jicama Archives • A Sweet Pea Chef

Forget about French fries and make these baked jicama fries instead! These are GF, vegan, keto, clean eating, healthy, and low-carb fries. They taste like a savory crunchy fry and are so easy to make. Bonus - remember to make my easy chimichurri sauce for dipping your new favorite low carb fries. One of my fave things ever is finding super easy and delicious ways to enjoy foods that might otherwise not be the healthiest. It doesn't get much better than that, especially when you enjoy the recipes, too! So, let's talk fries. Not the healthiest, but they are so tasty, am I right? You probably know this is not my first attempt at making fries healthy. I’ve made baked sweet potato fries, carrot fries, zucchini fries, and asparagus fries. All these have been oh-so-delicious. So why no find other healthy alternatives to french fries? After all, no one's complained about having too many healthy alternatives to fries, yet! WHAT IS JICAMA? Still not sure about these jicama fries? I mean, you like the sound of the recipe but you wanna know what is jicama, first? Ok, ok, got it! Let me properly introduce you to jicama! Jicama is a root vegetable. It’s also known as the "Mexican yam bean" or the "Mexican turnip." It’s white inside and it pretty much looks like a potato. Except, you can eat it raw, too. The texture is crunchy and crisp, like an apple or pear. Basically, once you peel it (because the peel isn't edible), it's like a semi sweet potato apple that's kinda also like a water chestnut. Got it? It's also super tasty in salads because it's so crisp and full of freshness. Personally, I could snack on it all day. WHAT DOES JICAMA TASTE LIKE? Now that you know what it is, I’m quite sure you want to know what does jicama taste like. Jicama is a little nutty and a little sweet. But, despite the sweet taste, jicama is low in sugar, which makes it perfect for everybody, including people with diabetes or those who follow a low-sugar diet. YAY! When eaten raw, jicama is similar to an apple taste-wise. So you can add it to salads for extra crunch. Cooked, however, jicama is very mild and it takes the flavor of the seasoning you’re using. Now, that’s good news right here. You know what that means, right? You can definitely make your favorite jicama fries easily since all your favorite seasonings will work. To sum up, jicama looks like a potato, has the texture of a pear, and tastes like an apple. HOW TO CUT AND PREPARE JICAMA FRIES Because of how it looks and its shape, a lot of people wonder how to peel jicama. That's because the outer skin is pretty tough so it can be difficult to remove if you don't know how. Trust me, it's worth the little bit of effort to peel because the inside is so yummy. How To Peel Jicama With a vegetable peeler... wash jicama under running water; rub the skin with your hands to remove dirt; take a sharp vegetable peeler and scrape off the outside layers of jicama as you would do with potatoes; make sure you remove all the stringy parts. Without a vegetable peeler... if you don't have a vegetable peeler, wash jicama as described above then take a sharp knife and cut a slice off the top of the jicama and one off the bottom; now you have a flat surface to peel jicama easily – so working from the top, follow the curve of the jicama and peel the skin by sliding the knife under it moving towards the bottom of the jicama; repeat the process until you peel all the jicama skin. How To Cut Jicama with the same sharp knife used for peeling, work your way around the jicama making vertical cuts; start cutting from one side and cut thick slabs that are roughly the same size; after you’re done, you can cut the slabs into sticks, dice jicama or grate it. for jicama fries, cut it into sticks/batons or use a mandolin for thin slices. JICAMA NUTRITION FACTS In case you're wondering, nutrition wise, jicama is very good for you. So, after trying these keto french fries, I would try other jicama recipes too because jicama is truly amazing. Here are some jicama nutrition facts for ya: Jicama is… a great source of fiber – 1 cup raw jicama = 6.4g of dietary fiber; a good source of prebiotics (a type of fiber that supports the growth of probiotics); a great source of vitamin C – 1 cup raw jicama = 26.3mg vitamin C; just 49 calories per cup; a great source of potassium and calcium; low-sugar; low-fat; low-carb. How many carbs in jicama? Only 11.47 carbs per cup! Jicama is so exciting, peeps! WHY USE JICAMA INSTEAD OF POTATOES? Potatoes are not so bad. In fact, if you don’t deep-fry them, they are actually pretty healthy. They are a good source of vitamin C and vitamins B6 and B3, minerals (including potassium, manganese, and copper), and fiber. However, potatoes have a high glycemic index and they are 161 calories per cup. So, if you’re looking for an alternative that is… lower in calories; a great source of fiber; great for blood sugar regulation (low glycemic index); nutrient-dense; great for weight loss (low-carb, low-sugar, and low-fat); ...then jicama is a wonderful alternative due to all these amazing jicama benefits. HOW TO MAKE BAKED JICAMA FRIES Alright, now we know why we are using jicama, and how to cut it, so what about how to bake them?!? Here are the steps for how to cook jicama fries. Cuz’ it’s really important to know how easy it actually is to make these jicama fries! Since these are healthy fries, we’ll avoid frying and we’ll be making jicama fries in the oven so we have to start by preheating the oven at 450 degrees F; then, we have to either microwave the jicama in a bowl of water for approximately 6 minutes or pour boiling hot water over the jicama fries and allow to set for 10 minutes; drain jicama, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper; add the rest of the ingredients (all those tasty spices) and toss to coat; bake until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes, tossing halfway through. Your keto jicama fries are done and cannot wait for you to taste them! HOW TO COOK LOW-CARB JICAMA FRIES If you make jicama fries, you’re making keto jicama fries, basically. But, as with other keto French fries, the process of cooking the fries is different than the classic fries recipe. Deep-frying is out of the question and really not that necessary for tasty fries so, naturally, the answer for how to cook jicama is to bake jicama in the oven. However, I find that if you make roasted jicama without microwaving them first, the texture of jicama fries is too different than the texture of French fries. Pre-cooking the jicama first helps. If you want to make roasted jicama fries without microwaving jicama first, you have to bake them for 50-60 minutes and flip them halfway through. And the final texture will be different, roasted jicama fries won’t be as crispy as French fries. I also keep the recipe a little shortened in the oven to maintain a little bit of the natural crunch of the jicama. If you'd like them to be more tender, you can bake them for longer in the oven. HOW LONG DO BAKE JICAMA FRIES LAST IN THE FRIDGE? If you like to prep your side dishes ahead of time, jicama is just perfect. Jicama fries last in the fridge for 3-4 days if you store them in a meal prep container. When you’re ready to eat, reheat and pair with a protein for a full delicious meal. Jicama fries taste just as good after a couple of days, unlike French fries that are not at all the same if you don’t eat them immediately. CAN YOU FREEZE JICAMA FRIES? Another question meal prep lovers might have is about freezing jicama fries and the answer is - yes, you most definitely can freeze these fries. To freeze jicama fries… follow all the steps for how to cook jicama up until the baking step – basically, you want to microwave and season the jicama fries; place the jicama fries on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper but, instead of placing the baking sheet in the oven, place it in the freezer until jicama fries are solid; then transfer them to Ziploc bags and store in the freezer. They'll be best re-baked in the oven until heated through, but can also be quickly heated on the stove or in the microwave. 3 MORE LOW-CARB FRIES RECIPES I mentioned my other low carb French fries alternatives at the beginning of this post but I feel like they deserve more attention. Simply mentioning them is not enough because they are so amazeballs. HEALTHY BAKED ZUCCHINI FRIES – LOW-CARB AND GF! These Healthy Baked Zucchini Fries are another great low-carb fries option that I love just as much as jicama fries. They are great as a side dish but they work as a healthy veggies snack too. Not to mention they are totes delicious. Get the recipe. EASY SWEET POTATO MEAL PREP – BAKED SWEET POTATO FRIES 4 WAYS Another favorite side dish of mine, perfect for those who, like me, love to meal prep - Easy Sweet Potato Meal Prep – Baked Sweet Potato Fries 4 Ways. These sweet potato fries are healthy and yummy. And you get 4 different flavors: garlic herb, Cajun, spicy chile, and cinnamon sugar. Get the recipe. OVEN BAKED ASPARAGUS FRIES If you love asparagus but you’re tired of the same asparagus side you’ve been making for years, make these Oven Baked Asparagus Fries. These Oven Baked Asparagus Fries are rich in nutrients, low in calories, and baked in the oven to make them healthy. Get the recipe. Easy Baked Jicama Fries | Low-Carb, Keto, GF + Vegan! Forget about French fries and make these baked jicama fries instead! These are GF, vegan, keto, clean eating, healthy, and low-carb fries. They taste like a savory crunchy fry and are so easy to make. Bonus - remember to make my easy chimichurri sauce for dipping your new favorite low carb fries. For the Fries:1 lb. jicama, (peeled and cut into fries)1 tbsp lime juice1 tbsp olive oil1/2 tsp sea salt1/2 tsp garlic powder1/2 tsp paprika1/2 tsp chili powder1/4 tsp cumin1/4 tsp ground black pepper1/4 cup cilantro (chopped, for topping)For The Chimichurri Sauce: (Optional)1/3 cup fresh Italian parsley1/3 cup fresh cilantro1/4 red onion1/2 small jalapeno, (seeds removed)2 tbsp lime juice1 clove garlic1/2 tsp sea salt1/2 tsp ground cumin1/4 tsp coriander seeds ((can substitute ground coriander))1/4 cup olive oil For the Jicama FriesPreheat oven to 425 degrees F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.Place the jicama in a microwave-safe bowl with water. Microwave for 6 minutes. Alternatively, you can pour boiling hot water over the fries in a large mixing bowl and let set for 10 minutes. Drain.Place drained jicama on baking sheet and add remaining ingredients. Toss to coat well.Spread the jicama fries out on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until they begin to turn golden brown, tossing halfway through.For the Chimichurri Sauce:Combine the parsley, cilantro, red onion, jalapeno, lime juice, garlic, salt, cumin, and coriander seeds in a blender.Pulse until the mixture is chopped.Add the olive oil and puree until consistency is smooth, about 1 minute. Nutrition info is for jicama fries only. Clean Eating. Gluten-Free, dinner side, keto, Make It Healthy, Side Dish, VeganEasy This post contains affiliate links for products I use often and highly recommend.