These oven-baked Peri Peri Carrot Fries are gonna knock your socks off! The homemade Peri Peri Sauce is the key to making these carrot fries more flavorful. Just marinate slice carrots in the sauce, bake, and enjoy! A paleo, vegan, and whole30-friendly snack with a kick of spice.
How to cure the Monday blues? Spice up your life with these Peri Peri Oven Baked Carrot Fries. Easy Peri Peri Sauce included. Mmm k?
This week I will be writing about new experiences. Food, health, and life related. I hope to entertain you as well as enlighten you. But most importantly, I hope these cool new recipes and healthy tips will nourish your body and soul. I’m also aware I might bore you to death with nerdy nutrition or Corny Cotter moments. Take it or leave it. I get it, it might not be your thing at the moment. Secretly I hope it is! ?? *insert group hug emoji *
OK so here’s the thing; two things really, maybe three.
One….. peri peri sauce is so underrated. It’s so easy to make and flipping delicious on all the things.
Two. Carrot fries are also underrated. Oven baked carrot fries. I feel like sweet potato and zucchini (or zoodles) have gotten all the love lately. But poor carrots, they are SOOO appreciated. Cheap, versatile, the forgotten superfood.
Three. Darn, I didn’t mean to have three things to blab but we’re going with it . So three, ya three. South American, South Asian, and African flavors/recipes need to make their way more into our western society homes more often. Kids (and picky eaters) need to branch out. There, I said.
Really y’all. These ethnic spices/food are so healthy, nutrient dense, affordable, and full of fiery flavor. In fact, the Kiwi (aka husband) and I both have a special place for both Africa and South America in out hearts. Which is probably why we love spices on our food. The kiwi was born in New Zealand but also raised for a few years in South Africa and then traveled across to globe at a young age. Thailand included. Me? Well, I first traveled abroad to South America and the age of 12. Part of a student exchange. I ended up going to a different country each year until i was 17. Then at 21 I spent a summer in Africa working at a orphanage. Bet you didn’t know that about us, eh? Anyway, we were both lucky enough to experience these country’s food and culture!
Which made me realize this today…. Spices, real food, and the techniques in which you cook food can add so much NOURISHMENT to an ordinary meal. See, there’s that nourishing part.
Just like these Peri Peri Marinated Baked Oven Fries. Ya, that sauce? The Peri Peri sauce is made with birds eye red peppers. These type of peppers are often found in Portuguese, African, or Thai cooking. And they pack some serious heat! But don’t worry, the Peri Peri Sauce I’ve created has been a little tamed. I’ve blended these peppers with a few red bell peppers, jalapeños, onion, and chili flakes. LOL, ya that’s tamed compared to original peri peri sauce.
What makes this peri peri sauce and oven baked carrot fries so healthy, nourishing for the soul and body?
The pros.
?Chili Peppers contains up to seven times the amount of vitamin C as an orange. Chili peppers can help fight congestion, support digestion, reduce inflammation in the muscles, and contains a good source of antioxidants. Not to mention folic acid (B complex vitamins).
? Carrots super high level of beta-carotene (a form of Vitamin A) that acts as an antioxidant to reduce cell damage done. Good for the skin, good for eyes, good for the soul. Yes, I just said soul again. .
Now combine that spicy peri peri goodness with oven baked carrot fries and you got yourself a MEGA flavorful SUPERFOOD snack. Ugh, I need another word beside superfood. Hmmm .. Um… delicious nutritive earthly grub? Sure, why not. Now let’s get to the grub of a recipe. Oven baked carrot fries for the win!
Print
Peri Peri Oven Baked Carrot fries {Paleo, Vegan, Whole 30 friendly}
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
Super quick, easy, healthy Peri Peri Oven Baked Carrot fries {Paleo, Vegan, Whole 30 friendly}
Ingredients
- 1 lb large carrots – sliced
- Additional salt/pepper/ seasoning for after baking
- cilantro for garnishing
- For the Peri Peri Sauce (1 cup):
- 5 red chili peppers or Bird’s Eye
- 2 – 3 jalapeños or milder peppers of choice
- 3–4 garlic cloves
- ⅓ c red onion – chopped
- ½ c cilantro
- ¼ c fresh oregano or basil (I use a combo of both)
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ – ⅓ cup olive or avocado oil
- ½ lemon, juiced
- ½ – 1 tablespoon chili flakes
- Pinch of cayenne (optional)
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450F.
- Slice carrots ½ in thick, 4 in long. Removing the tops. Slice thinner if you want crispier fries at the ends.
- carrots in large ziplock bag or container.
- Next chop of top to peppers, cut your onion, and peel your garlic. Remove stems from cilantro and herbs,
- Place in food processor and blender. Add the remaining ingredients (spices, lemon, etc) but leaving out the red wine vinegar.
- Blend on high until creamy. You might have to keep it on high or low for a good 3 minutes.
- Next add your vinegars and blend again. Taste to see if it needs more salt/seasoning.
- Place ½ cup of the sauce. in the bag with the carrots. Let it marinade for 10 -15 minutes. Keep the other ½ cup for dipping.
- Once carrots are marinated, place on greased baking sheets, spreading the carrots out evenly.
- Bake on sheet pan at 450F for 20 minutes. Flip carrot fries over with a spatula and bake another 15-25 minutes or until crispy edges. If you want extra crispy, broil last minute. note flipping and baking extra is not really necessary but does help them cook evenly and make them crispier.
- Remove from oven. Let them cool slightly or serve hot with the extra peri peri sauce or a even a mayo/aioli of choice. Garnish carrot fries with extra cilantro and red pepper flakes if desired.
Notes
If you want the peri peri sauce extra spicy, use all birds eye peppers. If you want it milder, use red pepper or green peppers mixed in with the birds eye peppers.
note flipping and baking extra is not really necessary but does help them cook evenly and make them crispier.
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 40 min
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ¼ of recipe with dip
- Calories: 209
- Sugar: 9.2 g
- Sodium: 322.6 mg
- Fat: 14.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 20.7 g
- Fiber: 5.9 g
- Protein: 2.9 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
The snack looks delicious and very attractive, I love to eat
Aw, these carrot fries look absolutely amazing! I really want to try the sauce so badly as well!
The things you manage to do with carrots makes me weak in the knees.
Also, Ave likes a little spice in her food.
WOAH marinated fries? And I totally agree. Carrots can make the best fries, and I need to branch out and try more combos too. You’re always good at getting us to be more adventurous and not stay in those food ruts.
plus it reminds us of africa! YAY!
Ummmm so this is the kind of dish that I would NOT be able to control myself around. Holy yum!
you and me both!!
Those look amazing but you know me – too many ingredients I do not have BUT just making the carrot fries & sprinkling some p spices on it is good enough for me! 🙂
that sounds good to me!
ooooh I like the sauce! And would be so good on all the foods!
yep, totally put it on all the foods. for sure!
I totally agree on the whole underrated carrot business. And I don’t know why, cause carrrots are so damn tasty!! I can’t wait to try them with that peri peri sauce, it looks amazing ?
you know it Kylie! carrots need some credit. 😉
I LOVE carrot fries, but I’ve never done them with a Peri Peri sauce! I’ve had it on chicken and loved it. This is such a great idea. I bet it’d be good on shrimp too. I love all the peppers/spices in it!
OMG yes, it’s soo good on shrimp. And all the things.
I LOVE the combination of spicy + carrots. The sweetness of the carrots makes such a nice balance. I need to try these fries!!
you will love!
Our Texan friends (who now live here in VA) recently introduced us to Peri Peri sauce when they brought an appetizer to our holiday party a few weeks ago. Keith and I were so in love that our friends left us the rest of the bottle and told us how to order it online. Definitely not something that we can find around here, but so good. Love the idea of using it on carrots!
it’s so easy to make! you must! LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!
I agree that carrot fries are soooooo underrated! But hey, you are making a difference by posting this recipe!! Such a flavorful and tasty way to eat carrots <3
totally! let’s bring carrots back in the spot light! 😉
I LOVE PERI PERI. Seasoning, sauce, don’t care. It is one of my favorite blends. There is a place here called Nando’s Peri Peri (which is apparently a chain but whatever) and even though I haven’t been, I love the idea to the moon and back. And I love me some carrot fries.
Yes! I heard of Nando’s too! I’ve tried their sauce but never been to the place. Girl, you will love these!
That’s sauce sounds incredible!!! I must try this.
I think you will love!