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.

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!).

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:  

Choose the right spuds — There are two main types of potatoes, waxy and floury. Waxy 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.

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. So that means Russets are the way to go here.

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.

Skinny Oven Fries on baking tray with parchment paper

How to Reheat French Fries 

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.  

Skinny Oven Fries on baking tray next to ketchup

Serving Suggestions

Pair these healthy fries with one of these Healthy Burger Recipes. I just came up with this falafel-inspired Chickpea veggie burger that is amazing!

You can also serve them with grilled cheese. These Autumn Grilled Cheese with apple look so good!

More Recipes To Try: 

This recipe for Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries is another great makeover of a classic fried side. In the cooler months this recipe for Easy Broccoli with Garlic and Lemon is a great family-friendly veggie to serve.

Our Healthier Broccoli Cheddar Salad with Bacon is a great summer side dish as is this Vegan Potato Salad with Herbs.

Thanks so much for reading. If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my free weekly email newsletter where I share weeknight meal plans delivered right to your inbox. Or follow me on Instagram. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review! It is very appreciated. Happy Cooking! ~Katie

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Homemade Baked French Fries

  • Author: Katie Webster
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: Side Dish
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: American

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews
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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!

Scale

Ingredients

  • 3 medium Russet potatoes, about 1 ½ 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.

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