Crispy Baked Carrot Fries

These baked carrot fries are crispy, absolutely delicious, and so easy to make. Plus, they're a great way to add a pop of color to your plate.

When it comes to making homemade fries, I almost always end up using potatoes or sweet potatoes. A few years ago, I used to make carrot fries often, but it's interesting how we really get stuck in our food preparation ways.

Carrots are a weekly staple for us for a few reasons. They're inexpensive, they last a long time in the refrigerator, and they're incredibly versatile.

You can make everything from tacos like roasted cauliflower tacos with jicama carrot slaw to soups like Thai red curry soup, or even salad dressings like carrot ginger dressing and so much more.

Ingredients

• large carrots - I recommend using large carrots over baby carrots since baby carrots tend to contain more water. For this reason, they won't crisp up as much.

• oil - I used olive oil, but also love making these with avocado oil or even coconut oil (refined for no coconut flavor).

• tapioca flour (also called tapioca starch) - Carrots aren't nearly as starchy as potatoes, so they don't crisp up the same way when baked. You can of course omit the starch. Without it, they will still be delicious, just not as crispy.

• spices - You can use any spices you like. I went the savory more traditional french fry route with garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, kosher salt, and pepper.

How to Make Carrot Fries

Wash and prep the carrots. Thoroughly wash your carrots to remove any grittiness. You can peel them if you’d like or leave the skin on. Trim off the ends and half the carrots crosswise. Now cut each of those in half lengthwise and then each half into halves or thirds depending on the size. Try to roughly get a similar size so they cook evenly.

Season. Place the carrot sticks in a large bowl and toss with oil, your seasonings of choice, salt, pepper, and starch (if using) until all the pieces are well coated.

Bake. Arrange the carrots in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through. Place under the broiler for 5 additional minutes for extra crispiness.

Make It Your Way: Substitutions & Variations

Please remember that recipes are just a starting point.

How can you make these carrot fries using what you already have? Here are some ideas…

• No carrots? ➝ you can also use parsnips (they're from the same plant family and have a similar texture, but they are starchier so omit the starch if you go with this option)
• No tapioca starch? ➝ you can also use potato starch, cornstarch, or omit altogether
• Seasoning options ➝ the options are endless, but here are a few suggestions: everything but the bagel seasoning, lemon pepper, za'atar, curry powder, ground cinnamon and ginger, just salt and pepper, garam masala, taco seasoning, etc.

Recommended Tools

• chef knife
• cutting board
• large bowl
• silicone baking mat or parchment paper
• sheet pan

More Vegetable Side Dishes

• Caramelized Braised Leeks
• Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad
• Marinated Portobello Mushrooms
• Roasted Red Cabbage Wedges