If you are air frying your french fries, you will most likely want to get them lovely and crispy. Knowing which is the best oil for air fryer french fries will help your fries crisp to perfection.
In this article we will explore which oil is the best oil to use when cooking your french fries in the air fryer.
Table of Contents
- Best Oil To Use In An Air Fryer For French Fries
- How Do You Crisp French Fries In An Air Fryer?
- Why Do You Have To Soak Potatoes Before Air Frying?
- How Much Oil Do You Put In An Air Fryer For French Fries?
- How Long Should You Air Fry French Fries?
- French Fries In Air Fryer Temperature
- How To Cook Frozen French Fries In An Air Fryer
- FAQs On Oils For Air Frying French Fries
- Choose An Oil With A High Smoke Point
Best Oil To Use In An Air Fryer For French Fries
Oil is not a necessary ingredient when you want to cook your french fries in an air fryer. But it can help the french fries crisp up.
Which oil is best for cooking french fries in an air fryer? Here is a lost of our top oil picks:
- Olive Oil
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Avocado Oil
- Sesame Oil
- Walnut Oil
Olive Oil
Olive oil is known to be one of the best cooking oils as it has a high smoke point. This means that olive oil can reach high temperatures without burning. Olive oil is known to be one of the healthiest cooking oils to use and has a large range of health benefits.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Olive oil tends to be better at cooking at high temperatures when compared to extra virgin olive oil. Nevertheless, extra virgin olive oil can still manage at the temperature you would air fry french fries at. Extra virgin olive oil does have better health benefits when compared to olive oil and contains a range of vitamins and minerals. Read our blog post to learn more about olive oil vs extra virgin olive oil to learn more key differences between these two.
Avocado Oil
Avocado oil has a very high smoke point, making it ideal to use when air frying your french fries. Avocado oil also has a neutral taste that will not overpower your french fries. On top of its cooking benefits, avocado oil is full of health benefits, such as its high percentage of oleic acid which is beneficial for the body.
Here are the best tasting oils for french fries in air fryer:
Sesame Oil
Sesame oil is one of the tastiest oils to add to your french fries. It can add a mildly nutty taste to your fries, while also being a perfect fit for your air fryer. Sesame oil has a medium smoke point which means it is still compatible with the temperatures your air fryer will reach.
Walnut Oil
Walnut oil is a little stronger in taste compared to sesame oil. Walnut oil will give more of a nutty taste to your french fries. However, it is not recommended as much as sesame oil as it is not as healthy.
Here is a quick recipe to add flavor with the best oil to your air fried french fries:
Add Oil
Add 2 teaspoons of sesame oil to your uncooked french fries. Place the french fries into the air fryer basket.
Cook On High
Cook the fries n a high setting for 10 minutes.
Turn The Fries
Turn the french fries in the basket halfway through the cooking time.
How Do You Crisp French Fries In An Air Fryer?
It is easy to make sure that your french fries turn out to be crispy when you cook them in the air fryer. Soaking the french fries in water for 10 minutes will help to remove the starch off the potatoes. This added step can make a huge difference to your french fries turning lovely and crunchy.
Why are my fries not crispy in the air fryer? You fries may not be very crispy due to two reasons.
- The air might not have been hot enough when they were air fried.
- The air fryer basket was too full and therefore the fries have not cooked evenly.
It is best to cook your french fries at a high temperature and in small batches to allow them to all get cooked and crispy.
Why Do You Have To Soak Potatoes Before Air Frying?
Soaking potatoes before air frying them helps remove the starch that is on the outsides of the potato. Potatoes naturally contain a lot of starch and soaking in water is the best method to reduce this.
If you do reduce the starch on your potatoes, your french fries will be able to crispy up nicely when you cook them in the air fryer.
How Much Oil Do You Put In An Air Fryer For French Fries?
Do you put oil on fries in the air fryer? Yes, you can do it but it really is not that necessary. If you do not want to put any oil on your french fries when you are cooking them in your air fryer, the french fries will still cook well.
You will not need to use much oil at all, should you decide to use some. We would recommend using a small amount of oil per batch of french fries you would like to cook. The less oil you use when cooking your fries in the air fryer, the lower in fat and calories the fries will become. This will make the fries much healthier overall which is one of the best things about cooking with an air fryer.
Cooking french fries in an air fryer is a popular choice as it is a healthier way of cooking french fries. As the air in the air fryer cooks, you will not need a large amount of oil, which is a much healthier option. We would recommend that you use only 2 teaspoons of the oil of your choice when cooking your french fries in an air fryer.
How Long Should You Air Fry French Fries?
The most common amount of time that is used to make sure that your french fries will cook perfectly is between 12-15 minutes. Allow your fries to cook for no longer than 15 minutes as 380 degrees Fahrenheit. This will allow them to reach a desirable crunchiness.
Used to cooking at Celsius? Preheat your air fryer to 193 degrees Celsius.
Again, t is best to not overfill the basket when cooking your french fries in an air fryer. After all, we want to make sure that all the fries are cooked evenly.
French Fries In Air Fryer Temperature
If you are wanting to air fry your french fries that have been previously frozen, then preheating your air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit will be a great temperature. 400 degrees Fahrenheit is equal to 204 degrees Celsius. Heating your air fryer to this temperature will allow the french fries to cook thoroughly while becoming crispy on the outside.
Place the frozen fries in the air fryer basket and shake the basket. Doing this will allow the fries to evenly distribute. Cook your frozen french fries for 10 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. This’ll allow them to perfectly cook in your air fryer.
If you are air frying french fries that are not frozen, using a cooler temperature will work better. A temperature (like 325 degrees Fahrenheit) will be strong enough. 325 degrees Fahrenheit equals 162 degrees Celsius.
How To Cook Frozen French Fries In An Air Fryer
Here is how to best cook your frozen french fired in your air fryer:
You will need:
- An air fryer of your choice (of course!)
- Frozen fries (eyeball an amount enough for two people)
- 1 tablespoon of an oil of your choice
Method:
- Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (or 204 degrees Celsius).
- Transfer your frozen french fries in the air fryer basket. To help the french fries cook evenly, shake the air fryer basket so that the fries are well spaced out.
- Cook the frozen fries in the air fryer for 10 minutes.
- Make sure that the frozen french fries do not burn. To do this, shake the air fryer basket half way through the cooking time.
FAQs On Oils For Air Frying French Fries
What Oils Should Not Be Used In Air Fryer?
The only oil we would recommend that you do not use in an air fryer is coconut oil. Coconut oil can easily burn when it is raised to high temperatures. Coconut starts to burn when it reaches 350 degrees Fahrenheit which equals to 176 degrees Celsius. Air fryers tend to cook at higher temperatures at this, especially when cooking french fries.
What Is The Best Oil To Air Fry With?
If you are wanting to add a lovely crunch to your french fries but no added extra taste, we would recommend using olive oil. If you are wanting to add a little flavor to your fries, then we would recommend adding a nutty sesame oil.
Do You Spray Oil On Frozen French Fries In Air Fryer
When cooking frozen french fries there is not any need to add a large amount of extra oil. Frozen fries are already prepared and cooked in oil before being packaged. Therefore, you will not need to spray extra oil to make sure that the frozen fries do not stick to the air fryer basket. If you would like to add extra flavor to your frozen french fries then you can spray some oil on them, such as sesame, that will add a nutty flavor. Adding oil is a personal choice rather than a need when preparing your frozen fries to be cooked in your air fryer.
Choose An Oil With A High Smoke Point
If you are cooking your french fries in an air fryer then you will want to make sure that you choose an oil with a high smoke point. A high smoke point means that the oil will not burn if it reaches a high temperature.
When cooking your french fries in the air fryer you will need to use a very high temperature. Choosing which is the best oil to use is a personal taste preference. But making sure the oil has a high smoke point is key to crispy, unburnt fries!
