Air Fryer French Fries – Instant Pot French Fries

Have you ever made air fryer frozen fries? They’re great, aren’t they? What if I told you that homemade french fries in the air fryer are even tastier and take little to no time (other than soaking) to make? I promise, they’re super easy!

French fries crisp up perfectly in the air fryer and it’s something you should definitely make from scratch. There is nothing better than a batch of warm crispy french fries straight from the air fryer! Although these Instant Pot Egg Rolls do come a close second

Even better is that you can also make these as Instant Pot French Fries with the same perfect crispness that you would expect. Great dipped into Yum Yum Sauce or your own Homemade Tomato Ketchup and Juicy Air Fryer Burgers.

They are great as an after school snack or as part of a meal. No matter how or when you serve them, you are going to love these fries!

While ketchup works great as a dipping sauce, you have got to try these with my favorite 5-minute yum yum sauce. #sogood

You’ll Love This Because

• Kids and picky eaters alike love ’em!
• You only need 3 simple ingredients.
• It is very customizable.
• This is a side that goes with everything.

Ready to come whip up a well loved family snack? then gather up your ingredients and let’s get cooking.

Ingredients You Need

• potatoes: Yukon gold or russet
• olive oil
• salt
• optional: additional seasonings of choice

Tools Needed

• Air Fryer.
• Instant Pot Duo Crisp.
• Or your regular Instant Pot.
• Mealthy Crisplid.
• Very handy mixing bowls.
• The best Air Fryer accessories you need.
• An awesome cutting board.
• A sharp knife for easy cutting.
• The best ever sea salt flakes.

How To Make Air Fryer French Fries

1. Without peeling, wash and cut the potatoes into about between 1/4 – 1/2 inch fries (or larger if you prefer).
2. Add fries into a mixing bowl of cold water and let sit for 45 mins to remove the excess starch.
3. Drain the french fries and dry them with towels.
4. Add the dried fries to a mixing bowl and mix in oil and salt (and another seasoning if you want to use them).
5. Preheat the air fryer to 350F /180C.
6. Spread out fries in a single layer, cook in two batches if needed.
7. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until crisp, turning halfway through cooking.
8. Garnish and serve.

How to make Instant Pot French Fries with the Mealthy Crisplid

1. Make sure your Instant Pot is unplugged.
2. Add the french fries in a single layer the cooking basket, place the basket over the trivet inside the Instant Pot stainless steel insert. 
3. Place the Crisplid over the instant pot and lower the handle.
4. Plug in the Crisplid and set the temperature to 375F / 190C.
5. Cook for 9 minutes, open and shake the fries then cook for another 8-10 minutes.
6. Serve your Instant Pot French Fries warm.

Recipe Tips

• Cut the fries to the same width so they cook evenly.
• You may need to add another few minutes to crisp up your fries in the Instant Pot And Air Fryer.

• Since air fryer temperatures can vary depending on the make and model, this recipe includes a range of suggested cook times. I recommend starting with less time, checking for doneness, and then adding more time as needed.

Ways To Change It Up

• add in Cajun season to make them into Cajun fries.
• mix in garlic powder.
• add in creole seasoning.
• try it with stone house seasoning.
• add some grated parmesan with some herbs.

FAQs

Do I Have To Soak The Fries?

Yes!! It is very important to not skip this step. Soaking them will help with removing the excess starch which will help them crisp up more in the air fryer.

Be sure to pat them as dry as you can as well. This way the potato crisps up and doesn’t steam up instead.

If you have time, you can change out the water halfway through for fresh cold water.

Are These Fries Healthy?

Making french fries in the Air Fryer or Pressure Cooker is much healthier and lower in calories than buying french fries as you are not deep frying them in of oil.

How Do You Cut The Fries?

I cut my fries by cutting a potato in half lengthwise and then cut long strips to make them look like fries.

What Are The Best Potatoes For Fries?

Yukon and russets are best. Waxy potatoes (red, fingerling, etc) are too high in moisture.

Can You Make These Ahead of Time?

You can follow the instructions in step 3 and then freeze it. When ready, continue onto step 4 (from frozen), and just add an extra 5 minutes to the cooking time.

Do I Have To Do 2 Batches?

Putting the french fries in the Instant Pot or Air Fryer in a single layer ensures that they come out super crispy.

Serving Suggestions

• Yum Yum Sauce.
• Homemade Tomato Ketchup.
• Air Fryer Hamburgers. <= families looooove this.
• Air Fryer Salmon Croquettes.
• Air Fryer Hot Dogs.

Other Air Fryer Recipes

• Air Fryer Zucchini Fries.
• Air Fryer Green Beans.
• Or check out all my Air Fryer Recipes.

Weight Watchers Points

There are 3 Blue Plan SmartPoints in one serving of these.

Thank you for reading my Air fried french fries recipe post. And please come visit again as I continue to slice, dice and dream up affordable Air Fryer recipes, Instant Pot Recipes, Southern Recipes and more. Thanks for supporting Recipes from a Pantry, food blog.

Get Air Fryer French Fries Recipe