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This recipe for Baked Jicama Fries was originally posted April 23, 2015. I'm crazy about snack foods that are easy to prepare in my oven, like my Oven Baked Barbecue Fries, Baked Zucchini Fries, Jamaican Jerked Butternut Squash Fries, Oven Baked Potato Wedges, and my Baked Onion Rings.
It’s high in fiber, 90% water, a good source of vitamin C and potassium. Raw jicama has a sweet flavor because it contains a rich source of soluble fiber oligofructose inulin which is prebiotic and an inert carbohydrate that does not turn into simple sugars when broken down by digestion. This is good news for diabetics, they can eat this sweet root without worrying about their blood sugar fluctuating.
Most of you are so used to hearing about probiotics but have you ever heard about prebiotic? I first learned about prebiotic over 20 years ago when my professor in college taught about the benefits of prebiotics and she advocated that prebiotics were better than probiotics.
At that time I honestly didn’t understand a lot of what she was talking about and I didn’t care much as I do today about gut health. A prebiotic is a plant fiber that stimulates the growth and activity of good bacteria that are already in the colon. This plant fiber is indigestible but provides great health benefits to the body.
For healthy gut bacteria, one should consume 50-55 grams of fiber daily, this fiber is found in plant-based foods, fruits, vegetables, whole grains and, legumes.
These plant fibers like jicama, serve as prebiotics or fuel for healthy bacteria to thrive.
Other Sources Of Prebiotics:
- Dandelion Green
- Chicory
- Onions
- Garlic
- Asparagus
- Apple
- Burdock Root
- Jerusalem Artichoke
- Seaweed
Unlike probiotics, prebiotics is not destroyed by heat. Probiotics are live bacteria mostly found in fermented dairy (kefir, yogurt), so they have to be kept alive by keeping them cold.
Other sources of probiotics are kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha tea, non-pasteurized pickes and vegetables.
Note that nowadays there are more available non-dairy yogurts and kefir made from coconut and almond milk.
Prebiotics are therefore beneficial to help disease like Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Chron’s disease, Candida Albicans, relieve diarrhea after antibiotic use.
How To Cook Jicama Fries
I normally ate jicama raw but this time I wanted to make a baked jicama fries recipe instead. I oven baked them and was very pleased with the taste and outcome. I didn’t want the strong crunch so I decided to cook the jicama before I bake them. I have served them with ketchup, vegan ranch dip or Guacamole.
This vegetable will be a regular on my shopping list. Jicama fries recipe is a low-calorie alternative that is great in a vegan, gluten-free, candida diet lifestyle.
One of my readers asked, 'Is it like a potato?' Answer: it looks like a potato but the texture is crunchy like a pear, and it tastes mildly sweet like an apple.
Note: Don't expect the fries to be crispy like potato, they won't be. It doesn't have the same texture as a potato to begin with nor will the final texture be the same.
Jicama Nutritional Facts
Serving size 1 cup raw
- Calories: 49
- Fat: 0 grams
- Cholesterol: 0 grams
- Sodium: 5 mg
- Carbohydrates: 11 grams
- Protein: 1 gram
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- Energy:
- 96 kcal / 401 kJ
- Fat:
- 4 g
- Protein:
- 1 g
- Carbohydrate:
- 15 g
Ingredients
Baked Jicama
- 1 medium jicama
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika, (preferably smoked paprika)
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- Pinch of Cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Vegan Cashew Ranch Dip
- 1 cup cashews, soaked for 1 hour
- 3/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon dried dill
- 1/4 teaspoon dried chives
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- Preparation:
- 10 min
- Cooking:
- 55 min
- Ready in:
- 1 h 5 min
Instructions
For The Baked Jicama
Preheat oven 425°F. Peel jicama and cut into 1/4 inch matchsticks. Bring water to boil in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add jicama and cook for 10 minutes until jicama is less crunchy.
Drain water using a colander, transfer jicama slices in a large bowl and toss with olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper and sea salt.
Place in a single layer on a prepared baking sheet. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until crispy, turning halfway. Delicious served with vegan ranch dip or guacamole.
For The Ranch Dip
Place all ingredients in a high-speed blender except parsley and dill. Process until smooth and creamy, pausing blender and scraping down the sides. Pour into a medium bowl and stir in parsley and dill. Keep refrigerated.
Notes
HI!! This is the second time I’ve tried this recipe and the flavor is just spot on! I am however feeling like my fries still have too much of a raw crunchiness, and I even boiled them an additional 5 minutes (15 total). Any advice to get them soft? Or do they just not soften up like a potato fry would? Either way you have still introduced me to a new delishious veggie – thanks!!
LaShay thank you for your feedback, to be honest, I don’t believe that they will have the texture of potatoes. I’m happy you still enjoyed them.
Oh my goodness, Michelle! These look amazing. We love fries but don’t eat potatoes all that often so these jicama fries look like the perfect solution and they do look super crispy and I also love the sauce ingredients. I can’t wait to surprise my family with these. Thanks for your great recipes!
Thank you Sally, I hope you and your family enjoy them.
Really liked them i had already seasoned them befor looking up recipe so i did not boil them but they were still great put garlic powder,salt,onion powder paprika, turmeric and cayenne red pepper. Will bake again . Took picture but see nowhere to upload
Thank you Robin for your feedback, I’m so happy you enjoyed them. I would have loved to see them. For now, you can share your photo by tagging my Healthier Steps Instagram account or as a feedback on the Pinterest page.
These were fantastic! Far exceeded my expectations because I kept reading blogs saying it is not like potato based fries and not crispy. However, with the spice blend, it was had the perfect balance to mimic some of my favorite seasoned fries that I didn’t even care and certainly satisfied my craving. I tried it half without boiling and half with boiling. Still waiting on the boiled version as the recipe directed, but the non-boiled version was delicious!. It had a nice crunch to it and baked a lot faster (around 10-15 min). So happy to have stumbled on this recipe ╰(*´▽`*)╯
Echo, I’m so happy you are here. Thank you for your awesome feedback, I’m happy you enjoyed it and it worked to satisfy your cravings.
I didn’t even use the dip and these were so tasty! Satisfied my craving for some fries, while not making me feel guilty about carbs.
I see Jicama in the local market but only tried it in salads, I will try your recipe soon
Thank you John, hope you enjoy it.
These were so, so good! I got lucky and found the jicama already cut in sticks at the store. The dip didn’t sound so appealing, but oh my, I LOVED it! Thank you :)
Wow Deanne,I now have to be on the lookout for jicama sticks, so cool. I’m so happy you loved the dip as well. Thank you for your feedback.
These were amazing! I’ve been buying jicama to use fresh in tacos, and always have some left over. I didn’t even realize it was that great for digestion, and I’ll definitely be making these regularly.
That’s awesome Toni, so happy you enjoyed them. Thank you so much for your feedback.
Thank you!👍🏻😊
They were delicious and my children all under the age of five loved them!
How lovely Jess, I’m so happy that your children loved them! Thank you for your feedback.
Oh my…this was delicious!!! Thanks again for your work coming up with recipes we can enjoy :) Blessings to you!
Sara, I’m so happy that you enjoy it. Thank you very much for your feedback!
These look so simple to make! I’ve always wanted to try Jicama but was always torn about the best way to be introduced to it! Thanks for the great recipe!
I have never had Jicama, but I am going to look out for it as these look divine!!! And definitely something my kids would eat.
I love the look of those spices on the chips. Yum.
I’ve never heard about Jicama before but it surely sounds healthy and delicious. It’s just perfect for snacking and that dip is so healthy and flavorful. I don’t think I will find Jicama where I live but I’ll use seasoning and that dip for my next family movie night.
I never thought we can bake jicama and convert them into fries, I use them in salad that all, thanks for showing me another option.
Those jicama fries with the ranch dipping sauce looks heavenly! The best part is that they are baked. Good info on the jicama goodness. I have more reasons to start using them more now.
I really hadn’t given much thought to prebiotics and I didn’t realize that jicama was so good for us. I will have to pick one up next time I go to the store. I see them all the time without thinking about using them. Thank you for the information.
This looks like a fun way to try jicama. I have often seen it in the grocery store, but was never sure what to do with it. I love fries of any kind.
I had no idea that jicama was so good for us. I’ve used it in a slaw before, but never thought to use it for baked fries! I can definitely see this substituting for my regular potato fries!