The Best (And Worst) French Fry Seasonings, According to Our Taste Test

A little bit of salt on a fry is an easy win. A little pepper too; we all know that trick. But a classic French fry seasoning, full of paprika, garlic, and other warm spices? There's nothing like it. You no longer need to hunt down your nearest Rally's/Checker's to find your way to a great seasoned fry. I grabbed a bag of frozen fries, crisped them up in the air fryer, and went to town tasting these five options for seasoned French fries. Here are my findings, ranked from best to worst.

Prices and availability are subject to change.

Related: 12 Must-have Seasoning Mixes From Trader Joe’s, According to Super Fans

$6.57 for 6 oz on Amazon

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Bolner's Fiesta! Where have you been all my life? Lighter and sandier in color than the others, this is something that I'll probably continue to stock in my pantry. Rather than going heavy on the cayenne and paprika, this leans into garlic and onion powder. It's even a little spicy too, in a brighter, jalapeño-based way. You can certainly season your fries with this, but I recommend you season everything with this.

Related: We Tried 20 Popular Hot Sauces. This Is the Best

$5.99 for 5 oz. on Amazon

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Edora is the most unique variety I tasted by far. This is made specifically for German-style fries, packed with smoke and tomato, sort of even reminiscent of Spanish flavors. I bet it'd make a heck of a hummus topper. 

$9.88 for 5.5 oz on Amazon

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Thick potato wedges are probably what you're going to want with June Moon, which puts mustardy, peppery, Worcestershirey flavors at the front of its mix. I like the faint parsley taste, too. June Moon does a great job, so don't take the No. 3 ranking too harshly.

$14 for a 16 oz. 2-pack on Amazon

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Does this even count? Is this cheating? If you gave me five seconds to blurt out the first French fry seasoning I could think of, I would probably say Lawry's, even though the words "French fries" do not appear anywhere on that container. This is seasoned salt, rather than seasoning salt; it's for cooking. I guess the point I'm trying to make is: This probably doesn't count, but I'm putting in here regardless of that. I suspect it is many people's go-to, and it's still a perfectly acceptable option to dress up some fries. 

$7.99 for 2.5 oz. on Amazon

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Look y'all, I don't like to punish innovation. When I'm out here comparing the minute differences between things on a weekly basis, I love when stuff stands out. Pilleteri's Original Mr. French Fry Seasoning, which has the best name of anything on this list, has cheddar cheese powder amongst the other ingredients. The stuff lights up a room with the scent of cheddar the way one of those enormous tins of multi-flavored popcorn do. I want to love this. Everything in me compels me to love it. Sadly, there is no way of getting around the fact that some things are better in theory than they are in practice. This is one of those things. The cheese smells and tastes too artificial, and when sprinkled, fills your mouth with an avalanche of salty cheese from which there is no escape.