Lemon Pepper Fries

These lemon pepper fries with ground black pepper, fresh lemon zest, and fresh parsley are oven-baked until golden and crispy.

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The fresh lemon zest and parsley make these lemon pepper fries restaurant quality. These french fries are gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, and vegan, making them a great side dish for a variety of burgers, wings, sandwiches.

This recipe pairs well with avocado lime ranch dressing, bacon aioli, and buffalo chicken thighs.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Ingredient notes and substitutions
• How to zest a lemon
• Equipment
• Storage
• 📖 Recipe

Ingredients

It takes just a few ingredients to bring these french fries to life.

• russet potatoes
• olive oil
• coarse ground black pepper
• salt
• garlic powder
• fresh parsley
• lemon zest

See the recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Scrub and rinse the potatoes. Cut the potatoes lengthwise into ½-inch slices. Then cut each slice lengthwise into ½-inch fries using a chef's knife.

In a large bowl, soak the potatoes in cold water for 1 hour. Remove them from the bowl, rinse them in fresh water, and dry them thoroughly.

Important Note: After soaking the potatoes, dry them very thoroughly with a kitchen towel or paper towels before baking to ensure they will become crispy and golden. Wet fries will not crisp up as well.

Toss potatoes with olive oil, black pepper, salt, and garlic powder.

Spread evenly in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Tip: The parchment paper helps keep the fries from sticking, which makes it easier to flip them.

Bake for 25 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 400°F, flip the fries, and then return to the oven for about 15 minutes or until golden.

Toss with fresh parsley and lemon zest.

Ingredient notes and substitutions

Potatoes - This recipe has only been tested with russet potatoes. If you use another type of potato, I would love to hear about it in the comments.

Oil - This recipe calls for olive oil, but you can also use canola oil or vegetable oil for a more neutral flavor.

Pepper - This recipe calls for coarse ground black pepper. Pure ground black pepper can also work (same quantity).

Parsley - I only recommend the use of fresh parsley in this recipe. If regular parsley is not available, look for Italian or curly parsley.

Lemon zest - If you would like to use lemon pepper seasoning instead of coarse ground black pepper and fresh lemon zest, replace both the pepper and lemon ingredients with 1 tablespoon of lemon pepper seasoning before baking. Add more after baking if needed.

How to zest a lemon

Zesting a lemon is easy. I use a citrus zester/cheese grater (also called a microplane). If you have a box grater, that will work as well.

1. Hold the citrus zester in one hand by the handle. Place the other tip of the microplane on the counter, holding it at an angle.
2. Hold the lemon in your other hand and push it lengthwise down the zester from the handle to the other tip.
3. Rotate the lemon as needed to get more of the bright yellow peel.

Tip: Use the outermost layer of the lemon peel. The white layer underneath can be bitter.

Equipment

• Chef's knife
• Citrus zester
• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper

Storage

Store leftover French fries in an airtight container for two days. Reheat in a small amount of olive oil in a skillet on the stove or in the oven at 400°F for 5–10 minutes.

📖 Recipe