You don’t want to miss these addicting buttermilk ranch french fries, which can be prepared entirely from scratch or using frozen, pre-cut fries! Buttermilk powder, which is sold in the baking aisle of most grocery stores, adds tons of savory flavor. Serve these at your next party!
People often think that because I work with food for a living and have trained professionally, it means I’m going to be some sort of food elitist. That couldn’t be further from the truth.
While I believe that cooking and baking are incredibly important skills, and even though I love working with good quality ingredients when they make a difference, I think that taste is very subjective.
We all love what we love. I’m not going to argue with you about where to get the best pizza.
People are often shocked to find out that I love Cool Ranch Doritos. Listen, I loved them in high school, and to this day I consider them a guilty (but not so guilty) pleasure. They’re not something I eat every day; I save junk food for special occasions for obvious reasons.
But holy umami bomb!
These buttermilk ranch french fries give me a similar satisfaction on the savory scale, but I feel better about serving them to guests. You’re looking at some serious party grub.
They’re coated with powdered buttermilk, which I discovered a few years ago. When you want to add tanginess and/or savoriness to a recipe, buttermilk powder is often a great option.
The sour note sometimes gets lost in baked goods like buttermilk cake. If you’re missing that tang, adding a little bit of this powder brings it right back.
Freshly coated on french fries, it melts in your mouth along with the other spices, creating a savory, mouth-watering flavor that will have you licking your fingers.
You can make these using either regular potatoes or frozen, pre-cut, unseasoned french fries. Using frozen fries is obviously a huge time saver, and might be a better choice for novice cooks. Either option will give you great results!
Looking for more ways to experiment with spice?
You might also enjoy my Baked Chai Spiced French Toast, Pumpkin Spiced Dinner Rolls, and Cardamom Vanilla Cream Scones!
Buttermilk Ranch French Fries
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons buttermilk powder
- 2 teaspoons dried dill
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons dried minced onion
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (see notes)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- optional: 4 teaspoons fresh chives, minced
- optional: 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped finely
- 4 (12-ounce) russet potatoes, peeled (see notes about using frozen pre-cut fries)
- 2-3 quarts neutral, high heat oil for frying (vegetable, peanut or canola are all options)
Instructions
- In a very large bowl, combine the dried buttermilk powder, dill, garlic powder, onion powder, dried minced onion, sugar, cayenne, salt and pepper. Do not add the fresh herbs if using or the mixture will potentially clump from moisture.
- Prepare a bowl of ice water and set aside. Using a mandoline with the French fry attachment, slice the potatoes into fries. Place the potatoes into the ice water. Cover and chill for at least 50 minutes.
- Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy bottom saucepan. Using a thermometer, bring the oil to 325 degrees F. Make sure there's at least 3 inches between the oil and the top of the pan to avoid splatter.
- Drain the potatoes and dry very thoroughly. Line a sheet pan with paper towels.
- Add 1/4 of the fries to the hot oil and cook for 6 minutes. Adjust the flame as needed to maintain the temperature. (Note: you might be able to cook the fries in 2 batches instead of 4 depending on the size of your pot.)
- Carefully remove the fries and transfer to the prepared sheet pan. Repeat with the remaining fries.
- Increase the oil temperature to 350 degrees F.
- Add 1/4 of the fries to the oil and cook until golden brown. Remove and allow to drain on fresh paper towels while you cook the remaining potatoes.
- Toss the fries with the reserved spice mixture, tossing in the fresh herbs last.
- Serve hot.
Notes
Please read my full post for additional recipe notes, tips, and serving suggestions!
Nutrition
Recipe Troubleshooting
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These look AMAZE! I haven’t met a potato that I didn’t like. :) I will have to give these a try soon!
did you just sprinkle magical ranch powder on delicious french fries? Oh my…. if I’ve got a recipe for ranch powder it’s going to end up on EVERYTHING
Yes, that’s pretty much the recipe!
I don’t know why I always just assumed that powdered buttermilk would taste inferior to regular… but I have a HUGE container of it and I’m totally making ranch powder today and sprinkling it onto some frozen-fries and/or tots…
I love fries :) these fries look especially delicious! I am loving this recipe!
The fact that can I SEE how crispy and herb seasoned those fries are is making me drool! I want those!!
these sound awesome! Will have to try!
i need to make these… RIGHT NOW!
French fries are one of my FAVORITE foods next to hot dogs and hamburgers. :O) I’m going to really have to try this recipe. I love garlic fries too.
I want to eat all of these!
AMAZING!!!! Could these be baked???
Definitely!
Just wanted to let you know, we loved this recipe so much we featured it on our list of 7 Over the Top(pings) French Fry Recipes! Thanks for sharing your delicious fries, we’re big fans!
These look deliciously tasty
Just a note, this is categorized under “Vegan”. Is there a vegan alternative for buttermilk powder? I’d love to see it in this recipe! Thanks!
Thank you for the heads up! My apologies, I will fix ASAP. At one point I had a category called “Vegetarian & Vegan,” so I guess they weren’t separated properly (and I should probably double check the rest). This is also a great question. Off the top of my head I’m not sure, but I bet there’s a milk powder alternative that could be swapped in. A quick look on Amazon pulled up all sorts of soy milk powders, so I think the answer is out there. It would just require some experimentation.