Baked Jicama Fries with Cilantro Lime Dressing

Jicama fries are the perfect way to enjoy this slightly sweet, crunchy tuber. Before the fries are roasted in the oven, they’re coated in smoked paprika and garlic powder for maximum flavor. The final touch, a drizzle of cilantro lime dressing, rounds out this healthy snack!

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This is recipe is jicamaking me want more!! See what I did there? (Just in case you don’t know, jicama is pronounced hi-kuh-muh).

Puns aside, these baked jicama fries are truly delicious! If you’re not cooking with jicama yet, you’re missing out. It’s a tuber (root vegetable) that’s native to Mexico with brown papery skin and white flesh. The flesh is mild and slightly sweet, and its texture is somewhere between that of an apple and a potato.

You can eat jicama raw or cooked, but all of the jicama recipes I have on the site so far have been raw preparations. So, I decided it was time to change that! And being that it’s Cinco de Mayo, it seemed only right to post about this Mexican vegetable today.

These baked jicama fries are easy to make but do require a fairly long roasting time. But you can take advantage of this time by doing the dishes and prepping the cilantro lime dressing. Then, all you’ll have left to do is to dig into your healthy snack. Yum!

How to Prepare Jicama Fries

1. Trim and peel the jicama. Slice in half from top to bottom, then cut each half into ¼-inch half-moons. Slice those into ¼-inch sticks.
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil, and drop the jicama sticks in it. Cook for about 10 minutes until the jicama is less crunchy. Drain, and pat dry.
3. Toss the jicama sticks in olive oil and spices. Spread out on a lined baking sheet.
4. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, turning halfway, until browned and tender.

For the full ingredients list and instructions, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the post. While the jicama fries are baking, prepare the dressing by whisking together the chopped cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, honey, garlic, and salt.

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Expert Tips and FAQ

• Where to find jicama: Jicama is available at most grocery stores in the produce section. I have found it at Whole Foods and other large grocery stores. Trader Joe’s doesn’t have whole jicama but sells it in pre-cut sticks. You can use those for this recipe and save yourself some prep time!
• Do you need to boil jicama before making jicama fries? Jicama is very crunchy, so boiling the fries before baking helps make them more tender. However, it’s not necessary to boil them, especially if you want a crunchy texture. I have a different jicama fries recipe in my cookbook that forgoes the boiling step. If you don’t boil the fries but you want them to be more tender, increase the baking time to 50 to 60 minutes.
• Do you need to peel jicama? Yes, always peel jicama before using it in recipes. The skin contains a toxic compound, and only the flesh is edible. You can peel jicama using a swivel peeler, but sometimes the papery skin gets stuck. A paring knife works well too.
• Seasonings: I like to use smoked paprika for a little kick and garlic powder for flavor. You can also use Tajin, which is a Mexican seasoning blend of lime, chili peppers, and salt that’s commonly sprinkled on raw jicama sticks for snacking.
• Are jicama fries crispy? No, they are not as crispy as regular French fries. Personally, I have never had fries made from a vegetable that compare to the crispy texture of potato or sweet potato fries. If you want to make jicama fries as crispy as possible, slice them into thin sticks before baking, increase the overall baking time, and put them under the broiler for a few minutes before eating.

Dips for Jicama Fries

This recipe includes a cilantro lime dressing that tastes DELISH with jicama fries! If that doesn’t sound good to you, I have many other dressing and sauce options that you can use instead. Here are some of my favorites:

• Healthy Creamy Jalapeno Sauce
• Easy Cilantro Chimichurri Sauce – similar to the dipping sauce included in this post but with other herbs and a spicy kick
• Honey Jalapeno Lime Dressing
• The Best Avocado Spread with Garlic

Serving Ideas

Jicama fries make a delicious snack on their own, but you can also serve them as a side dish. Try them with fish, like my Lemony Cod en Papillotte, or veggie burgers, like my Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burgers. They’d also pair really well with my Veggie-Loaded Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken, Slow Cooker Black Beans, or Southwest Healthy Chicken Lettuce Wraps.

More Jicama Recipes

Love jicama?! Check out my tutorial on How to Cut Jicama, then make the Pineapple Jicama Salsa, Jicama Cherry Salsa, or Chili Lime Jicama and Cucumber Salad.

I’d love to hear how you like this recipe! Rate/review using the stars on the recipe card or in the comments, and follow the Veg World on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Looking for something totally different? Browse the recipe library.

📖 Recipe

Enjoy this fun veggie! – Lizzie