10 Vegetables to Transform into Delicious Paleo Fries

There’s nothing wrong with white potatoes if they work for you. But not everyone does well with them – here are 10 other delicious vegetables that you can easily transform into fries.

None of these fries taste exactly like potato fries, but all of them have their own attractions, and all of them hit the spot for that finger-food something to dip in your ketchup (or garlic mayo, or sriracha…) alongside a big juicy burger and some salad.

If you have duck fat, it’s by far the superior fat for making fries out of just about anything. If not, any Paleo cooking fat will do the trick. Most of these recipes are for oven fries, because most of us don't want to deal with actual deep-frying in the kitchen, but you could also use the same spices and seasonings with an at-home deep-frying setup if you're up for it.

For the carb-counters, the list is arranged from lowest to highest net carbs per (roughly) 1-cup serving.

1. Zucchini

Carbs per 1-cup serving: 5 grams

Zucchini is one of those versatile vegetables that works as noodles, or cheese…or fries! To get the crispy outside, you bread it in a Paleo-friendly flour, which also gives you the opportunity to add all kinds of herbs and spices for flavor.

Recipe Inspiration:

Zucchini Fries (Our Little Paleo Family)
Baked Zucchini Fries with Bloomin’ Onion Dipping Sauce (Primally Inspired)
Paleo Fried Zucchini with Cool Dill Dip (Paleo Newbie)

2. Turnips

Carbs per 1-cup serving: 8 grams

Turnips don’t have to be bitter! Try baking them into a big plate of fries, maybe with some extra seasonings like chili powder or your favorite herb blend.

Recipe Inspiration:

Baked Turnip Fries (Yaya Recommended)
Spicy Turnip Fries (PaleoMazing)
Baked Turnip Fries with Cumin Aioli Dipping Sauce (Edible Harmony)

3. Celeriac

Carbs per 1-cup serving: 9 grams

When you go to the grocery store for the first time to pick up some celeriac, just keep repeating to yourself that it tastes better than it looks. It’s downright ugly on the shelf, but chopped up with some salt and pepper, it makes some pretty tasty Paleo-friendly fries!

Recipe Inspiration

Celeriac Fries (Paleo Plan)
Posh Chip Shop Chips and Curry Sauce (The Creative Caveman)

4. Eggplant

Carbs per 1-cup serving: 9 grams

If you remember eggplant as a mushy or slimy vegetable, you’re in for a surprise with eggplant fries. They’re just another example of the way adding fat to vegetables changes them for the better in pretty much every possible way. Like zucchini, eggplant typically needs to be breaded before it’s transformed into fries, but that just gives you even more seasoning options.

Recipe inspiration:

Paleo Eggplant Fries (Freckled Italian)
Baked Eggplant Fries with Spicy Tomato Sauce (The Iron You)
Baked Eggplant Fries with Rosemary and Thyme (Paleo Grubs)

5. Jicama

Carbs per 1-cup serving: 13 grams

Jica-what? Jicama is a vegetable that looks like a pale brown turnip. It’s about the size and shape of a slightly squashed grapefruit, and you can usually find it with the potatoes and onions. On the inside, it has a pleasant sweet-savory taste, and crisps up nicely into fries.

Recipe inspiration:

Paleo French Fries (Bravo for Paleo)
Spicy Jicama Fries (My Man’s Belly)
Spicy Spiralized Shoestring Jicama Fries (Inspiralized)

6. Carrots

Carbs per 1-cup serving: 13 grams

They’re practically already cut into fries for you – carrots make great sweet-savory fries in the sweet potato fry tradition.

Recipe inspiration:

Paleo Carrot Fries (Paleoaholic)
Spicy Cilantro Carrot Fries (Fast Paleo)
Cinnamon Carrot Fries (Primal Palate)

7. Butternut squash

Carbs per 1-cup serving: 21 grams

Butternut squash is a great less-starchy alternative to sweet potato fries for low-carbers who love the taste but don’t want quite that much starch. Try them salty, spicy, or herbed; they’re good with almost anything.

Recipe inspiration:

Butternut squash fries (Paleo Leap)
Roasted Chipotle Butternut Squash Fries (Sue’s Nutrition Buzz)
Paleo Curried Butternut Squash Fries (Oatmeal with a Fork)

8. Sweet Potatoes

Carbs per 1-cup serving: 23 grams

If you’re in it for the carb cutting, then sweet potato fries won’t do you any better than regular old white potato fries, but if you’re just avoiding nightshades or have some other reason for skipping the potatoes, then sweet potatoes are a great alternative.

Recipe inspiration:

Greek-Style Sweet Potato Fries with Balsamic Glaze (Colorful Eats Nutrition)
Indian-Style Sweet Potato Fries (Canada Girl Eats Paleo)
Sweet Potato Fries with Garlic “Mayo” (Paleo nonPaleo)

9. Parsnips

Carbs per 1-cup serving: 27 grams

Parsnips are woodsy and sweet, with a fresh flavor that goes perfectly with anything herbal.

Paprika Parsnip Fries with Sriracha Dipping Sauce (PaleOMG)
Chili-Topped Parsnip Fries (Testes of Lizzy T.)
Paprika Parsnip Fries with Cilantro Lime Aioli (Naked Cuisine)

10. Plantains

Carbs per 1-cup serving: 50 grams

Starchier and hardier than bananas, plantains are a great alternative for sweeter fries. They’re not quite as sweet as sweet potatoes, but notably more so than white potatoes – if you can’t decide which flavor to go with, why not go with plantains for a little of both?

Recipe inspiration: