Low Carb French Fries?
The one thing I hear over and over from my low-carb (and ketogenic) dieting friends is that they desperately miss french fries. The conversation usually goes… ME: How’s your diet coming along? (Not being noisy… Only asking because I know they are really excited about it.) THEM: Good! I have lost __ pounds and have so much more energy than I used to, when I ate anything I wanted. ME: That’s so great! THEM: Yes! It’s amazing. I love it! I’ll never go back! But…. ME: But what? THEM: Well, I’ve found some good recipes, yet there are some foods I really miss and can’t seem to stop craving. (Followed by a long desperate sigh.) Then they mention french fries. Always french fries. I have to admit, there is nothing quite like really good, crispy, salty, greasy french fried. And there is absolutely no substitution for them. However, one keto friend told me she was eating baked turnips with sour cream and cheese to try to kick her baked potato craving. So I thought, what the heck, why not try to make turnip french fries? Are turnip fries as amazing as real deep-fried french fries? No. But they are darn good, and have about one-third the carbs of traditional fries. Plus, turnip fries are lower in fat and calories as well.
Turnips vs Potatoes
This is because turnips are substantially lower in calories and carbs than potatoes. For instance, an 8-ounce potato contains 175 calories and 39.6 grams of carbohydrates. While the same sized turnip contains only 64 calories and 14.6 grams of carbohydrates. Therefore any recipe in which you substitute a turnip for a potato is going to help you keep things light and lean.
Baked Turnip Fries
Turnips contain more moisture than potatoes. That means they will not crisp-up quite as much as potatoes. When you make turnip fries they have a softer texture, similar to sweet potato fries. However, they are still crispy around the edges, they taste and feel carby, and are a wonderful way to erase your carb cravings, without doing a lot of damage to your diet.
Are Baked Turnip Fries Keto?
Well, sort of. Not exactly. Maybe… Turnip fries are certainly lower in carbs than potato fries. However on their own, turnip fries are not ketogenic, based on the macros. Yet, if you pair them with a fatty dipping sauce and measure out your portion of fries. Then, yes, they could be considered keto! In my photos, I paired them with our favorite Southern Comeback Sauce, which is really delicious. It does contain a little bit of honey, but that could be left out or swapped for a ketogenic sweetener.
Baked Turnip Fries vs Air Fryer Turnip Fries
If you are making turnip fries in the oven, convection heat will provide a more even crispy texture, than conventional heat. If you happen to have an air fryer, you can make turnip fries with even less oil, and they will still turn out crispy. Possibly even crispier than in the oven! However, you have to air fry the turnip fries in very small batches so they will cook evenly. Therefore, even though each batch cooks faster than when they are baked in the oven, the overall cooking time will be longer. That is, unless you make a smaller batch for just 1-2 people. I suggest trying it both ways, to see which method you like better!
More Low-Carb Snacks
Baked Zucchini Chips Keto Chicken Nachos Low Carb Supreme Pizza Cups French Onion Keto Crackers Low Carb Cauliflower Crackers Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms
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