Try these easy Homemade French Fries made in the Instant Pot with the air fryer lid. They are so good, you will never want to have deep-fried fries again!
To make these crispy homemade French fries, all you need is potato, a drizzle of olive oil, salt pepper and any of your favorite seasonings. We always like to include a dipping sauce with our fries. This time it was this super easy yogurt dipping sauce!
I tried making french fries using the instant pot air fryer lid, and thy turned out great. I wanted to share how they compare with the French fries made in the air fryer. So here you get to see all the details and can make a fair assessment of where you want to make your fries!
If you are looking for healthier version of french fries, check out this air fryer turnip fries and taro fries recipes.
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Preparing Potatoes for Crispy Homemade French Fries
The first thing is to use large Russet Potatoes to make fresh French Fries. I used 2 potatoes, washed them well and sliced them into medium strips evenly. Peeling potatoes or not is a personal choice. I have tried both ways and it works well.
Now soak the potatoes in water for about 15 minutes. This helps remove some of the excess starch content and get crispy fries.
That said, if you don’t have enough time, you can skip this step. I tried without soaking and the result was still very good. I think the Air Fryers do a good job of crisping the fries either way!
Pat dry the sliced potatoes with a paper towel. Now season the potatoes. I like to add salt, pepper and garlic powder to my fries. Add some olive oil or another oil of your choice. This helps the seasoning stick to the fries. Toss well to coat the potatoes with the seasoning.
How to make Air Fryer French Fries?
Place the seasoned potatoes in the Air Fryer for 10-15 minutes at 375°F. Toss in between half way through so all sides are cooked well.
If you love roasting veggies in the air fryer, check out this collection for 25+ Air Fryer Vegetable Recipes.
How to make Instant Pot French Fries?
Place the trivet and the cooking basket with the sliced potatoes inside the pressure cooker inner stainless steel pot. Now place the lid on top of the inner pot using the handle on the air fryer lid.
Make sure the pressure cooker is unplugged. Plug the air fryer lid and lower the handle.
Note: You can use the Mealthy Crisplid or the Instant Pot brand air fryer lid.
Cook for 10 minutes at 375°F. Then toss and cook for another 10 minutes.
If you like the fries to be crispier, then toss and add 5 more minutes.
Love how crispy the fries are with pressure cooker air fryer method.
It was so hard to wait to get this gorgeous picture. I just wanted to dig in and gobble up the best french fries 😉
Tips
- Cut the fries with similar width for even cooling.
- It is best to cook the fries in a single layer. Cook the fries in batches if needed.
- Cooking temperatures can vary with different models, so adjust the cooking time as needed.
Variations
- Spice it up with cajun seasoning
- Add some garlic powder and onion powder
- We love to add some grated parmesan and dried parsley at the end
Common Questions
Yukon gold and russet potatoes are best for French fries.
Soaking fries helps to remove excess starch, which in turn helps to make them crispier. And don’t forget to pat dry the potatoes before air frying.
There could be various reasons.
1. Soaking the sliced potatoes fries in water also helps to remove excess starch and crisp the fries better.
2. Don’t overcrowd the air fryer basket. Cook in batches if needed.
I don’t have a specific preference to the gadget used for cooking these fresh french fries . I thought both the stand-alone Air Fryer and the Pressure Cooker Air Fryer Lid gave good results for French Fries. Depending on your personal situation for space and budget, enjoy the French Fries using the gadget you prefer!
You might enjoy these Air Fryer recipes – Crispy Fried Okra, Brussels sprouts and Taro root fries.
Instant Pot Air Fryer French Fries
Ingredients
- 2 Potatoes, Russett, medium or large in size
- 3/4 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Garlic powder
Instructions
- Scrub potatoes and then slice into strips. You can peel the potatoes if you like.
- Soak potatoes in fresh water for 15 minutes. Then drain water and pat dry with a paper towel.
- Add the oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder in the sliced potatoes in a bowl. Toss to coat
For Air Fryer:
- Arrange the seasoned potato slices on the bottom of your air fryer basket, in a single layer, if possible. The more separated the potatoes, the crispier they will be. If needed, you can also cook the fries in batches. This will depend on the size of your air fryer.
- Cook the fries at 375ºF for 10-15 minutes. Toss the fries half way through. If the fries need to be crisper, allow to cook for additional time.
For Pressure Cooker Crisplid:
- Place the trivet and the cooking basket with the sliced potato inside the pressure cooker inner stainless steel pot. Try to place the fries in a single layer. If needed, you can also cook the fries in batches.
- Now place the crisplid on top of the inner pot using the handle on the crisplid. Plug the crisplid and lower the handle. (Make sure the pressure cooker is unplugged)
- Set to 375°F (190°C) and cook potatoes for 10 minutes. Flip fries and continue cooking until crisp, about 10 minutes more. If you like the fries to be crispier, then toss and add 5 more minutes.
- Remove the french fries into a serving plate and serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauce.
Notes
- Season the fries with your choice of seasoning. Some options are paprika, onion salt, garlic powder, etc.
- We love to sprinkle some chili lime seasoning on the fries while eating them.
I am completely new to the Air fryer. Please help me with suggested brand of the IP lids or the complete air fryer too. TIA
Hello Ashwini – Here is a post I wrote about how to choose an air fryer. I have also included what I use and recommend – https://pipingpotcurry.com/how-to-choose-an-air-fryer/
Hi, what dips are delicious and novel for these fries ? Health conscious parents and 20 yo active son. It also appears the crisp lid is best for success. Thanks
Hi Portante – Any air fryer works great to make these fries. You can make using the crisplid or air fryer. My daughters have been loving this Lemon Tahini Sauce and this greek yogurt dip.
Can you make crispy fries in a electric pressure cooker without the lid
Hi Ray – The pressure cooker won’t help with making fries. You could use it like a regular pot, where you heat oil and fry the potatoes. But not really the function of a pressure cooker. The lid makes it like an air fryer, hence we can make crispy fries.
Followed recipe. Used Russets and prepped as described. Tasted terrible / not cooked through. 360 degrees did not work for the INSTANT OMNI PLUS. Ran 4 min longer and still didn’t help. Will try 400 and see what happens.
Hi John – Sorry to hear the time did not work well. Please do increase the time and temperature as needed for your air fryer.
Looks so yummy, I will surely try them with my newly bough deep fryer and cooker.
Three Quarts There’s a three quart, Frying pan basket that is nonstick. There are various kinds of air fryers out there in the market nowadays including ones with small baskets along with the large 5 quart baskets for cooking.
I just bought the IP air fryer lid, even though I don’t have space considerations, I thought who needs one more thing to store?
So I made fries using this lid on top of my 5 quart IP ( no longer manufactured) The lid fits and works perfectly.
I just used my own steamer basket to have a larger surface area for the potatoes.
Turned out perfectly.
I agree that the mealthy has a glass viewing area that is a plus 🙂
Thanks for sharing your experience, Dru!
Can you make these crispy fries in any air fryer. I have a Tfal one will that work just as well
Thanks
Hi Sanjana – I think it would work well in another brand air fryer too!
So good Meeta! Loved the recipe.
Thank you Sheenam. Hope you enjoy the fries!
I was excited to win the Mealthy CrispLid and it just came in. I made this french fry recipe last night using my new CrispLid and they were amazing! We used organic russet potatoes and had to make two batches they were so good. The best part was the fact is was 100 degrees yesterday, but my kitchen stayed cool using my CrispLid instead of my oven!
So glad to hear you are enjoying the new Crisplid that you won. Thank you for sharing back your experience!