Liven up your meal with Garlic Fries! This easy recipe makes irresistibly crispy garlicky fries for a fun and flavorful side dish.
Calling all garlic lovers: this one garlic fries are your new favorite side dish! Bake them crispy and hot out of the oven, then season them with garlic powder and homemade garlic oil. Take a bite and they’re irresistibly garlicky, but not so intense that you immediately have to brush your teeth (or get complaints from your partner!). Here’s how to make a scrumptious pan fries that everyone will love.
What you need for garlic fries
Garlic fries are fries flavored with garlic using either fresh garlic or garlic powder. In this recipe, we used both for maximum garlic flavor! They use garlic powder for the oven fries, then brush them with homemade garlic oil when they’re hot and crispy. Here’s what you need:
- red potatoes: Russet potatoes are the best kind for fries: they get crispy on the outside and soft on the inside
- olive oil
- garlic powder
- Salt and pepper
- clove of garlic
The basic idea? Cut the fries, soak them, then season with garlic powder, salt and pepper and bake. Rub the garlic clove in the olive oil, and when the fries are crispy, brush or toss in the garlic oil. It’s an easy way to add great flavor to fries!
How to cut homemade french fries
The main trick to homemade garlic fries? Cut the fries! There are two main methods: by hand or with a chip cutter. We only recommend this fries cutter if you frequently prepare homemade fries and have plenty of storage space for a large appliance. Otherwise, here’s our quick and easy way to cut french fries with a knife (or watch this video):
- Cut the ends and side: Cut off the ends of each potato, then cut off part of the side to form a bottom.
- Cut slices, then strips: Place half of the potato cut-side down and cut a 3/8-inch slice. Then set the slice on its side and cut into several long, 3/8 inch wide strips.
- Repeat: Repeat until all potatoes are cut into fries.
Tip: Soak the fries before cooking
Another secret to homemade Cajun fries? Soak them before cooking. It’s not necessary if you’re frying the fries, of course. But for baking there is the best texture. Here’s what you need to know about this method:
- Soaking will make the outside crispy and the inside soft. In extensive recipe testing, we’ve found it gives just the right tender interior and crispy exterior.
- All you need is 10 minutes! Some fries recipes call for soaking for 1 hour or longer. In our testing, we found that the 10 minute soak was actually better!
- Soak while your oven preheats. This step won’t cost you any time in preparing the recipe as you can do it while the oven is preheating. Ideally, you can slice, soak, and season the fries before the oven is ready.
Shortcut: use frozen fries instead!
Don’t have the time and patience to cut and dip fries? It’s good too. You can also make garlic fries with frozen fries! Purchase a bag of frozen fries and add the garlic oil (from step 6 in the recipe card below). The amount in this recipe should work with 1 pound of fries. FIND AN AMAZING BRAND YOU LOVE: Our favorite brand is Alexia.
Variation: Add parmesan
Want a variation on these garlic fries? Sprinkle them with grated parmesan when they come out of the oven! Add 2 tablespoons to ¼ cup parmesan cheese and mix everything together.
Garlic French Fries Dips
Would you like to enhance the taste of garlic even more? Add a garlic dip to these garlic fries! Or accentuate them with a complementary flavor. Aioli is one of the best dips in our family, so we like to pair it with a plain aioli (truffle is our favorite). Here are some tasty ideas for a dip with garlic fries:
More fries recipes
And that’s it! Let us know how you enjoy these garlic fries in the comments below. And if you’re craving more fries, here are a few more recipes to try:
This garlic fries recipe is…
Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.
The description
Liven up your meal with Garlic Fries! This easy recipe makes irresistibly crispy garlicky fries for a fun and flavorful side dish.
- 2 large red potatoes (1 1/2 to 1 3/4 pounds)*
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, shared
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 Garlic clove, grated
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Space oven racks evenly to ensure even baking.
- Meanwhile, cut the potatoes into fries: (Watch this video or use a chip cutter.) Wash the potatoes, leaving the skin on. Cut off the ends of each potato, then cut off part of the side to form a bottom. Place the half-cut potato side down and slice a 3/8-inch slice, then set the slice on its side and cut into several long strips. Repeat until all potatoes are cut into fries. The pieces may be uneven, but aim for as uniform a thickness as possible. Watch the video for the full instructions!
- Soak in cold water (10 minutes): Place the sliced fries in a medium bowl and rinse under cold water until the water runs clear. Then fill the bowl with cold water and leave for 10 minutes (while the oven preheats). Then drain the potatoes and pat dry with a clean towel.
- Seasoning fries: Place the fries in a dry bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil, garlic powder, black pepper, and kosher salt. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Spread the fries out on the paper in straight lines and space them as widely as possible.
- Bake: Bake fries for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and gently flip each fries. Return to oven (turning pans on top and bottom racks). Cook for a further 8-10 minutes until crisp and golden brown, being careful to cook as the cooking time depends on the thickness of the skillet and your oven. (If the majority of the fries appear soft, continue cooking until crisp.)
- Add garlic oil: Meanwhile, in a small bowl, grate the garlic in 1 tbsp olive oil (you can use melted butter if you like). When the fries are done, brush or toss them with the garlic oil. Taste and add a few pinches of salt if you like. Let stand 5 minutes for better texture and flavor. Mix in some grated parmesan if you like.
Remarks
*As a shortcut, buy 1 pound of frozen fries and add the garlic oil in step 6. Find a great brand you like: Our favorite brand is Alexia.
- Category: Page
- Method: Cooked
- Kitchen: American
- Diet: vegetarian
