My Six Favorite Air Fryer Fries Seasonings
While frozen fries at the grocery store come in a variety of shapes and sizes, flavor choices are limited. Perhaps the most variable I’ve seen are black pepper and a rather bland orange seasoning for curly fries. For such a popular snack, we’ve honestly taken a back seat to experimenting with flavors. French fries are the tortilla chips in the frozen food section — let’s give them Takis-level seasoning (or at least kettle corn-level seasoning). Here are some ways to get creative with your next batch of fries.
Of course, I cook frozen French fries in the air fryer . Sure, you can use a regular oven, but if you have an air fryer, don’t miss out on the time and crunch. Air fryer fries consistently outperform other options and cook in a fraction of the time compared to oven fries. They’re even a better way to revive soggy, cold potatoes the next day. If you’re considering an air fryer, check out my roundup of the best air fryers of the year.
The Best Seasonings for Air Fryer French Fries
To apply the dry seasoning powder, I usually place the hot potatoes in a large bowl and sprinkle the powder widely over the surface. Then, using the bowl, I toss the potatoes to coat them evenly. If you want the seasoning to stick even better, try using an oil spray bottle to lightly coat the potatoes before putting them in the air fryer. The seasoning will retain some of the oil when you sprinkle the seasoning on later, resulting in a thicker layer of seasoning. The ratio of powder to seasoning is personal, but I find that the more the better works best for me.
Broth powder
If you thought that spicy fries needed salt, you’re missing out. You can make fries a little meatier by adding a little bouillon powder. I use Maggi chicken bouillon powder, which comes in crumbly form. You can use dry cubes (not semi-dry) and grind them into a powder if you can’t find the crumbly mix.
Ranch Dressing Powder
No surprises, but ranch dressing is a favorite even when it’s dry. I think it’s all about the buttermilk. Use the same method, drizzling the dressing over a bowl of deep-fried fries and tossing.
Tagine
I don’t like tagine on the edge of cocktails, but I love tagine powder on fries. If you haven’t caught on to the tagine trend, it’s a bright red powder that combines hot spices with citric acid. It gives a sour tang with a zesty aftertaste, and its zesty heat is irresistible on fries.
Tajin is a powder, but the granules are larger than, say, ranch dressing powder. I use two methods to help it stick to the potatoes. I recommend spraying the potatoes with oil before frying to help the powder stick. You can also grind the tajin in a mortar and pestle to an even finer powder. If you can’t find tajin, you can replicate the flavor profile by squeezing a generous amount of lime juice and sprinkling the potatoes with a mixture of salt and cayenne pepper.
Buldak Ramen Seasoning Packet (or other)
It’s almost like the previous three options in one. Buldak ramen packets, which combine savory, spicy, sour, and slightly creamy flavors, come with dry seasoning packets along with the noodles. These are essentially broth powder, but Buldak and Shin instant noodles always come with something spicy or, if desired, a spice packet. My Buldak was quattro cheese, and came with a spicy cheese powder that I sprinkled on my fries.
Cinnamon sugar
Stay with me. Cinnamon sugar fries are actually pretty good. If we’re all okay with sweet and sour chicken and fastnachts , then you can safely add sugar to your fries.
I add a couple of teaspoons of sugar, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of cinnamon to a mortar and pestle and grind it all into a fine powder. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, you can use powdered sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle this mixture over your French fries and enjoy your Funnel Potato Cake.
Salt and vinegar
I know this isn’t news, but consider this a reminder that you can add salt and vinegar to your fries at home. I did this a while back with oven-baked fries , but it works just as well in the air fryer. Do it as a pre-treatment or after cooking. If you don’t like soggy fries, spray the frozen fries with vinegar first, then add them to the air fryer to cook. Give them a quick sprinkle of salt after you take them out. This will make the vinegar flavor much more subtle. If you like a sharper vinegar flavor, use a spray bottle or just spray the fries with malt vinegar after you take them out of the air fryer and finish with salt.
These are my favorite fry seasoning experiments, but keep in mind that you can use the basic method and tweak it to suit your tastes. The trick, like seasoning popcorn or chips, is to use a fine powder to help it stick to the surface, or to create a light “glue” with a spray of oil or a dab of liquid (like lime juice or vinegar) to help the dry seasoning stick to the surface.