Once you get hooked on baked fries without oil, you won’t want to go back—and there’s no guilt, since there’s no deep-frying. Try these fries with the Ketchup below. It uses no added salt or refined sugar, and will keep for up to 10 days in the refrigerator.
Baked French Fries
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 3 pounds russet potatoes (about 4 large), scrubbed and unpeeled
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, and set aside.
- To cut the potatoes, use a knife or a french fry cutter (see Notes). If using a knife, cut the potatoes into about 3-inch by ½-inch fries.
- Spread the cut potatoes in one layer (without touching) on the baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven, and use a spatula to loosen and shuffle the fries around (they tend to stick a little). Return the baking sheet to the oven, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes more, or until tender and lightly browned around the edges. Serve immediately, plain or with Ketchup below.
Notes
I love my french fry cutter! It’s makes the fries the same size, and it is easy to use. You may need to halve or quarter your potatoes first, to make them easier to push through the cutting blade.
Also try yams, sweet potatoes, and any other type of white potatoes.
Also try yams, sweet potatoes, and any other type of white potatoes.
Ketchup is a straightforward condiment, mainly calling for tomatoes, vinegar, salt, and sugar. For this recipe, the sugar will come from an apple and the salty flavor from the concentrated tomato paste. Serve with Veggie Burgers, Baked French Fries, Potato-Veggie Scramble, or Oil-Free Hash Browns.
Salt-free Ketchup
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: makes 1 cup
Ingredients
- ¾ cup water
- half of a medium apple, cored, peeled and chopped (about ½ cup)
- 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients into a blender, and blend until smooth. Refrigerate for two to three hours (or overnight) for the best flavor.
Notes
You can substitute ½ cup apple juice for the apple (and decrease the water to ½ cup).
You can substitute 1 tablespoon lemon juice for the apple cider vinegar.
You can substitute 1 tablespoon lemon juice for the apple cider vinegar.
This recipe should be modified to use fresh ingredients. I make tomato products by buying cases of farmers market canning tomatoes.
I will try this with fresh/canned tomatoes and then add a note — thanks!
Thanks for this recipe, especially WITH the canned tomato paste. Many of us don’t have the time or resources to process cases of tomatoes. The everyday practicality of a lean and clean diet is important too.
Cathy, I just recently discovered your wonderful website. And I’m relatively new to the whole foods, plant based diet (since Jan 1). The pictures for your recipes and the simplicity for them has captured me.
The baked french fries in the above picture look so appealing but I don’t show a recipe on your site for them. I tried to track down something with Google to no avail. The Engine2Diet has a recipe for sweet potato fries but I would like to try russets or red potatoes. Any suggestions?
Thanks Norm! And congratulations on going plant-based! Woo hoo! I added the French fry instructions. 🙂
Hey Cathy,
This looks great, and simple. Is there a particular type of apple you prefer for this recipe? Like a tart granny smith, or something milder? Thanks!
Hi Jan, any apple will do, I don’t usually go looking for a particular type, just whatever is onhand. 🙂
Hi Cathy, I heard using lime juice in recipes is good for replacing the salt, I’ve tried it and found that it works, especially in marinades. I am going to try this ketchup recipe this weekend, so cost effective, compared to the no salt, no corn syrup varieties. Thanks, Tina
Good tip Tina! Thanks 🙂
I just discovered you site! Thanks for the great recipes and wonderful pictures of everything! I teach vegan nutrition and cooking classes, so I’m always on the look-out for new recipes and tips.
If I’d like to use one of your recipes in my courses, what do I need to do to get permission? ? ?
Thanks Delisa! I will email you directly. 🙂
Hey Cathy, I recently discovered your site after watching Forks over Knives. I’ve been an on-again, off-again vegetarian for years, but I’m ready to make the switch with the whole family!
The only issue I have is that a lot of your recipes recommend apple juice and apples for sweetening and I happen to he highly allergic. Is there another fruit that you would recommend with similar sweetness and consistency?
Hi Rachael, you could use any juice or fruits pretty much. I’d try pear or pineapple maybe, but use whatever you like and then adjust from there. So glad you are making the leap! 🙂
Tonight’s dinner .. yumalicious! Been plant strong since June 1st … thanks to E2 and Straight Up Food … (lost 20 pounds and loving how much ‘cleaner’ I feel!)
I just discovered your site & love it! Can’t wait to try the ketchup recipe. Thanks so much for the great recipes and pictures of them!
I made your ketchup and tastes very good! Only I dont go through ketchup that fast. Does it really only last for about 10 days? Is there anyway to make it last longer?
I’ve never tried freezing it, but that might work. Or use dried tomato powder found in spice shops or ground your own from sundried tomatoes (instead of canned paste) and just make a smaller amount at a time. I’ve not done this yet, as I just learned about this option, but it sounds like a winner of an idea! 🙂
Could you use 1/3 C of homemade, unsweetened applesauce instead of the apple and water?
Sure. 🙂
Can’t believe these fries were so delicious made without oil or salt! The ketchup was so wonderful and easy — I even used it on the sweet potato fries – YUM! Who needs
a burger with these fries being so yummy and filling!
Thanks Sandra! Glad you liked them so much! 😉
Cathy, i heard about your site from jeff novick because i purchased fast food burgers and fries. I have a magic bullet. How do you make it in magic bullet?
Hi Paul, you would put all the ketchup ingredients in your Bullet and just blend it until smooth. 🙂
What brand of no salt tomato paste do you use and where do you purchase it?
No specific brand, just whatever doesn’t have salt (just tomatoes). Usually at whole foods. 🙂
My marriage has been cemented by your incredible recipes! My wife is CRAZY about dishes made from your site. When I read the ingredients for your “Carrot Cake Donuts” I swear, she started to drool! So, tomorrow I have strict orders to whip up 3 (that’s THREE) of your recipes. I’ll let you know the results. Thanks!
Ha!! Thanks for the comment! 🙂 Yes, let me know how it goes, would love to hear!
Made the ketchup, for what I can’t remember. But I recently used the remainder of what I made about three weeks ago to make meatloaf today and it was really good. Thanks for the recipe.
Wow, that’s a long time; good to know. Thanks Bruce! 🙂
I can’t believe i just made ketchup in my kitchen…thank you, it tastes great!!
My fiancee and I had been indulging on Friday’s with storebought veggie burgers on gluten-free bread and Alexia 98% Fat-Free fries. Last time I went to grocery store, I discovered they seem to stop carrying this variety and only had the “full-fat” versions. I will try this instead! Thanks!
Your site is a one-stop health supermarket of ideas. I’m so impressed with all the recipes to promote wellness and health, which improves our physical, emotional, and mental health.
Love your site. Just discovered. I am coming off a 63 day reboot Friday and will start my forks over knives diet. I want to make those fries but can’t find your french fry cutter on page 4 of your store as the page says. There is no page 4. Please help. I have the Cuisinart food processor that you have on one of the pages, so are you talking about the french fry blade that you buy for the food processor? Thanks so much for your wonderful recipes!!! You are going to help me convert to the next phase of my healthy lifestyle living!!!!
Hi Mary Anne, thank you! 🙂 Sorry, it’s on page 2 of the “Fun Stuff” section in the store, here. So glad I can help. Continued success to you!
This looks really great, but I would like to use fresh or canned tomatoes, as I don’t think commercial tomato paste is available in my country. I’ve checked some homemade tomato paste recipes online, but all of them include oil. Have you tried making this with fresh/canned tomatoes? Thank you!
I haven’t tried it but please do and let me know how it goes. Paste is very concentrated and so the flavor is very intensified. If you used fresh, maybe blend the tomatoes then cook them down so the water cooks off and the flavor is stronger. If you do find a raw or fresh tomato recipe online that calls for oil, just leave it out. 🙂
Thanks for your reply, Cathy! As I haven’t really seen tomato paste other than in photo, I thought the oil might be needed to get the creamy texture and was wondering if it could be replaced with something else. I any any case, I will try with fresh or canned tomatoes and let you know how it goes. Thanks again! 🙂
I like the idea of making my own ketchup; however, my first batch was too sweet. Less apple? More of something else? Any hints would be appreciated. Thanks.
Yes, maybe less apple. 🙂
Hi Cathy, thanks for the recipes, growing up as someone who thought that anything other than Heinz was inferior, I never would have thought I would one day make my own ketchup! This was just too simple not to try. I also have been avoiding the condiments in general since exposure to ETL and FOK, so it’s awesome to have this back as an option.
I’m eager to try the fries now, and the potato cutter appeals to the part of me that wants maximum affect for minim effort and time (i.e. laziness;-). I’d like to get the one from your store, but I have noticed there are also “jumbo” and “elite” versions. Have you tried at least the bigger one, or is the smaller one just fine? If it’s worth it for the jumbo would you consider adding it to your store? Storage space is a concern for us, but it does seem like being able to handle bigger potatoes would be worthwhile. Also, would you also recommend using it for sweet potatoes? If not what would you say is the easiest way to work with them?
Hi Charlie, thanks for your note. 🙂 I’ve only used the cheaper one that’s in my store, but am happy to put others in the store; just send me the link of the one you like. The one I have works great with white potatoes but not yams or sweet potatoes, since they are much denser. So it would be nice to have a cutter that could handle those too. Thanks!
Hi Cathy, thanks for the reply, and the answer about the sweet potato. Too bad that’s a negative. Perhaps with boiling or microwave somehow? I guess the best thing I’ve seen on the Internet (not from practical experience) is the French fry disc on the Breville Sous Chef food processor. Do you by any chance have any experience with similar discs on the Cuisinart or Kitchenaid FPs? As for the other cutters, do you think a couple of extra inches of potato would be worth a couple of extra bucks? We just don’t have a lot of room in the kitchen for too many gadgets, but the fries would be fun!
Here’s one link: Prepworks from Progressive International GPC-3664 Jumbo Potato Cutter https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002KZ4VI/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_Rejcvb1RERYKE
And here’s another: Prepworks from Progressive International GPC-3665 Deluxe Potato Cutter https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0017T0TVS/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_Ocjcvb09EF3W2
Then there are things like this, that seem to be more of an investment in both money and cabinet/counter space, but I guessing they could do yams: New Star 42313 Commercial Grade French Fry Cutter with Suction Feet, 1/2-Inch https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DVXLML4/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_Nxjcvb1KMW5GE
Best regards,
CM
Hi Charlie, thanks for the resources! I think if you’re a serious French fry person, a heavier-duty, maybe bigger, tool would be the way to go. I rarely make fries, so the cheaper, smaller one is fine for me, and that’s the only one I have experience with. 🙂
Thanks Cathy, I think I’ll start with the smaller cheaper one after all, and see if that catches on. I just get curious when I hear about ways to keep “fast food” relatively “fast,” and still make sure it is actually “food”. For the record, enjoyed the Curry Quinoa bowl, too!
CM
I stumbled upon your website and I am so glad I did. Your recipes look fabulous and I cannot wait to try them. I was looking for a natural alternative to ketchup also and cannot wait to try that too. Thanks so much!
I’m going to try your ketchup recipe. In mine, I also use tomato paste and I have experimented with using cloves as one of the spices, which I like very much. Thanks for all the information you’re putting out there. I think you should go on Chef AJs show as a guest and share some of your great recipes. Or, do you have your own show?
Thanks Fran! I don’t have my own show, but Chef AJ and I are in touch, and I’m sure our paths will cross on one of her projects soon. 🙂
Thank you so much for this recipe. I have brought my blood pressure down from 180/90 to 130/70 with home cooking with no salt. Haven’t tried this yet but sounds good and easy.
Wow, that’s great Patty! 🙂
I am wondering if this is enough quantity of ingredients to work in my Vitamix? Seems like a small amount that might do better in my smaller food processor? Thank for your reply, Cathy! Love your site!
Hi Martha, it’s about 2 cups and works very well in my Vitamix (which will produce a smoother ketchup than a food processor). 🙂
Oh thank heavens for your website!!!! I’ve been eating no salt no sugar no oil (not knowing that it’s coined as the sos diet!) for the past 3 weeks and, being in Indonesia where almost ALL of our foods are drenched in sugar salt oil galore, it was pretty tough at the beginning. And there you are (i mean, your website), appeard on top of my google search result and you’re definitely my fave 🙂 no crazy ingredients there and i can see sharing your food with my 10mo boy. Thank you! Annddd off to make the ketchup 😉