How To Season French Fries [11 Super Tasty Suggestions]

Whether homemade or from those golden arches, french fries are a popular side dish that is often seasoned in various ways. If you are curious about how to amplify the flavor of french fries, you have come to the right place. We have searched the internet for inspiration and have discovered what we think are some great seasonings to use on french fries.

French fries are a blank canvas that can be seasoned in many different ways. Here are 11 suggestions for you to try:

• Salt
• Garlic Parmesan
• Cajun Seasoning
• Rosemary
• Taco Seasoning
• Buttermilk Ranch
• Cinnamon Sugar
• Chili Lime
• Cheddar Cheese
• Seaweed
• DIY Fry Seasoning

Keep reading to learn more about why these seasonings work. We will also discuss a few tips and tricks along the way to help you achieve deliciously crisp french fries at home.

1. The Tried & True Salt

We know it is not groundbreaking to season french fries with salt, but sometimes keeping things simple produces the best results. As long as you do not overdo it, salt radically enhances the flavor of potatoes. Even if you want to elevate your fries with more complex seasonings, salt will always be a crucial part of that seasoning process.

Most professional chefs use kosher sea salt to season their fries.

How do you get salt to stick to french fries?

The answer to this question is quite straightforward. All you need to get salt or seasoning to stick to your spuds is to coat them in oil. You can brush the oil on your fries before baking or air frying. If deep-frying your fries, season them immediately after pulling them out of the oil you cooked them in.

2. Garlic Parmesan

There is something about garlic parmesan fries that seems so gourmet. Use garlic powder over fresh minced garlic to achieve even coverage and a more intense flavor in every bite. Incorporating finely grated Parmesan cheese and some kosher salt will boost the flavor profile of your french fries. If you are feeling particularly refined, try tossing your fries in a little bit of truffle oil before serving.

You'll love this recipe from Pioneer Woman:

3. Cajun Seasoning

If you are not afraid of some heat, this seasoning is a great choice for fries. Many popular restaurants have employed this method with great success. Cajun seasoning typically contains paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, ground thyme, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and salt.

If you want to make your own seasoning, follow this recipe:

4. Rosemary French Fries

For those with a more mature palate, we suggest using rosemary as a seasoning for french fries. We like the combination of rosemary with salt, oregano, and garlic powder. Rosemary is quite aromatic and has a strong flavor, so we suggest you use a light hand if you decide to use this seasoning.

5. Taco Fries

Bring a little fiesta to your fries by adding some taco seasoning to them. You can buy premade taco seasoning or make your own. If you want to take your fries from a side to the main course, you could load them up with all your favorite taco toppings like ground beef, queso, shredded cheese, pico de gallo, and lettuce, sour cream, and guacamole.

6. Buttermilk Ranch Seasoning

If you love the tanginess of buttermilk ranch dressing paired with french fries, then this seasoning choice is a no-brainer. You can purchase dry buttermilk powder at your local grocery store or online. Mix it with dried parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and dried dill to make your own ranch seasoning that you can sprinkle on your fries.

Made from 100% real sweet cream churned buttermilk, this cultured powder will dramatically enhance the taste of your ranch seasoning. Click here to view this product on Amazon.

7. Cinnamon Sugar

With the popularity of sweet potato fries growing steadily, it was only a matter of time before someone decided to make a dessert french fry. If you want something sweet, why not season your fries with a combination of cinnamon sugar? You could even whip up a sweet vanilla icing to dip your fries in!

8. Chili Lime

We love the idea of a little heat with a citrus twist on french fries. This flavor profile can be achieved in one of two ways.

First, you can season your fries with salt and chili powder, followed by a squeeze of fresh lime juice over the potatoes. We worry, though, about how the juice might affect the texture of your fries.

Therefore the second method we recommend would be using a seasoning like Tajin, which contains lime flavoring.

Add a unique zing to your fries with Tajin Clasico Seasoning, which contains 100% natural chili peppers, lime, and sea salt. Click here to view this product on Amazon.

9. Cheddar Cheese Powder

While cheese is typically not considered a seasoning but rather a topping for fries, we felt strongly that cheese fries somehow had to make it on our list. Enter the ingenious invention of cheddar cheese seasoning. Tantalize your tastebuds with the smooth and creamy taste of cheddar. Is there a more perfect match than cheese and potatoes? We think not.

The Chef’s Fun Foods Gourmet Fries Seasoning is made with premium ingredients, no MSG additives, colorants, or unnecessary artificial fillers. If you highly disagree with our statement of cheese and potatoes being a match made in heaven, they have eight different french fry seasonings to choose from. Click here to view this product on Amazon.

10. Seaweed Seasoning

The internet is a crazy place, and in our research, it took us all the way to Japan. Seaweed seasoned fries are such a big deal that even McDonald's has them on their menu.

Fortunately, you do not have to travel across the world to try these fries, as there are many copycat recipes available online. The flavor achieved by adding seaweed to your fries is described as umami, which in Japanese means the essence of deliciousness.

11. DIY Fry Seasoning

French fry seasoning combines the finest herbs and spices that will bring out the best flavor in french fries. These include kosher sea salt, black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, garlic salt, parsley, celery salt, and cayenne.

You can certainly buy fry seasoning anywhere, but we like the idea of doing it yourself. This allows you to customize each spice to your personal preference and eliminates the use of unnecessary additives or artificial preservatives.

Related Questions

What type of potato is best for french fries?

While sweet potatoes work great for french fries, the best potato to use if you want classic french fries is the russet potato. Russet potatoes are denser and have the least amount of moisture in them. This means you are more likely to achieve those crispy french fries everyone craves.

Can you season fries while frying?

We do not recommend you season your fries while they are submerged in oil. There are two reasons for this. First of all, the moment you place your fries in the oil, much of the seasoning will disperse and not remain on the potatoes.

Secondly, some herbs, like rosemary, may burn during the frying process and cause your fries to have an unpleasantly bitter taste. When frying french fries, wait to season them until they have been removed from the oil.

Do you season French fries before or after baking?

Unlike frying, where you should season your fries after the cooking process, you should season your fries before baking. Since you need oil to bind your spices to your potatoes, this step has to happen before cooking. Otherwise, you will end up with soggy, flavorless fries.

Why are homemade french fries soggy?

Even though we can copy the recipes of popular restaurants at home, sometimes our fries do not turn out the way we want. There can be a few different reasons for soggy fries, but the most obvious is that most home cooks do not take the time to cook their fries twice.

Whether you parboil, double-bake, or double-fry, cooking your fries twice will ensure that the inside is thoroughly cooked and the outside is extra crispy.

Check out this article to learn more about How To Make Extra Crispy French Fries [And Keep Them That Way]

Final Thoughts

Due to the versatile nature of potatoes, you can season fries in various ways and end up with delicious results. No matter if you want sweet, spicy, or savory, there is something for everyone.  Looking for more ways to prepare those delicious spuds? Check out this article which gives you the rundown on How To Air Fry Potatoes – With 10 Tasty Recipes!