This easy steak fries recipe delivers crispy, golden-brown fries with fluffy, tender centers, no fryer required. All you need is your oven, Russet potatoes, and proper pan spacing to get baked fries to actually crisp up instead of turning soft and soggy.
The edges turn deeply golden and crisp while the centers stay soft and fluffy enough to practically melt into the ketchup. They're thick, hearty, salt, and exactly the kind of fries you want next to a burger or steak hot off the grill.
After years of testing oven fries, this is the recipe I come back to again and again. It's the one my family requests on repeat, and one neighborhood kids always seem to conveniently stop by around dinnertime for.
Whether I'm serving them with burgers on homemade potato buns, steaks, or coney dogs (another family favorite), these crispy steak fries are always a win.
Table of Contents
Why This Recipe Works
Sure, if you wanted a crispy French fry at home, you could do what many restaurants do — double fry them. But that method far exceeds the depths I'm willing to go through for a weeknight family side dish.
This homemade steak fries recipe is a potato masterpiece, and always yields fries that are crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, and everything you could possibly want in a steak fry at home.
Plus, it's a healthier way to eat fries, and they're easy to make. Triple bonus.
The type of potato, oven temperature, oil, and pan spacing has everything to do with whether you end up with crispy or soggy steak fries.
Russet potatoes are high in starch and low in moisture, which makes them ideal for crispy oven fries. Combined with a 425°F oven, they develop a golden, crisp exterior while staying soft and fluffy inside.
A quick toss in avocado or canola oil helps the potatoes to brown evenly and develop crisp edges. And to take this recipe one step further toward potato perfection, flipping the fries halfway through the cook time ensures both sides roast beautifully.
They're simple enough for weeknight dinners, but just as worthy alongside burgers, steaks, sandwiches, and all kinds of comfort food favorites.
Best Potatoes for Steak Fries
Russet potatoes are the gold standard for steak fries because they are high in starch and low in moisture. This combination allows the potato to crisp up beautifully while staying light and fluffy on the inside.
Lower-starch potatoes (like red or Yukon Gold) contain more moisture and have a creamier interior with a denser mouthfeel. While that texture is great for mashed potatoes, potato patties, or even roasted potatoes, it's not ideal for classic crispy steak fries.
How to Make Steak Fries At Home
The trick to making perfect steak fries at home is to properly roast them. However, before you roast them, you'll need to cut them.
Cut the Potatoes
When roasting steak fries, it is important that all of your fries are similar in size. This will help them to cook evenly.
To cut the fries of equal thickness, quarter the potatoes lengthwise. Then, carefully, cut each quarter into thirds. This will provide you with perfectly-sized steak fries.
Season the Fries
Transfer the potatoes to a rimmed sheet pan, preferably lined with aluminum foil to prevent sticking. Drizzle the wedges with oil and sprinkle with Kosher salt and black pepper. If you'd like to take the flavor one step further, try our fry seasoning.
Toss to evenly coat the fries.
Roast at High Heat
Transfer to a preheated 425°F oven and cook for 18 minutes. After the time is up, remove the pan from the oven and use a spatula to turn the potatoes over. Return to the oven and cook for an additional 16-18 minutes.
The Secret for Crispy Fries
- Use Russet potatoes
- Dry the potatoes thoroughly
- Roast at 425°F
- Don't overcrowd the pan
- Flip halfway through cooking
Don't Cram the Pan
There are two important qualifiers you should know for roasting: (1) you're cooking at a high temperature and (2) air should be able to circulate all around the item at hand. More specifically, air needs to be able to circulate in between the steak fries on the pan.
If you cram them all together, they will steam rather than roast. As you can imagine, steaming the potatoes will not produce a crispy, crunchy exterior.
If you can't spread your fries across the pan with space in between, just bite the bullet and pull out a second sheet pan. Trust me, it's worth it.
Use the Right Oil
The oil also allows us to develop a browned and crunchy exterior. The oil you choose is important, as different oils have different smoke points.
For this recipe, in particular, we are cooking at a fairly high temperature, so choosing an oil with a higher smoke-point is essential to developing a golden-brown crust, rather than a (wamp, wamp, wamp) blackened one. Canola oil or vegetable oil is best for this recipe.
Toss the Fries Half Way Through Cooking
Another easy trick we'll put to good use for this recipe is to turn the fries half-way through the cooking process. this allows for the wedges to cook evenly on both sides. I recommend using either parchment paper or nonstick aluminum foil to make for quick-flipping. And folks, that's really all there is to it.
Why Your Steak Fries Turn Out Soggy
There are a few reasons steak fries might turn out soggy. Luckily, all are easily avoidable.
- Using the wrong potato | Using a low-starch potato, like red or Yukon Gold, that contains more moisture.
- Too much moisture on the potato | It is important no extra moisture is going into the oven with the potatoes. Be sure to dry the exterior of potatoes thoroughly before cutting.
- Crowding the pan | If your baking pan is too crowded with potatoes, it will create a steamy environment. Steam will prevent steak fries from browning and crisping on the edges and exterior.
- Skipping the flip | Turning the fries halfway through the cooking process exposes both sides to direct heat and prevents steam from staying trapped underneath one side throughout the duration of the cook.
What to Serve with Steak Fries
Steak fries are the ideal companion for just about any comfort food. Hearty enough for burgers and grilled meatloaf sandwiches, but are more than capable of holding their own next to steaks, whether you're grilling hearty cowboy steaks, sirloins, T-bones, or Porterhouse. These fries are the perfect accompaniment.
We also love them next to hot dogs topped with coney sauce or a basket full of chicken tenders.
To round out the meal, you can't beat a simple wedge or house salad and fried corn on the side.
How to Reheat Steak Fries
The best way to reheat steak fries is in the oven or air fryer so they crisp back up instead of turning soft.
Oven | Preheat to 400°F, spread the fries out on a sheet pan in a single layer, and bake for 8-10 minutes.
Air Fryer | Preheat to 375°F and cook for 4-5 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through.
More Potato Recipes to Try
- Sweet Potato Fries
- Make-Ahead Twice Baked Potatoes
- Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole
- Scalloped Potatoes
- Crispy Roasted Potatoes
Steak Fries Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 small Russet potatoes scrubbed and dried
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons Kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425° and have ready one (or two) large rimmed sheet pans lined with either nonstick aluminum foil or parchment paper. Quarter the potatoes lengthwise. Cut each quarter into thirds.
- Transfer the potatoes to the sheet pan, drizzle with canola oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss until evenly coated. Transfer half of the potatoes to a second sheet pan to prevent overcrowding, if necessary. The potatoes will not properly roast/brown if there is no space between them.
- Place in the oven and bake 18 minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully turn wedges over, using tongs or a fork if necessary to keep from burning your fingers. If the potatoes stick to the foil, allow them to sit for 1-2 minutes, and then turn.
- Return to the oven and bake for an additional 16-18 minutes, or until the potatoes are golden-brown and crisp. Serve and enjoy.
Shelby says
Love how crispy and delicious these look! Sometimes the simplest recipe is the tastiest!! Great tip on spreading the wedges out so they don't steam!
Kelly Anthony says
Thank you, Shelby! Works like a charm 😉
Claudia Lamascolo says
What delicious looking steak fries. My husband loves them so I will have to try baking them. I guess this looks like it needs to be on my must make soon list
Lisa says
Yum! Those steak fries look amazing. My husband is sure to enjoy them.
Kelly Anthony says
Thank you! Mine definitely does 😉
Lisa says
Who doesn't love fries? You've gotten such a beautiful golden color on them too - will use your tip about flipping half way... that makes sense!
Kelly Anthony says
Thank you, Lisa!!!
Dahn says
great tips! I'm a steak fry queen. I would rather have steak fries than the skinny little twigs that seem standard.
Kelly Anthony says
I'll take fries just about any way I can get them 😉 But these are so much easier than having to double fry a batch! And healthier too!!
Allison - Celebrating Sweets says
I want to jump through my screen and devour these! I could seriously eat these as a meal on their own. Ha!
Kelly Anthony says
Ha! Thank you, Allison!
Gloria says
YES to oven fries. So much better than deep fried. We love preparing them this way. Much healthier...and so easy to make.
Eva says
Not cramming the pan is really the biggest piece of advice for always getting the best out of baked potatoes! I was testing sweet potato oven fries and the same principle applies. I have pork in red wine sauce on my mind for tonight, I think you just inspired the perfect side dish to it!
Kelly Anthony says
Thanks, Eva! Yes! It's so important!!!
Elaine Benoit says
There is nothing like good crispy steak fries and yours looks perfect and delicious!! I love the tips you provided about not cramming them together on the sheet pan!!
Ashley @ Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen says
Great tips here for avoiding the double frying action at home. It's not something I want to do too often, delicious as it is. This is a much healthier alternative, not to mention easier! I'm gonna need to make some of these beauties soon - love that crispy exterior!
Anne says
THese look delicious! thanks for sharing your tips for making oven fries!
Marisa Franca says
Those steak fries look perfect. I even called Hubby over to see them. They are just the way we like them and we've had hit and miss with some of our fries but it could be the type of potato. Having stead this weekend and we'll make steak fries!
Jenni LeBaron says
I love steak fries, especially when they are perfectly crispy like this! I agree that you have to turn them halfway through so they crisp up properly. Great recipe!
Amanda M Mason says
These look amazing!! I'm so guilty of crowding the pan!! Your tips and pieces of advice on this recipe are so helpful!! I love a good simple and HEALTHY french fry!!
Kelly Anthony says
Thank you, Amanda!!
Jackie @ The Seaside Baker says
YUM!!! I love a good crispy steak fry! These are great tips!
Kelly Anthony says
Thank you, Jackie!
Natalie says
Wow these fries look absolutely DELICIOUS! Love the crispness you achieved here. Oh my... just yum! I'm such a huge fan of homemade fries from real deal potato (not some store bought who-know-what's-inside ones). Cheers to super delicious fries! 🙂
Kelly Anthony says
Thank you so much, Natalie!
Andrea says
Perfect fries! Thank you for sharing all these helpful tricks!
Kelly Anthony says
Thanks, Andrea! You're so welcome!
Georgie says
i love crispy fries! they're so so good, these looked cooked to perfection!
Holly says
I love how crispy these steak fries are! Such a perfect side for anything on the grill - especially some ribeyes!
Gloria says
Fries in the oven are so good...and much healthier than in oil. These look crispy and delicious...the perfect side to steak, burgers and sandwiches.
Amanda says
The skin on these fries look so perfect. I love a good crispy oven fry. Looking forward to making these. Thanks for sharing!
Jakub says
These look so good! It's 9 am but I would demolish those right now if I could. Beautifully crispy and delicious!
Kelly Anthony says
Thank you, Jakub!
Stine Mari says
These fries look amazing, I love how crispy they look. Nothing's more disappointing than soggy fries, so this looks perfect!
Anna Hettick says
My kids and I love steak fries so much! These look great! For sure will be trying these out!
Jacqueline Debono says
Your steak fries look perfect! I usually fry mine but as you say, not so healthy! Have to give this recipe a try!
Jessica says
I love baked fries they are so perfect! I think I’ll make some tonight!
Kelly Anthony says
Thank you, Jessica 🙂
Chef Mireille says
though personally am not a huge steak fry fan but the tips you great are useful when I need to make them for someone else!
Adriana Lopez Martin says
Wow, steak fries make in the oven, what a great idea fewer calories and more flavor. Fries are my guilty pleasure so I need to make some oven baked.
Kari Heron | Chef and Steward says
Love steak fries in our house. The colour and crispiness on your oven fries is very impressive. Great tips too.
Kelly Anthony says
Thank you so much, Kari!
Stephanie Simmons says
I'm so hungry for these right now! There's nothing better than a pan of homemade fries - yum!
Mirlene says
Omg!!! I'm so glad I came across these fries today. I'm making fried chicken like I usually do on Saturdays. Thabks for the idea. Looks great!!!
April says
When it comes to fries, it is usually hard to surprise. But your recipe definitely stands out! I can only imagine dipping those fries in a few different sources - so much joy!
Patricia Bruni says
Pretty much spot on! I'm impressed and that ain't easy. Great recipe.
Patricia Bruni says
Absolutely perfect. Thank you