Homemade French Fries are a great way to save money. By making your own french fries not only do you save big but you are also to provide your family with a non processed version of french fries. I like to stock up on bags of potatoes at the store when they are on sale. Then I take an afternoon and make these french fries and store them in the freezer for when I need them. My boys like them better than the store bought frozen bag ones and I like that it is a lot cheaper to make them than to buy them.
You will be amazed at how easy it is to make these and if you are like me you will never buy them again 😉 Homemade French Fries - A great way to save money and healthier too!
Ingredients
- potatoes peeled and sliced to your preference of style
- pot of boiling water
- baking sheet
- ziploc bags
Instructions
- Peel and slice potatoes to your preference of frie style.
- Place fries in boiling water and boil for 6 minutes.
- While fries are boiling label bags with date and French Fries.
- Once fries are done boiling place in strainer.
- Next put them on baking sheet making sure they do not touch.
- Place in freezer uncovered for an hour.
- Then pull them out and place in baggies and store in freezer for up to 6 months.
- To prepare them: Place on baking sheet and bake in 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes or until crispy. You can also use a deep fryer - Just heat oil to 350 and fry 3-4 minutes.
Be sure to check out these other Homemade/Freezer Ideas:
Make Your Own Freezer Pancakes :: Freezer Cooking
Freezer Cooking :: Homemade Breakfast Burritos
How to Make Homemade Pumpkin Puree
Shelley is a boy mom, marine wife, and is blessed with an amazing family. She loves sharing recipes, travel reviews and tips that focus on helping busy families make memories.
Renee D.
I love this idea! Thanks!
Enjoy 🙂 A great money saver!
petra
Healthier than frying and more economical. Could you also make these fries with the skin on?
Yes, you could!
Shelly
Exactly how long do u boil them in the water for? What consistency are u looking for?
Stephanie@StockpilingMoms
You boil for 6 minutes then flash freeze for an hour. This helps the fries to be soften in the center for when you bake them. Hope this helps!
Stephanie@StockpilingMoms
Love making these fries! I will never buy the frozen store bought again 🙂
Pamela
After boiling for 6 minutes, should you place in ice water to stop the cooking, dry, then flash freeze?
Once fries are done boiling place in strainer (you don't place in ice water). Next put them on baking sheet making sure they do not touch. Place in freezer uncovered for an hour.
Then pull them out and place in baggies and store in freezer for up to 6 months.
Lisa
Do I bake these from frozen?
Yes you do.
Cristina Black
I love this idea! Do you have a special kitchen tool that you use to cut the potatoes?
Nope! Just a knife and cutting board 🙂
Karen
Great idea! I want to try this but am wondering....when you bake them do you use any oil at all? Either mixed with the fries or on the pan?
No oil!
Elise
You don't even spray the baking pan with Pam or something, so the fries don't stick? Most commercial fries have a light oil coating on them, mostly preventing this occurence, but I'm having a hard time imaging plain potatoes sitting on a hot metal pan and not sticking. Is it because it's only 10-12 mins baking time, not enough tiime to stick, but they would if you want them crispier and leave them in longer? Even at 350, most things don't brown/crisp up at 10 minutes. What would happen if you DID spray Pam on the pan? I don't think I would want to coat them with oil because I want to avoid soft baked potato wedges style potatoes and really, really want to make crispy fries. Does the style of baking pan matter (glass, metal, etc?) The picture above shows what appears to be very crispy fries, and if that's from this recipe, perhaps I just should do it as written and see for myself with whatever proper pan I should be using? (I hate cookie sheets, they fall off!)
No spray at all or no oil! It is as simple as can be!
vcwalden
Can you cut the potatoes into waffle fries and use the same recipe?
Yes you can!
Tammy Harbaugh
I have a question. I've done my potato wedges but found if I leave them in 6 minutes like the recipe states, they start falling apart. I'm afraid if I leave my fries in the 6 minutes, I won't have anything but pieces. Does anyone have this issue? Should I just blanch them for 3 minutes?
Are you referring to baking or blanching?
bill smith
I'm reading multiple ways of doing this and the boil time keeps getting higher. One method says 2 minutes, another is 3, another is 4, another is 5 and now we're up to 6 minutes! Where does one get the truth?
This method worked for us.
Patricia
They are okay but I'm going to have either increase the oven temperature to 400 or increase the time to over 20 minutes. It might be a high altitude thing.
Jennifer
I tried for 10, 20, and now am at 400 for another 10 to make them crispy. They're mushy.
Andy
For those with mushy issues, I do things a little differently: I don't boil them, I steam them until tender, blanch them in ice water, pat them dry, then freeze them on a baking sheet for about 6 hours, then I bag them up. Contrary to my normal common sense, for these types of fries, I do not rinse the starch off - the steam option actually makes the outside gooey (while cooking the inside).. that goo is the starch, and when baked at 400 degrees, the starch on the outside makes them nice and crispy.
Kitty
Thank you, Andy, for clarifying the recipe. I appreciate you taking the time to explain. I was planning on streaming up a bunch of fries in my Instant Pot, then freezing them. ☺️
Tina
Thank you!! I’m doing exactly as you said!! Thank you for an excellent recipe, I was trying to figure out what to do with a surplus of potatoes!!
Kate
Do you find that any particular type of potato works better? Russet vs Yukon gold, for instance?
Either one!