This Copycat Five Guys Cajun Fries Recipe is crispy, spicy, and perfectly flavored with our cajun seasoning blend. It's a healthier version that can be made both in the oven and air fryer.
Five guys fans, gather around! This Copycat Five Guys Cajun Fries recipe tastes just like the real thing, but healthier.
This copycat version consists of fresh potatoes that get seasoned with our DIY cajun mix and then cooked until golden perfection.
It's delicious to enjoy alongside your favorite dips and sauces or serve as a side dish to vegan air fryer burgers, teriyaki cauliflower wings, Beyond meat chili, and even breakfast shakshuka.
For more potato recipes, check out my Crispy Air Fryer Potatoes, Curried Mashed Potatoes, and Potato Salad without Eggs.
And for more air fryer recipes, check out my 20 Air Fryer Side Dishes roundup.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Made with simple ingredients. This recipe doesn't use any fancy ingredients or techniques and is super easy to make.
- Customizable. You can control how salty, spicy, and seasoned you want your fries to be.
- Healthier than regular fries. You'll need only a small amount of vegetable oil to coat the potatoes before air frying or baking them. If you're a regular reader, you know I love transforming fast food meals into healthier options, just like I did with this Panda Express Eggplant Tofu.
- Delicious. Using real potatoes, and fresh spices, these easy cajun fries carry an amazing flavor.
Ingredients
- Potatoes: I like to use Yukon Gold potatoes or russet potatoes. They work great for both fries and my dairy-free potato leek soup because they're high in starch.
- Spices: To make the Five Guys' Cajun spice blend, you'll need smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, thyme, red pepper flakes, or cayenne pepper.
- Oil: Use canola, olive oil, or peanut oil for best results. Five Guys fries are made with peanut oil, but if you have nut allergies, use canola oil instead.
- Granulated sugar (optional): It mellows down the spiciness of the cajun spice mix, but it won't make your fries sweet.
See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and exact measurements.
How to Make Five Guys Cajun Fries Recipe
Step 1: Wash, peel, and cut potatoes into ¼" strips. Then, if using the oven method, add your baking sheet to the oven and preheat it to 390ºF (200ºC).
Step 2: This is optional, but it helps to get rid of some of the starch, which results in crispier fries. Fill a large bowl with water, add ice, and add the potatoes. Soak for at least 30 minutes, then drain and rinse.
Step 3: Lay them on a few layers of paper towels and dry well. This is important to make sure that the seasoning will stick properly.
Step 4: Add the potatoes to a bowl and coat with 1 tablespoon of oil. Then, add the spice mix and stir until every last piece is well-coated.
Step 5: Take the hot baking sheet out of the oven and spray it with cooking spray. Add the fries in a single layer, giving them enough space in between.
Step 6: Bake for 35-40 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden brown.
Finish by sprinkling a little bit of sea salt before serving.
Air Fryer Method
If using an air fryer, preheat it to 390ºF (200ºC). Spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray, then add the fries in a single layer. Cook for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown, flipping halfway through.
👩🏼🍳 Petra's Tips
- Cut the fries into similar sizes. This ensures that they will cook evenly and at about the same time.
- Soak the potatoes in ice-cold water. If you have the time, I recommend soaking the fries anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours to get rid of the starch.
- Dry them very well before seasoning. After soaking, make sure to completely dry the potatoes. This will help the seasoning stick better and will prevent the potatoes from getting soggy.
- Preheat your baking sheet. Instead of using parchment paper, preheat your baking sheet and spray it with cooking spray. This creates a non-stick layer, and since you're not using parchment paper, the potatoes can have direct contact with the surface and get super crispy.
- Work in batches if needed. It's essential to not overcrowd the air fryer basket or the baking sheet. If you don't give the potatoes enough space, they'll steam instead of crisping up and will end up being soggy. This is something that I learned when I tested my Teriyaki Cauliflower Wings recipe.
- Can't be bothered to make your own seasoning mix? Order Cajun season online from Amazon.
Recipe FAQs
Five Guys' seasoning is made from smoked paprika, dried oregano, dried thyme, onion and garlic powder, red chili flakes, and salt and black pepper. Their secret ingredient is adding granulated sugar in the spice mix, which balances out the spiciness of the seasoning.
This recipe is moderately spicy. If you don't like spicy food, you can simply omit the red chili flakes, and if you want the make your fries spicier, you can add ¼- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper.
Yes. Although they won't get as crispy as they were when they were fresh, you can still reheat them. Preheat the oven or air fryer to 400°F (205°C). Bake for 10 minutes, or air fryer for 4-5 minutes, tossing halfway through.
Five guys use fresh potatoes that deep-fry in peanut oil, unlike other fast-food fries. They use a cooking process called "double frying", which is exactly what it sounds like- frying the potatoes twice to make them extra crispy.
IMO, yes. I highly recommend soaking the potatoes to make the fries extra crispy. If you can't remember to soak them a few hours before, you can soak them overnight and keep them in the fridge.
Russet potatoes are the best type of potatoes to use to make fries. They're high in starch and low in moisture. Avoid using waxy potatoes.
Serving
Enjoy these cajun fries alongside a Five Guys burger in true Five Guys fashion. For those following plant-based diets, check out my air fryer Beyond Burger.
You can also serve them alongside dishes like eggplant tofu stir fry, orzo mac and cheese, risoni salad with feta, and vegan chicken sandwiches.
For dipping, I suggest guacamole without cilantro or vegan Big Mac sauce, and even my Oreo milkshake made with no ice cream in true American fashion.
Storage
This recipe is best served when fresh, as the fries get soft when they cool down. However, if you have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
More Air Fryer Recipes
If you tried these Copycat Five Guys Cajun Fries or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting today!
📖 Recipe
Copycat Five Guys Cajun Fries Recipe
Equipment
- Air fryer optional
- Oven
Ingredients
For the fries
- 2 large russet potatoes or 3 medium
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil or canola, or olive oil
- cooking spray
For the spice blend
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Wash, peel, and cut potatoes into ½-inch thick fries. Then, if using the oven method, add your baking sheet to the oven and preheat it to 390ºF (200ºC).2 large russet potatoes
- This is optional, but it helps to get rid of some of the starch, which results in crispier fries. Fill a large bowl with water and add ice and add the potatoes. Soak for at least 30 minutes, then drain and rinse.
- Lay them on a few layers of paper towels and dry well. This is important to make sure that the seasoning will stick properly.
- Add the potatoes to a bowl and coat with oil. Then, add the spices and stir until every last piece is well-coated.1 tablespoon peanut oil, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, ¼ teaspoon dried thyme, ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
Oven method
- Take the hot baking sheets out of the oven and spray them with cooking spray. Add the fries in a single layer, giving them enough space in between. Bake for 35-40 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden brown.cooking spray
Air fryer method
- If using an air fryer, preheat it to 390ºF (200ºC). Spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray, then add the fries in a single layer. Cook for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Finish by sprinkling a little bit of sea salt before serving.
Notes
- Cut the fries into similar sizes. This ensures that they will cook evenly and at about the same rate.
- Soak the potatoes in ice-cold water. If you have the time, I recommend soaking the fries anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours to get rid of the starch. This is my best trick for making crispy baked potatoes.
- Dry them very well before seasoning. After soaking, make sure to completely dry the potatoes. This will help the seasoning stick better and will prevent the potatoes from getting soggy.
- Preheat your baking sheets. Instead of using parchment paper, preheat your baking sheets and spray them with cooking spray. This creates a non-stick layer, and since you're not using parchment paper, the potatoes can have direct contact with the surface and get super crispy.
- Work in batches if needed. It's essential to not overcrowd the air fryer basket or the baking sheets. If you don't give the potatoes enough space, they'll steam instead of crisp up, and will end up being soggy.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with third-party calculations without including the optional ingredients.
Створити особистий акаунт says
Can you be more specific about the content of your article? After reading it, I still have some doubts. Hope you can help me.
Rachel says
I did not love the seasoning on the fries, it was way too sweet compared to 5 Guys. However, it is DELICIOUS on popcorn. Sounds weird but the combination of sweet, smoky, salty, and a little spicy gives a spiced kettle corn vibe.
Petranka says
Hi Rachel. Sorry to hear you didn't enjoy the seasoning, many readers have loved it. Maybe try adding less paprika next time? And thanks for the popcorn trick! 🙂
Sakura says
Great recipe ! I had a delicious moment eating these fries ! Thank you !
Petranka says
So glad to hear you liked my recipe, Sakura! Thanks for the review!
Robert says
These fries totally saved me when I had friends over for a movie. They freaking loved em'!