Homemade French Fries–Oil-Free!
Oil-free homemade French fries. French fries that are actually healthy. When most people think of French fries, they think of fries that have been deep-fried in oil and drenched in salt. While this is typically the case when you go to a restaurant or fast food chain, it doesn’t have to be.
You can make oil-free and salt-free French fries at home that taste just as delicious.
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When I was younger, my dad would take my sisters and I to get French fries after out basketball games. We played in tournaments every weekend and we would sometimes have three or four basketball games in one day.
It would be a pretty exhausting day, and we often stopped at a fast food place or restaurant to grab some French fries.
When I was in college, there was a cafe that sold the best French fries. Everyday they would have a new fry on the menu. Some days they had curly fries, chunky fries, seasoned fries, etc. They seriously had the best fries and it was only $2 for a large box of fries.
They were delicious and probably some of the best fries I have ever had. I would buy a box of fries after my basketball practice on my way to the library to get some studying done.
However, I eventually stopped buying fries.
About a year or two ago, I stopped buying fries. I knew they weren’t very healthy and wanted to make better habits when I was younger so they would resonate with me as I grew older.
I was exercising a lot because I was a collegiate athlete, but I wanted to start eating healthier and clean up my diet. I was already vegan at this point, but I wanted to make healthier choices and transition to more of a plant-based diet and stay away from the processed foods.
So, I decided to make my own French fries at home. It was one of my favorite junk foods to splurge on, but I knew that I could easily make a healthier batch of fries at home that weren’t doused in oil and salt.
But seriously, who needs French fries that are drenched in oil when you can make a healthier version at home? I love fries–dont get me wrong. However, French fries are probably one of the worst foods that you can eat. They are rich in oil and salt, and are not good foods to eat if you’re already struggling with heart disease or high blood pressure. Thus, I wanted to make French fries that were healthy AND tasted good.
French fries can be both healthy and delicious if you make them yourself and use spices as opposed to oil and salt. I occasionally will add in some olive oil and salt to my recipes, but I feel better when I eat food that isn’t so heavy.
Sometimes when you eat super heavy food, it can upset your stomach and make you feel sick. I’ve experienced that in the past, so I try to avoid eating foods that cause my stomach to hurt.
Ingredients you’ll need for this recipe:
1. Potatoes
The first ingredient you’ll need to make homemade French fries is potatoes. Potatoes have numerous health benefits and are super nutritious. I didn’t used to like potatoes that much until I started making potato fries. I prefer sweet potatoes over traditional potatoes with the exception of potato fries. Homemade fries taste really fresh and they’re actually good for you. Potatoes are also super inexpensive which is a plus.
2. Garlic Powder
When it comes to making homemade French fries, spices are key. I don’t use oils or salt when making potato fries. Instead, I use spices. You can certainly use some olive oil and salt to make them a bit more flavorful and crispy, but I usually just stick to a few basic spices.
One of my favorite spices to use is garlic powder. Garlic powder and potato fries go really well together. I throw garlic powder on pretty much everything I make because it’s one of those spices that tastes good with pretty much anything.
3. Onion Powder
In addition to garlic powder, onion powder is a must–especially when making potato fries. Whenever I use garlic powder in a dish, I almost always use onion powder as well. These spices taste really good together and make the fries taste even better.
If you haven’t used onion powder in your potato fries before, I highly recommend giving it a try. Onion powder and garlic powder are seriously some of the best spices to use.
4. Paprika
Paprika is the next ingredient you’ll need to make these homemade potato fries. Paprika is a reddish-orange spice that’s a bit spicy. It’s another common spice to use in French fries that gives the French fries a nice flavor.
5. Pepper
The last spice you’ll need is pepper. I don’t like adding too much pepper because it’s a bit spicy, so you only need to add a dash of pepper for this recipe.
Here’s some of my favorite vegan alternatives:
1. Orgain Creamy Chocolate Fudge Protein Powder
2. Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip No Cow Bar
Here’s the recipe.
Homemade French Fries–Oil-Free!
Ingredients
- 2 large potatoes
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- pinch of pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°
- Wash and cut potatoes into thin slices
- Lay parchment paper on baking sheet
- Place thinly-cut fries on baking sheet
- Add garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, and salt to taste
- Bake at 350 for 45 minutes
- Enjoy!
Notes
Try making my sweet potato fries.
Final Thoughts
French fries from a fast food chain or restaurant are undobultely super yummy. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t make French fries at home that taste just as good.
I have found that I actually feel better when I eat homemade fries as opposed to fries at a restaurant. When you fuel your body with healthy and nutritious foods, you tend to feel better. I’d even argue that homemade French fries are superior to store-bought French fries.
Feel free to add any other spices that you like! This is a healthy snack that is perfect for when you’re in the mood for something savory! Making homemade french fries is super easy and they are significantly healthier than traditional fries you would get from a fast food chain.
