There are new options for lovers of french fries that are actually good for you!
They’re called Veggie Fries, and they’re crispy french fries made from potatoes and vegetables. They contain at least 25% of non-potato vegetables and beans and come in four varieties: Carrot, Broccoli, Tuscan Bean & Herb and Chickpea & Red Pepper.
Having a 3-year-old who LOVES french fries (and I admit, has been eating too many of the usual greasy variety lately), when I was invited to try Veggie Fries and share our experience on my blog I happily agreed “Yes!” Plus, when I showed our 3-year-old, Thor, the Veggie Fries on the computer he pointed at the screen and said “I want to try those!” So I knew he’d be a great Veggie Fries tester with me.
I picked up four bags of Veggie Fries – one of each variety – at my local Byerly’s store. Then over the next few days I tried them with Thor with various main entrees including chicken, fish, burgers, and corn dogs, and even just on their own as a snack!
The Veggie Fries cooked up nicely in the oven. Though the directions say cook at 450 degrees for 18-23 minutes, I had to adjust based on what I was cooking them with, and accidentally cooked them a little too long one time. Based on that I discovered they can cook very well at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes (depending on what you’re cooking them with).
The texture was as described – “crispy on the outside, fluffy and tender on the inside.” They were delicious! They went great with any dip from ketchup to sour cream or ranch dressing (great with the Broccoli fries). And Thor loved all of them, especially the Carrot and Broccoli varieties.
I thought the Carrot variety tasted the closest to a regular potato french fry (with a hint of carrot flavor), and the Tuscan Bean & Herb was the most flavorful with the Tuscan spices. The Broccoli did actually taste like Broccoli and the Chickpea & Red Pepper was the spiciest with a bit of a kick.
If I were to change one thing I would give the fries more filling – they were so crisp they tasted a bit airy, but they were still tasty, versatile and satisfying.
In addition to offering them to your kids with any everyday meal, here are some other ideas for enjoying Veggie Fries:
- As an appetizer for friends while hosting a dinner
- When grilling outside – they make a great compliment for grilled burgers, chicken, hot dogs or brats
- With salmon or other fish – the herbs and spices in Tuscan Bean & Herb and Chickpea & Red Pepper compliment sophisticated entrees
Every ingredient in Veggie Fries is all natural, non-GMO and contains no gluten or wheat, so they’re great for those with gluten and wheat sensitivities.
Veggie Fries are available nationwide at a variety of grocers and locally at Lund’s & Byerly’s stores for about $4-5 per 14 oz. bag.
(Disclosure: I was provided with coupons for 4 free bags of Veggie Fries to facilitate this review. My opinions are 100% mine.)