Baked Yuca Fries

Want to make delicious baked yuca fries to satisfy your cravings at snack time? Here is the step-by-step guide for you to follow to make these amazingly delicious and healthy baked yuca fries. 

First, check out: What Is Yuca and the Benefits of Yuca!

Yuca fries, also known as cassava fries or yucca fries are very easy to make; also, they are very delicious, and satisfying with a melting texture inside and a super crisply exterior outside. They are as good as potato or French fries, but they have an excellent healthy character.  It is vegan, gluten free, and paleo

See My Favorite Recipes For Fries ahead!

This recipe is very simple, they are oven baked and you can serve as an appetizer, snack, or side dish. I have prepared this tasty and healthier yet easier way to make yuca fries rather than deep-frying; check this out!   

Yuca health benefits

Yuca root, also known as cassava or manioc, has been a major staple in the diets of the people of Central and South America, Africa, and the Caribbean for centuries.

It’s a starchy root vegetable with many nutritional benefits, including reducing blood pressure, stabilizing glucose levels, promoting skin health, and more.

These roots are used to make flour and starch that are popular in many foods and drinks, including ice cream, pasta, tortillas, and waffles!

Not only can you eat yuca root, but it’s also great for skin and hair care products, such as soaps and shampoos!

It is like a mix of potato and sweet potato in many ways as they look long and dark brown tuber. Also, they taste somewhat sweet and nutty.

Yuca has been widely cultivated in South America and Africa for centuries and is very efficient as they are drought-resistant crops that are easy to cultivate.

Yuca root is excellent as they are also a good source of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other essential nutrients.

The health benefits of yuca root may even be able to help you lose weight and help regulate your blood sugar.

More Health Benefits Of Yuca

• Boosts immunity: Yuca has antioxidants and vitamin C, which are beneficial for our immune system.
• Protects heart health: The potassium of yuca can directly protect our heart health because potassium is known to be an essential nutrient to fight off any heart disease.
• Minimize the risk of cancer: It is rich in beta-carotene, which is an antioxidant. The antioxidant can fight free radicals, which can cause harm to your cells, leading to cancer. 
• Heals wounds: Vitamin C from yuca can quickly heal wounds by boosting our body’s repair systems.
• Improves eye health: For a very long time, vitamin A has been well-known to improve eye health. Yuca has vitamin A in its vast collection of nutrients.
• Blood glucose control: Yuca root has resistant starch, and many researchers have found that resistant starch can improve blood glucose control abilities. In that way, our body will decrease insulin response after eating.
• Stops iron-deficiency anemia: Yuca has enough iron presence to prevent us from facing iron-deficiency anemia. 

Yuca vs Yucca, what’s the difference?

People tend to confuse the names and differences of yuca and yucca mostly. So, here is a brief difference between them so you can identify which is what.   

Yuca is a tropical starchy tuber that’s commonly known as cassava. It is the same as potatoes which can be boiled, baked, and fried. Yuca is richer in carbohydrates than potatoes which are more than double per gram. 

On the other hand, yucca is cultivated as an ornamental plant in gardens. These trees are quite famous for their rosettes of evergreen, tough, and sword-shaped leaves. 

Some yucca even grows large white or whitish beautiful flowers. Yuccas are primarily in the agave family, popularly cultivated in the hot and dry parts of America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. 

Is yuca better than potatoes? 

The question mainly depends on individual dietary needs. Yuca contains higher amounts of fiber and potassium than potatoes. Also, it is loaded with essential nutrients like antioxidants, Vitamins A, B, and C. 

The antioxidants and vitamins can fight off any free radicals, which can cause severe illness. While fiber and potassium are richer in yuca than in potatoes, they will give you a good boost and keep you hunger-free for a long time. 

Yuca cannot replace potatoes in many ways as there are many potato-based dishes, but they make an amazing exchange for fries.  See air fryer sweet potato fries. 

Why bake yuca instead of frying?

You can deep fry yuca, which is also known as “yuca fries” or “yuca frita,” which is a Latin American snack.

I don’t prefer deep frying as it makes the whole house smell of oil, and mostly it requires so much oil. The fries become oily and greasy, which is really unhealthy for health. 

That is why I mostly do baking in the oven, as it requires a small amount of oil for frying. Also, I can get the perfect fried texture in the oven, which is a win and saves you from all the mess.

Tips and Tricks

• You can also use the frozen yuca to make fries. You can find them already peeled in the frozen section of most grocery stores. All the instructions for this are the same as to make fries.
• For the best eating experience, you should have it straight from the oven to enjoy the crispy texture. If you let it sit on the baking sheet for too long after baking, it mostly dries out and eventually loses the crispy effect. 
• some people sprinkle black pepper, however I prefer cayenne pepper.
• You can have yuca fries with tomato sauce, chili sauce, avocado sauce, garlic sauce, cheese sauce, bbq sauce, and many more. 

Yuca fries recipe

• Yuca – you can find yuca in most major supermarkets, health food stores, or Latin American grocery stores. Make sure to choose cassava that isn’t bruised with soft spots.
• Olive oil – makes the seasonings stick better to the yuca, also gives a crispy texture to yuca fries.
• Garlic powder – gives a great flavor to your fries.
• Paprika – love the color and flavor of paprika. 
• Cayenne pepper – this is an optional ingredient
• Salt – a little goes a long way, adjust to taste.

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How to make yuca fries?

• Preheat the oven to 425℉. Take a baking sheet that is large enough to hold the yuca fries in a single layer. Top it with parchment paper and spray with oil. Set aside.
• Wash and peel the yuca, and remove both ends of the yuca root with a sharp knife.
• Cut yuca, crosswise about 4 inches. Then cut lengthwise just beneath each of the brown leathery skin of the yuca. Then remove the skin, peeling with your thumb; it should peel off easily.
• Meanwhile, bring water to a boil in a large pot with salt, add the yuca, and boil until they are tender, for about 10 minutes.
• Take out and drain the yuca, and rinse with cold water. Dry with a clean paper towel.
• Then cut yuca into half lengthwise, then remove the fibrous pit. Chop it into thick strips.
• Toss with olive oil, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, and salt.

• Place yuca strips onto the prepared baking sheet in a single layer and bake for 30 minutes, turning halfway. Fry the yuca until they turn into a golden brown texture. Serve and enjoy!

Recipes for homemade fries:

• Oven Baked BBQ Potato Fries
• Air Fryer Frozen French Fries
• Cilantro Fries
• Air Fryer Fries

Other vegan yuca recipes

• Bammy
• Jamaican Cassava Pone
• Yuca With Garlic Sauce

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