Baked Carrot Fries with Sriracha Mayo
Baked carrot fries with sriracha mayo make a great gluten-free appetizer or side for your meal. Everyone always has leftover carrots from making soups and stews this time of year, so why not get creative and make simple baked carrot fries with those carrots sitting in your product drawer in the refrigerator?
Served with a spicy sriracha mayo, these baked carrot fries are full of flavor! A fun and easy way to get your veggies in your diet and love them, too. Gluten-free and dairy-free with a vegan option.
Move over sweet potatoes, there’s a new orange fry in town! That’s right! I’m talking baked carrot fries with sriracha mayo.
Don’t get me wrong, I love potatoes, but changing it up every now and then with a different type of starch or vegetable is fun! I chose carrots because I’m currently craving all things carrot. I made these roasted rainbow carrots with garlic tahini sauce and also updated my gluten-free carrot fritters which I originally posted back in 2012. Needless to say, carrots are the new sweet potato. I’m only partially kidding, because I sure do love me some sweet potatoes!
If you’re looking for a change though, these baked carrot fries with sriracha mayo are for you! Easily made vegan by using vegan mayo, which is what I used, you’ll love how simple these baked carrot fries are to make. They’re a fun appetizer or side for any meal and a great way to get those veggies in your diet. Carrots are also pretty inexpensive and keep well in the refrigerator, so I always have them on hand for this baked carrot fries recipe.
I flavored my carrots with cumin, salt and pepper for this recipe, but I imagine the baked carrot fries would taste great with other seasonings as well – from sweet cinnamon to savory parmesan with garlic powder. Just depends on what you’re serving them with. I like to serve them as an appetizer but also great as a side for dinner whenever we’re having burgers or steak, too.
Every good fry needs a dipping sauce though right? If you know me.. you know I HATE ketchup. I don’t know why but I always have, even as a kid. There’s just no place for ketchup in my kitchen, sorry. So I like to get a little bit creative with the sauces I dip my baked fries into. I often choose BBQ sauce, honey, or honey mustard. However – if you’ve never dipped your french fries into mayo before, then you are MISSING OUT! Seriously, you need to try it!
I loved the easy sriracha mayo that I made to dip the baked carrot fries into. I used vegan mayo but regular mayo works as well! If you aren’t a fan of spicy then go with the lower suggested amount of sriracha in the recipe. I prefer the mayo that way, while my boyfriend prefers the sriracha mayo with the full two tablespoons. But as you all know… I’m a complete wuss when it comes to spice! Since carrots are typically a little sweet, I think a savory spice with a little bit of a kick is so great for balancing all of the flavors.
Tips and Tricks for Making Baked Carrot Fries
- You want to make sure you cut your fries all in same shape and size so that they cook evenly.
- Smaller is better in this case. Cut your carrot fries to be about 1/4 inch width maximum. They’lll bake up and crisp better that way. Cut them larger and you’ll have more of a roasted carrot than a carrot fry. Which is delicious, just not what we’re going for here.
- You don’t necessarily have to peel your carrots, but I do. If you don’t want to peel your carrots, make sure you purchase organic carrots and scrub them good to remove any loose grit and dirt. Let dry completely before proceeding with the recipe. Like I said, I’m a fan of peeling my carrots.
- Try not to crowd your carrots on the baking sheet. If they are too close together, they won’t get crisp.
- You can use other oils besides avocado oil for this recipe. Since we’re baking at 425F you want to choose an oil that has a high smoking point. If you haven’t given avocado oil a try yet, do it! It’s my favorite oil to cook with. It’s versatile and doesn’t have a strong taste like some other oils.
Let’s Talk About Temperature
I tried baking these carrot fries at three different temperatures – 400F, 425F, and 450F – to figure out which one would give us the BEST method for making these baked carrot fries. While all provided delicious carrot fries, the best option is 425F in my book. They didn’t take too long, like they did at 400F, and I felt that the carrots baked more evenly without burning the edges, like they did at 450F. Overall, the carrots achieved the best texture and level of crispiness at the 425F mark, so that’s the way to go!
Baked Carrot Fries with Sriracha Mayo Recipe
You will love these baked carrot fries with sriracha mayo – so easy with so few ingredients! All you need is carrots, oil, salt and pepper, cumin, mayonnaise, sriracha, lemon juice and garlic powder. That’s really it. Baked carrot fries make a terrific appetizer for entertaining or a gluten-free side for your next meal. Gluten-free and dairy-free with a vegan option.
Baked Carrot Fries with Sriracha Mayo
Ingredients
For the Baked Carrot Fries:
- 1 lb carrots (4-5 large carrots, peeled)
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley (chopped)
For the Sriracha Mayo:
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise (or vegan mayo)
- 1-2 tbsp sriracha sauce (to taste)
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut peeled carrots into 4 inch long pieces that are no larger than 1/4 inch wide.
- Place carrot sticks, avocado oil, cumin, salt and pepper on the baking sheet. Toss to coat the carrot sticks completely.
- Bake carrots at 425F for 25-30 minutes, until carrots are cooked through and crispy on the outside. Flip the carrot fries at about the 15 minute mark.
- While the carrot fries are baking, making the sriracha mayo. Stir together mayo, sriracha, lemon juice and garlic powder. Adjust the amount of sriracha based on your preferences.
- Serve carrot fries with fresh parsley and sriracha mayo dip.
Notes
- You want to make sure you cut your fries all in same shape and size so that they cook evenly.
- Smaller is better in this case. Cut your carrot fries to be about 1/4 inch width maximum. They'lll bake up and crisp better that way. Cut them larger and you'll have more of a roasted carrot than a carrot fry. Which is delicious, just not what we're going for here.
- You don't necessarily have to peel your carrots, but I do. If you don't want to peel your carrots, make sure you purchase organic carrots and scrub them good to remove any loose grit and dirt. Let dry completely before proceeding with the recipe. Like I said, I'm a fan of peeling my carrots.
- Try not to crowd your carrots on the baking sheet. If they are too close together, they won't get crisp.
- You can use other oils besides avocado oil for this recipe. Since we're baking at 425F you want to choose an oil that has a high smoking point. If you haven't given avocado oil a try yet, do it! It's my favorite oil to cook with. It's versatile and doesn't have a strong taste like some other oils.
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I’m Megan
A gluten-free food blogger from Chicago and lover of all things food, showing you gluten-free can be easy and delicious, too. Let’s make gluten-free stress free together! Read more…
