The Best Seasonings for Fries, From Salt and Old Bay to Malt Vinegar and Mayo

Salt and ketchup are only the start. Fries get dry seasonings while they’re hot (salt, garlic, Parmesan, Old Bay) and wet ones on the side or poured over (ketchup, mayonnaise, malt vinegar, gravy), and where you live mostly decides which. In Belgium it’s mayonnaise, and in Britain it’s salt and malt vinegar. In Canada, and in New Jersey, the fries turn into a meal under gravy and cheese.

At a glance

Dry seasonings

Salt

Salt is the default. Season fries while they’re hot, straight out of the fryer or oven, so the salt sticks. Britannica notes that salting fries carries risks for the heart;¹ for reference, the FDA’s Daily Value for sodium is less than 2,300 mg a day.⁹ See table salt, seasoned salt and truffle salt.

Garlic

Garlic powder is the usual way to get garlic onto fries, often mixed with salt; see garlic salt. One caution comes from America’s Test Kitchen. It found that garlic powder stirred dry into mashed potatoes tasted harsh and garlicky but not very complex,¹⁰ and it recommends hydrating the powder in a little water first, since powder straight from the jar hasn’t developed its full flavor.¹¹ ATK didn’t test fries. One way to put that to work: toss hot fries with a paste of hydrated powder and oil. See garlic powder vs. garlic.

Parmesan

Grated Parmesan adds savory depth because it’s high in free glutamate, far higher than cheddar, and free glutamic acid is what sets off the umami taste receptors.² Parmesan and garlic make a classic pair on fries. You’ll often read that Parmesan can replace salt as a low-sodium option, but we found no source that measures that, so taste before you add more salt. See MSG and cooking with MSG.

Old Bay

Old Bay is McCormick’s seafood seasoning, and McCormick suggests shaking it onto fries.

Its label lists celery salt (salt, celery seed), spices including red and black pepper, and paprika. McCormick says it combines celery salt, 18 herbs and spices, and paprika, but doesn’t publish the full list.³ You’ll often see mustard named as an Old Bay ingredient, but it isn’t on the label. A 1/4-teaspoon serving carries 125 mg of sodium.¹² Since celery salt comes first, Old Bay can replace plain salt on fries instead of going on top of it. See Old Bay vs. Creole seasoning.

Other shakers

Paprika, chili powder, cayenne and dried herbs all work on fries. We didn’t find a named fry recipe to give amounts, so season to taste. See smoked paprika, chili powder and cayenne pepper uses.

Condiments and toppings

Ketchup

Ketchup is the most familiar American partner for fries. The FDA’s standard for catsup allows salt, vinegars, nutritive carbohydrate sweeteners, and spices, flavoring, onions or garlic,⁴ which is where its sweet, sour and spiced taste comes from. Next to plain salted fries it adds sweetness, acidity and moisture.

Barbecue sauce is a smokier, often sweeter option. Recipes and brands vary too much to say what any one contains, so check the label.

Mayonnaise

In Belgium, fries and mayonnaise go together, and Belgians don’t go for ketchup on their frites, according to Tasting Table.⁵ Under the FDA’s standard, mayonnaise is at least 65 percent vegetable oil by weight, made with egg yolk and acidified with vinegar or lemon or lime juice.¹³ So you get richness with a little tang and no added sweetness. See too much mayonnaise.

Malt vinegar

Malt vinegar is Britain’s condiment for fish and chips, where “chips” are fries. A 1983 Christian Science Monitor piece on the dish describes the chips getting salted, then sprinkled with malt vinegar.⁷ Chowhound’s Kim Ranjbar says its acidity cuts through the fatty fried flavor.⁶ Salt and vinegar go on together. For a dry version, see vinegar powder.

Gravy and cheese: poutine and disco fries

Poutine is a Canadian dish of fries covered with cheese curds and gravy. New Jersey has its own take: disco fries, which Saveur’s Drew Lazor calls one of the state’s classics, are fries soaked in brown gravy and covered in melted mozzarella. The ingredients are nearly identical, and Lazor notes that poutine fans will recognize the combination.⁸ Poutine is often called Canada’s national dish. Britannica calls it a Canadian dish,¹ and we found no official designation.

When to season

• Hot from the fryer or oven: salt, garlic powder, Parmesan, Old Bay and other dry shakers.
• At the table: malt vinegar, ketchup, mayonnaise.
• Poured over: gravy, with cheese curds or mozzarella.

The sources above describe what goes on, not tests of when, so treat this timing as a sensible default.

Related

• Spices for hamburgers
• Baked potato spices and hash brown spices
• Old Bay seasoning
• Garlic powder vs. garlic
• The master list of herbs and spices