Although traditional french fries are not low-carb or keto friendly, that doesn’t mean that we need to give up on them completely – we just need to get creative!
Can I have French Fries on Keto?
Traditional french fries are made from high-carb potatoes (or sweet potatoes). Thus, they are typically not a keto-centric food.
Are these French Fries crispy?
Yes, but not as crispy as a really crispy french fry. Contrary to what you would believe, the darker these fries get in color does NOT mean they will be crispier. In fact, they will simply taste burnt. Once your fries reach that light golden color on all sides, they’re ready to eat and should be crispy enough!
What if I want them REALLY crispy?
Corn starch. “THAT’S NOT KETO!” you say? We’re only adding 4g of carbs, so it’s up to you whether this fits within your macros. If you’re more low-carb than you are keto, I definitely recommend adding the corn starch as it will add that extra crispiness that reminds us of the traditional french fries. But if you want them even crispier, there’s not much we can do without adding more carbs.
What are these Keto Fries made of?
These fries are made from almond flour, water, and the key ingredient: konjac powder.
Does shape matter?
Not really – just find a shape that suits you and dont make them too thin so that they dont fall apart as youre handling them while raw.
What oil works best?
Any! I tried these with extra virgin olive oil, beef tallow, and duck fat. Extra virgin olive oil tastes like a standard french fry, while the tallow will remind you of McDonald’s golden arches with the smell and taste off the tallow. But if you want something super decadent, duck fat is the way to go. If you’ve never had duck fat fries, you’re missing out!
Can I substitute the konjac powder?
Also known as glucomannan powder, this ingredient is the key to holding this recipe together. In a pinch, you can substitute xanthan gum for the konjac powder, but it will not be the same! Xanthan gum has a really bad habit of soaking up a lot of oil, which will lead to soaked fries that are more oil than fries, thus, I highly recommend obtaining some konjac powder. I tried xanthan gum, gelatin, guar gum, and just plain old water – none had the magic to keep the fries together as well as not inflating it like a balloon.
Inspiration!
This recipe was inspired by the vegan keto french fry recipe from Heavenly Fan! Check out her Instagram page and her YouTube channel!
Looking to pair the fries with something?!
You can eat these fries with Mayo as a dipping sauce! Better yet, pair them with Smash Burgers or Texas Carnitas!
French Fries, Low-Carb & Keto
Crispy delicious fries!
Ingredients
- 35g (1.2 oz) almond flour
- 15g (.5 oz) fresh Parmesan
- 3g (1 tsp) MSG (optional)
- 2g (.5 tsp) kosher salt
- 3g (1 tsp) cornstarch (optional)
- 7g (1.5 tsp) glucomannan powder
- 2g (0.5 tsp) baking powder
- 3 tbsp (44 ml) hot water
Instructions
- Combine dry ingredients in bowl and mix until evenly distributed.
- Add water, mix well into a paste.
- Shape into a thin flat rectangle and cut desired shape.
- Pan fry in oil of choice (extra virgin olive oil, tallow, duck fat) over medium-low heat. Flip and continue cooking until a light golden color. Deeper golden/brown does not mean crunchier, it will simply taste burnt.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- If you decide NOT to use MSG, use 3g of kosher salt
- Extra virgin olive oil works super well, but if you want fries that taste like McDonald's, use tallow. If you want fries full of flavor, use duck fat for some amazing duck fat fries!
- Garnish with grated parmesan or pecorino romano and parsley for an extra flavor kick
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Nutrition Information
Serving Size AllAmount Per Serving Calories 284Total Fat 23.1gCarbohydrates 6.8gNet Carbohydrates 3gFiber 3.8gSugar 1.2gProtein 12.4g
NOTE! Nutrition Information is calculated WITHOUT the corn starch! If you add the cornstarch, add 4g net carbs!
Can I use psyllium husk powder instead of the glucosamine?
I didnt try with psyllium husk, but i dont think it would work because you need something to keep it together!
Hey outta town, cornstarch isn’t keto!! ?
that leads to the question – what is keto? Anything sliced thing enough is keto! As stated in the recipe and in the video, it’s entirely optional. If you do more of a low-carb diet, I highly recommend it and it should fall within your carb macro count. If you do keto – the decision is up to you and whether it’s worth those carbs.
Dennis you are correct. psyllium husk powder does not work. they break apart into a crumbley mess.
These taste good.. but mine fell apart.. they seemed a bit wet compared to the video.. I’ll try using a little less liquid next time
It’s likely your glucomannan! Ive since learned that different brands have wildly different qualities in their powder. To test, take a cup of water and add 1 tsp of the powder, mix, and let sit for 10 minutes. It SHOULD form a really thick gel. If it doesn’t, that brand is a lower quality and will this lead to a poor french fry outcome! The herbal island brand is the one I used and it works great!
Thank you for this. This was clearly my issue since it was like a very thick soup/parsnip puree consistency. I tried it twice to make sure. Then I tried your test above and there were a couple clumps but almost pure water consistency. Time to get some herbal island brand.
Yeah, it’s a bit crazy the variability in these ‘pure’ substances
That did it! Herbal Island is the way to go. Fries were great in beef tallow. I need to try duck fat next time.
I’d seen several other versions of this recipe, including the original. However, I wasn’t inspired to try it out until I saw this one. I knew all of the tweaks had to add up to big flavor. I was right. This was a huge surprise to me; a real french fry contender.
Now I’m slightly curious to try the original recipe to compare. No way could it taste this good with all the flavor bombs that have been added.
haha thanks Lisa! Let me know what you think if you try the original =)
Pretty darn good. I made these yesterday. I’ll reduce the salt a bit next time. I used the Now brand of Glucomannan and it worked fine. I fried in duck fat and after they cooled a couple minutes the too soft texture firmed up nicely. Next time I might add a bit more water and wrap the dough 10 minutes or so to try to improve the slightly grainy texture. That’s really the only “give away” that it’s not the real deal (as with most almond flour keto recipes). I see you have the crinkle cut on all 4 sides of your fries. Maybe you sacrificed dough for the photo. Also maybe you used more fat than I did but the ones I fried on the crinkle side flattened out. I fried at 320-350F. The parsley Parmesan sprinkle sounds amazing. For next time. Thanks for the recipe.
I only crinkle cut on two sides – which was a result of cutting from the log – but it LOOKS like it’s cut on four sides. The graininess will come from the almond flour – it may not be as fine as you think it is. I’ve done a few experiments where I run the almond flour through a sieve and get the thicker pieces out – it’s crazy what you end up with. At the end, you have two bowls: one looks like corn meal and the other looks like a fine flour!
When I tried bamboo fiber or oat fiber to make keto-recipes crispy without using corn starch (for instance, for fried chicken where most recipes recommend a pinch of it, or for coating meat or fish to fry…) the substitution worked pretty well… maybe it could be a decent compromise here too: I think I’m gonna do some experiments, thank you for sharing your recipes and for the details about the oils!
Thanks for the tip Roberta!
Hi Dennis, I have tried the fries when Heavenly Fan posted a video on YT some month ago long before I have discovered your channel.
BTW, you are the only one youtuber I have sobscribed a newsletter from 🙂
Your recipe has taken the fries to another level!
BTW, have you ever tried to make low carb fries out of haloumi cheese? Sooo good
hey Coraline! I have not tried to make fries out of haloumi cheese – I’ll have to keep an eye out for it! I’m honored you signed up for the newsletter =)
These came out perfectly! Thank you for properly crediting Heavenly Fan; I’ve tried hers as well and very delicious. The cornstarch gives yours the edge for this lazy keto guy. And the keto police can bugger right off.
lol @ the keto police! Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Can you put these in an air fryer?
Dont see why not, but I cant give any advice as to what settings as I dont have an air fryer!
how much calories do these have
It’s in the nutritional facts below the recipe!
I made these AGAIN. I love the crispness. A change I have made is to sub half the almond flour with lupin flour. A little less carbs and calories for me. If I remember I add mashed potato extract too but I’m not sure it has made much of a difference. Thanks again for tweaking Heavenly Fans recipe..
Hi, Dennis, I’m not a fan of parmesan cheese. Do these have a strong parmesan flavor?
Thanks.
They do not! I tried to avoid a strong flavor of any kind!
Do you have a link to the tweezer like tongs you are using to handle the fries? That looks like a much better solution than my regular tongs! Love the recipies. Thanks!
Found it! Had to dig deep into my email to find the receipt from when I purchased it years ago! https://www.jbprince.com/utensils/tweezer-tong.asp
Thank you for going to the effort to find it – it’s much appreciated! I so enjoy your recipes and REALLY want to make your pizza!