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Air Fryer Garlic Parmesan Fries

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If you're going to be making French fries, try making them from scratch and air frying them for a healthy but still satisfyingly crunchy French fry!

These Garlic Parmesan French Fries are a favorite with both kids and adults, and are a great recipe to introduce kids to more "sophisticated" flavors instead of frozen store-bought fries. 

Close up of garlic Parmesan French fries

French fries from scratch

While there's nothing wrong with air frying frozen French fries, it is always better and healthier to make French fries from scratch. That's right, hand-cut French fries from a potato! It's really not hard to chop up a potato into French fry shapes, and it only takes a couple of minutes (especially if you practice whole making this recipe a few times!)

Using a fresh potato without any preservatives or unnecessary additives is the best way to make French fries. And air frying French fries instead of deep frying them or baking them gives the best combination of crispy Fries without too much grease. 

Plate of air fryer garlic Parmesan French fries

RELATED: Kid-Friendly Air Fryer Recipes

Garlic Parmesan French fries

After air frying the French fries, I top them with a mixture of fresh minced garlic and shredded Parmesan. I absolutely love that as a topping for French fries.

But the best part about this recipe is that the garlic Parmesan mixture is added after cooking the French fries, so you can set aside some fries without any toppings if you have picky eater kids or someone in your family who prefers plain fries. 

After all, this blog is about helping parents of picky eater kids overcome picky eating, so I always offer tips for how to get kids to eat whatever it is you cook for them! I have a whole article about why I feed my picky eater French fries... and as I said above, there is nothing wrong with feeding your kids fries because "fed is best," it doesn't hurt to introduce them to new flavors and textures, and adding garlic parmesan topping to French fries is a great way to do that with a food that kids already love!

Ready to make some fries??

Ingredients to make garlic Parmesan fries in the air fryer

Ingredients

  • 1 large potato (1 lb)
  • 1-1.5 teaspoon salt, to taste
  • ½ - 1.5 teaspoon ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • ½ - 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese (freshly shredded using the fine shredder on a box grater, or even packaged store-bought shredded Parmesan)
  • ½ tablespoon dried parsley (or dried basil or Italian seasoning. If using Italian seasoning, make sure it doesn't have added salt)

Equipment

More kid-friendly side dish ideas: Veggie Tots

Frequently asked questions and tips for making French fries

Here are all the tips and ingredient variation ideas for making French fries.

Should I peel potatoes to make fries?

French fries can be made with peeled or unpeeled potatoes. The peel contains a lot of nutrients and fiber, so I choose to keep it on. I always scrub the potato skin clean under running water using a clean plastic brush. If you don't like the skin, you can peel the potatoes.

What kind should I use to air fry potatoes? Can I skip the oil for air fryer fries?

I do not recommend skipping the oil because a little oil does help the fries get extra delicious and crispy, as opposed to being "steamed" in the air fryer. This recipe uses a tablespoon of oil for a huge potato, which is not a lot compared to deep-fried fries or even store-bought frozen fries that we air fry.

You can use almost any kind of oil for this French fry recipe because we are not frying at a high temperature: olive oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil, avocado oil will work. I usually use olive oil.

Do not cut the potato ahead of time, as it will turn brown

I recommend cutting the potato right when you're about to cook, otherwise the inside of the potato turns an unappetizing brown color when exposed to air. If you do want to prep the potato a little bit in advance (a few hours), make sure to really coat it in oil well.

What kind of Parmesan cheese to use

For this recipe, you can use freshly grated Parmesan or even store-bought shredded Parmesan (you know, the one in the green plastic container). If grating the cheese by yourself, use the fine grater on a box grater.

If you want these French fries to be vegetarian, make sure to buy vegetarian Parmesan, since traditional Parmesan is made with animal rennet, which is not vegetarian. 

Seasonings for French fries

I recommend starting with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon ground black pepper. Once the fries are cooked, you can always add more salt and pepper if you feel like they need more.

For this recipe I used dried parsley, but any kind of dried herb would work here—I love dried basil or Italian seasoning, which is a mix of dried herbs.

A little sweet paprika or smoked paprika is also a great addition here!

Instructions

Step 1: Scrub the potato clean. Cut potato into French fry sized pieces, taking care to make them all the same thickness so they cook evenly. The thinner the fries, the faster they will cook.

Step 2: Place the cut potato in a mixing bowl and pour oil over. Add 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper and mix until fries are coated thoroughly in oil and seasonings. Give one fry a quick lick to taste and see if you need more salt or pepper. 

French fry cut potatoes in a bowl with salt and pepper

Step 3: Place the seasoned potato fries in the air fryer basket and air fry for 15 minutes at 370 degrees Fahrenheit, shaking the fries halfway and checking on them after about 12 minutes to make sure they are not burning, since every air fryer cooks differently. (If your air fryer is an oven-style air fryer and requires preheating, make sure to preheat to 370F and check on the fries at 10-12 minutes first.

Uncooked potato fries in an air fryer basket

Step 4: Remove fries from the air fryer. Top with minced garlic and parmesan cheese and toss to coat. Serve garnished with parsley.

Tossing air fryer French fries with garlic and shredded parmesan

If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below. And don't forget to share it on Facebook and save it on Pinterest for later!

Yield: 2

Air Fryer Garlic Parmesan Fries

Close up of garlic Parmesan French fries

Make French fries from scratch with this easy Garlic Parmesan Air Fryer Fries recipe! The garlic Parmesan topping is absolutely amazing!

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 large potato (1 lb)
  • 1-1.5 teaspoon salt, to taste
  • ½ - 1.5 teaspoon ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • ½ - 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese (see notes)
  • ½ tablespoon dried parsley (or basil or Italian seasoning. If using Italian seasoning, make sure it doesn't have salt)

Instructions

    1. Scrub the potato clean. Cut potato into French fry sized pieces, taking care to make them all the same thickness so they cook evenly. The thinner the fries, the faster they will cook.
    2. Place the cut potato in a mixing bowl and pour oil over. Add 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper and mix until fries are coated thoroughly in oil and seasonings. Give one fry a quick lick to taste and see if you need more salt or pepper.
    3. Place the seasoned potato fries in the air fryer basket and air fry for 15 minutes at 370 degrees Fahrenheit, shaking the fries halfway and checking on them after about 12 minutes to make sure they are not burning, since every air fryer cooks differently. (If your air fryer is an oven-style air fryer and requires preheating, make sure to preheat to 370F and check on the fries at 10-12 minutes first.
    4. Remove fries from the air fryer. Top with minced garlic and parmesan cheese and toss to coat. Serve garnished with parsley.

Notes

Should I peel or not peel the potato? it's up to you! You can scrub the potato skin clean under running water using a clean plastic brush. If you don't like the skin, you can peel the potatoes.

Do not skip the oil. You can use almost any kind of oil for this French fry recipe because we are not frying at a high temperature: olive oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil, avocado oil will work.

Do not cut the potato ahead of time, since it will turn brown.

What kind of Parmesan cheese to use: You can use freshly grated Parmesan or even store-bought shredded Parmesan (you know, the one in the green plastic container). Just make sure it's finely shredded Parmesan so that it is tiny and sticks to all the French fries really well. If grating the cheese by yourself, use the fine grater on a box grater. If you want these French fries to be vegetarian, make sure to buy vegetarian Parmesan, since traditional Parmesan is made with animal rennet, which is not vegetarian. 

→ Seasonings for French fries: I recommend starting with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon ground black pepper. Once the fries are cooked, you can always add more salt and pepper if you feel like they need more.

The nutrition facts are estimated assuming 3 servings and will vary on the actual amounts of ingredients used.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

3

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 208Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 3gSodium: 620mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 3gProtein: 4g

Did you make this recipe?

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