Crispy Masala Fries

If you love the bold flavors of Indian cuisine, these masala fries are a must-make side dish. Perfectly spiced and baked until golden and crispy, they take fries to a whole new level.

Dip Your Toes In Indian Flavors with Masala Fries

Indian food gets a polarizing reputation and I never understood why. Maybe it’s because I was exposed to it from a young age with a father who was born and raised in Calcutta, but I’ve always thought the spices and aromatics used in the cuisine result in some of the most interesting flavors and foods out there.

Masala fries are a great way to dip your toes in Indian flavors without being overwhelmed. You won’t find any spices in this ingredient list you can’t find in your grocery store and the result is a batch of perfectly spiced spuds that gives you a peak into the flavors of Indian food in the most quintessentially American way — a pile of fries.

With their crispy edges and golden brown spiced hue, masala fries take this ubiquitously loved side dish to the next level. You can make them from scratch or use frozen fries for an even more convenient option. Bake them or air fry them, but definitely get these on your dinner plate soon!

Spices Used

In Indian cooking, “masala” simply means spice blend. There are many different blends out there. For these masala fries, I like to mix the aromatic garam masala blend with some other spices such as cumin, garlic and chili powder to punch things up a bit and bring in some savory and spicy notes.

Combining the aromatic-heavy garam masala with these other spices is what really makes the flavor of the fries pop. Garam masala alone won’t do it, it’s the pairing of everything together that makes them taste best.

Step by Step Instructions

The full recipe ingredients and directions are at the bottom of this post with quantities and more details. This is just a visual run-through of the recipe.

Other Variations

Frozen fries work just as well if you’re in a time crunch. The cooking order gets changed up a bit though. You’ll want to bake or air fry the fries first. When they’re crispy and done cooking, toss them with the avocado oil and spice mixture until well coated.

You can use sweet potatoes if preferred. You’ll want to soak those as well before baking. I like regular orange sweet potatoes best with this recipe of all the varieties. If you have purple sweet potatoes on hand, try this purple sweet potato fry recipe instead.

The recipe card below has instructions for making these fries in the air fryer as well like you can with parmesan truffle fries. It’s just as easy and probably a little quicker than the oven baked approach. Make sure to shake the basket or rotate the trays half way through baking so nothing burns.

More Indian-Inspired Recipes to Try

These chicken burgers are packed with spices to give them an Indian flare and served with a tangy and refreshing cucumber yogurt slaw.

Looking for something new to do with a package of chicken thighs for dinner tonight? I bet you’ve never tasted anything like this sweet and spicy Indian chicken. It’s coated in a maple syrup glaze and irresistible.

When the weather is conducive to grilling, Indian steak kabobs make a great option to throw on the grates. They’re marinated in a spiced yogurt sauce then skewered with baby potatoes to cook on the grill at the same time for some great BBQ fare.