Restaurant quality fries are possible at home. My favourite: curly fries in air fryer. They're simple to make, extra crispy, and much healthier than the deep fried alternative. You're 30 minutes away from a delicious batch.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- Ready in 30 minutes
- Made with only 9 ingredients (7 of them spices!)
- Made with heart-healthy oils
- Made with less oil than restaurant varieties
- Lower in sodium and additives than restaurant or frozen varieties
Why is this recipe healthy
Not only are these air fryer curly fries incredibly easy to make, they're also great for your health. Here are a couple of reasons why homemade air fryer shoestring fries are the way to go:
- They're healthier than deep-fried restaurant fries. This homemade recipe is made with significantly less oil than restaurant curly fries. And, the oil that is included in the recipe is much healthier. That’s because restaurants generally use inexpensive, highly refined seed oils that contribute to inflammation in the body.
- They're healthier than frozen fries, which in addition to unhealthy oils, include a very high amount of sodium, and many artificial ingredients.
- They're better than oven baked. Sure, oven baked is another healthy option. But, when baked in the oven, fries often turn out a little soggy. But, with an air fryer, healthy curly fries are a breeze. The air fryer has no problem creating an extra crispy, extra delicious batch.
Scroll down to see the printable recipe with nutritional information.
Ingredients
Here's what you'll need to air fry curly fries.
- Potatoes: Russet potatoes are your best choice because they are high in starch and low in moisture. Why does that matter? Because it will lead to the best cripsiness. If you don't have these on hand, you can use another potato. Just be sure to avoid waxy potatoes like fingerling, white and red.
- Oil: Oil isn't absolutely necessary to make curly fries in the air fryer. But, it will add some flavour and help create a crispy exterior. When choosing an oil, go for an oil with neutral flavour and a high smoke point (so it can handle the high heat in the air fryer). Here's everything you need to know about the best oil for air fryers.
- Seasonings: You can season with salt and pepper, or you can follow my recipe and give these curly fries a flavour blast by seasoning with a mix of garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, thyme and oregano.
Scroll down to find the printable recipe with ingredient measurements.
Instructions
Let’s break it down step by step to take any guesswork out of these curly fries in air fryer.
- Use a spiralizer to spiralize each potato. Be sure to use the largest blade on your spiralizer. Cut too thin and these fries will burn easily.
- Once spiralized, use kitchen shears or scissors to clip the long curled potato strings into bite-size "curly fries".
- Pour oil on top of curly fries and toss to combine.
- Preheat your air fryer to 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 3 minutes.
- Set the timer for 20 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, stir the fries and remove any that are golden and crispy.
- Repeat this process every 3 minutes, until all fries are done. The total cooking time will depend on the thickness of your spiralized potatoes and how full your air fryer basket was, but will be somewhere between 12 and 20 minutes.
- While the curly fries are cooking, combine seasonings in a small bowl. When all fries are finished cooking, coat with seasoning.
- Enjoy with your favourite dip or on their own.
Recipe Notes
- The thicker the fries the better. Thinner curly fries burn easily, so make your fries as wide in diameter as you can. You can do this by choosing the right attachment and by spiralizing with more pressure.
- Putting potatoes in a salt water bath before cooking is optional. However, it helps draw out some of the moisture in the potatoes, resulting in crispier fries. If you want to do this, transfer the spiralized curly fries into a large bowl before cooking and cover with cold water. Add 2 tablespoons of kosher salt, stir, and let sit for 30 minutes. Then, remove the curly fries from the water and dry thoroughly.The fries will not crisp up properly if wet.
- Don't overfill your air fryer basket. Make sure the fries aren't overcrowded. They don't need to be in a single layer, but you also don't want to pile them too high. If you do, the air won't circulate properly, which makes it hard for the fries to cook evenly and crisp up. Cook in two batches if need be.
- Cooking times may vary. Your cooking time is affected by how full the air fryer basket is. The more full, the longer the cooking time. So, be sure to check in often as curly fries burn fast.
- Enjoy right away. If fries sit for too long, they can get a little soggy. So, dig in.
How to store
Here's how you store your air fryer curly fries for enjoyment at a later time.
- Fridge: Cool the curly fries until they reach room temperature, then store in an airtight container that's lined with a paper towel. The napkin will soak up any excess moisture and prevent them from going soggy in the fridge. Store the fries for up to five days.
- Reheat: Use your air fryer to reheat your curly fries. It'll bring back the crispiness that you got when eating them fresh. It's as simple as pre heating the air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit then baking for approximately three minutes.
For the full ingredient list and step-by-step directions, scroll down to view the recipe card.
Recipe Variations
- Add heat: There are two methods of turning up the spiciness in this recipe. You can increase the amount of cayenne pepper in the seasoning mix. Or, you can pair the curly fries with a spicy dipping sauce. A simple option is to mix a healthy mayonnaise with sriracha sauce to make a spicy aioli.
- Make it cheesy: Restaurants almost always add a sprinkle of fresh parmesan cheese to fries before serving. So, why not try this at home? You can also add the parmesan in the final two minutes of air frying to melt the cheese on the fries. Oh baby.
- Swap the seasoning mix: I'm sharing one of my favourite seasoning mixes for all french fries, but you can use any seasoning you like. Or, you can simplify my recipe by reducing the spices down to garlic powder, onion powder and paprika.
Equipment
Here's what you need to make these air fryer shoestring fries.
- Spiralizer: You can't make air fryer curly fries curly without this piece of equipment. Plus, it's great for making vegetable noodles.
- Air Fryer: If you don’t own an Air Fryer yet, I highly recommend adding this appliance to your collection. It's so easy to use and allows you to create healthier versions of all your favourite fried foods. If you’re still not sure, I actually wrote a piece comparing the air fryer and to the deep fryer, along with air fryers I recommend. Feel free to check it out.
- Kitchen shears: To clip the spiralized potatoes into bite-size pieces.
- Pastry brush: Not a must. But, this is super helpful for brushing olive oil onto the fries.
my go-to products
OXO Good Grips 3-Blade Tabletop Spiralizer
Buy Now →FAQs
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about how to make curly fries in airfryer.
Yes, just like an oven, you need to preheat your air fryer. This only takes 3-5 minutes because of the appliance's small size.
Use oils with a high smoke point that can handle the high heats used in air frying. Because most air fryer recipes are cooked at high temperatures (mostly between 350 and 400 degrees Fahrenheit), you need to choose oils that can handle that heat and avoid oils that can't. Click here for a list of common oils and their smoke points.
If you don't have time to make a fresh batch of fries, you can also cook store-bought frozen fries in the air fryer. Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F. Then place the fries in the air fryer basket in a single layer and cook for roughly 15 minutes, flipping the fries frequently to avoid burning.
Russet potatoes are the best potato for curly fries. Their low moisture and high starch properties make them crisp up best.
How To Serve
To complete the meal, serve your air fryer curly fries with a piece of healthy protein. Some of my favourite combinations are below.
- Steak and fries. Pair these curly fries with my sous vide flank steak for a fun twist on the french dish.
- Modern fish and chips: Pair these fries with my air fryer tilapia for a new twist on the traditional classic. Throw my keto tartar sauce in the mix as well.
- Healthier chicken tenders and fries: Pair these with my air fryer chicken fries for a lightened up version of the restaurant favourite.
- Eat them plain with a tasty dip like my creamy vegan chipotle ranch dressing.
Check out these easy healthy recipes below.
Similar Recipes
Air fryer french fries come in many forms. You can use your air fryer to make them fresh, cook from frozen, or even reheat your leftovers. Check out the recipes I hand selected for you below or peruse through my entire collection of easy air fryer recipes.
If you make these air fryer curly fries, please consider leaving a star rating and a comment. Don't forget to tag @caiteyjay on Instagram or @caiteyjay on Pinterest so I can see your creations.
PrintCurly Fries in Air Fryer
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 30
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Sides
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: American
Description
Restaurant quality fries are possible at home. My favourite: curly fries in air fryer. They're simple to make, extra crispy, and much healthier than the deep fried alternative. You're 30 minutes away from a delicious batch.
Ingredients
Curly Fries
- 1 lb russet potatoes (roughly 2 medium potatoes)
- 2 tablespoons oil (here are the best oils to use in an air fryer)
Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon parsley
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Use a spiralizer to spiralize each potato. Be sure to use the largest blade on your spiralizer. Cut too thin and these fries will burn easily.
- Once spiralized, use kitchen shears or scissors to clip the long curled potato strings into bite-size "curly fries".
- Pour oil on top of curly fries and toss to combine.
- Preheat your air fryer to 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 3 minutes.
- Remove air fryer basket and add curly fries to basket. Be sure not to overcrowd the basket. I have a 5.5 QT Air Fryer and I cook this recipe in two batches.
- Set the timer for 20 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, stir the fries and remove any that are golden and crispy.
- Repeat this process every 3 minutes, until all fries are done. The total cooking time will depend on the thickness of your spiralized potatoes and how full your air fryer basket was, but will be somewhere between 12 and 20 minutes.
- While the curly fries are cooking, combine seasonings in a small bowl. When all fries are finished cooking, coat with seasoning.
- Enjoy with your favourite dip or on their own.
Notes
- The thicker the fry the better. Thinner curly fries burn easily, so make your fries as wide in diameter as you can. You can do this by choosing the right attachment and by spiralizing with more pressure.
- Putting potatoes in a salt water bath before cooking is optional. However, it helps draw out some of the moisture in the potatoes, resulting in crispier fries. If you want to do this, transfer the spiralized curly fries into a large bowl before cooking and cover with cold water. Add 2 tablespoons of kosher salt, stir, and let sit for 30 minutes. Then, remove the curly fries from the water and dry thoroughly.The fries will not crisp up properly if wet.
- Don't overfill your air fryer basket. Make sure the fries aren't overcrowded. They don't need to be in a single layer, but you also don't want to pile them too high. If you do, the air won't circulate properly, which makes it hard for the fries to cook evenly and crisp up. Cook in two batches if need be.
- Cooking times may vary. Your cooking time is affected by how full the air fryer basket is. The more full, the longer the cooking time. So, be sure to check in often as curly fries burn fast.
- Enjoy right away. If fries sit for too long, they can get a little soggy. So, dig in.
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