Crispy Parmesan Carrot Fries With Dipping Sauce

These Crispy Carrot Fries are baked in the oven and topped with parmesan and parsley. Served with a trio of dipping sauces, these carrot french fries are an easy, healthy, and delicious vegetarian appetizer or side dish.

Craving french fries but want to ditch the guilt? Same! You guys know I love a good fry. I could eat Louisiana Voodoo Fries on repeat and these Yukon Chips? All day long. Unfortunately, while these are both delicious sometimes treats, there are times when I'm craving something a little healthier.

Good news! These Crispy Baked Parmesan Carrot Fries are a delicious way to beat your craving without crashing your diet. I added parsnips too for some variations in color and absolutely love how these turned out. Perfectly crispy with a nice "crunch", well seasoned, and a trio of dipping sauces make these a great alternative to french fries and go perfectly alongside a burger.

What's Great About These Crispy Carrot Fries

• Sooo easy to make. These parmesan carrot fries are super easy to make and they taste delicious.
• A great healthy appetizer or side dish. They’re baked in the oven so they’re a bit healthier than normal fries. They’re made with carrots and parsnips which slash the calories while still filling you up. As a point of reference, carrots have about half the calories as sweet potatoes so while these crispy carrot fries greatly resemble sweet potato fries, you'll be consuming much fewer calories!
• That crispy parmesan crust! Ugh, it's so good. The parmesan crisps up in the oven and helps to create a satisfyingly salty, toasty crunch with each bite.
• They're so pretty! The orange and golden colors of these veggie fries are stunners on an app table, or served next to a big juicy burger.

Ingredients

These healthy 'carrot french fries' have only a few ingredients:

• Carrots and parsnips. I added parsnips to these to give the dish some variations on color. You'll want to slice the carrots and parsnips into thin sticks.
• Olive oil. You can really use any flavor of oil you want, but olive oil pairs nicely with these fries.
• Cornstarch. The secret ingredient that makes these fries super crispy!
• Salt and pepper. For flavor.
• Parmesan. Another secret to help make a crispy exterior!
• Parsley. This is optional, but I love the way the parsley adds a touch of green to the dish and some herby/fresh dimension.

How To Make These Crispy Parmesan Carrot Fries

These veggie fries take only about 30 minutes start to finish and since they bake in the oven and not in a fryer, you can do a few other things while they're cooking.

1. Peel and slice. Start by peeling the carrots and parsnips and then slice them into thin sticks. You can do this pretty easily by hand, or try a mandolin if that works better for you.
2. Coat in cornstarch. Create a thin layer of cornstarch on your fries by shaking them in a ziplock with the cornstarch before mixing in your oil and other seasonings. Just make sure not to make your coating too thick since that will actually prevent the veggie from crisping up. 
3. Add the seasoning. Dump your fries into a bowl, add little bit of salt and any other seasoning you'd like to use (garlic is a great add) and toss well. Drizzle a small amount of oil over the fries, and toss again.
4. Add the parmesan. Arrange the carrot fries in an even layer on a baking tray. Sprinkle a healthy amount of parmesan over them and then bake for about 10 minutes.
5. Flip. Flip the fries, add more parmesan to the top, and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes. You'll want the fries to be well browned and crispy when you take them out of the oven - if they are still soft after add a few additional minutes to the baking time, and check them again.
6. Add parsley and parmesan. Finish by topping the fries with some fresh parsley and extra parmesan and serve with your favorite sauces! (Garlic mayo is my fave!)

What Makes These Baked Carrot Fries Crisp?

Baking veggie fries in the oven is sometimes a little dicey since they can turn out soggy if you’re not careful. It's really hard to mimic that crispiness you normally get from an oil-fried potato. There's nothing worse than thinking you're biting into a crisp fry but instead, sinking your teeth into what feels like a mushy cooked carrot.

But here's a trick to making these oven-baked veggie fries crisp. Using cornstarch helps add a bit of crispiness to the outer layer, resulting in a much more satisfying crispy “fry”.

Variations

The beauty of these carrot fries is that just like regular french fries or sweet potato fries, they can be customized with different flavors. Here are a few different ideas for seasonings you can try:

• Garlic
• Paprika
• Pepper
• Chili flakes
• Fresh chives
• Onion powder
• Thyme
• Ginger
• Cumin
• Chili powder

Let me know if you try any of these other spices - I'd love to hear how they turn out!

What About Dipping Sauces For These Crispy Veggie Fries?

Ok, so here's the deal. These crispy parmesan carrot fries are really GOOD. But they become truly GREAT when you add in some good dipping sauces. Here are three combos we used, all easy to mix up while the fries are baking.

Ketchup and sriracha dipping sauce

We like a good ratio of 2:1 for this ketchup and sriracha sauce, but you can make this milder if it suits you by adding less sriracha (or go full-on blazing by adding more.)

Sriracha and mayo

Again a ration of 2:1 for this mayo and sriracha is good for us but customize according to your tolerance to spice.

Garlic mayo

This one is my absolute fave. Also called a garlic aioli, this is the most complicated of the bunch, but not too much, and it's so worth it IMHO. Create a garlic paste by mincing three cloves of garlic, then crushing them extremely well with the back of your knife (you don't want too many lumpy bits here). Then just mix the paste with one cup of mayo, and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Trust me - it goes so well with these carrot and parsnip fries, and if you make an extra batch you can use it on sandwiches for the rest of the week. Yum!

What To Serve With Crispy Carrot Fries

Carrot fries go well with most BBQ type meals. Here are a few ideas of dishes you can serve up alongside them:

• Sweet And Spicy Bacon Smash Burgers
• Hot Honey Fried Chicken Sandwiches
• Grinder Salad Sandwiches
• Chicken Bacon Ranch Wraps
• Rotisserie Chicken Banh Mi Sandwiches
• Roasted Mushroom Swiss Burger

These crispy parmesan carrot fries are fast, easy, healthy, and delicious.  Try them for your next game day snack, or when you want a healthy side to pair with your next burger. 

If you do try these Crispy Parmesan Baked Carrot Fries, share a comment below. And don't forget to tag me on Instagram with your creation!

More Delicious Snacks!

• Sheet Pan Nachos With Chorizo
• Deviled Eggs With Bacon And Jalapeno
• Chunky Guacamole Recipe
• Louisiana Voodoo Fries
• Yukon Chips

Recipe