How to Freeze Homemade French Fries From Fresh Potatoes

Name: How to Freeze Homemade French Fries (Without Blanching)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 215 min
Ingredients: 5 lbs russet potatoes (or Yukon Gold); ½ cup olive oil (or avocado oil); Salt (to taste (optional before freezing))

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We grow a year’s worth of potatoes on our property, and one of the ways it actually saves us money at the grocery store is making our own fries from scratch.

This method skips the blanching step. Instead you do a quick pre-bake before freezing, which I find simpler and honestly works just as well. You can knock out a huge batch on a Saturday while you’re doing other things around the house, and spend the rest of the month pulling fries straight from the freezer like they came from a bag, except they didn’t!

And if you end up with more potatoes than you know what to do with, they also make an incredible homestead-style potato salad or a big pot of creamy potato soup on a cold night.

A basket of whole, unpeeled potatoes on a kitchen counter.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

No blanching required. Most freezing guides tell you to blanch first. This method skips that step entirely and uses a quick oven pre-cook instead which means fewer pots, less fuss.
Works with large batches. This process is built for bulk. Make 10, 20, even 40 pounds at a time while you go about your day!
Saves real money. Buying potatoes in bulk or growing your own and freezing them yourself is a fraction of the cost of store-bought frozen fries and you know exactly what’s in them.
Ready straight from the freezer. No thawing, no planning ahead. Pull them out and cook them whenever you need a quick side dish.
Air fryer and oven friendly. Cook them whatever way works for your night.
Once you start freezing from scratch, it’s hard to stop. If you love freezing your own food, you’ll want to try it with sweet corn, green beans, and even carrots!

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Ingredients

Potatoes: Russet potatoes are your best bet for crispy fries! High starch, low moisture, classic
fry shape. Yukon Golds work too if that’s what you have.
Olive oil: A light coating before the pre-bake is what gives the fries that golden, slightly crispy
exterior when you cook them from frozen. Avocado oil works great here too!
Salt: Optional before freezing, season lightly if you like, but go easy. It’s easier to add more salt
when you reheat them.

Instructions

Peel and cut your potatoes. Peel your potatoes and cut them into your preferred fry shape. Standard cut, shoestring, wedge, whatever your family likes! Try to keep them roughly the same thickness so they cook evenly. A french fry cutter makes this go much faster if you’re doing a large batch.
Soak overnight. Place the cut fries into a large pot of cold water and refrigerate overnight. This pulls the starch out of the potatoes, which is what gives you a crispier fry in the end. If you’re doing a big batch this is actually the perfect stopping point. Cut one evening, finish the next morning while you’re going about your day!
Dry them well. This step matters more than you think! Drain and rinse the fries, then spread them out on clean kitchen towels and dry them as thoroughly as you can. Any extra moisture left on the fries will turn to steam in the oven and work against the crispy result you’re going for.
Coat with olive oil. Toss the dried fries with about 1/2 cup of olive oil, enough to lightly coat each one. This helps them get that golden exterior in the pre-bake and again when you cook them from frozen later.
Pre-bake at 425°F. Spread the fries in a single layer on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake at 425°F for about 15 minutes, until they’re just slightly golden but still soft inside. You’re not cooking them to eat yet, just getting them most of the way there before freezing. Let them cool completely before moving to the next step.
Flash freeze, then bag. Spread the cooled fries in a single layer on parchment-lined baking sheets and place them in the freezer for a few hours until solid. Once frozen solid, transfer them to labelled freezer bags, press out as much air as possible, and seal. Or you can use a Foodsaver to vacuum seal them for even longer storage. This two-step process is what keeps them from freezing into one big clump. Store for up to 6 months, and up to a year using a vacuum seal. This is the same way I store my sweet corn and green beans from the garden.

Close-up of sliced potatoes soaking in a pot of water.

How to Cook Frozen French Fries

No thawing needed, these cook beautifully straight from the freezer.

In the Oven:
Preheat your oven to 425°F. Spread the frozen fries in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 20–25 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden and crispy. Don’t crowd the pan, if they’re too close together they’ll steam instead of crisp.

In the Air Fryer:
Preheat your air fryer to 400°F. Place the frozen fries in the basket in a single layer. Again, don’t pile them! Air fry for 12–15 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through. They come out crispy and golden every time and honestly this is my favourite way to cook them on a weeknight. They make a great side dish alongside my farmhouse baked BBQ ribs or served simply with homemade ketchup!

cut french fries drying on a kitchen towel on the counter.

Tips for the Crispiest Results

Don’t skip the single layer, it makes a big difference!
A light spray of avocado or olive oil before cooking adds extra crispiness
Season after cooking, not before, so the salt doesn’t draw out moisture

A bag of frozen homemade french fries in a wicker basket beside whole raw potatoes.

FAQ

When stored in an airtight freezer bag with as much air removed as possible, homemade frozen french fries will keep well for up to 6 months. For even longer storage, I suggest investing in a Foodsaver vacuum sealer to extend storage time to up to 12 months! Label your bags with the date so you always know what you’re working with.

Nope! This method uses a quick pre-bake at 425°F instead of blanching. It’s simpler, requires fewer pots, and gives you a great result when you reheat them! Blanching is common in freezing things like green beans and carrots, but for fries the oven method works better in my opinion!

Technically yes, but the results aren’t as good. Freezing raw fries without pre-cooking tends to give you a mushier texture when you cook them. The quick pre-bake step is what keeps them crispy!

Freeze them in a single layer first until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag and remove as much air as possible before sealing. A vacuum sealer works great, and I highly recommend one for this method and other freezing recipes, but pressing the air out manually works well too.

Yes! Sweet potato fries freeze well with this same method. Just note that sweet potatoes have more moisture than russets, so make sure they are thoroughly dried before coating in oil and pre-baking.

Russet potatoes are the best choice for crispy fries. Their high starch and low moisture content gives you that classic crispy outside, fluffy inside result. Yukon Golds work too if you prefer a slightly creamier, denser fry. They’re also wonderful in a homestead-style potato salad if you end up with extras.

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How to Freeze Carrots
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How to Freeze Homemade French Fries (Without Blanching)

A simple, no-blanch method for freezing homemade french fries from fresh potatoes. Pre-bake, flash freeze, and bag, then cook straight from frozen in the oven or air fryer any night of the week.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time:20

Cook Time:15

Freezer Time:3

Total Time:3 35

Course: Appetizer, Freezer Meals

Cuisine: American

Keyword: freeze french fries, freezing, french fries, Homemade french fries, homemade frozen fries, how to freeze homemade french fries, no blanch french fries

Servings: servings

Calories: 275kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

5 lbs russet potatoes or Yukon Gold
½ cup olive oil or avocado oil
Salt to taste (optional before freezing)

Instructions

Peel and cut potatoes into your preferred fry shape. Keep thickness consistent for even cooking.
Place cut fries in a large pot of cold water and refrigerate overnight to remove excess starch.
Drain and rinse the fries. Spread on clean kitchen towels and dry thoroughly — remove as much moisture as possible.
Toss dried fries with olive oil until lightly coated.
Spread in a single layer on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes until just starting to turn golden. Do not fully cook.
Remove from oven and let cool completely.
Spread cooled fries in a single layer on parchment-lined baking sheets and freeze for 2–3 hours until solid.
Transfer to labelled freezer bags, remove as much air as possible, and seal. Freeze for up to 6 months.

Notes

To cook from frozen — Oven: Bake at 425°F for 20–25 minutes, flipping halfway, until golden and crispy. To cook from frozen — Air Fryer: Air fry at 400°F for 12–15 minutes, shaking halfway through.

Don’t skip the flash freeze step, it prevents the fries from clumping together in the bag.
Season after cooking for the crispiest result.
Sweet potatoes work with this method too, just dry them extra well before oiling.
A light spray of oil before reheating from frozen adds extra crispiness.

Nutrition

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How to Freeze Homemade French Fries From Fresh Potatoes