Fast-Food French Fries Ranked: Which Chain Serves the Best Crispy Golden Fries?

From McDonald's legendary fries to Shake Shack's crinkle-cut perfection, fast-food chains are battling for fry supremacy. We evaluated texture, flavor, and presentation to rank the best fast-food fries. Which chain delivers the perfect golden crisp? Read on to find out who came out on top.

The History Behind French Fries and a Ranking of the Best Fast-Food Fries Today

While burgers and burritos are often the stars of the fast-food world, they wouldn’t be complete without their supporting cast: fries. A burger is excellent, but pairing it with fries makes it iconic. So, which fast food chain serves the best fries on the market?

Before diving into the definitive ranking, it’s worth looking at the history behind this beloved fast-food staple. Despite being called “French” fries, whether they originated in France or Belgium is often debated. American soldiers are credited with bringing this fried delicacy to the U.S. after being introduced to it in Belgium during World War I.

From Dairy Queen to McDonald's, Fast-Food French Fries Ranked by Taste, Texture, and Consistency

Since then, fries have become a fast food essential, complementing burgers and other menu items across various restaurants. Here’s a ranking of fast-food fries currently available, per Chowhound.

15. Dairy Queen

Dairy Queen may be a go-to for desserts, but they fall flat with fries. The fries look crispy and golden, but their flavor and texture leave much to be desired. With a soft, almost butter-like consistency and minimal seasoning, Dairy Queen's fries land in the "forgettable" category—worse than an outright failure.

14. In-N-Out Burger

While In-N-Out excels at burgers, its fries could be more balanced. Although made fresh to order, the fries are often mealy and need more crispness—In-N-Out’s refusal to double-fry its potatoes result in a less satisfying texture. While ordering them "well done" can help, it doesn't entirely solve the problem.

13. Jack In the Box

Jack In the Box offers traditional and curly fries, the latter being the more robust. The curly fries have a smoky, paprika-infused flavor but are somewhat underwhelming in taste. The crispy texture from light breading helps, but the flavor doesn’t quite hit the mark. With a diverse menu of fried snacks, the fries seem to receive less attention than other items.

12. Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC)

KFC's fries are decent but overshadowed by its variety of superior sides. The seasoned flour coating on the fries provides a crispy texture, but the interior can sometimes be mealy. KFC manages to maintain a respectable fry, but their fries don’t stand out in the same way their chicken does.

11. Del Taco

Known for tacos and burritos, Del Taco’s crinkle-cut fries were a pleasant surprise. While crinkle-cut fries often suffer from sogginess, Del Taco keeps them crispy. The texture is satisfying, though a lingering bitterness from old frying oil knocked them down a few spots in the ranking.

10. Five Guys

Five Guys is often praised for its fries, but they didn’t live up to the hype on this occasion. With skin-on potatoes and a tender texture, these fries have a lot of potential, but an overabundance of salt and a hint of peanut oil brought the experience down. While Five Guys typically delivers, this batch may not have met their usual standards.

This ranking highlights the subjectivity of the fry experience—sometimes, even the best establishments can serve a less-than-stellar batch, and personal preferences play a significant role in determining the “best” fries.

9. Popeyes

Popeyes is known for its bold flavors, and its fries are no exception. While they may not stand out as much as some of the brand's iconic menu items, such as the infamous fried chicken sandwich or its blackened ranch dipping sauce, the fries offer a solid, satisfying experience.

Popeyes’ Cajun Fries bring a smoky, spicy kick to the table, thanks to a blend of paprika and black pepper that coats the crispy, seasoned fries. Like other fast-food chains that add more complexity to their fries, Popeyes also uses a seasoned flour coating to create a crunchy exterior, though the Cajun spices stand out.

However, Popeyes ranks lower on the list because of consistency. While Cajun Fries are great when you're explicitly craving that flavor, they might need to hit the mark when you're simply in the mood for classic fries. Their strong seasoning can polarize, so they fall shy of the top spots.

8. Chick-fil-A

Chick-fil-A is the only restaurant on this list with waffle fries, an innovative departure from the typical fry shape. These thick, potato-rich fries are beloved by fans who appreciate getting more potatoes for their buck. The waffle cut increases crispy edges and allows for an outstanding balance between texture and flavor.

Chick-fil-A's waffle fries are consistent in their crispiness, and the presence of potato skin on the outer edges adds a rustic aesthetic and an extra flavor boost. While they offer a unique twist on the standard fry, they don’t quite satisfy a classic French fry craving. That said, for waffle fry fans, Chick-fil-A remains a top contender—especially when paired with the chain’s signature Chick-fil-A Sauce.

7. Arby's

Arby’s is another chain that offers a choice between crinkle-cut and curly fries, but the curly fries are the clear favorite. Known for their distinct corkscrew shape and peppery seasoning, Arby’s curly fries deliver a satisfying crunch with a hint of smoky paprika and barbecue flavor. The unique shape gives each fry a delightful texture, though not every fry in the box is as curly as advertised—many ends up being smaller hooks or straight pieces.

Despite the occasional lack of consistency in shape, Arby’s curly fries are flavorful and fun, effortlessly elevating them above more standard offerings. If each fry lived up to the curly standard, they might rank even higher.

6. Burger King

Burger King’s fries strike a balance between their quality burgers and satisfying side offerings. These fries are visually impressive, with uniformity and sharp edges, almost like they were made for a photoshoot. Their larger-than-average size provides an excellent surface area for a crispy exterior while maintaining a soft, potato-rich interior.

The larger fry size helps Burger King stand out, but while the fries are consistently good, they must catch up to the top five. Other contenders manage to execute fries with a slightly higher flavor and crunch.

5. Carl’s Jr.

Carl’s Jr. surprises with its solid fry offering, often overlooked in favor of its hefty burgers. The fries here are smaller and less flashy than those from Burger King, but they deliver a well-balanced combination of crispiness and potato flavor.

What truly sets Carl’s Jr. fries apart is their perfect level of seasoning. They hit the mark with just the right amount of salt, enhancing the overall experience without overpowering the natural taste of the fries. Though unassuming, Carl’s Jr. delivers fries that can hold their own against the competition.

4. Wendy’s

Wendy’s has taken strides to reinvent its fries, and the results are impressive. The new fry design features one side thicker for heat retention and one side thinner for added crispiness, a clever innovation that works in their favor. The skin-on fries provide a rustic, home-style flavor, while the crisp texture along the edges gives each bite a satisfying snap.

This balance between texture and flavor has helped Wendy’s elevate its fries to the top tier of fast-food options. The combination of crispy edges and natural potato taste showcases the brand’s commitment to quality and creativity in its menu offerings.

3. Taco Bell

Taco Bell has long been a leader in culinary innovation, and its nacho fries are no exception. This brilliant idea bridges the gap between Taco Bell’s signature Mexican-inspired menu and the food world’s fry offerings. Regarding variety and seasoning, the nacho fries surpass the competition from Arby’s and Popeyes, offering a flavorful experience that feels both familiar and new.

More significant than the average fry, Taco Bell’s nacho fries are designed to maximize surface area for the house seasoning to take hold. The texture remains consistently crispy, while the fries retain enough potato flavor to satisfy cravings for both comfort and spice. Seasoned with spices reminiscent of snack foods like Doritos, these fries shine when paired with Taco Bell’s nacho cheese sauce. However, even without a dip, they stand independently as a top-tier fast food fry.

2. Shake Shack

Crinkle-cut fries are often considered inferior, but Shake Shack’s version elevates them to new heights, proving they can compete with the best. One of the challenges with crinkle-cut fries is fully utilizing their ridged shape for an optimal texture, but Shake Shack has mastered this. The result is a fry with crispy edges and enough space between ridges for the rich potato flavor to come through.

According to Shake Shack’s VP of Culinary Innovation, John Karangis, the key to their fry’s success is consistent exposure to heat during cooking and the perfect amount of salt. While Shake Shack fries’ pair well with ketchup, they don’t rely on condiments to deliver flavor. Each bite of a Shake Shack fry delivers a consistently satisfying crunch, a rare feat in crinkle-cut fries.

1. McDonald’s

McDonald’s fries are legendary, and for good reason. Whether through the power of consistent marketing or culinary precision, McDonald’s has created a fry that continues to dominate the fast-food landscape. The recipe, essentially unchanged since its inception, taps into a universal french fry craving that is hard to resist.

McDonald’s fries hit all the right notes—uniform in presentation, crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside, with just the right amount of salt. Even the occasional fry that doesn’t quite match up with the rest still offers a unique and enjoyable taste. Thanks to its finely tuned fry-making process, soggy or bland fries are rare at McDonald’s. Every red box that leaves a McDonald’s location will brighten someone’s day.

Fast-Food Fries Ranked Based on Texture, Flavor, and Presentation for the Ultimate Fry Experience

The ranking process was based on three key factors: texture, flavor, and presentation. The texture was evaluated for that perfect golden-brown crispness that separates exceptional fries from the rest. Fries that balanced crispy exteriors with soft interiors ranked higher. For flavor, both the natural potato taste and the seasoning were considered. The presentation focused on uniformity and visual appeal regarding shape, color, and preparation style. While flavor and texture were weighted more heavily, presentation still played a role in the final rankings.

To ensure peak quality, all fries were sampled onsite immediately after ordering, without condiments, for the most authentic taste. While fries can sometimes vary in quality depending on the day, every effort was made to evaluate them fairly and objectively. Preparing the perfect fry is challenging, even for fast food giants, but these rankings reflect the best of the best.