For an easy weeknight side dish, these Air Fryer Yuca Fries are both healthy and delicious, and take just 4 ingredients to make. Also known as Cassava Fries, they make for a great pairing with any meat, and come together in under a half hour!
If you love easy veggie fries, also try my oven-baked zucchini fries or air fried carrot fries!
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About this recipe
Great for the Gut: In whatever form you prepare them, yuca fries, or cassava fries, are a great source of resistant starch, meaning that it doesn't digest in the stomach. This allows it to slowly break down so that it can feed good gut bacteria.
Simple Enough for Beginners: These are the same frozen air fryer yuca fries that I've been making for a couple years now, so I know this recipe is easy & detailed enough for beginners. We like to mix up the seasonings, but always seem to fall back on garlic and salt. But if you find a blend you like, it's always nice to have a low histamine comfort food to come back to!
Easy Low Histamine Side: These easy air fryer frozen yuca fries can be seasoned with whatever you tolerate, and can even be flavored specifically to complement the rest of your meal. But if you make them with fresh yuca root, you can even freeze them for easy reheating the rest of the week.
Ingredients
Yuca Pieces: this Caribbean root vegetable is known for its prebiotic fiber content and low glycemic index, making it the ideal nightshade-free swap for french fries. Also known as dedos de yuca in Spanish, the frozen yuca bits are already par-boiled for easy preparation and just need a quick steaming.
You can also use peeled & cut fresh yuca, but keep in mind that it will take longer to get ready. This is one of my favorite low histamine vegetables, as it offers nice crunchy contrast to anything green on your plate.
Lard: this high-heat oil is an animal fat well-known for its fantastic frying ability, which stores beautifully in the freezer for longer periods of time. For a vegan version, use refined coconut oil.
Garlic Powder: this dried form of garlic adheres easily to the outside of the yuca fries, and adds an extra umami element, so that these babies are tasty no matter what sauces you can or cannot dip them in.
How to make yuca fries from frozen: step-by-step instructions
Step 1. For frozen yuca fries, proceed to step 2. If using fresh yuca, chop off the ends, about 2 inches on either side. Then cut the root lengthwise, about half an inch (1cm) deep, and peel off the skin & the very thin whiter layer underneath. This could take 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the age of the root (fresher roots peel more easily). Cut the yuca into cassava fries of your desired size.
Step 2. Place a large pot with about 2 inches of water to boil, and place your steamer basket on top. Once the water is boiling, place your yuca pieces in the steamer basket with a bit of space between each, and steam fresh yuca for about 20 minutes or frozen yuca for 5-7 minutes, until tender but not falling apart (most pieces will be translucent around the edges, with few pure white parts (meaning fully uncooked or frozen).
Step 3. While the yuca steams, measure out your oil, salt, and garlic powder & set aside. Once the yuca pieces are tender, remove the steamer basket and place your yuca on a cutting board or plate, and set your air fryer to preheat to 380°F (190°C) for 5 minutes. The pieces will be a bit sticky from the cassava starch, but this is normal. Cut any large pieces into small or medium pieces so that all of them cook evenly.
Step 4. Drizzle or brush on your oil, using your fingers or a pastry brush to make sure each piece gets evenly-coated, and then sprinkle on your garlic and salt, flipping the pieces if needed.
Step 5. Carefully place your yuca fries into the preheated basket, leaving a bit of room between each one for even frying. If you have a small air fryer like me, you may need to do this in 2 batches. Cook them for about 14-16 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through, and remove once golden brown and crispy, then enjoy with your sauce of choice.
Recipe notes & tips
Cassava Fries Seasoning: If you know you don’t tolerate garlic powder, you can swap it for another low histamine herb or spice you think would go well, or omit it altogether. You can use any type of seasoning, but I'd recommend trying homemade garam masala, dried rosemary or oregano, or steak seasoning (if tolerated).
Defrosting: When making frozen yuca fries in the air fryer, the very first thing you need to do is get the frost off and separate the pieces. Then they need to be mostly cooked, until translucent around the edges but not falling apart. Much like patting dry brussels sprouts or frozen sweet potatoes before browning them at a high heat, it's important to thoroughly dry cassava fries before cooking; otherwise they won't properly crisp up.
Re-freezing: If you made these yuca fries from frozen in the first place, I wouldn't recommend putting them back in the freezer once cooked. It will negatively affect the texture quite a bit, making them mushy, but if you've used fresh yuca root then you can safely freeze the fries for up to 6 months without hurting the flavor.
Sauces to serve with yuca fries
- lemon butter
- honey garlic sauce (use half the called-for starch)
- herb tahini sauce
- simple chimichurri
- creamy macadamia nut pesto
Homemade Yuca Fries Recipe Card
As always, if you like the recipe, I really appreciate a 5-star review or comment!
📖 Recipe
Easy Yuca Fries From Frozen (Cassava Fries)
Ingredients
- 16 oz. yuca pieces once peeled & cut
- 2 Tablespoons oil of choice coconut oil, lard
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder optional
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- For frozen yuca fries, proceed to step 2. If using fresh yuca, chop off the ends, about 2 inches on either side. Then cut the root lengthwise, about half an inch (1cm) deep, and peel off the skin & the very thin whiter layer underneath. This could take 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the age of the root (fresher roots peel more easily). Cut the yuca into cassava fries of your desired size.
- Place a large pot with about 2 inches of water to boil, and place your steamer basket on top. Once the water is boiling, place your yuca pieces in the steamer basket with a bit of space between each, and steam fresh yuca for about 20 minutes or frozen yuca for 5-7 minutes, until tender but not falling apart (most pieces will be translucent around the edges, with few pure white parts (meaning fully uncooked or frozen).
- While the yuca steams, measure out your oil, salt, and garlic powder & set aside. Once the yuca pieces are tender, remove the steamer basket and place your yuca on a cutting board or plate, and set your air fryer to preheat to 380°F (190°C) for 5 minutes. The pieces will be a bit sticky from the cassava starch, but this is normal. Cut any large pieces into small or medium pieces so that all of them cook evenly.
- Drizzle or brush on your oil, using your fingers or a pastry brush to make sure each piece gets evenly-coated, and then sprinkle on your garlic and salt, flipping the pieces if needed.
- Carefully place your yuca fries into the preheated basket, leaving a bit of room between each one for even frying. If you have a small air fryer like me, you may need to do this in 2 batches. Cook them for about 14-16 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through, and remove once golden brown and crispy, then enjoy with your sauce of choice.
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