Craving fries? Potatoes aren’t your only choice. Follow our exciting guide for 7 ways to make veggie fries and the best dips to go with them.
Veggie fries are so easy to make and done right, can be a delicious snack or side dish. Although we give some tips on spicing up your fries, all you really need are three ingredients — your vegetable of choice, oil, and salt. If using an air fryer you can even omit the oil, or use just a tiny amount of oil spray, making it the healthiest option. Our recipes can be made in the oven, an air-fryer, or a traditional fryer.
A key tip for all the below suggestions is that you stick to consistency when cutting your vegetables into spears. Try and keep them all of a similar size, otherwise, you’ll have some that cook faster than others, with thin spears possibly burning before the thicker spears are properly cooked. Rotating the fries at least once during cooking will also help them all to come out evenly.
For best results, source local, in-season, and organic vegetables. Not only does this help minimize your consumption of pesticides, but it also means your purchases have a significantly lower impact on the environment than out-of-season and conventionally cultivated vegetables from all around the world.
So, now it’s time to experiment with veggie fries.
Traditional Veggie Fries
Let’s start with the most common veggie fries ideas, as if you are just starting to make your own, these are good contenders for practicing your art. These suggestions are based on cooking in an air-fryer, but the same instructions work for oven cooking, If using a traditional oil fryer, follow the instructions on your appliance.
- Potatoes. You can par-boil potatoes for making fries, but it’s really not necessary, and it will save energy to avoid this step (and may also stop your fries from falling apart). Slice the potatoes and coat in a little oil for best results, even in an air-fryer, just a tiny amount will crisp them up beautifully. Russet potatoes make particularly great fries as they are lower in starch and moisture than some other varieties, but you can use all types of potatoes in theory. They taste great just with a little sea salt and vinegar added after cooking. If you wish to experiment further, try tossing in a little garlic powder and nutritional yeast before cooking. These fries are perfect with sriracha mayo, for a kick, or homemade tomato ketchup.
- Sweet potatoes. Again, you don’t need to par-boil. Just peel, slice into small batons, and cook. Give them a shake halfway through cooking, as these can tend to burn a little on the ends if left alone. To spice things up, you can spray or toss in a bowl with a little bit of oil, and add some cayenne pepper. This is a strong spice, so either go easy or fire them up. If choosing spicy sweet potato fries, you can complement them with a cooling dip, such as homemade hummus or vegan tzatziki.
- Parsnips. A tasty vegetable, perfect for frying, but just be careful with the size of the veggie fries for this one in particular. Due to their shape, it is almost impossible to get even-size fries, so you need some extra rotation here, maybe twice as much as for the above, during the cooking process. Also, don’t slice too thinly or you’ll lose a lot of the taste, and peel them first. Season with garlic and herbs for an earthy and hearty taste, and maybe pair up with wasabi mayo.
Alternative Veggie Fries
- Carrots. Such a versatile vegetable, carrots are great raw with dips, as well as transformed into veggie fries. Cook as you would for sweet potato fries, and if you like, toss in a little tarragon and black pepper. For your dipping pleasure, why not try a greek twist, with this eggplant dip, that’s sure to get your tastebuds in a twist.
- Beets. Beets are so good for us, but maybe it’s a vegetable we are not quite sure what to do with, other than put in a salad. Well, the good news is that beets make delicious veggie fries. Peel the beets first, and rotate during cooking, until you get a soft inside and a slightly cripsy outside. You can add a touch of harissa spice before cooking to gently coat, and sprinkle with sea salt when ready to eat. Serve with vegan aioli for an explosion of flavor.
- Asparagus. Asparagus cooks very quickly, so keep your eye on this one, but yields beautiful results. The top tip here, as with the next suggestion, is to coat the veg with breadcrumbs, or a light batter. Snap or cut the thick ends off the spears, and cook whole. You can lightly season the spears with soy sauce, or balsamic vinegar — just a light dashing, before coating, and cooking. These are mouth-watering on their own, but for extra zing, serve with a spicy dip, such as this homemade buffalo dip, or a zingy green hot sauce.
- Zucchini. If you haven’t tried zucchini fries then you are seriously missing out. The soft inside, paired with a crispy outside (achieved again with breadcrumbs or batter), is a taste sensation. Lemon and black pepper really set off the flavor of these veggie fries, or you can coat them with a parmesan substitute. Pair with a soft and luscious thousand island dressing.
Veggie Fries Dips
As a quick go-to, here are the dips in an easy clickable list:
- Sriracha Mayo Recipe (+ Vegan Version)
- Homemade Ketchup Recipe That Is Better Than Store-Bought
- How to Make Homemade Hummus
- Wasabi Mayo: An Easy (and Vegan) Recipe
- Greek Eggplant Dip (Melitzanosalata) Recipe
- Vegan Aioli 3 Ways
- Simple Vegan Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Green Hot Sauce 2 Ways
- Vegan Thousand Island Dressing: A Simple Recipe
Read more:
- Are McDonald’s Fries Vegan? Here’s Why They Aren’t
- Is Impossible Burger Healthy?
- The Best Homemade Vegan Cheese Substitutes
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