Fast Food French Fries Compared from Lowest to Highest Rated

Dairy Queen – The Disappointingly Bland Baseline

Dairy Queen’s fries find themselves at the bottom of most rankings, which shouldn’t come as a huge surprise to anyone who visits DQ primarily for ice cream. There’s nothing inherently offensive about these fries – they arrive in a cute little DQ box looking golden and crispy. However, something strange happens during your first few bites. Instead of the expected crunch, your teeth simply cut through the fried tuber as if it was a strip of butter, and where you’d expect a burst of salty flavor, your tongue searches desperately for something resembling taste.

While other fries on ranking lists might fail spectacularly, they’re at least memorable for their failure. Dairy Queen fries fit wholly within the “forgettable” category, which many consider a fate worse than outright failure. Recent taste tests give these fries a score of 75 out of 100, describing them as reasonably crusted and well-seasoned but ultimately starchy and bland despite being fried to a light blonde color.

In-N-Out Burger – Fresh Potatoes, Flawed Execution

When it comes to fries, In-N-Out just whiffs it despite being a top contender for burgers. As respectable as it is to have fries julienned and fried right before your eyes, the sum total is a box of dismal, mealy-textured sprigs with a main textural issue. Since the fries are tossed into the fryer right after the potato has been sliced, the frying process is altered by the potato’s remaining moisture, and most quality fries are double fried to achieve the crispy texture that fry enthusiasts crave.

In-N-Out prides itself on making fries from scratch from fresh potatoes, but their commitment to freshness compromises the end product. These fries are always limp and a little too soft. The fact that they’re infamously averse to frying them twice ensures that they turn into stale, room-temperature matchsticks in mere minutes, and while ordering them Animal-Style certainly improves the quality, the caliber of a fry should stand on its own.

Shake Shack – The Greasy Letdown

Something about Shake Shack’s soybean oil or their cooking technique makes every single batch of fries taste like rancid cooking grease. The same applies to their fried chicken, and the gross greasy smell even emanates from the store itself – it’s a hard pass. Despite their reputation for quality burgers, the fries consistently fail to meet expectations.

Multiple reviewers note that while Shake Shack excels in other menu areas, their french fries remain a significant weak point. The chain’s crinkle-cut style should theoretically provide good texture, but the overwhelming greasiness overshadows any potential positives. Among fast food french fries, you’ll find Shake Shack’s signature crinkle-cut fries known for their distinctive wavy appearance, perfectly golden and crispy with the right amount of salt, which can be enjoyed with signature sauces like cheese sauce or tangy ShackSauce.

Jack in the Box – Curly Fries with Muted Potential

With such a wide variety of deep-fried snacks on the menu, many are surprised that Jack in the Box isn’t higher on ranking lists. Since the menu includes traditional fries and curly fries, the curly fries are superior and represent the chain better. In contrast to traditional fries, curly fries imply a smoky, paprika-forward barbecue flavor profile, which is definitely present at Jack in the Box, but the flavors are a bit on the muted side while the texture remains decent with light breading for crispiness.

The inconsistency in seasoning distribution becomes apparent when eating a full order. While some pieces deliver the expected punch of spices, others fall flat and bland. You can get regular OR curly fries at Jack in the Box, and both varieties are perfectly crispy. Some customers have even received mixed batches with both types, creating an unexpectedly delightful experience.

Hardee’s/Carl’s Jr. – Natural Cut Disappointment

Many remember the day Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. announced they were changing their fries, swapping out their classic fast-food style fries with a “natural cut” version that’s thicker and leaves potato skins intact. The burger chain initially advertised these as resembling premium quality potatoes from sit-down restaurants. But they’re just less crispy and less satisfying.

The natural-cut approach, while well-intentioned, fails to deliver the satisfying crunch that makes fast food fries addictive. The thicker cut means longer cooking times are needed to achieve proper texture, but the execution often falls short. The fries were totally fine with good texture, nice crispiness, and decent salt levels, though many don’t have enough experience with the chain to rank them higher.

Taco Bell Nacho Fries – Limited-Time Flavor Innovation

Taco Bell first launched Nacho Fries as a limited-time side in 2018 and has since revived them nearly a dozen times. Despite their spiced appearance, the seasoning is mild, and the fries themselves are unevenly dusted and tend toward sogginess. They come with lightly jalapeño-flavored nacho cheese for dipping – fun, but nothing to write home about.

Taco Bell’s nacho fries represent a brilliant idea that took surprisingly long to manifest. Not only do they set a new bar for seasoned fry variety, but they represent a bridge between Taco Bell’s signature menu and its fast food brethren. Shape-wise, they’re larger than average to ensure maximum surface area coverage for the house seasoning, with consistently crispy texture and enough potato to preserve earthy flavors, coated with a blend of spices reminiscent of legendary snack foods like Doritos.

Burger King – Reliable Middle Ground

While In-N-Out has an enormous disparity between burger and fry quality, Burger King’s is more balanced. A flame-broiled Whopper consistently satisfies burger fans, and Burger King’s fries hold their own on the same tray, with visually uniform and sharp fries that look like a finely-tuned infantry battalion. Burger King fries are fine – they’re crispy enough, salty enough, and taste good enough, so you won’t be upset rolling up to the BK drive-thru, though you’re not going specifically for their fries.

When Burger King exhibits restraint and sticks to classics, it’s hard to quibble with the quality. Right up there with rival McDonald’s, Burger King’s fries command a devout following for their slightly larger-than-shoestring shape, extra-crispy exterior, and wonderfully fluffy, always-hot interior, with online discourse remaining staunchly pro-BK.

Arby’s Crinkle Fries – The Disappointing Alternative

It feels almost sacrilegious that Arby’s, a chain practically synonymous with curly fries, would dare to roll out a rival fry. But that’s precisely what it did a few years ago, proving there’s room for more than two types of spuds on one menu. Points are given for the boldness and audacity of Arby’s non-curly fries, described as having “accordion-style grooves” for maximum crispiness and seasoned with kosher salt, but these can’t hold a candle to the original Arby’s curly fries.

The box of crinkle-cut fries was barely half full, but the fries were fresh, though a bit under-salted, tender and kid-friendly like what you’d get at a community pool snack bar. The curly fries are preferred because they’re more robustly seasoned and crispy, though small and inconsistently shaped.

Chick-fil-A Waffle Fries – Iconic Shape, Inconsistent Execution

Chick-fil-A customers have shown passionate reactions to rumors about changes to their timeworn Waffle Fries – a beloved menu staple since 1985. The social media response was swift and passionate, speaking to the devout following these fries have. While many generally enjoy Chick-fil-A’s fries, the chain frequently misses the mark on execution, with decent crispiness but tragic under-seasoning that leaves them falling flat without enough salt or sauce.

Waffle fries may be polarizing, but Chick-fil-A does them well with plenty of surface area for maximum crispiness and for dunking in their wide variety of sauces. The reason Chick-fil-A doesn’t rank higher is that a french fry craving is different from a waffle fry craving, though it’s hard for waffle fry fans to do better than Chick-fil-A, especially with Chick-fil-A Sauce.

Five Guys – Boardwalk Style Excellence

Five Guys makes the best French fries in all of fast food and it’s not even close. Like In-N-Out, these are natural potatoes cut in-restaurant, but sourced from different farms across Idaho – the potato capital of the world. These fries are twice fried, creating the perfect crunchy, slightly cavernous exterior ideal for holding seasoning, with delicious buttery, earthy flavors and soft, fluffy texture.

The boardwalk-style fries at Five Guys are fried in peanut oil and sprinkled with either salt or hearty Cajun seasoning. Each order comes in a 12-ounce cup plus an extra scoop of spuds in the accompanying paper bag. These fries certainly don’t lack flavor, but some find Five Guys’ fries to be too much – a little too salty, a tad more greasy than preferred, leaving diners feeling somewhat heavy after finishing a serving.

Popeyes Cajun Fries – Spiced Perfection

Popeyes’ Cajun Fries are skin-on and seasoned, some of the most attractive-looking fries with their deep golden brown color, potato skin edges, and dusting of seasoning. They’re thicker than McDonald’s fries but not quite as thick as Burger King fries. While you might be tempted by traditional sides like mashed potatoes when visiting Popeyes, their fries offer really pleasing texture with crispy exterior and soft, fluffy middle that holds up even after sitting for an hour.

Popeyes Cajun Fries get recognition from fast-food fans who like their fries with a kick. They give Arby’s fries a serious run for their money in terms of seasoning and overall satisfaction. Every Popeyes side is devourable, fries included – they lean soggy but still maintain crunch on every fry due to the craggy coating of Cajun-seasoned batter, perfect for those who hate bland, flavorless fries.

Arby’s Curly Fries – The Legendary Spiral

Entering the upper tier of fast-food french fries, it’s time to discuss Arby’s curly fries – one of the most legendary fast-food items ever. Arby’s is a chain that isn’t afraid to do its own thing, and although they introduced a crinkle-cut alternative, it hasn’t changed the fact that their curly fries are as unique as they are undeniably delicious, making the wise decision long ago to go curly.

Anyone who’s been to Arby’s more than once knows curly fries are superior to their crinkle-cut option. The appeal comes from their corkscrew shape and peppery paprika seasoning, though each box only ends up with around four truly curly fries while the rest are little hooks that don’t taste as good. Something about the softened potato twisted in on itself with barbecue flavor creates a really tasty bite, and if every fry consisted entirely of the really twisty ones, they would definitely be top-five material.

Wendy’s Natural-Cut Fries – Consistent Excellence

Wendy’s has come a long way from its third-wheel role alongside America’s fast-food juggernauts and genuinely rivals McDonald’s when it comes to fries. Surprisingly simple and classic, Wendy’s fries are always served hot and crispy, made from natural-cut skin-on potatoes with generous sea salt sprinkling. Wendy’s gets points for consistency and taste, with fans explaining that they’re the best because they’re always the same – never a bad batch or good one, always reliable.

Wendy’s fries are superior to McDonald’s – thicker, crispier, and fluffier at the same time. Many have grown up hearing peers overrate McDonald’s weak fries, probably trained by surrounding society, but Wendy’s french fries deserve the praise they get. The earthy complexity of skin-on fries makes Wendy’s particularly appealing, consistently fresh especially since the Hot & Crispy Fry Guarantee launched in 2021, generously salted and piping hot.

McDonald’s World Famous Fries – The Golden Standard

McDonald’s World Famous Fries are frequently ranked among the top fast food french fries in various rankings and reviews. Let’s be honest – this list was never going to end on a higher note than McDonald’s. There will always be detractors and rivals, but there will only ever be one McDonald’s, a chain that single-handedly defined what a fast-food fry should look, smell, feel, and taste like, often stealing the spotlight from everything else on the menu.

Everyone wants to know why McDonald’s French Fries taste so good – it’s simple. McDonald’s World Famous Fries are made with premium potatoes such as the Russet Burbank and Shepody, with zero grams of trans fat per serving, crispy and golden outside, fluffy inside. Scientists believe our sense of smell might be responsible for up to 90% of perceived flavor, and the delicious scent comes almost exclusively from the oil, creating an aroma so powerful it makes the fries seem even tastier – the smell of potatoes cooked in beef fat.

McDonald’s is the obvious choice for number one, though quality has dropped slightly in recent years. The “natural beef flavor” added to the fries does the job, but the real weakness is lack of consistency – occasionally fries are soggy, stale, or cold, and these fries only taste good the second they leave the fryer. However, when fresh, they remain the gold standard that all other fast food fries are measured against.