These homemade Peri Peri fries are crispy, salty, spicy and addictive!
Classic French fries are cooked in the Air Fryer and tossed in a spicy, tangy homemade seasoning, transforming into a snack that’s hard to keep your hands off.
Just like pretty much everyone else on this planet, I’m a big carb lover!
Give me potatoes in pretty much any form, and I’m not sharing anything. Naturally, I keep trying a lot of potato recipes, and my crispy Parmesan potatoes and oven roasted Indian sweet potatoes are good examples.
And while I did plan on using my scratch-made Peri Peri seasoning for other recipes, I thought, why not team them up with some fries and create the simplest, easiest and most flavorful side dish ever?
Jump to:
- What's So Great About the Recipe?
- Ingredients For the Peri Peri Fries Recipe
- How to Make Air Fryer Peri Peri Fries
- Substitutions & Variations
- 💭Top Tip
- Equipment
- How to Prep Peri Peri Fries in Advance
- How to Store Leftover Cooked Fries
- Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- How to Serve the Peri Peri Fries
- FAQs
- Related Recipes
- Peri Peri Fries
What's So Great About the Recipe?
The savory, spicy flavors of these Peri-Peri fries is what’s my favorite part about the recipe.
If you’re like me and love Nando’s Peri Peri sauce, you’ll totally dig this recipe.
And of course, it’s really easy to make too, which is another plus. This has to be, hands-down, my favorite French fries recipe ever.
Ingredients For the Peri Peri Fries Recipe
You’ll need just 3 simple ingredients to make the homemade Peri Peri fries.
Peri Peri seasoning: My addictive homemade Peri Peri seasoning is the hero ingredient here. You can, of course, use your store-bought seasoning mix if you want to.
French fries: To keep things quick and easy, I used frozen French fries. You could, of course, scratch-make them if you want to.
Oil: You’ll also need just a teeny bit of oil, ideally olive oil, to help the seasoning stick to the fries.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Air Fryer Peri Peri Fries
Ready to make this recipe? Here’s what you’ll need to do.
Step 1: Arrange your frozen fries in the Air Fryer basket in a single layer. Drizzle a bit of oil over them and toss. This will help them get extra crispy.
Step 2: I also added the Peri Peri seasoning into it at this point. You can choose to cook them just like that if you want to. Cook the fries according to the packet instructions, shaking the basket a couple times to ensure even cooking.
Step 3: Transfer to a large bowl and sprinkle peri-peri seasoning, drizzle with olive oil and toss to combine. Mix well until you coat the chips.
Step 4: Serve immediately with your favorite dip!
Substitutions & Variations
- I used my Air Fryer to cook the Peri Peri French fries. If you want to, you could choose to make a deep fried version instead.
- If you’re making these for a party, you could try serving lots of different versions of French fries by playing around with different seasoning mixes like a Tajin spice mix, a homemade garlic bread seasoning or even a rustic Egyptian Dukkah.
💭Top Tip
Use frozen fries to cut down the cooking time for this recipe. You’ll just need to follow the packet instructions to Air Fry the batch.
Equipment
How to Prep Peri Peri Fries in Advance
Ready to make your own Peri Peri fries? You can actually prep them in advance too.
Simply prepare the easy Peri Peri seasoning in advance or use the store-bought variety.
Then, to make Peri Peri chips, all you need to do is cook the fries according to package directions in the Air Fryer or deep fry them.
Another great idea is to make a huge batch of oven baked fries, toss them in the seasoning and then serve immediately.
How to Store Leftover Cooked Fries
Storing the leftover cooked fries isn’t ideal, but if you ended up making more than needed, I would recommend storing them in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Then, when you want to have them, just pop them in the Air Fryer again, and sprinkle the seasoning on the crispy fries.
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- Remember to arrange the fries in a single layer in your Air Fryer basket for best results.
- If you’re using your Air Fryer to make them, be prepared to work in small batches. If you want things to be done quicker, it makes sense to cook the frozen fries in the oven.
- If you’re making the fries from scratch using fresh potatoes, I would recommend using Yukon gold or Russet potatoes.
- You may also want to remove the excess starch in these potatoes by soaking them in some cold water for a few minutes, washing them again and patting them dry with a kitchen towel before frying or baking them.
How to Serve the Peri Peri Fries
These crispy, flavorful fries are perfect for movie night, as a snack or even as a delicious side dish with any of your favorite mains.
Make a big batch, serve it with your favorite dipping sauce and you’ll end up with a side that’s perfect for those busy weeknights, and one that everyone loves.
I also love making a quick Peri Peri dip by mixing some of the spice mix with mayonnaise and serving it with the fries.
Since these fries are easy to make, you can pair them with your Nandos inspired Peri Peri chicken too- it turns out to be the perfect easy recipe to try when you’re in the mood for some snacking.
Making these for a movie night or a little party you're hosting? Team them up with some spicy Tajin nuts, Ranch crackers, a nice avocado Pico de Gallo salsa and some tortilla chips!
FAQs
Peri-Peri seasoning is basically a mix of powdered spices and herbs like cayenne pepper, paprika, chili, oregano, ground ginger and garlic and more.
To tune down the flavor, you can increase the amount of garlic powder and onion powder you’re adding in the recipe, and cut down on the amount of smoked paprika you’re using for the recipe.
Related Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Peri Peri Fries
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Peri Peri seasoning
- 1 pack frozen French fries
- ½ teaspoon olive oil
Instructions
- Arrange your frozen fries in the Air Fryer basket in a single layer.
- Drizzle a bit of oil over them and toss. This will help them get extra crispy.
- Cook the fries according to the packet instructions, shaking the basket a couple times to ensure even cooking.
- Transfer to a large bowl and sprinkle peri-peri seasoning, drizzle with olive oil and toss to combine. Mix well until you coat the chips.
