Potatoes & vegetables · Glycemic index
Do french fries spike blood sugar?
Moderately. French fries have a medium GI of 63, and a 74 g serving (10 strips) has a medium glycemic load of 12. French fries have a lower GI than boiled or baked potatoes because their fat slows digestion, but they are dense in carbohydrate and calories.
Key numbers
- Glycemic index
- 63
- Medium GI
- Glycemic load
- 12
- Medium GL
- Available carbs
- 19 g
- 1.9 g fiber
- Serving
- 10 strips
- 74 g · frozen, oven-baked
GI vs GL for french fries
The glycemic index (GI) compares how fast the carbohydrate in a food raises blood sugar against pure glucose (100), using a fixed amount of carbohydrate. The glycemic load (GL) adds the other half of the story — how much carbohydrate a normal serving actually contains: GI × available carbs ÷ 100. For french fries: 63 × 19 g ÷ 100 ≈ 12.
That figure is an average reported in the 2008 international GI tables (“Potato, french fries: 63 ± 5 (average of multiple studies)”). Two newer ISO-standard tests of oven-baked frozen fries in the 2021 tables found 64 and 65, in line with the average.
Eating a different amount? Work out the glycemic load of your portion.
How to eat french fries with less of a spike
- Order the smallest size or share, and count them as the meal's carbohydrate.
- Pair them with lean protein and a side salad rather than a bun and a soft drink.
- Oven-bake frozen fries at home, where you control the amount — 10 strips is the serving shown here.
Lower-GI swaps
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Frequently asked questions
What is the glycemic index of french fries?
French fries have a glycemic index of 63, which is medium. That figure is an average reported in the 2008 international GI tables (“Potato, french fries: 63 ± 5 (average of multiple studies)”). A 74 g serving (10 strips) contains about 19 g of available carbohydrate, giving a glycemic load of 12 (medium).
Is french fries good for prediabetes?
Fries are an occasional food for prediabetes — not because of an extreme GI, but because of the portion sizes and fat they usually come with. Share a small order and pair it with protein and salad.
Why do fries have a lower GI than a baked potato?
Fat slows how quickly a meal is converted into blood sugar, and fries absorb fat during cooking. In the 2008 tables, fries averaged 63 and baked potatoes 86. The lower GI doesn't make fries the healthier choice.
Sources
GI values come from the international GI tables; carbohydrate and fiber per serving are calculated from USDA FoodData Central.
- Atkinson FS, Foster-Powell K, Brand-Miller JC. International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values: 2008. Diabetes Care. 2008;31(12):2281–2283, Table 1
- USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 170118: Potatoes, french fried, all types, salt not added in processing, frozen, oven-heated
- Atkinson FS, Brand-Miller JC, Foster-Powell K, Buyken AE, Goletzke J. International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values 2021: a systematic review. Am J Clin Nutr. 2021;114(5):1625–1632, Supplemental Table 1
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, The Nutrition Source — Carbohydrates and Blood Sugar
Data last checked .