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If you’ve been looking for a low carb potato replacement, this crispy jicama fries recipe is for you! Potatoes are one of the most popular foods people want to replace when they start a low carb diet. That’s one of the reasons I was so excited to make these jicama fries in the air fryer. I couldn’t believe how crispy they turned out — perfect for a healthy appetizer, side dish, or snack!
These keto jicama fries make the perfect substitute for potato fries. (You might also want to try my other keto french fries recipe, with a surprising ingredient.)
What Is Jicama?
Jicama is a tuberous root vegetable, native to Mexico and common in Central America, with a brown skin and white flesh. Sometimes it’s called a Mexican yam bean or Mexican potato. It’s a climbing plant and is technically part of the pea family, but the part we eat is the root. Jicama has a lot of similarities to a potato, but the skin is not edible, it tastes sweeter (like a cross between a potato, a water chestnut, and an apple), and has much fewer carbs. It’s great for jicama tortillas in addition to these fries!
More Jicama Recipes: I have several other low carb recipes for jicama in my Easy Keto Carboholics’ Cookbook!
What Are Jicama Fries?
Jicama fries are simply low carb French fries made with jicama instead of potatoes.
Why You’ll Love This Jicama Fries Recipe
- Potato flavor with much fewer carbs
- Crisp exterior and tender inside
- Just 4 simple ingredients (plus salt & pepper)
- 7.1 grams net carbohydrates per serving
- Naturally low carb, keto, paleo, whole30, gluten-free, and vegan
- Healthier alternative to potatoes
Ingredients You’ll Need
This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for air fried jicama, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.
- Jicama – Look for jicama that feels firm when you give it a light squeeze. A few small blemishes on the brown skin are fine, but skip any jicama with large blemishes.
- Olive oil – Or avocado oil.
- Spices – Garlic powder, cumin, sea salt, & black pepper. Paprika or onion powder would also make nice additions that complement these seasonings.
Seasoning Variations
You can use similar seasonings for jicama fries that you would for potatoes. But, you need more salt and it’s not recommended to skip seasonings, due to the natural sweet taste of jicama. If you don’t like the spices above, try lemon pepper seasoning, ranch seasoning, or Cajun seasoning.
How To Prepare Jicama Fries
- Cut. Peel the jicama first, then slice into jicama fries (french-fry-shaped sticks) with a sharp knife. A good size is 3 to 4 inches long and about 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick.
- Boil. Place the fries into boiling water and boil until very soft, like a cooked potato. The color and texture will change.
- Dry. Once the jicama fries are soft, drain the water and pat dry with a paper towel. Now you can air fry or bake them to get them browned and crispy!
How To Make Jicama Fries In The Air Fryer
This section shows how to cook jicama fries in the air fryer, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
- Season. In a large bowl, drizzle jicama with olive oil and season with garlic powder, cumin, and sea salt until evenly coated. (If using any of the seasoning variations above, you can add them here.)
- Air fry. Place jicama fries in the air fryer basket in a single layer, spread out so they aren’t touching each other. (You will need to cook them in batches.) Air fry until golden.
Can You Make Baked Jicama Fries In The Oven?
Yes, after the boiling step, you can bake low carb jicama fries in the oven for about 30-40 minutes at 425 degrees F.
Do Jicama Fries Taste Like Potatoes?
Jicama fries taste quite similar to regular potato fries, if you make them right. There are two key differences to keep in mind:
- Jicama doesn’t cook very well if you bake or air fry it raw. Because of this, it’s best to boil it first to make it softer and closer to the texture of a potato, then bake (or air fry!) afterward.
- Jicama is lightly sweet in taste. It tastes sweeter than a potato, which can be a little strange for fries. The key is to use enough salt and other seasonings!
Storage Instructions
- Store: Keep cooked jicama fries in refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- Meal prep: Boil jicama fries, dry, and store in fridge until ready to bake or air fry.
- Reheat: Reheat leftovers in the air fryer for best results, or bake in the oven at 400 degrees F.
- Freeze: Freeze fries in a single layer on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet until solid, then transfer to a zip lock bag, remove excess air, and return to the freezer.
- Cook from frozen: Air fry until hot and crispy. You can do the same in the regular oven as well, but an air fryer will do a better job of getting rid of the extra moisture and making them crispy.
What To Serve With Jicama Fries
Serve these air fried jicama fries with both a sauce and a main dish for a healthy low carb dinner:
- Sauces – Dip your fries into sugar-free ketchup, garlic aioli, spicy mayo, or ranch for delicious flavor.
- Burgers – Serve the fries with my keto turkey burgers, juicy burgers, or keto sloppy joes.
- Steak – For a healthy steak and frites, serve with a sirloin steak, New York strip steak, or air fryer filet mignon.
- Chicken – Chicken and jicama fries are a great and healthy combination. Try air fryer chicken breast or air fryer chicken legs for a full meal cooked in your air fryer! If you prefer to cook your chicken at the same time as the fries using a different method, make chicken leg quarters in the oven, cilantro lime chicken on the stovetop, or keto fried chicken.
Serving Variation: Chili Cheese Fries
To make keto chili cheese fries, you’ll just need to add some chili topping, cheese, and green onions to your jicama fries:
- Make keto chili. You can follow the same recipe at the link, but drain it a bit at the end if there’s a lot of liquid.
- Make jicama fries. Follow the instructions on the recipe card below to cook the fries.
- Combine. Place the fries in a baking dish that will fit into your air fryer (or your oven). Top with chili and shredded cheddar cheese.
- Air fry. Cook in the air fryer (or the oven) for a couple of minutes to melt the cheese.
More Low Carb Comfort Food Recipes
If you like these keto jicama fries, try these other low carb comfort foods:
Recommended Tools
- French Fry Cutter – This is the quickest way to cut your fries.
- Air Fryer – I love the compact design with large basket size. It’s a best seller for a reason!
Jicama Fries In The Air Fryer
Jicama Fries In The Air Fryer (Crispy & Low Carb!)
Learn how to make jicama fries in the air fryer, with just 4 ingredients. They are easy, CRISPY, low carb, and taste like potatoes!
Go Ad-FreeRecipe Video
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Ingredients
Tap underlined ingredients to see where to get them. Please turn Safari reader mode OFF to view ingredients.
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
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Boil a large pot of water on the stove. Add the jicama fries and boil for 18 to 25 minutes, until color becomes slightly translucent (instead of bright white) and no longer crunchy. Time will vary depending on the thickness of your fries.
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When the jicama is not crunchy anymore, remove and pat dry.
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Set the air fryer oven to 400 degrees (204 degrees C) and let it preheat for 2 to 3 minutes.
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Place the fries into a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and season with garlic powder, cumin, and sea salt. Toss to coat.
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Working in batches to avoid crowding, arrange jicama in the air fryer basket in a single layer, preferably with the pieces not touching each other. Air fry jicama fries for 10-12 minutes, until golden. Repeat with remaining fries.
Last Step: Leave A Rating!
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Related Easy Recipes
Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 cup
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
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71 Comments
Linda
0My husband and I loved these jicama fries. We will definitely have them again.
Patsy Pankey
0I am lucky enough to have a MegaFoods supermarket close by and they sell Jicama Sticks. Jicama that is already peeled and cut into french fry size. Bought some yesterday and will make them tomorrow. Can’t wait to try them.
Tara
0I made a batch of these and have way too much. Can these be frozen after they are boiled? Oops just saw it above… sorry.
Carrie Priest
0I wasn’t able to cut the Jimica in a french fry cutter it was too hard and I have a stainless cutter. Can I microwave it and if so for how long and what would I adjust the boil time to? Would I do the same with the Rutabaga?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Carrie, I have never tried that, so I can’t give any recommendations.
Kathy Wold
0I can’t wait to try it!!
Carrie
0Just made these and with sugar-free Katsup it tastes like French Fries. Never in a million years did I think I could eat French Fries on a Keto diet. It’s a little difficult to tell if you’re within your macros as you have to eye up the portion. I wish I knew a couple of years ago you could eat this way on the Keto diet as Wholesome yum has all the good stuff covered! The Jimica is a bit hard to peel and it takes some time & I can’t get the fries as perfectly sliced as in the picture but heck they tasted good…
Mark Luttrell
0Where do you guys buy these?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Mark, I find them at my local supermarket.
T.C. McDonald
0This is a great recipe with clear cut, easy to follow instructions. I am so thankful for your website. It allows me to still enjoy the foods I love while maintaining a low carb lifestyle. Thank you!
Syara Marfo
0I have been craving fries, I got G. Hughes Sugar free catsup and was just waiting. I cut smallish but not shoestring and not steak fries. Maybe between Wendy’s and McDonald’s fries in size. I boiled for 25-30 min, dried, placed in zip lock and drizzled in avocado oil and spices. Then airfried at 400 for 20-25 min, I turned twice and some where a crispy brown. I was drooling in anticipation. first jicama “fry” diped in the mentioned catsup, took a bite and ….was …. like….that doesn’t taste like a fry. Tried a second with out catsup, nope! I will admit I was desperate to like them so I tried a two the second time to get more catsup on, still nope, now I am almost sobbing as I wanted fries so bad and this was nothing like youtube/instagram/tiktok promised. Like I am a foodie, I am trying to do this Keto to loose weight, I get things are not gonna taste like what made me overweight/fat. But how can it just be my taste buds that this is nowhere near tasting like a French Fry! This tastes like a boiled, fried, floppy, fruity tuber. It was a little crispy…. but I wanna be real, this tastes nothing at all like a French Fry! No fault to this recipe, I think it is solid…. but the deception that it tastes like fries when they obviously do not is just something I needed to tell others. Obviously others like it and think they are amazing, but I absolutely DO NOT!
Ashley
0I actually ended up boiling them for over 45ins and they still never reached the level of transparency she mentions nor softness. I’m really disappointed. I also wanted to try this but seems I will have to find another recipe.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Ashley, They won’t become completely transparent. They just become a bit less opaque, as shown in the photos in the post above.
Juliet
0I love jicama. I used to eat them raw and just dip them in this powdered spice similar to Tajin (forgot the name). I’d love to make these but I don’t have an air fryer. Can these be baked or fried instead?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Juliet, Yes, you can definitely bake them, it would just take longer than the air fryer. I haven’t tried frying them, but in theory that should work as well.
Edith
0I baked in the oven so I didn’t have to make batches. They were very good. I turned the broiler on at the end to brown them. Watch carefully though.
Kelly
0We Boiled the jicama for over 45 min and the matchsticks never got soft and when i cooked them for 20 minutes in the air fryer the texture was like an uncooked potato….so cook longer in water?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Kelly, Sorry this recipe didn’t meet your expectations. These matchsticks should only need 15-20 minutes to boil. If you can easily pierce them with a fork, then they are ready to be removed. They don’t need to be super soft, just make sure they are no longer bright white. If this isn’t happening, it’s possible yours were cut too thick.
Valerie
0What is the serving size? I can’t wait to make this tonight!
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Valerie, The serving size is 1 cup.
Vicki
0HI, is there anything I can do if I didn’t boil them for long enough in order to soften them up further? They came out of the air fryer crunchy
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Vicki, Boiling them is an important step because jicama takes a long time to cook through inside. The air fryer alone will not be sufficient to soften them up.
Amy
0These are cooked perfectly and so crispy! The flavor is perfection too!
Kristyn
0Wow..I have been missing out!! So, so yummy!! I need to stock up on jicama!!
Toni
0This is such a great substitute to our favorite french fries!! Thanks for the recipe!
Donna Batrone
0I was skeptical but boy were these amazing!! Crispy and delicious!
Kathy
0I’d like to make this but I’ve never heard of Jicama and I don’t think we can get it were I live. What else can I use that would be Keto friendly.
Thank you for your response. Love your website and all the great recipes.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Kathy, I also have a recipe for rutabaga fries! They may be easier to find in your local area.
Carrie
0I haven’t made your recipe yet, but have you ever tried pressure cooking instead of boiling in the first step? I’m wondering if that would make them softer?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Carrie, Technically you could pressure cook the jicama, but it would be difficult to time it just right. You don’t want to over or undercook your jicama, that wouldn’t give you the desired fry-like results.
Jodi
0I cut the Jicama into thin strips and boiled but they never got soft like a potato. After 40 minutes, I gave up. (It was a small Jicama)
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Jodi, These matchsticks should only need 15 minutes or so boil time. If you can easily pierce them with a fork, then they are ready to be removed.
Kevin
0We are discovering uses for our air fryer and this recipe is a keeper. We love jimica and this was a nice addition to how we use it.
Diana Irie
0Is it possible to freeze Jicama?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Diana, Yes, but the texture changes when you freeze it. It will become mushier. This may mean that using jicama will be fine in soups and stews, but possibly not as french fries.
Ann Wilson
0I’m thoroughly convinced that you could make a boot deliciously keto! Thanks again!
Camilla Iman
0Loved this recipe! Easy and even my husband liked it. Will definitely make it again!!
Arianne Leslie
0Made these tonight and they’re delicious. Trade Joe’s has them already peeled and chunked for anyone who has one of those amazing stores! I cut them down from what they did but still made it very easy. Only problem with this recipe is not eating every last one of them! Portion control is an issue here. Haha
Angel
0I made this tonight … not adjusting a thing. I am in love!!! I can have Faux fries now! I love french fries and Jicama is an excellent yummy sub. The quick chilli made me sing and hummm as I ate my faux fries lol. Thank you!
Brad About Town
0Could you boil the whole jicama first and then peel and slice it? They’re tough to peel and cut when raw!
Pat
0These were really good. Hardest part is peeling the Jicama. Will definitely be making these gain. Also, they do ‘shrink’, so add a little extra to the air fryer. Thank you for this recipe.
Richard A
0These were pretty darn good. I had left over carne asada already and topped them with it. I did overcook my first batch, so I’d say make sure to do a check-in your air fryer a few minutes early to make sure they don’t get overdone. But I ate them all the same, haha! Thanks for the recipe!
Mildred
0My son calls these fries, his new favorite. High praise indeed. Nice texture that potatoes don’t have.
Heidi
0If you microwave the jicama for 3 minutes first, it makes peeling and cutting much easier. These were awesome with aioli.
Tresa Lovejoy
0I am going to try this for supper tonight! I wish my air fryer racks were as big as yours
Linda Stevens
0Could I use sweet potatoes instead?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Linda, Yes, you can, but they would not be keto if that matters for you.
Kathryn
0Yum! I remember eating jicama as a Peace Corps volunteer, but never think to eat it here in the states. Definitely going to try this recipe out!
Deborah
0This recipe is delicous! I don’t have a air fryer but just baked the jicama fries in the oven. Perfect keto comfort food. I loved it.
Megan Stevens
0These were incredible! I didn’t know you could do this with jicama! Loved it.
Laura Duffy
0This recipe might convince me to buy an air fryer. I love jicama and want to try these jicama fries!
Kelly
0This is a real crowd pleaser recipe, love it!
Jean
0These are AMAZING and so crispy! I think I’ll have to serve it during the Super Bowl coming up!!
Raia Todd
0I love jicama, but I’ve never thought of eating it as fries. Yummy!
Renee D Kohley
0Oh man they look just SO crispy and amazing! I love this! This very well might be the thing to hop me on the air fryer train!
Joni Gomes
0Omg cool recipe!! I’ve bought jicama a couple of times before but only ever had it raw. This looks amazing!
Nicole Dawson
0I already love jicama but never thought about baking them in the air fryer. I always eat raw jicama fries! This was a great recipe to change it up!
Jenna
0Oh, yum!!! I’ve been interested in making jicama fries ever since I had them on vacation last year. They’re sooo tasty 🙂 Love this recipe!
Sandra
0Any hints on cutting into fries? I tried a mandoline and find them VERY difficult to slice. Thanks
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Sandra, I would just use a knife. Cut into thicker sticks, then cut each stick into thinner ones. Some stores also carry pre-cut jicama, that’s the easiest option and you can cut those into thinner sticks to be crispier like the recipe.
Lulu
0Can these be done in an oven if you don’t have an air fryer?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Lulu, Yes, but they are more crispy in the air fryer.
Erin Dee
0These jicama fries are SO delicious! And that chili topping!! Thank you it was perfect!
Peter
0Can these be pan-fried if we don’t have an air fryer/convection oven?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Peter, Yes, that should work (you still need to boil them first), but I find they get most crispy with the air fryer.
Teresa Reid
0What can I use instead of jicama? I am in the U.K. have tried swede/turnip, yuck!!! Too soft and wobbly. I wondered if celeriac would work.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Teresa, I haven’t tried it yet but celeriac might work!
Alex
0Hi! If I don’t have an air fryer, is there another way to make these?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Alex, You could make them in the oven, but they are crispier in the air fryer.