A batch of homemade Cajun Fries are just the ticket to satisfy that crispy, potato craving. With steps to prepare homemade french fries however you like and a quick and easy cajun seasoning, bring those gourmet diner fries home anytime you like.
Crispy, delicious Cajun Fries are easy to make at home with a quick homemade cajun seasoning. Go for fried, baked, or even frozen potatoes for cajun fry perfection!
Oh homemade fries how I crave you! Full truth, a batch of homemade french fries, deep fried to crispy golden perfection, is one of my ultimate cravings. Toss those in a ridiculously easy homemade cajun seasoning, and my favorite burger bar just popped up in my home kitchen.
Homemade fries are actually a lot easier to make than you may think! Once you have your potatoes cooking and crisping, making them into cajun fries is as easy as tossing on the seasoning. One good finger lick later, and you’ll be craving these just like I do.
Best Potatoes for French Fries
Before we get into the cooking and seasoning, successful homemade french fries start with the right potato. There are SO many options to choose from when it comes to potatoes, it can be hard to know what to choose!
For french fries I have always found that regardless of frying or baking, I prefer a high starch potato like Russet or Idaho varieties. These are the potatoes that get fluffy and light when cooked, and that makes for the best french fry bite.
When choosing your spuds, go for as evenly shaped potatoes as possible to avoid irregular fries that cook unevenly. Also look for firm, evenly colored skin whenever possible.
Want to make cajun fries and only have a bag of frozen fries in the freezer? Go for it! The homemade seasoning is easy to sprinkle on whatever makes your heart happy!
How to Fry Cajun French Fries
With spuds in hand, onto the cooking. There are many ways to make them, my preference is of course, frying them!
To successfully deep fry your cajun fries, you’ll need to follow these simple steps.
- Heat oil. Heat your oil to 325°F in a deep, heavy bottomed pan.
- Cut potatoes. Slice your potatoes into even flat slices on it’s long edge. Aim for between ½ and 1 inch thick. Slice each plank into sticks.
- Add potatoes to oil. When your oil is hot, drop your fries in carefully for 2 to 3 minutes, using a spider strainer or tongs to gently move them in the oil and prevent sticking.
- Remove to paper towel lined plate. Remove from the oil to a paper towel lined baking sheet or plate and heat the oil to 375°F.
- Return to oil. When the oil is hot again, gently return your fries to the oil and cook until golden brown and crispy.
Once your fries are cooked, simply blot and season, then enjoy! You may find that when you’re working with more than 1 or 2 potatoes that it’s best to work in batches. Frying too large a batch at once can drop your oil temperature too quickly and lead to oily, greasy fries.
How to Bake Cajun French Fries
If deep frying isn’t for you, making oven baked cajun fries is just as tasty. The process is very simple, though it takes a bit longer to arrive at crispy fry perfection. But, just follow these key steps and you’re sure to have crispy cajun fries in just over an hour!
- Slice potatoes. Cut your potatoes into your desired fry shape. Immerse all your cut potatoes in a large bowl of very cold water and let them soak for 30 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 375°F
- Blot potatoes dry. Remove the fries from the water and blot them dry very thoroughly.
- Add to baking sheet. Place on a parchment or silicone mat lined baking sheet in a single layer.
- Toss in seasoning. Oil liberally, so the fries are coated completely, and toss with cajun seasoning.
- Bake for 20 minutes then crank the temp up to 450°F and bake until they are the desired crispiness.
You’ll find that tossing and mixing the fries every 10 minutes allows more even browning.
The Best Oil for Frying French Fries
When prepping for your deep fried cajun fries, choosing the right oil is really important. Choosing an oil with too low of a smoke point, such as olive oil, will lead to unpleasantly flavored fries and burning, smoking oil – nobody wants that!
The solution is to simply choose an oil with a high smoke point, or an oil that can tolerate a higher temperature of heat before it begins to degrade and burn. My two top oils for frying are a simple canola oil or a grapeseed oil.
Since baking french fries also requires a high temperature, I’d choose those for the oven baking method as well. There are actually many oils you could choose, and you can read all about oils and their smoke points here.
Quick and Easy Homemade Cajun Seasoning
Knowing how to make perfect crispy fries is a good start, but next is the all important seasoning blend.
This is super easy to make at home with just 7 very common pantry spices, but there are also some delicious cajun seasoning spice mixes you can buy. I find making it myself is cheaper, and since a spice mix will last in your cupboard for several months, prepping in bulk is a great idea!
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Black Pepper
- Smoked Paprika
- Dried Oregano
- Kosher Salt
- Cayenne Pepper
For me this blend creates a delicious blend of salty, spicy, and smoky. Finding smoked paprika is pretty key, so definitely get it if at all possible. If not, you can use a standard sweet paprika, but may find you want to increase the spice. It is similar to blackening seasoning too.
Cayenne is also optional and adjustable. When I made these for my son, I added just a tiny pinch, for my husband and I, we added much more to enjoy the kick of cajun flavor.
Cajun Fries in the Air Fryer and Reheating
You sure can use your air fryer to make these! Just follow the instructions for your model to cook the french fries, then season and enjoy!
As far as reheating, they never quite recover that freshly fried or baked texture, but you can reheat fries in a pan, the oven, or a toaster oven.
Combine with a little oil in a preheated saute pan until crispy if you choose that method. Be careful, the cajun seasoning, if already on the fries, can burn.
For the toaster oven or conventional oven, simply lay on the baking sheet with a very light coating of oil, and bake at 375°F until warm and crispy. I also often use the ‘toast’ cycle on my toaster oven, and it works just as well!
Dipping Sauce Options
You know I like to add sauce to nearly everything and fries are no exception. While ketchup is a totally acceptable choice, Cajun fries also taste fabulous with aiolis or a fry sauce.
- Garlic Aioli
- Spicy Aioli
- Bacon Jalapeno Fry Sauce
- Spicy Ketchup
More Delicious Side Dishes
No meal is complete without the perfect side dish. Here are a few of our favorites that we know you’ll love too.
- Crispy Baked Zucchini Fries
- Classic Twice Fried French Fries
- Deep Fried Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
- Air Fryer Baked Potato
- Tomato Rice
- Apple Spiced Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
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Cajun Fries Recipe
4.20 from 20 votes
A batch of homemade Cajun Fries are just the ticket to satisfy that crispy, potato craving. Steps for both traditional fried and baked fries included!
Prep Time: 15 minutes mins
Cook Time: 20 minutes mins
Total Time: 35 minutes mins
Servings: 4
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Ingredients
- 4 medium to large russet potatoes
- 2 quarts cooking oil (8 cups)
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon onion powder
- ¾ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
- ⅛ to ¼ teaspoons cayenne pepper
Instructions
Place cooking oil in a deep, heavy bottomed pot over medium high heat and bring up to 325°F.
Preheat your oven to 200°F and place a baking sheet on the middle rack.
Wash and cut your potatoes into 1 inch sticks. Prep a plate or second baking sheet with a cooling rack set on top, near your oil pan.
When oil is up to temperature, carefully drop in half the french fries. Gently stir and allow to fry for 2 to 3 minutes.*
Remove from oil with a spider strainer or tongs and lay them on the cooling rack set over the baking sheet in a single layer.
Cook the second batch of fries when oil returns to 325°F
When fries have been fried once, bring oil temperature up to 375°F.
Drop the first batch of fries into the oil carefully, and stir occasionally until the fries are crispy and golden brown, usually 2 to 3 minutes.
Remove from oil to a bowl lined with paper towels. Toss gently to remove excess oil, then remove the paper towel. Add in spice blend and toss.
Place seasoned cajun fries on a baking sheet in the oven and fry your second batch of fries. Repeat blotting and seasoning, then serve all the fries when ready.
If you've tried this recipe, please back to tell us how it was in the comments or ratings!
Video
Notes
If making larger or smaller fries than 1 inch sticks, you may need to increase or reduce your cooking time to adjust for fry thickness.
This recipe makes the spice blend amount needed for 4 potatoes of fries. Increase if wishing to make cajun seasoning to store.
Nutrition
Calories: 358 kcal, Carbohydrates: 40 g, Protein: 5 g, Fat: 23 g, Saturated Fat: 10 g, Sodium: 739 mg, Potassium: 900 mg, Fiber: 3 g, Sugar: 1 g, Vitamin A: 272 IU, Vitamin C: 12 mg, Calcium: 34 mg, Iron: 2 mg
Author: Jessica Formicola
Calories: 358
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Creole
Keyword: cajun fries, homemade french fries
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