If you love french fries, you must try jicama fries! You can enjoy jicama fries as a healthy alternative to traditional french fries with just a few simple ingredients. Air fry or baked, you will love these tasty fries.
If you love French fries but want to try a healthy alternative, jicama fries are a perfect choice. Crispy on the outside and soft and delicious inside, these tasty fries satisfy that salty and savory craving.
Although potatoes make perfect french fries, there are many ways to enjoy french fries using other vegetables. That's why you have to try this jicama fries recipe today!
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Let's be honest; I've never met a french fry I didn't like. However, french fries are not always prepared healthily. For that reason, I make oil-free steak fries in an air fryer.
However, I learned to transform some of my favorite vegetables, such as portobello mushroom fries, zucchini fries, and polenta fries. So, today, when I saw large jicama on sale and the grocery store, I decided to make jicama fries.
What is Jicama?
Jicama is a root vegetable with thick, brown skin. It's white inside and tastes like an apple but not as sweet. It's a bit like a potato but with a lot fewer carbs.
The jicama plant grows mainly on a long vine in Mexico and Central America. But the part you eat is the root.
On the outside, the jicama looks like a light brown beet. Inside, it looks and feels like a raw potato. But it doesn't taste like one. Instead, it's crisp and slightly sweet, like an apple. But jicama doesn't brown like an apple after you cut it.
What Does Jicama Taste Like?
Its flesh is juicy and crunchy, with a slightly sweet and nutty flavor. Some think it tastes like a cross between a potato and a pear. Others compare it to a water chestnut. Other names for jicama include yam bean, Mexican potato, Mexican water chestnut, and Chinese turnip.
When prepared as french fries, jicama tastes just like a french fry but with a light sweetness. Similar to sweet potato fries, jicama fries taste heavenly.
How to Make Jicama Fries
- First, peel the jicama with a vegetable peeler. Recently, I saw jicama sticks already cut at Whole Foods when I was shopping. But, they are much more expensive than peeling it yourself.
- Next, cut the jicama into ½ inch slices.
- Make sure the slices are the same size.
- Then, slice each slice into equal-sized fries.
- I chose thicker fries, similar to steak fries. Or, cut each thicker slice lengthwise in half to make thinner fries.
The secret to the perfect jicama fries is to boil them first. That is how to achieve the soft center. Larger fries require 20-25 minutes, while thinner fries only take 10-15 minutes.
Jicama cooks like a potato and can be boiled, baked, steamed, and fried. But, if it isn't boiled, it retains its starchy but apple-like texture.
Once the jicama is boiled, drain the fries in a colander, and place them on paper towels to dry slightly. Do not dry them thoroughly because we want them moist enough to hold onto the seasoning blend without using any oil.
Ingredients
- Jicama: I suggest buying medium jicama for the best flavor. Giant bulbs tend not to have as much flavor. And they can grow to be 50 pounds.
- Tumeric: Tumeric has an earthy taste.
- Garlic Salt: Garlic salt draws out the tastes in different foods in the same manner as salt and throws the flavorful garlic spin into the mix.
- Pepper: Did you know studies have shown that black pepper may increase the absorption of the active component of turmeric — curcumin — by up to 2,000%?
One of my favorite aspects of any recipe is using very few ingredients. For this jicama fries recipe, you only need jicama and seasonings. Since I made a curry dip for my fries, I chose seasonings that paired with the sauce. However, any seasoning blend and sauce works well.
Other Suggested Seasoning and Sauces
- Garlic powder, chives, and basil with lemon basil dressing
- Chili powder, cumin, and sea salt with vegan southwest dressing
- Dill, onion powder, and sea salt with vegan ranch dressing
- Vegan Parmesan Cheese
- Traditional french fry seasoning blend similar to Red Robin has garlic salt, cumin, oregano, chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. I would choose ketchup for Siraiacha ketchup for this seasoning blend.
Dipping Sauce Ingredients
As always, I love my sauces. So, I made a curry dipping sauce for my jicama fries today.
- Cashew Mayo: I make my own cashew mayo with a nut-free option using silken tofu or white beans.
- Vegan Yogurt: Choose any plant-based unsweetened, unflavored yogurt.
- Curry Powder: Curry has a unique and floral taste due to the combination of sweet and savory spices.
- Tumeric: Subtle and mild, turmeric tastes earthy with notes of ginger and capsicum.
- Sriracha: Sriracha gets its heat from red jalapeños peppers. Surprisingly, the sauce is only moderately spicy.
- Salt: Salt not only sharpens and brightens the flavor in foods, but a little added to french fries also gives it a savory taste.
- Pepper: I prefer fresh ground pepper for the best flavor.
Dipping Sauce Substitutions
- Choose any vegan mayo of choice, store-bought or homemade.
- Try silent tofu instead of vegan yogurt.
- Ground cumin is one of the best alternatives for curry powder. Odds are you have cumin at hand, even though you might not have curry powder. While cumin is present in curry powder, it has a different aroma.
- A common pantry ingredient, sweet, hot, or smoked paprika, will work as an alternative for turmeric.
- Garlic chili sauce, Sambal oelek, Gochugjang, or any hot sauce works in place of Sriracha.
I also love this curry dipping sauce for noodles or a sandwich spread.
Cooking Options
Air Frying
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees.
- Preheat an oven to 325 degrees if cooking in batches, and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Place cooked fries on the baking sheet in the oven to keep warm while the other batches cook.
- Place the fries in a single layer in the air fryer basket or on the air fryer pan, depending on the type of air fryer you have.
- Cook for 10-12 minutes until crispy on the outside.
Baking
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Place seasoned jicama fries on the baking sheet in a single layer, not touching each other.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes until the fries are crispy.
Recipe FAQs
Jicama fries recipe is a low-calorie alternative that is great for vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free diets.
The flavor of jicama is mild, lightly sweet, and slightly nutty. It tastes like a cross between an apple, a potato, a water chestnut, and a pear. Because it's mild and starchy, it blends well with other flavors, especially in its raw form. When cooked, however, it tastes like a potato in texture and flavor.
People often compare jicama to potatoes because their flesh is similar. But jicama is much healthier and has far fewer carbohydrates. It is also very high in fiber. So, I like to call them fiber fries.
Tips
- Boiling the jicama fries is essential to achieve the right texture for fries.
- If making thinner fries, adjust the times to half the time for boiling, baking, and air frying.
- Jicama fries can be boiled ahead of time and placed in the refrigerator until ready to season, air fry, or bake.
- You can keep the leftovers for 3-4 days in a sealed container in the fridge.
- Reheat leftovers in the air fryer for best results, or bake in the oven at 400 degrees.
- Freeze fries in a single layer on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet until solid, then transfer to a zip lock bag, remove excess air, and return to the freezer.
Give this jicama fries recipe a try; they are low-carb, high-fiber french fries you want to eat daily!
If you love these jicama fries, give us a 5-star review and comment below. We would love to hear from you!
📖 Recipe
Jicama Fries
Ingredients
- 1 medium Jicama, peeled and sliced into equal sized An ideal size is 3 to 4 inches long and about ⅓ to ½ inch thick.
- 2 teaspoons Turmeric
- 2 teaspoons Garlic Salt
- 2 teaspoons Fresh Ground Pepper
Curry Dipping Sauce
- ½ cup Cashew mayo
- ½ cup Unsweetened, plain vegan yogurt
- 1 Tablespoon Curry powder
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric
- ½ teaspoon Sriracha
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Fresh ground pepper
Instructions
- Peel the jicama.
- Cut the jicama into ½ inch slices, then cut those slices into equal-sized sticks for french fries.
- Place jicama fries into a pot and cover with water; add ¼ teaspoon salt.
- Bring the pot to a boil and boil jicama fries for 20-25 minutes until soft and bendable.
- Drain the jicama fries in a colander in a sink and lay them on paper towels to remove the extra moisture. DO NOT DRY the fries.
- Now, place the jicama fries into a bowl and toss in whatever seasoning blend you would like to use.
- Transfer the fries to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat in a single layer, or to an air-fryer pan for airfrying.
Air Frying
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees.
- Place jicama fries in a single layer in the air fryer basket or on an air fryer pan.
- If cooking in batches, preheat the oven to 325 degrees and prepare a baking sheet to keep cooked fries warm during batch cooking.
- Cook for 10-12 minutes until the fries are brown and crunchy on the outside.
Baking
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silcone baking mat.
- Place seasoned jicama fries in a single layer on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes until crunchy on the outside.
Curry Dipping Sauce
- Whisk all the ingredients together in a small bowl.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
- For meal prepping, peel, cut, and boil jicama fries in advance and refrigerate until ready to air fry or bake.
- Choose different seasoning blends to meet individual preferences.
- Smaller, thinner fries take less time to boil, bake, or air-fry.
- It is essential to boil the jicama fries to get a soft interior like a potato. If you don't boil them long enough, the inside remains crisp like an apple. Raw jicama does not bake or air fry well.
- Buy already cut jicama fries at Whole Foods or Trader Joe's for a shortcut.
- If you aren't a curry fan, try different dipping sauces like vegan ranch dressing, lemon basil dressing, vegan southwest dressing, or Sriracha ketchup.
Nutrition
Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂
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