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I'm a life-long lover of all potato-based foods, and often judge restaurants based entirely on the quality of their French fries. While I’ll happily debate which fast food chain has the best fries, when it really comes down to it, I’m happy to eat them whenever possible. When tasked with ranking the best frozen French fries, I was thrilled, and immediately set out to every local supermarket to pick up bags of frozen potatoes in a variety of shapes and kinds. Then I enlisted the help of my super picky teenage daughter, who gamely tried all these varieties with me along with the stipulation that they could be consumed with copious amounts of ketchup. To prepare them for sampling, I cooked all fries in a conventional oven (not an air fryer) and followed the instructions on the bags. And while my kid used ketchup, I ate them without any added salt, seasoning, or dipping sauces for a true test of taste and quality. Read on to see which store-bought fries came out on top. Spoiler: My long-time fave did not top the list!
Red Robin's unlimited basket of fries is pretty much the entire reason I visit their restaurants, so I was super excited to give these a try. Much to my dismay, they just don't translate at home. The flavor is off, and they never really get the right consistency, even when you cook longer than recommended. And while all of the other fries we sampled I'd buy again, and maybe cook in an air fryer or add my own seasonings, these weren't worth the name-brand price at all.
The Walmart brand of fries is totally a household staple, but when measured up against some other brands, they don't crisp up the same way and the flavor is very bland. For the price, they are a great option for kids who are just gonna douse them in a gallon of ketchup anyway.
I love shopping at Aldi, and these fries are fine, but not exceptional. They cooked up a little watery and soggy, even though they were prepped the same way as the other fries.
These fries from Stop & Shop's in-house brand were "seasoned" but underwhelming. The flavoring wasn't quite enough to be really distinctive.
These fries are appealing because they cook up so quickly. Of course, the promised five minutes don't take into account the time it takes to preheat the oven, so they are still more like 20-minute fries, but faster than most of the others on this list. The fries aren't especially flavorful, but they'd be great when you find yourself on a time crunch.
These Ore-Ida fries are an acquired taste, as they have a breaded exterior that is similar to a mozzarella stick. I tried them a couple of times because I was really confused by them, and I can't quite figure out if I love or hate them, so they have landed solidly here in the middle of the road.
The flavor on these fries was good, as you'd expect from the fast-food chains, but a conventional oven's cooking doesn't really do them justice. If you are looking for the same kind of fries you get from the drive-through, an air fryer would be the best bet for prepping these.
This house brand from Target produces a solid crinkle cut option. Crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle, these fries are just as they should be.
Not to be confused with the golden crispers, these traditional fries have long been a go-to in the French fry world. Prior to this experiment, I'd say they were my personal favorite. Their slogan even promises "potatoes done perfect," and they are pretty close to perfection as far as straight-cut fries go. Still, I was surprised to like the next few fries just a bit more.
Are you a fan of the slender, shoestring type of fries? These Market Pantry ones from Target are definitely the best that we sampled. They crisped up perfectly in the oven and had just enough salt on their own that they didn't need anything added.
The only curly fries on this list come from Arby's, because we are hooked. These fries are jam-packed with delicious flavor, but still aren't too peppery or spicy for the picky eaters out there. Plus, the curls cooked perfectly crispy in the conventional oven.
Prior to doing this taste test, I'd never even heard of LambWeston's fries or seen them at the grocery store. It turns out that's a true shame! In researching the company, I learned all they do is make potato products, and since that's their focus, they are really, really good at it. These simple crinkle cuts, made from 100% Idaho potatoes, were beyond tasty and they had a delicious crunch. Just everything you'd want in a French fry at home.