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French Fries

French Fries are fine in moderation. Watch your portion size, especially during a flare. A typical 70 g serving has about 13 mg of purines, about 3% of a ~400 mg working daily target.

General information, not a substitute for advice from your doctor or dietitian.

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Across forms of potato:AC· 6–13 mg per serving

Low in purines, but ultra-processed. Ultra-processed foods are linked to higher gout risk on their own, so we do not rate this as safe to eat freely. (UK Biobank 2024)

This purine value is inferred, not measured directly for this food. See the sources note below for how it was derived.

How much can I eat?

Units
This serving
½ cup
70 g
Purine / serving
13 mg
% daily purine
3%
Purines in this serving
0 mg~400 mg daily limit
¼ cup2 ¼ cups

Even a large serving stays well under a day's purines.

These are plant purines, which research links far more weakly to flares: the 13 mg here counts as roughly 4 mg toward your gout risk.

Portion size is what matters most here, and it’s easy to misjudge by eye. A kitchen scale makes it simple.

Shop a kitchen scale on Amazon

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Why grade C: per 100 g and processing

Per 100 g (for comparison)

Purines Estimated
19 mg/100g
LowModerateHighVery high

Low for gout (< 50 mg/100g).

Fructose Estimated
0.9 g/100g
LowModerateHighVery high

Low for gout (< 3 g/100g).

Processing: NOVA 4 of 4. How processing affects the grade.

Good to know: Deep-fried potato (chip-shop or frozen). Inferred by the same water-loss method the potato-chip value uses, which is why the two are consistent: raw potato is 6.5 mg/100g at about 79% water, so its dry matter is ~21%. Crisps finish near 2% water (~98% dry matter), a 4.7x concentration that gives ~30 mg/100g and matches the German Souci table figure of 29. Fries finish far wetter, around 40% water (~60% dry matter), a 2.9x concentration, giving about 19 mg/100g. Purine is not the reason to think twice about fries: the fat, the salt and the processing are, which is what the grade reflects.
Diet is part of the picture, not all of it

For most people the body makes the majority of its own uric acid. Food contributes the smaller share. Eating well lowers your risk and helps you feel in control, but for many people diet alone does not bring uric acid down enough to stop flares. Medication often does the heavy lifting. Use these grades to make easier daily choices, and work with your doctor on the full plan.

How did french fries go for you?

Reader experiences, not medical advice. The grade above comes from published data.

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Other forms of potato

The most common form of potato is first.

Potato

Potato, raw

A
Purine 6.5 mg Fructose 0.31 g per 100 g
Enjoy Vegetables

Potato Chips

C
Purine 29 mg Fructose 0 g per 100 g
Moderate Sweets & Snacks serving 28 g

More from Vegetables

Asparagus

Asparagus, raw

A
Purine 32.9 mg Fructose 1.12 g per 100 g
Enjoy Vegetables

Balsam Pear (goya)

Balsam pear (goya), raw

A
Purine 9.9 mg Fructose 1.9 g per 100 g
Enjoy Vegetables

Bamboo Shoots

Bamboo shoots, raw

A
Purine 47.2 mg Fructose 0.5 g per 100 g
Enjoy Vegetables

Bean Sprouts

Bean sprouts, without bean, raw

A
Purine 35 mg Fructose 0.3 g per 100 g
Enjoy Vegetables

Bean Sprouts (with bean)

Bean sprouts, with bean, raw

A
Purine 57.4 mg Fructose 0.3 g per 100 g
Enjoy Vegetables

Bell Pepper (red & green)

Pepper, red or green

A
Purine 0.9 mg Fructose 2.26 g per 100 g
Enjoy Vegetables