I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve gotten my hopes up about a menu item at a restaurant, only to find out the chef adds dairy. Not long ago, this happened with Cajun fries. In fact, it seems to happen a lot with seasoned fries in general. Fortunately, it’s easy to make dairy-free Cajun fries at home! This easy, from-scratch recipe was created by one of our favorite vegan chefs.
Baked Dairy-Free Cajun Fries with Oil-Free Option
These tasty Cajun fries are from Chef Jason Wyrick’s New Orleans-style menu for vegan burgers and fries. He pairs them with these Red Bean Veggie Burgers / Sliders. He originally shared these recipes with us way back in 2011, but I’ve updated both, and have added some recipe and ingredient notes.
Why We Love this Cajun Fries Recipe
- Perfectly Baked, Not Fried: Get crispy, golden fries without the mess, stress, or excess oil of deep frying.
- Fresh Taste: Using a blend of individual spices rather than a store-bought mix adds freshness and more depth to the flavor.
- Yellow Potatoes: This recipe uses Yukon gold potatoes, which are so tender, moist, and flavorful when roasted.
- Low-Fat Option: Chef Jason tested an oil-free option complete with tips, to make nearly fat-free fries that don’t dry out.
- Salt-Free Seasoning: The seasoning blend itself is salt-free. So you can add salt before baking, sprinkle salt on (to taste) after baking, or keep these dairy-free Cajun fries salt-free.
- Allergy-Friendly: Not only is this recipe free of top allergens, but it’s also made in your own dairy-free home!
Ingredient FAQs
- Pepper: Can I use black pepper in place of the white pepper and lemon pepper? You can definitely substitute black pepper for the white pepper, though they do have a different taste. If you don’t have lemon pepper, you can increase the black pepper by 1/8 teaspoon, and optionally add a little lemon zest to the potatoes.
- Spices: I’m missing one of the spices. Can I omit it? Of course, each herb and spice plays its role in this tasty Cajun spice blend. But if needed, you can omit one or two.
- Potatoes: Do I need to peel them? Yukon Gold potatoes are thin-skinned, so you don’t need to peel them.
- Potatoes: Can I use another type of potato? Regular yellow potatoes will also work great. You can substitute Russet potatoes, but you might want to peel them. I wouldn’t use red potatoes as they are a bit hard and waxy.
- Potatoes: Can I sub sweet potatoes? You can! Sweet potatoes go nicely with Cajun seasoning. They will brown more quickly, so keep a close eye when baking.
Special Diet Notes: Dairy-Free Cajun Fries
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, vegan, plant-based, and vegetarian.
Dairy-Free Cajun Fries
This homemade seasoning is quick to toss together, and has more flavor depth than store-bought. Serve these fries with ketchup, fry sauce (ketchup + mayo blend), or garlic aioli.
Ingredients
Method
Salt-Free Cajun Seasoning
- Put all of the spices and herbs in a small bowl and whisk to combine.
- This will make about 1 1/2 tablespoons, or enough for a double batch of the fries. Store any leftovers in a small airtight container or spice shaker.
Cajun Fries
- Preheat your oven to 415ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut the potatoes into 1/4-inch slabs, then cut those into 1/4-inch wide strips. Keeping the size uniform helps them to bake more evenly.
- Toss the potatoes with the oil. Sprinkle on the Cajun seasoning and salt, and toss to coat (see Salt Note below).
- Transfer the seasoned potatoes to your prepared baking sheet, and spread them out in a single layer. They will crisp up more if they aren't touching.
- Bake the fries for 20 minutes. Remove them from the oven and flip. Bake the fries for 15 to 20 minutes more, or until golden brown and lightly crisped, with some deeply browned edges for extra flavor.
Nutrition
Notes
Salt Note: Chef Jason uses 3/4 teaspoon salt, which is a normal amount for fries. I prefer less salt, about 1/4 teaspoon. You can always start with less salt, and add more salt, to taste, after the fries have cooked.
Oil-Free Option: Do not toss the potatoes in oil. Heavily spritz them with water instead, and then toss them in the Cajun seasoning. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper and cover it with foil so the fries don’t dry out.
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!More Recipe Tips: Cajun Fries
Serving Suggestions
- Burger Night: You can serve them with ordinary burgers, or stick with the New Orleans theme and make Cajun Burgers, Cajun Salmon Burgers, or those Red Bean Veggie Burgers.
- Steak & Fries: Grill a steak and roast some corn on the cob (in their husks!) in the oven alongside the fries.
- Fish & Chips: You can prep and cook this Dairy-Free Oven Fried Fish while these fries bake!
- Small Plate Night: We love appetizer-style dinners. These dairy-free Cajun fries pair well with the Red Bean Veggie Sliders, of course. But they’re also great with Blackened Chicken Wings or Creole Crab Cakes.
- Potluck: Yes, I took home-roasted fries to a party once, and now they are requested every time!
Storage
- Store: You can store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a few days.
- Reheat: The fries will become limp in the refrigerator. To re-crisp them, bake them in a 400ºF oven for about 10 to 15 minutes.
Also Try our Creole Sweet Potato Hash Recipe!
