Healthy Homemade French Fries (2024)

FAQs

Are homemade French fries healthy? ›

Making your own French fries can be healthier than getting them from a restaurant, especially when you choose healthier ways of cooking and oils. By making your fries at home, you can also control portion sizes and seasoning options.

Carrot Fries

Carrot fries are a great substitute and offer a healthy dose of vitamin A. To make some, chop a few large carrot sticks into smaller pieces that resemble regular French fries. After rinsing and patting them dry, toss your carrot sticks with some salt, black pepper, and grated Pecorino Romano cheese.

Heart-healthy oils like safflower oil and rice bran oil are perfect because they can withstand frying temperatures of almost 500° F. You can also look to peanut oil and sunflower oil if you're frying at 450° F, or canola oil and vegetable oil to keep temperatures around 400° F.

Place them in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Allow them to soak, 2 to 3 hours. (You can also stick them in the fridge and let them soak overnight.) When you're ready to make the fries, drain off the water and lay the potatoes on 2 baking sheets lined with paper towels.

By using heart-healthy olive oil and baking your hand-cut fries, you'll be getting all of the nutrients potatoes naturally have to offer, according to the USDA, without all of the unhealthy fats and preservatives so common in fast food fries, per McDonald's.

at chick fil A has over 420 calories? Did you also know that 216 of those calories come from fat? Chick fil A uses canola oil to fry their fries. This is how much canola oil has been soaked up into these French fries.

Sweet potato fries are slightly higher in calories and carbs than French fries but also high in vitamin A — giving them a nutritional edge. Still, deep-fried fries of any kind served in over-sized portions — as in many restaurants — may increase your risk of weight gain and related health problems.

Spoiler alert: Olive oil is one of the healthiest oils for frying, but only if you use it correctly. And there are other great options—including soybean oil and peanut oil as well.

Air frying can be a healthier alternative to deep-fried foods as it uses a fraction of the oil that is used when deep frying. Air fryers use a combination of hot air and only about one to two tablespoons of oil to promote caramelization, whereas deep fryers often require at least four to six cups of oil.

What oil does McDonald's use for fries? ›

The suppliers we work with first peel, cut and blanche the potatoes. They then dry, partially fry and quickly freeze the fries for our restaurants. Once in our kitchens, we cook them in our canola-blend oil so you can have them crispy and hot—just the way you like them.

Here are some highlights:

The homemade version has fewer carbohydrates and calories, and less fat, saturated fat and sodium.

Baked potatoes offer more nutritional value than fries because they still have skin. Potato skins are the most nutrient-dense part of a baked potato. Another benefit of heart-healthy baked potatoes is that they are not deep-fried in oil and grease like french fries.

Yet not all carbs are created equal. What was most unexpected about the results, is that even french fries cooked in oil came out higher in the carbohydrate health hierarchy than pasta and rice. Mashed potatoes were the real winner, with children consuming 30-40 per cent fewer calories at meals.

While potatoes—the primary ingredient in french fries—are a lower-calorie, low-fat food, french fries are usually high in fat, calories, and sodium. If you include them in your diet, it's smart to consume french fries in moderation or to use a cooking method that reduces the fat and sodium content.

The homemade version has fewer carbohydrates and calories, and less fat, saturated fat and sodium. The higher fat content of McDonald's fries is most likely due to deep fat frying or even some pre-frying done before the fries are shipped to the restaurant.

Homemade French Fry (1 serving) contains 31g total carbs, 27.8g net carbs, 7.6g fat, 3.2g protein, and 180 calories.

There is a savings of $1.20 – 2.26/lb. in mak- ing fries from scratch using whole potatoes. Of course, you also have to wash the potatoes and slice them, but if you do not peel them, you keep nutrients and flavor. Only a small amount of ad- ditional time is needed to make fries from scratch.