The Best French Fry and Condiment Pairings

Frozen french fries from the grocery store are great—toss them in the oven or air fryer and you have crispy, golden potatoes, no soaking or double deep frying necessary. But here’s the thing: a little sauce goes a long way when you’re dealing with fries that aren’t coming piping hot from a restaurant fryer. The best french fry dips take an at-home convenience food and make it sports bar or chain restaurant quality. Go beyond Heinz ketchup (although, that made the list, too) with these killer french fry and condiment pairings, which match up the best frozen fries we’ve tried in our taste tests with some of our favorite condiments.

Kroger Crinkle Cut French Fried Potatoes + Heinz Tomato Ketchup

I love Los Angeles, but I gotta say that we could use a Culver’s around here. It’s one of the best fast food burger spots going, and part of its appeal is that it serves crinkle cut french fries and Heinz ketchup. Here’s a grocery store hack for fellow Midwestern transplants who are missing their favorite Butter Burger joint. Kroger Crinkle Cut French Fried Potatoes, the best crinkle cut fries we tried in our taste test, cook up golden brown and are a great vessel for a ketchup you could argue is the all-time best dip for french fries. We tried a lot of ketchup, but nothing beats Heinz, especially with a crispy, golden potato product. Until Culver’s finally becomes a nationwide chain, this pairing has you covered.

Read the full ranking of the best crinkle cut fries and the best ketchup

Lamb Weston Super Crispy Waffle Fries + Dynasty Sweet & Sour Sauce

Waffle fries are perfect for dunking. Their clever, gridded shape holds sauce amazing well—especially a nice, thick sauce like sweet and sour. And when it comes to waffle fries, Lamb Weston is the GOAT. Not only are they golden and pleasantly greasy (kind of like the waffle fries you’d get at a certain fast food chain that’s closed on Sundays), they have a delicious potato-forward flavor we didn’t find in other brands of waffle fries. These are perfect with Dynasty’s nuanced (and genuinely sour) sweet and sour sauce, our favorite at the grocery store. That bag of waffle fries is about to disappear real fast.

Read the full ranking of the best waffle fries and the best sweet and sour sauce

Lamb Weston Grown in Idaho Hand Cut Style Fries + Marie’s Creamy Ranch Dressing + Dip

If there’s one thing about me, it’s that I’m going to support Midwesterners letting their freak flags fly by adding ranch dressing to everything imaginable, so naturally I’m including it on a list of the best french fry dips. Marie’s Creamy Ranch Dressing + Dip topped our ranch dressing ranking, and rightfully so—it’s “thick, creamy, and herby” and isn’t too thick or too thin. Its sheer versatility makes it one of the best dips for french fries (or anything, really). And these fries? Woof, they’re good. Lamb Weston knows its way around a frozen potato product, and these are “golden and delicious, well seasoned, crispy, and fatty,” with a creamy-on-the-inside, crispy-on-the-outside texture that rules. Those creamy, starchy innards with a creamy french fry dip? Heaven.

Read the full ranking of the best frozen fries and the best ranch dressing

Alexia Waffle Cut Sweet Potato Seasoned Fries + Market Pantry Spicy Chipotle Ranch Dressing

Sweet potato fries deserve more credit than they get, especially these greasy, sweet, delicious Alexia waffle fries. These are so much like something you’d get at a fast-casual restaurant and in true restaurant fashion, we’re pairing them with something creamy, spicy, and savory, just like this Market Pantry chipotle ranch we found in our ranch dressing taste test. Sure, you could pair sweet potato fries with ketchup, but a sweet-savory pairing like this is just way more compelling. And then there’s the spice—this stuff actually has some kick. Even if your family usually makes a face about sweet potatoes, this pairing is pretty irresistible.

Read the full ranking of the best waffle fries and the best ranch dressing