Carrot Fries

Sweet potato fries are ubiquitous these days, but did you know that you can make fries with almost any starchy vegetable? If you’re looking for a fun and appealing way to serve vegetables (to either adults or kids), try baking them into fries and pairing them with creative dipping sauces. These fries make a perfect party appetizer or a quick side to serve with sandwiches, burgers, or wraps. We chose carrots for this recipe, but you can use butternut squash, parsnips, beets, or zucchini as well (the baking time will vary amongst vegetables, so keep a close eye on your fries). 

Carrots are readily-available, crowd-pleasing, and able to hold up to dipping even after baking. This makes them the perfect introduction to vegetable fries. They’re an excellent source of anti-inflammatory phytochemicals (1). Carrots also provide dietary fiber and the rare trace mineral molybdenum, shown to help your body metabolize carbs and fats and absorb iron more effectively (2). 

For our three dipping sauces, we created a creamy basil dip, a zingy curry ketchup, and a Dijon honey mustard. These three different flavor profiles will keep you coming back for more! Feel free to use your favorite herbs, seasonings, and mustards to add your own unique spin to these simple sauce recipes. 

Carrot Fries Recipe

Serves 4-6

Ingredients (Click here to print!)

• 2 lbs. whole organic carrots, peeled and cut into ¼” thick, 3” long ‘fries’ 

• 3 tablespoons olive oil (get my favorite quality brand here)

• 3 tablespoons gluten-free flour blend

• 3 tablespoons coconut sugar

• 1 teaspoon freshly-ground sea salt

• Freshly-ground black pepper, to taste 

For Basil Aioli:

• ½ cup vegan mayonnaise

• Large handful fresh basil leaves, finely chopped

• Juice of ½ a lime
  

For Curry Ketchup:

• ½ cup organic, naturally-sweetened ketchup

• ½ teaspoon curry powder
  

For Honey Mustard:

• ¼ cup Dijon mustard

• ¼ cup honey 

Instructions

Step 1:

Preheat the oven to 450°F and line two sheet pans with parchment paper. In a large bowl, gently toss together carrots, olive oil, flour, sugar, salt, and pepper until carrots are evenly coated.

Step 2:

Distribute carrots across both pans in a single layer, ensuring that they don’t overlap. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, rotating pans front to back and top to bottom halfway through baking time. Flip the carrots if you want even browning, but if you don’t want to fuss with this step, it’s not necessary. Either way, make sure that the carrots are slightly charred and caramelized before removing them from the oven. 

Step 3:

While the carrots are baking, prepare the dipping sauces. For each sauce, stir together ingredients in a small bowl and adjust seasonings to taste. 

Step 4:

Serve carrot fries straight out of the oven with dipping sauces. Store any leftover fries in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days and reheat in the oven. Dipping sauces will keep in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to a month. 

Did you try this recipe? What variations did you use? Tell us what you think in the comments below!

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Bridgit Danner, LAc, FDNP, is an acupuncturist turned functional health coach and has worked with thousands of clients since 2004.

She is the founder of FunctionalDetoxProducts.com and the author of The Ultimate Guide to Toxic Mold Recovery: Take Back Your Home Health & Life, available in audiobook, Kindle and paperback on Amazon.

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