Delicious Vegan French Fries
Are french fries vegan?… Those crispy, golden, delicious fries could be considered “vegan food”? Are they gluten free? Another concerning factor for some people.
Those questions go through many people’s minds, especially those who are or plan to go vegans. Those french fries potatoes that you make at home from scratch, yes – are completely vegan.
You can control the frying process, the oil and the seasoned herbs & spices used when cooking this absolutely loved and most consumed type of food worldwide.
Potatoes are also gluten free. Cooked without any wheat or gluten included ingredients, they are safe.
But, the question remains when a vegan goes out at restaurants, or you’re considering buying already prepped and frozen french fries from different stores and manufacturers. The main concern is about the purity of the oil they are fried in, as the fries can be contaminated with traces of non-vegan products.
You can read the ingredients list on frozen fries sold in grocery stores to see if there are some not plant based ingredients used.
Regarding fast food restaurants, you can always ask – but you should keep in mind the fact that is difficult to maintain the non-contamination of fries in such environments.
🥔 Are Homemade French Fries Vegan?
In this case, what’s more simpler than cooking them at home, starting from scratch? It’s not that hard, even though I read that many struggle at this.
I make my kind of “potato fries”, and my mother and grandmother cooked / fried potatoes (as the whole world) before the “french fries” became a famous food type sold in fast-foods and restaurants.
So, my fries are not exactly “french“- meaning they are not fried two times and not cut that thin. I don’t really like fast-food fries because they’re so thin and crispy that they cool off rapidly and become dry, losing their taste.
I like to cut my potatoes in thicker fries, to remain meaty, fluffy and worm much more time. And, boy… they’re delicious! At least we are devouring them every time.
With just fresh potatoes, vegetable oil and some salt involved – they’re absolutely vegan, if that’s your concern. If you’re not vegan, you can grate some feta cheese over them to enjoy them to full deliciousness. Yum!! 🙂
🍟 How To Make Vegan (French) Fries At Home?
First of all, let me tell you that I use any kind of potatoes I have at hand. The red skin potatoes are more suited because they contain less water, rendering more crispy/crunchy fries. But this is not a rule, I like and enjoy any type of fried potato I happen to have available at the moment.
That said, this time I had red skin potatoes. About 6 medium sized potatoes that I fried in 2 batches for 2 servings.
I used a good amount of vegetable sunflower oil (must be neutral oil) for frying and one other important aspect is the pot used for frying. Is better to use a good frying pot, a large wok, a dutch oven or something similar.
I have (inherited) a special pot from my grandmother that I use mostly for this job. The material is thick and the oil temperature is maintained constant, the food does not stick and I absolutely love to cook in it.
Not to mention every time I use it, it reminds me of my happy childhood. Love’ ya, grandma! So, let’s fry some potatoes.
1️ Step one: Peel and cut potatoes
Peel the potatoes and cut them into thin slices then into fries, a little thicker than the regular french fries. Rinse them well in running cold water. If you have time, you can leave them in cold water for about 10-15 minutes to release their starch even more. But it’s not a must, I don’t do it often.
Let them dry well into a colander and prepare the frying pot.
2️ Step two: Fry the potatoes
Pour the vegetable oil into a deep frying pot and put it on the stove at high flame. Let it heat for about 3-4 minutes. I don’t have or use any fancy thermometers – so to verify if the oil is heated enough, I throw in a potato stick and watch if the oil bubbles and sizzles.
That means that the temperature is OK for frying. Add in the rest of the potatoes and stir in a few times so all of the fries are coated in oil.
I fry them in batches because that’s where the secret of the perfectly fried potatoes is. You must not fry too many or to few in a single batch – just take a note about my 3 medium potatoes batch fried together.
That is my usually approach when it comes to frying quantity – adjusted to my frying pot. Just to give you an idea.
Too many and they come out more tender, more soft (which I also like, from time to time). Too few and they will be to crispy and far too dry (those I totally dislike).
Stir and turn them from time to time every 4 minutes, so they cook evenly all over. When they get that beautiful golden color, about 12-15 minutes later, take them out with a wire skimmer or a palette and place them on a paper towel lined platter to release the excess oil. I pat them dry with an extra paper towel on top, too.
🍽️ Serving These Vegan French Fries
Then, transfer them onto a serving dish and season with salt to your personal taste. I added some garlic powder too, cause that’s the way I like to eat them.
There you have it! Beautifully golden crisp, delicious vegan french fries at home. That wasn’t too hard, was it? Serve some cabbage salad aside, or any vegetable salad to complete the meal.
Other seasoning flavors that you can use for these fries are: black pepper, onion powder, dry thyme, dry basil, dry oregano, paprika. Mix them together or use them separately, for variation.
If you’re not vegan:
For the cheesy fries variation, just grate some feta cheese over them and indulge even more deliciousness. Yum!!
Or, beat 2 eggs in a bawl with a pinch of salt. Place a large pan on the stove on medium heat, place the hot fries and the eggs and let them cook together 2-3 minutes, stirring so all the fries get coated with eggs. Serve immediately.
Other fabulous recipes for your family:
- Easy Cheesy Mashed Potatoes (a favorite side dish)
- Russian (Olivier) Salad (must make, yummy!)
- Healthy Potato Salad With Eggs (try this instead of your regular potato salad)
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Vegan Fries: Homemade Gluten Free French Fries
Equipment
- frying pan
Ingredients
- 3 medium size potatoes (1 batch)
- 2 cups (500ml) sunflower oil
- salt (to taste)
- garlic powder (to taste)
Instructions
- Peel and cut potatoes in thin slices. Then cut them into fries, a little thicker than the regular fries. Rinse them well under running cold water. Let them drain in a colander.
- In a deep frying pot pour the oil and let it heat 3-4 minutes on medium-high flame. Add the fries and stir in to cover all of them in oil. Let them fry, stirring every 4 minutes to fry them evenly. In about 12-15 minutes they will be cooked, turning into beautiful gold crispy fries.
- Take them out onto a paper towel lined platter to release excess oil. Transfer onto a serving dish and season with salt and garlic powder to taste. Serve immediately. Enjoy!