We Tried 45 Bags Of Frozen French Fries—These Are The Absolute Best

Best Classic: McCain Extra Crispy Classic Fries

Stop & Shop

Plenty of frozen French fry brands promise a crispy exterior and fail to deliver. McCain is not one of them. Its straight-cut fries were among the few that became genuinely crisp within the cooking time listed on the bag.

The seasoning was on point, the centers stayed soft and fluffy, and the outsides were easily some of the crunchiest in the entire test.

One editor summed up their appeal perfectly: “I could eat a scary amount of these.”

Best Crinkle: Strong Roots Crispy Crinkle Fries

Strong Roots

Strong Roots is a relative newcomer to the frozen fry aisle, but if its crinkle-cut fries are any indication, it can already compete with the longtime staples.

While plenty of other brands fell flat, these fries delivered an impressive crunch and actually tasted like potato rather than stale oil. That was a very welcome surprise after working our way through bag after bag of soggy fries.

They could use some salt, but otherwise there were very few complaints.

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Best Steak: Red Robin Seasoned Steak Fries

Walmart

Let’s be honest: Steak fries can be polarizing. Their thickness already limits the crispy-to-creamy ratio, and when a frozen version does not cook properly, you can easily end up with a pile of mush.

Thankfully, Red Robin knows its way around a steak fry. The chain’s frozen version develops a sturdy, crisp crust and comes coated in plenty of savory seasoning. It was the only brand that managed to win over even the steak fry skeptics on our team.

Best Waffle: Ore-Ida Golden Waffle Fries

Target

The best thing about a waffle fry is naturally its shape. All those ridges and openings create more surface area, which, when the fry is made well, means more golden, crispy edges in every bite.

Ore-Ida’s Golden Waffle Fries gave us exactly what we wanted. The outsides had enough structure and crunch without sacrificing the soft, fluffy potato inside.

Our only complaint was that they needed an extra sprinkle of salt, which was hardly a deal breaker.

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Best Sweet Potato: Alexia Sweet Potato Fries

Alexia

Sweet potato fries may not inspire the same level of devotion as their classic counterparts, but there is absolutely a time and place for the bright orange alternative. We tried plenty of them, and no brand came close to beating Alexia’s classic-cut sweet potato fries.

They had the ideal texture we were looking for: crispy exterior with a soft and creamy interior. But our favorite aspect of these fries is how well they’re seasoned. Alexia doesn’t skimp on the salt here, which offers a nice contrast to the potato’s natural sweetness.

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