The potato of the Netherlands shiwu and four edible oils were taken as the research objects, and the effects of oil types on the texture, the kinetic constant of water loss and oil absorption, the spatial distribution of moisture, the crystal structure and microstructure of French fries during the frying process were investigated. The results showed that the surface hardness of fries fried in palm oil and rice bran oil was higher than that of the other two oil. The results of water loss kinetics showed that the surface water loss rate of fries fried in palm oil was the fastest (0.053 6 s–1), followed by rice bran oil (0.027 5 s–1), and high oleic sunflower oil was the slowest (0.021 6 s–1). Magnetic resonance imaging also confirmed this result. X-ray diffraction results showed that the starch-lipid complex content of fries fried in rice bran oil and palm oil was higher than that of the other two. From the results of scanning electron microscopy, it can be seen that the surface of fries fried in palm oil and rice bran oil was more compact than others. In summary, the fast surface water loss, high starch-lipid complex content and surface compactness play an important role in improving the texture of French fries.