into rubber (ew), do NOT microwave them. Instead, heat them over the stovetop. I can’t take full credit for the genius hack, as I got this idea from The Kitchn. 

To reheat your oven fries, drizzle a small amount of olive oil into a skillet (about a teaspoon) and turn the burner to medium-high. Once the oil starts to shimmer, slide the oven fries into the skillet and let them sit, undisturbed, for about a minute. Flip the fries, then cook for another 30 seconds to a minute. Your fries should get nice and crispy all over again this way! Just make sure you’re cooking the fries in a single layer so they heat evenly throughout.  

You can also reheat them in the Air Fryer for 9 to 12 minutes on 425 degrees F.

Skinny Oven Fries on baking tray next to ketchup

Serving Suggestions For Oven Fries

More Potato Recipes To Try: 

At Healthy Seasonal Recipes, we specialize in cooking with fresh veggies and creating weeknight meals. Sign up HERE to get more produce-forward dinner ideas for FREE! If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought! Happy Cooking! ~Katie

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Homemade Baked French Fries

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5 from 2 reviews

  • Author: Katie Webster
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
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Description

These Healthy Baked Oven Fries are a healthy makeover of an all-time favorite side dish. They’re ready in 40 minutes, have only 3 ingredients, and are vegan!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 medium Russet potatoes, about 1 1/2 pound
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt (see ingredient note*)

Instructions

  1. Put a kettle on to boil. Arrange oven rack in bottom most position of the oven and preheat oven to 425ºF. Line a large baking sheet with paper towels.
  2. Meanwhile, cut potatoes into batons/French fries, about 1/3 to ½-inch thick. Place in a large bowl.
  3. When water boils, pour over the potatoes and let sit 3 minutes. Drain thoroughly and spread over the towel-lined baking sheet. Blot with more towels. Dry the bowl and return the potatoes to it. Add oil and salt and toss until the potatoes are completely coated.
  4. Discard paper towels and dry the baking sheet if necessary. Coat the baking sheet with cooking spray. Spread the potatoes out in an even layer on the baking sheet.
  5. Bake on the bottom rack until golden on the bottom, 12 to 15 minutes. Turn over with a spatula and continue baking until golden and cooked through, 15 to 18 minutes longer, stirring one more time.

Notes

0 mg Cholesterol, 0 g Added Sugar

*If you don’t have kosher salt, note that kosher salt has less sodium per teaspoon than table salt. Unless you want hella salty fries, substitute about ¼ to ½ teaspoon table salt for the kosher.

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Category: Side Dish
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 2.5 ounces each, about 1 cup
  • Calories: 130
  • Sugar: 1.3 g
  • Sodium: 447 mg
  • Fat: 3.5 g
  • Saturated Fat: 0.5 g
  • Carbohydrates: 24 g
  • Fiber: 2.5 g
  • Protein: 2.7 g

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