Golden Baked Jicama Fries
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Published Jun 28, 2017, Updated May 09, 2022
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Gut-friendly baked jicama fries with turmeric and black pepper. Serve with fresh guacamole for a delicious summer side! Vegan, paleo, low-carb and keto.
This summer I have found my new favorite vegetable, and I’m mildly obsessed with its unique flavor profile. It’s nutty and sweet, crunchy and juicy, and pairs well with both savory and sweet ingredients.
Not only is it a party in your mouth, but it’s also a gift to your gut due to its high nutrient content, water density, and prebiotic nature. Differing from probiotics (beneficial bacteria and yeast that live in your digestive tract), prebiotics contain non-digestible fiber that serve as food for probiotics. This superfood is straight golden gut glory’s.
Have you guessed it yet? It’s Jicama!
What is Jicama?
Jicama is a root vegetable, which shares the same color and shape as a turnip, but is about 2-3 times the size. It has a weathered brown skin (to be peeled before eating) that covers a white flesh, with a texture similar to that of a water chestnut or crisp pear. Some people describe the taste of jicama similar to that of an apple, but more neutral and certainly less sugary.
Health Benefits of Jicama
Jicama is low fat, low calorie (50 calories/cup), and high in soluble fiber (6 grams/cup), which will help you feel full for longer periods of time. The specific fiber it contains, oligofructose inulin, is prebiotic and low on the glycemic index making it ideal for diabetics and those looking to lose weight. Inulins prebiotic nature promotes “good” bacteria (probiotics) growth in the intestines, as well as promotes bone health by enhancing absorption of calcium from other foods.
It has an insanely high water content, about 90 percent, and provides you with a dose of calcium, magnesium, potassium, vitamins A, C, and beta carotene, which makes it an incredible post workout recovery fuel as well!
*Note – since jicama is a high fiber food you may experience some digestive discomfort like bloating and gas when you first incorporate it into your diet, so I suggest you start small. If you tend to eat a lot of fiber already like me, you will be fine, but don’t dive in too heavy or consider yourself warned!
How to Eat Jicama
I love it raw and have been reaching for it instead of carrot sticks as an afternoon snack with hummus or almond butter. Helpful trick: peel + cut your jicama into sticks ahead of time, and store with prepped carrots, bell peppers, celery, and cucumber for easy snacking throughout the week. Another option is to buy the pre-chopped jicama sticks at Trader Joe’s. A little more expensive, but so convenient. My latest jicama obsession though has been Jicama fries!
Why I Love Jicama Fries
These golden gut baked jicama fries offer a lighter alternative from heavier root vegetables like sweet potato and parsnips in the summer. Sprinkled with an array of spices, including my favorite anti-inflammatory herb turmeric, these fries are tasty on their own, on a salad or dipped in my healthy guacamole.
Just a friendly reminder, turmeric’s golden color has a tendency to stain all that it touches so be careful while making the fries. If staining does occur, this article has some great tips for removing turmeric stains from your dishes, counters and fingers.
How to Make Jicama Fries
Peel + cut: Once your jicama is peeled cut it into thin slices about 1/4 inch thick (one jicama should make about 4-5 cups). Another option is to buy the pre-chopped jicama sticks. I’ve found them at Trader Joe’s or my local Kroger.
Parboil: Boil a pot of water on stovetop. Once water is boiling add your jicama slices to the pot and boil for 8-10 minutes. Drain the water and pat the fries dry before coating them with the spices and baking.
Season: Once dry, add your jicama fries to a large bowl, add oil, turmeric, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper and toss to coat evenly.
Bake: Spread the fries onto a baking stone or a baking sheet lined with a silpat mat or parchment paper. Note: make sure the fries aren’t crowded. They need space or else they will start to steam and get soft rather than crispy. Bake for 30 minutes at 400°F. After 30 minutes, take the fries out of the oven to flip, then bake for another 20-30 minutes or until fries are a little brown and have reached the desired texture.
Serve: Remove from oven, let cool and serve with guacamole or desired dip and enjoy!
Love Veggie Fries? Try These Variations Too:
Baked Jicama Fries
Ingredients
- 1 medium jicama, peeled and cut into thin slices about 1/4 inch thick (about 4-5 cups)
- 1 Tablespoon avocado oil
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- homemade guacamole, for serving (store-bought works too)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Boil a pot of water on stovetop. Once water is boiling add your jicama slices to the pot and boil for 8-10 minutes. Drain the water and pat the fries dry before coating them with the spices and baking.
- Once jicama slices are dry add them to a large bowl, add oil, turmeric, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper and toss to coat evenly.
- Spread the fries onto a baking stone or a baking sheet lined with a silpat mat or parchment paper making sure the fries aren’t crowded. They need space or else they will start to steam and get soft rather than crispy.
- Bake for 30 minutes, take them out of the oven and flip, then bake for another 20-30 minutes or until fries are a little brown and have reached the desired texture.
- Remove from oven and serve with guacamole for dipping.
Notes
- Recipe adapted from Healthier Steps.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’ve never cooked with jicama before! It always intimidates me in the store. However the best way to introduce a new veggie is to turn it into a fry! Yum!
Totally agree. You can never go wrong with fries. amirite?
Will these keep if I make them ahead of time?
They’re best eaten right away!
I don’t think I’ve ever tried jicama before, consider it on the list!
Rebecca
xx
http://www.peppermintdolly.com
Woo-hoo! Let me know how they turn out for you.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I’ve never heard of Jicama but I’d love to have a go at making these.
Carolyn x
Faithfully Carolyn
Yum! I love jicama, but have never thought to make it into fries like this before. I will have to give this a try ASAP.
i looooove jicama! i usually just have it with some lime, but this recipe sounds way more delicious!! love that you added turmeric and that guacamole for dipping is genius!
Yes! I love it plain with chile lime salt or with mango for a salad, but the fries are so good too. I hope you get a chance to try them, Jordan.
Has anyone grilled these fries? I do a grilled potato wedge with rosemary and garlic that I was thinking of subbing the jicama in for.
You could totally use this recipe and grill the fries instead of baking them. Just grill until they’re the a little brown and the texture is to your liking. Let me know how it goes.
I haven’t had jicama i ages but now I’m so inspired! Thanks for sharing this, Brittany!!!!
Hooray! This is the perfect recipe to jump back on the jicama train with. 🙂
I LOVE jicama and have been meaning to buy one soon, but I’ve never thought to bake it. These look fabulous, especially with guacamole!
It’s so good!! You’ll love the baked jicama with the guac! 🙂
I don’t cook with oil. Do you have any suggestions on how else to get the spices to cover and stick ? I love this idea and love jicama.
try egg white coating
I have NEVER been successful at getting jicama to soften up. I’ve tried baking, frying, boiling, even pressure cooking. My last one I boiled for over an hour, still crunchy, put in the pressure cooker for another 1.5 hrs, still crispy, tried cooking some of those in the frying pan & some in the oven. Total failure. But I would really like to know if anyone has ever been able to get the proper (potato-like) texture from it. I think it has the best taste out of jicama, radishes, turnips, and rutabaga (all my experiments). Any tips would be appreciated.
I have a jimaca that my neighbor brought over. I’ve never tried it before, but this baked recipe with guacamole looks great! Will try it tomorrow. Thanks for the recipe!
So good! Baked them 30 minutes at 450 instead, flipping halfway. Very crispy!
Hi Mariah! Thanks for sharing, I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment and star rating – your feedback is super helpful!
I have a question 😭 my fries always come out crispy on the outside and like a raw potato on the inside. What am I doing wrong 😭
Hey Brittany, how much oil do you normally use and are the fries spaced out on the baking sheet?
try parboiling the jicama first
I haven’t tried this yet but it looks great. Just wondering has anyone made the fries in and airfryer? If so what temp and how long do they cook for? Thanks! 🙂
I followed the recipe to a T and within the first 30 minutes of cooking, half my fries were completely burnt. Something is definitely wrong with this recipe. Either the fries should not be cut thin or the oven temperature should be 100 degrees cooler. Regardless, it was a total flop for me, and I wasted my first jicama.
@Sarah & @Brittany- nearly every other recipe similar to this calls for the jicama to be parboiled firs which might explain the raw inside, overcooked outside.
Thanks for mentioning that. I remember trying to avoid the extra step of parboiling the jicama first, but maybe I should retest this recipe and see if it helps!
I cooked my first one today. A recipe I followed called for 400 degree oven for 20 to 25 min. They came out really good.
Same problem with time. Only needs about 25-30 minutes overall cook time. Fries burnt up in the ten minutes after the flip.otherwise tastes great
Total fail. FrieS burned within 30 minutes in the oven. Those that had not burned were chewy, not crispy.
Hi Cathy! I’m so sorry the recipe didn’t turn out for you. Did you change anything about the recipe? One note that I mention is that you can parboil the jicama before seasoning and baking. I’m thinking this might help!
i love to eat jicama! i usually just have it with some lime, but this recipe sounds way more delicious!! love that you added turmeric and that guacamole for dipping is genius! that why i am share you’re recipe on my website or Facebook page
Same here… mine burned after 30 min.:-(
This recipe is very good. I made this with the Jicama and coating, added too more herb which was not in the recipe.Heated oven to 400 degrees. Which was too high and hot for this recipe. An hour was also too much time for this recipe in my open.
I tried fried jicama once before. Your baked jicama recipe sounds simple enough to prepare. I think I’ll give it a shot. Thanks for sharing.
Mine came out perfect as the recipe stands. I used the 2nd rack from bottom of oven. Thanks we loved them, and my BF has been a chef for 30 years and has his own shop.
I’m so glad these fries turned out for you!! Thanks for the review, I so appreciate it. 🙂
excellent post thank you for sharing
How many net carb. And sugar does this have.
Hi Kathy – this recipe has 15g carbohydrates and 3g sugar per serving. If you give this recipe a try, I’d love to know how you like it!
Love this recipe!
I was wondering if you could substitute coconut oil for olive oil?
Olive oil should work just fine!
I tried it home it’s amazing and very delicious and also good for health i really want to thank you for such delicious recipe
You’re so welcome! So glad you loved this recipe, thanks for coming back to leave a review. I appreciate it.
Love this recipe very much. Thanks for posting.
I’m so glad! Thanks for coming back to leave a review.
Still, the very name of fries suggests frying in a large amount of oil. Is this vegetable deep-fried?
Nope, these are baked!