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Welcome to your foolproof guide for how to make Curly Fries! With the help of my secret weapon, a spiralizer, turn regular or sweet potatoes into crispy homemade French fries just like the fast food menu staple.
Growing up in the Midwest, I had a distinct fast food French fry hierarchy. Coming in third: Wendy’s skin-on fries. Second place goes to the beloved crunchy sticks, McDonald’s fries. And topping them all to earn the first place status in my heart (and stomach)? Arby’s seasoned curly fries.
Delivering maximum surface area to amp up the crunch factor, plus infused with far more flavor than the plain-old-salt-only fries, these homemade curly fries deliver all the cravability I remember from the Arby’s order, just minus the trip to the drive-through or restaurant counter.
You can use a spiralizer for so many tasks; turning zucchini into noodles or cabbage into perfect-for-slaw slices. But my favorite use for the best spiralizer (based on many trials in our test kitchen), this OXO model, is to create a batch of spiralized potatoes or sweet potatoes for fries. Namely, these zesty, crunchy Arby’s copycat curly fries.
If you’re firmly on Team Straight Fries, don’t miss my Homemade French Fries. But chances are the curly fry recipe below is about to convince you to switch sides!
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient and equipment notes
- Russet potatoes: Starchy Russets and Idaho potatoes work well for curly fries. Feel free to leave the skin on, just like Arby’s does (or peel if desired). Either way, give it a good scrub and trim the ends so the potato is stabilized in the spiralizer. Or substitute sweet potatoes.
- Vegetable or canola oil: Opt for a neutral oil with a high smoke point, like canola, vegetable, peanut, or grapeseed for the best frying medium.
- Spiralizer: As I mentioned, I swear by my OXO spiralizer, but any sturdy countertop model will do. For this recipe, look for a 1/4-inch (0.64 cm) blade, sometimes called the “fettuccine” blade.
- Thermometer: Use a digital thermometer to help dial in the oil temperature (Culinary Hill may earn money if you buy through this link).
Step-by-step instructions
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil for easy clean up, then top with a wire rack. Line a second baking sheet with paper towels. Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Fit the spiralizer with a 1/4-inch (0.64 cm) blade. Fit the trimmed potato into the spiralizer, then spiralize the potato completely. Cut any very long spirals into shorter pieces.
- Transfer the spiralized potatoes to a large bowl and cover with cold water. Soak the potatoes in cold water for 15 to 30 minutes (the longer the better).
- In a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium-high heat, add 1 ½ to 2-inches of oil and heat to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 ½ teaspoons pepper. Add 1 cup of water and whisk until a batter forms, adding more water as necessary for a smooth consistency.
- Working in small batches, dry the fries on a kitchen towel to remove excess water. Dredge the fries in the batter, turning until well-coated, then place on wire rack over the rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with remaining fries.
- Fry in batches until the potatoes are golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes (depending on the size of the batch and how consistent the oil temperature is).
- Immediately transfer to baking sheet lined with paper towels and sprinkle with salt. Transfer the cooked curly fries to the oven to keep warm. Return the oil to 375 degrees and repeat with the remaining curly fries.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: My Homemade Curly Fries recipe makes four generous 2-cup side dish servings.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The easiest way to reheat curly fries is in an air fryer (an oven works, too).
- Make ahead: The potatoes can be spiralized and stored in water up to 24 hours in advance.
- Frying safety: Use a pot that’s large enough for the oil and potatoes. Be sure to allow space on top of the pot for oil to bubble up. You don’t want it to boil over.
Recipe FAQs
This helps remove excess starch prior to frying so you’re left with crispier results. Soaking the fries also prevents discoloration as well. Allow them to soak for ideally 30 minutes (if you’re short on time, as little as 10 minutes will make a big difference, however). Use a clean kitchen towel to dry them well before coating in the batter.
The actual frying time depends on how much your oil temperature drops between batches. It might take anywhere from 5 minutes to 10 minutes to fry your potatoes to crisp, lightly browned spirals during the later batches. Aim to keep the temperature around 375 degrees for the most predictable results. At or around that temperature, your curly fries will likely be done in 4 to 5 minutes per batch.
Before you start frying, line a sheet pan with paper towels or a wire rack (this will help oil from pooling below the cooked fries). Once each batch is golden brown, use a stainless steel spider or similar heat-safe tool to remove the fries from the hot oil. Shake off the excess oil over the pan, then transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Season immediately with salt and pop the pan in the oven to keep warm and crispy.
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Curly Fries
Ingredients
- 1 large russet potato about 1 pound, scrubbed, unpeeled, ends trimmed (see note 1)
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups water plus more, for soaking
- 28 ounces vegetable oil or canola oil, plus more, for frying
- 1 1/2 cup flour
- 1/4 cup paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil for easy clean up, then top with a wire rack. Line a second baking sheet with paper towels. Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
- Fit the spiralizer with a 1/4-inch (0.64 cm) blade. Fit the trimmed potato into the spiralizer, then spiralize the potato completely. Cut any very long spirals into shorter pieces.
- Transfer the spiralized potatoes to a large bowl and cover with cold water. Soak the potatoes in cold water for 15 to 30 minutes (the longer the better).
- In a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium-high heat, add 1 ½ to 2-inches of oil and heat to 375 degrees.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 ½ teaspoons pepper. Add 1 cup of water and whisk until a batter forms, adding more water as necessary for a smooth consistency.
- Working in small batches, dry the fries on a kitchen towel to remove excess water. Dredge the fries in the batter, turning until well-coated, then place on wire rack over the rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with remaining fries.
- Fry in batches until the potatoes are golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes (depending on the size of the batch and how consistent the oil temperature is). Immediately transfer to baking sheet lined with paper towels and sprinkle with salt.
- Transfer the cooked curly fries to the oven to keep warm. Return the oil to 375 degrees and repeat with the remaining curly fries.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Russet potatoes: Starchy Russets and Idaho potatoes work well for curly fries. Feel free to leave the skin on, just like Arby’s does (or peel if desired). Either way, give it a good scrub and trim the ends so the potato is stabilized in the spiralizer. Or substitute sweet potatoes.
- Vegetable or canola oil: Opt for a neutral oil with a high smoke point, like canola, vegetable, peanut, or grapeseed for the best frying medium.
- Spiralizer: As I mentioned, I swear by my OXO spiralizer, but any sturdy countertop model will do. For this recipe, look for a 1/4-inch (0.64 cm) blade, sometimes called the “fettuccine” blade.
- Thermometer: Use a digital thermometer to help dial in the oil temperature (Culinary Hill may earn money if you buy through this link).
- Yield: My Homemade Curly Fries recipe makes four generous 2-cup side dish servings.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The easiest way to reheat curly fries is in an air fryer (an oven works, too).
- Make ahead: The potatoes can be spiralized and stored in water up to 24 hours in advance.
Nutrition
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Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
I also love Arby’s curly fries! This recipe seems perfect. Can they be baked instead of fried? If so, what instructions do you recommend?
Hi Rachel! Thank you so much for your comment! I haven’t tried it myself, but I don’t see why not. I would bake them in a 425 degree oven, about 20 minutes. I would remove any fries that have crisped up, stir the remaining and continue cooking in 5 minute intervals until they are done. Hope this helps! – Meggan