These air fryer shoestring fries or aloo lachcha are so crispy and delicious, you will love them. These are easy to make and so much better and healthier than deep fried.
No mess of deep frying and barely any supervision. The most time-consuming part is slicing the potato. Don’t shy away from using a mandolin slicer.

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Ingredients Breakdown
Potatoes: I have used a large Russet potato here. Any type works well.
Oil: This is important for a crispy golden colour and taste.
Seasonings: I have kept it really simple with some salt and red chilli powder or paprika. But feel free to add garlic powder, Italian seasoning or Indian chaat masala for added taste.
Instructions
These shoestring fries are super easy to make. The hardest part is cutting the potato into shoestrings. Peel the potato and then using either a spiralizer, mandolin slicer or a good old chef’s knife, cut it into matchstick-size strips. Aim for about ⅛th inch thick.
Once that is done, soak them in water for about 15 minutes. I do this after washing them a couple of times to get rid of starch.
After soaking, drain the water and dry them thoroughly on a towel.
Take out as much moisture as you can so that your shoestring fries are really crispy. That’t it. Take them in a shallow bowl and add oil.
I avoid adding salt as that makes the fries soggy. Also, you may require two batches to do the fries.
Preheat air fryer to 180C or 360F for 3 minutes. Lay your shoestring fries in one layer with minimal overlap.
Air fry for 11-13 minutes at 180C or 360F till they are well cooked and crispy. Remember they will crisp up even more once they are taken out.
Fry the other batch as well. Then take your air fried shoestring fries in a wide bowl. Toss with your seasonings of choice and serve immediately.
You are going to relish them. They are so good. Enjoy these air fryer shoestring fries, also known as aloo lachcha in India. Serve them with ketchup or dip of choice.
Expert Tips
1. Fries have to be cut of even size so that they cook uniformly. Cut them as thin as you can.
2. Soaking the fries is really important as it helps to crisp them well. Same is for drying them thoroughly subsequently.
3. Do not salt the raw fries or they may not crisp up well when air frying.
4. Shake air fryer basket midway during cooking time so that the fries cook evenly.
5. To taste like aloo lachcha namkeen, add chaat masala to the seasonings for the tang.
Here's the recipe card:
📖 Recipe Card
Air fryer Shoestring Fries
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 large potato
- 2 tsp. Vegetable
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder optional
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
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Instructions
- Peel the potato and then using a spiralizer, mandoline slicer or a good old chef’s knife, cut it into matchstick-size strips. Aim for about ⅛th inch thick.
- Once that is done, soak them in water for about 15 minutes. I do this after washing them a couple of times to get rid of starch. After soaking, drain the water and dry them thoroughly on a towel.
- Take out as much moisture as you can so that your shoestring fries are really crispy. That’t it. Take them in a shallow bowl and add oil.
- I avoid adding salt as that makes the fries soggy.
- Preheat air fryer to 180C or 360F for 3 minutes. Lay your shoestring fries in one layer with minimal overlap.
- Air fry for 11-13 minutes at 180C or 360F till they are well cooked and crispy. Remember they will crisp up even more once they are taken out.
- Take your air fried shoestring fries in a wide bowl. Toss with your seasonings of choice and serve immediately.
- Serve them with ketchup or dip of choice.
Rachna says
These shoestring fries are a winner. So crunchy and tasty without the mess of deep frying. Just perfect.