These Five Guys Copycat Cajun Fries can be cooked in the oven or air fryer and taste like the real thing! They are generously seasoned with my cajun spice mix & the best news is they are peanut oil free!
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I have created this copycat Five Guys cajun fries recipe that tastes just like the real thing! The fries are crispy on the outside, fluffy in the middle and after quite a bit of tweaking and recipe testing I feel the cajun style seasoning blend is spot on!
If you have a peanut allergy you may (or may not) know that Five Guys fries are cooked in peanut oil, so eating in or getting a take out from this famous fast-food chain is a no go. Even with separate fryers, the risk of cross contamination when ordering a burger or hot dog seems too high to me with peanuts all over the place. (Even though I’m sure great care would be taken)
I have used olive oil to bake these fries and I can’t notice the difference in taste. They are also naturally gluten-free and dairy-free too.
For a true Five Guys experience, make my Five Guys Copycat Burger to enjoy along side.
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❤️ Why You Will Love This Recipe!
- These Five Guys style cajun fries taste just like the real thing!
- So easy to make with a few simple store cupboard ingredients.
- Oven baked or made in the air fryer - so much healthier!
- My copycat version is peanut oil free.
🥘 Ingredients
- Potatoes - Five guys surprisingly use fresh potatoes and cut them on site every day, no frozen chips in sight! The best potatoes to use for fries are either Maris Piper or Russet, although any white potato can be used.
- Spice Mix- This contains a mixture of paprika, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, onion powder, thyme, salt & back pepper to create the cajun seasoning blend.
- Oil - Peanut oil is the cooking oil of choice in the restaurants.To ensure these fries are nut free I haven’t used peanut oil and instead have used olive oil. If you don’t suffer from nut allergies you can use peanut oil instead.
✋ Be sure to double check all packaging for allergens. ✋
✏️ How To Make This Recipe
To make the potatoes into French fries, turn the potato on its side and cut into slices lengthways, then cut the slices into French fries.
I prefer to leave the skin on the potatoes, but you can peel this off before if you prefer.
Next, mix all of the spice ingredients together in a small bowl.
If baking in the oven, put the fries onto a baking sheet, pour over the olive oil and spice blend and mix well until all the fries are coated with the mixture & bake in a hot oven for around 30-35 minutes until brown. Turn the fries half way through cooking with a spatula to get that gorgeous crispiness all over.
To make in the air fryer, place the fries in a bowl and coat with the spice blend and oil, mixing well with a spoon. Put the fries in a single layer in the air fryer basket and bake at 200˚C / 390˚ F for around 20 minutes, turning the fries halfway through.
💡 Tips & Tricks
- When making the fries, try and cut them all the same size as much as possible to ensure they cook evenly and at the same time.
- Whether cooking in the oven or the air fryer, for best results make sure you only place the fries in a single layer. Use more than one baking tray if using the oven or make two batches in the air fryer. By laying them in a single layer, this helps the fries to crisp up and not stick together and go soggy.
⚡ Variations
Spice level - If you are cooking for small children or people who are not spice lovers, just use a third of the spice mix for a more subtle spicy flavour.
🔪 Equipment
🥡 Storage
I would recommend eating these copycat cajun fries straight away fresh from the oven as this is when they will be most crispy.
You can keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days and re-heat in the oven at 180˚C Fan / 350˚ F for around 10-15 minutes until warmed through, but I would only do this if you really need to.
🍴 Serving Suggestions
Well, you can’t have fries without a burger! So go for the full Five Guys experience and make my Five Guys Burger as well!
A side of vegan coleslaw is also great with the burgers and fries.
💬 Recipe FAQ
Yes, both the original and cajun fries at the Five Guys restaurants are gluten free. My recipe is also gluten free.
I would class them as medium to hot on the spice level, which in my opinion is just about the right level of spice kick! If you are making this recipe and prefer them a little tamer just use half the amount of spice blend.
💫 Love this recipe? It would be great if you could leave a 5 ⭐ rating and comment below! Thanks x 💫
📖 Recipe
Five Guys Copycat Cajun Fries (Oven or Air Fryer)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 medium potatoes chopped into fries
Spice Mix
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- If making in the oven, pre-heat to 200˚C Fan / 390˚ F.
- To make the potatoes into French fries, turn the potato on its side and cut into slices lengthways, then cut the slices into French fries.
- Next, mix all of the spice ingredients together in a small bowl.
- If baking in the oven, put the fries onto a baking sheet, pour over the olive oil and spice blend and mix well until all the fries are coated with the mixture & bake in a hot oven for around 30-35 minutes until brown. Turn the fries half way through cooking with a spatula to get that gorgeous crispiness all over.
- To make in the air fryer, place the fries in a bowl and coat with the spice blend and oil, mixing well with a spoon. Put the fries in a single layer in the air fryer basket and bake at 200˚C / 390˚ F for around 20 minutes, turning the fries halfway through.
Notes
- When making the fries, try and cut them all the same size as much as possible to ensure they cook evenly and at the same time.
- Whether cooking in the oven or the air fryer, for best results make sure you only place the fries in a single layer. Use more than one baking tray if using the oven or make two batches in the air fryer. By laying them in a single layer, this helps the fries to crisp up and not stick together and go soggy.
Let me know what you think of this recipe!