I used to get an appetizer just like this at one of my favorite restaurants, which has since shut down. Carrots can sometimes be a hard veggie to get excited about, and my hubby has flat-out told me he’s just not into them. But these are a wow! The sweet sauce with a kick is a clincher for the already awesome flavor of these carrot fries.–Autumn Michaelis
Why Our Testers Loved This
There are a whole lotta reasons our recipe testers devoured these fries. They found the carrot fries to be easy to make and “crisp on the outside and wonderfully soft on the inside.“ Ruby Francis also found the dipping sauce to be “addictive” with “all the right sweet and spicy notes.”
Rema S. joined in with her comment, “My husband and I devoured these carrot fries so quickly I almost can’t remember the details of what made them so good.”
Ingredients at a Glance
- Carrots–Take care to cut your carrots into similarly sized “fries” so that they cook evenly. To save time, the carrots can be left unpeeled.
- Paprika–Any type of paprika will work here, however, we love the flavor of smoked or hot paprika on the sweet carrots.
- Maple syrup–The sweetness of the maple syrup balances the spiciness from the chipotles in the mayonnaise. You could also substitute date syrup or date molasses.
How to Make This Recipe
- Heat the oven to 425°F. Set a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet.
- Cut the carrots into sticks 4 inches long and 1/2 inch wide.
- Steam the carrots in a steamer or in the microwave until just tender.
- Drain and pat dry.
- Coat the carrots with olive oil. Combine the flour, spices, and salt in a separate bowl.
- Toss the carrots until they are evenly coated.
- Arrange the carrots on the wire rack. Make sure they are in a single layer and aren’t touching. Roast until crispy.
- Make the dipping sauce. Mix the mayo and maple syrup together in a small bowl. Serve the carrot fries with the sauce.
Common Questions
Yes. Although they won’t be as “healthy,” our testers found that they had excellent crispiness when deep fried at 350°F for 6 minutes. For best results, skip the steaming and use rice flour for coating the carrots.
If you’ve got a steam oven, then definitely use it for the steaming step. Our testers found that 6 minutes at 212°F was perfect.
For a veggie-forward meal, try serving these alongside black bean and mushroom burgers.
Helpful Tips
- To make your carrots even crispier, spray them lightly with cooking oil before baking.
- These carrot fries are best served immediately after baking. We don’t recommend storing or reheating.
- The chipotle mayonnaise can be prepared up to 1 week before using. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator.
- This recipe is suitable for gluten-free and dairy-free diets. To make this recipe vegan, use vegan mayo when preparing the dipping sauce.
More Great Fries Recipes
Write a Review
If you make this recipe, or any dish on LC, consider leaving a review, a star rating, and your best photo in the comments below. I love hearing from you.–David
Carrot Fries with Chipotle Sauce
Ingredients
For the carrot fries
- 1 pound whole fresh carrots, scrubbed
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons tapioca flour or arrowroot flour
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon table salt
For the chipotle sauce
- 1/2 cup chipotle mayonnaise
- 2 to 3 tablespoons maple syrup
Instructions
Make the carrot fries
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Set a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet.
- Trim off the tops and tips of the carrots. Cut them into thin sticks, about 1/2-inch (12 mm) wide and 4 inches (10 cm) long.
- In a covered steamer basket set over a pan of simmering water, or in the microwave in a covered microwave-safe dish with 2 tablespoons of water, steam the carrots until just tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Pat the carrots completely dry.
- In a large bowl, toss the carrots in the olive oil. In a second large bowl, whisk the flour, garlic and onion powders, paprika, and salt together. Add the carrots and toss to coat.
- Arrange the carrots in a single layer on the wire rack, taking care to make sure they are not touching each other. Roast until the carrots are crispy, about 30 minutes.
Make the chipotle sauce
- In a medium bowl, combine the chipotle mayonnaise and 2 tablespoons maple syrup. Taste, and add more maple syrup, if desired.
- Serve the carrot fries immediately with the chipotle dipping sauce.
Notes
- Extra-crispy fries–To make your carrots even crispier, spray them lightly with cooking oil before baking.
- Reheating–These carrot fries are best served immediately after baking. We don’t recommend storing or reheating.
- Make-ahead–The chipotle mayonnaise can be prepared up to 1 week before using. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator.
- Dietary–This recipe is suitable for gluten-free and dairy-free diets. To make this recipe vegan, use vegan mayo when preparing the dipping sauce.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
I was drawn to this carrot fries recipe because it looked fairly simple to make and I had never tried this before. I often make sweet potato fries but never tried to make them with carrots.
I decided to make the chipotle sauce a few hours before preparing the fries so that the flavors had time to meld in the refrigerator. It tastes incredible and the longer it rests in the refrigerator, the better it gets. The chipotle sauce is so good that I plan to use it’s a dipping sauce for any steamed cauliflower and as a spread on sandwiches.
My husband and I devoured these carrot fries so quickly I almost can’t remember the details of what made them so good. I made half the recipe for the two of us, but I wish I had made the whole thing. To serve 4, it should probably be doubled!
The chipotle mayo was also delicious. A little sweet, a little hot, a little smoky, and went really well with the flavors of the carrots.
These carrot fries were such a hit! Easy to make and packed with flavor, they are a great side and the sauce is so addictive. The garlic and onion powders add such a delicious savory balance, and the sauce hits all the right sweet and spicy notes.
I served my fries with turkey burgers and roasted broccolini with tahini sauce, which all paired quite nicely together.
These vegetable fries were fun and tasty. I really loved the combination of the date flavor (used date syrup already in my pantry) with the chipotle mayo.
I also experimented and did a batch in my deep fryer (substituting white rice flour for the tapioca starch, skipping the steaming stage, 6 min at 350°F.) While some people might not like the health aspects of the deep fryer, I thought this was easier overall and slightly better for achieving crispness.
Still, the oven baking did achieve a pretty good “fry” texture. A couple of things to consider… better to err on the side of baking these too much than not enough. Also, these should be served right away. The few that were left over did not stay crisp very long.
These carrots were a delightful surprise. They are crisp on the outside and wonderfully soft on the inside, a bit like sweet potato fries but with no frying. And the sauce goes well with them.
I will make these again and again and will try other sauces with them. A cocktail sauce would be nice as would a blue cheese dip. My one caution is to make sure that the carrots are not touching each other when they are baked as they will stick together.
This recipe is a knockout. If you have a deep fryer… Here’s a riff to make it even easier…
I use a 1 pound bag of petite baby carrots (must be petite, regular baby carrots can be too thick). Drain in a colander and drizzle with oil, then use the shake and bake method with the rest of the dry coating. Rice flour is a great choice. Cook 8 min in the fryer at 180°C. Perfection. Also, I like date syrup instead of maple syrup in the aioli. Both are wonderful. Every time I serve these people go nuts over them.
Thanks so much, Jennifer. We so appreciate you taking the time to share your tips.
I realize the point of the recipe is to be gluten free, but if that is not a concern can you use regular flour instead of the arrowroot or tapioca and still crisp in the oven?
Dana, we didn’t try it with all-purpose flour in the oven, but it worked well in a deep fryer. I suspect that it would work fine, but can’t guarantee it since we didn’t try it. If you do try it, please let us know how they turn out.