Last Updated on March 26, 2023 by Ellen Christian
Looking for fried vegetable sticks recipes? Learn how to make healthy fried veggie sticks in your Air Fryer with this easy recipe.
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How to Make Fried Vegetable Sticks
Are you wondering how to make fried vegetable sticks? I’ll be completely honest with you here when I say I really miss French Fries.
Thin strips of potatoes, deep-fried in oil and covered in salt and ketchup. I know. I can feel the inches piling up on my thighs from just thinking about it.
Not only is deep-frying unhealthy, but I also cannot have potatoes on the Paleo diet. I’ve heard a lot about other types of French fries but I had no idea how to make fried vegetable sticks.
When I received a Philips Airfyer, I started flipping through the cookbook that was included. I was thrilled to find a section that showed me how to make fried veggie sticks!
Best vegetables for veggie sticks
They have directions for sweet potatoes, parsnips, and zucchini! Since parsnips are in season right now and available at my organic food co-op, I decided that was the recipe that I would experiment with.
The Philips Airfryer uses Rapid Air Technology to fry foods without deep frying them in oil. It makes food crispy on the outside and tender on the inside and uses very little oil.
The Airfryer circulates hot air around a metal mesh cooking basket, requiring little or no oil as it fries, bakes and grills. I was really impressed with how easy it was to make fried vegetable sticks.
How to make fried veggie sticks with parsnips
The recipe in the included cookbook to make fried vegetable sticks called for traditional all-purpose flour. I substituted finely ground almond meal for the all-purpose flour to make the recipe Paleo and gluten-free. It turned out wonderfully!
Peel and slice the parsnips.
Mix them in a mixture of fine almond meal, olive oil, water, and salt. If you want to make fried vegetable sticks that aren’t Paleo, you can use traditional all-purpose flour.
Place them in the basket of a preheated Philips Airfryer and cook for 12 minutes. The Airfryer comes with a removable divider so if I wanted to make two different things, I could do that as well.
You don’t need to put it in if you are making only one thing.
That’s all there is to it! You don’t add any extra oil to the Airfyer to make fried vegetable sticks. And the parsnip fries were absolutely delicious! The basket lifts out and you can see any excess oil at the bottom of the pan.
There is very little oil left and they still manage to be crispy. Check out these air frying tips if you are new to using one.
What else can I make in my air fryer?
This is definitely the healthiest way to make fried vegetable sticks that I have ever seen. Of course, you can make all sorts of other things as well from Crab Croquettes to Jerk Chicken Wings.
You can even make Coconut Flan and Vanilla Souffle! I was very surprised to see a recipe for a Teriyaki Glazed Halibut Steak!
Looking for more air fryer recipes? Why not try these Air Fryer Panko Chicken Tenders.
The Airfryer can grill as well as fry. If you want to, you can use traditional snacks in the Airfyer like chicken nuggets or frozen French Fries.
My husband will appreciate that when he is in the mood to snack. Finally, clean up was very easy. You can wash the parts in your dishwasher if you have one after you make these fried vegetable sticks.
What vegetables can be deep-fried?
You can deep fry or air fry almost any type of fresh vegetable and even a few fruits. So, why not try potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squash, parsnips, zucchini, summer squash, peppers, eggplant, okra, and even green tomatoes.
Are deep-fried vegetables good for you?
Deep frying anything isn’t necessarily the healthiest way to eat it. Thankfully, air frying is a wonderful alternative that tastes delicious.
It uses very little oil and still comes out crisp and full of flavor. So, it’s not exactly the same.
But, if you are hoping to make a few healthier eating choices, learning to make fried vegetable sticks is definitely a great alternative.
Let them dip!
If you’re trying to get the kids to eat more vegetables, learning to make fried vegetable sticks might just encourage them. After all, kids generally like to dip things.
If you don’t want to use ketchup, you can use sour cream or a ranch dressing instead. Or, why not try a cheese sauce with fried broccoli or cauliflower nuggets?
That sounds like a delicious treat to me!
How to Make Fried Vegetable Sticks
You won't believe how easy it is to make fried vegetable sticks in your air fryer.
Ingredients
- 6 parsnips
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup water
- salt
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Peel and slice the parsnips to 1/2" x 3"
- In a large bowl, mix the almond flour, water, olive oil and salt
- Put the parsnips in the mixture & stir until coated.
- Preheat the Philips Airfryer to 390F for 3 minutes.
- Add the parsnips.
- Cook for 12 to 14 minutes. I cooked mine for 14 minutes and they were perfect.
- Remove from the Airfryer and enjoy.
Notes
You can use almost any vegetable!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 264Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 161mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 6gSugar: 7gProtein: 3g
Ellen is a busy mom of a 24-year-old son and 29-year-old daughter. She owns six blogs and is addicted to social media. She believes that it doesn’t have to be difficult to lead a healthy life. She shares simple healthy living tips to show busy women how to lead fulfilling lives. If you’d like to work together, email info@confessionsofanover-workedmom.com to chat.
LOVE the idea of parsnip fries, and so impressed that they were kid friendly, I was so bummed to find out that the airfryer uses PTFE (aka teflon) nonstick coating. I think I’d rather slip a real potato deep fried in beef tallow in a cast iron skillet in front of my family than feed them something super heated in teflon. Was just about to push the “purchase” button on the phillips too. arg.
thanks for posting this though! very clever idea. gonna try and think of a more paleo/primal friendly version.
Good point, Mer. Wonder if there is a way for them to redo it without the teflon?
Wow – I’ve heard of air ryers, but never saw one in action, and never saw the results – fantastic – they sure look like they could satisfy that craving for deepfried french fries. I’ll have to keep this in mind when it comes time for birthday!
I highly recommend it! It can do so many different things!
I like parsnips and these parsnip fries look pretty good! I’ll have to try them out!
Thanks, Jennifer! They were!
Those look delicious. At home we called them “homemade french fries” 🙂
LOL that works too!
Not sure I’d want parsnips, but I could totally see using one of these air fryers for homemade french fries (potatoes will never be off my diet list, I grew up on a potato farm lol), or battered mushrooms, or homemade cheese sticks – or just about anything!
Parsnips were really good! I’m sure the kids would enjoy traditional french fries too.
I wouldn’t mind trying these out to see if my kids would like them. I like that little kitchen gadget you have too!
Great way to get kids to eat new vegetables!
I so see me tricking my kids in the future with this recipe idea! Thanks for sharing it, so happy!
LOL Brandy. Good luck!
Yummy! These look delicious. I’ve pinned for later use, and I can totally convince the little ones they are “french fries.” Yum!!
Great idea, Susanna!
I love it… These look just like french fries… and would have never thought of using different veggies… YUMMM..thanks for sharing, sooo have to pin it so I can try it
I really was surprised that they looked so similar to traditional fries. Great way to get someone to try something new.
I’ve wanted an air fryer ever since I saw one but they’ve always been so darn expensive I can imagine that this Phillips one is a good quality yet affordable one. Also, I’ve never thought of having parsnips instead of potato fries, that would take some getting used to.
I highly recommend this one. It’s very well made, works great & doesn’t take up tons of room.
Yum, these look so crispy and delicious! Thank you for sharing your recipe, they look so yummy that I pinned them!
Glad to & thanks for the pin!
Oh lordy I want one of those!!! Even though I’m frying less and less these days.. That’s an awesome gadget!
It really is fun to play with! So glad I discovered it.
Wow, what a great alternative! I think my family would love these!
Mine definitely did!
That looks so yummy! I love how easy it looks too with this Airfryer too. Such a healthier way to have “fried” foods!
Very true, Jodi, and good too!
i’ve heard lots of good things about the actifry. it’s an appliance that “frys” without all the oil, so in turn a healthier food.
I love that I can now have “fried” foods without all the oil!
These look amazing! Thanks for the recipe! Pinning this now!
Thanks for the pin, Amy!
I love veggie sticks! The idea of making your own is awesome too because you can season it how you like!
Very true. I want to try garlic next time!
So wish I could afford one of these! Even with the $50 off, it’s beyond my budget. 🙁
It really is as great investment!
I never thought about frying veggies as a snack. I will have to check this out.
I really enjoyed it. Love knowing it’s a healthy snack.
You know, I am not 100% sure that I have ever eaten parsnips. I would love to try some fried vegetable sticks, though. 🙂
Give them a try. They are really good!
It’s pretty hard to believe that it works the way it does and as well as it does without oil. Fascinating!
I know. I was really surprised at how little oil it used!
We have a fryer. I’ll definitely have to try this.
Let me know how you like them!
This is definitely on my list now… I totally want an air fryer! We eat lots of oven baked french fries and this would make them even better and still not fry them!
I like these so much better than oven fried!
I have wanted to try the Airfry! It looks amazing. I actually was reading about it a few months back. We used to have a deep frier, but it used a big huge bottle of oil that would go rancid between uses so we gave it away.
Yeah it can definitely waste a ton of oil with a deep fryer!
Wow, these look just like homemade fries, I wouldn’t know they were actually made of parsnips. I wonder if I could get my 3 year old to eat them.
Can’t hurt to try!
I love anything fried, but the parsnips look especially good. Love the high value coupon for the fryer. Will check it out!
It’s definitely a great deal!
I have done zucchini before but never parsnips! I need to look into getting a fryer like this!
I want to try zucchini too. That sounds delicious!
I love parsnips. I would love an air fryer like that.
Me too! They are yummy!
Thank you for sharing this. I am always trying to find healthier options for the boys. I know my youngest would love them.
Glad to share. I love finding healthy foods the kids enjoy.
I have my eye on one of these air fryers! I love deep frying foods, but oh they are so unhealthy and baking them just isn’t the same!
I agree! This is a great compromise!
THIS would make me want a fryer. well, this fryer. they look scrumptious
Thanks, Brett! they were!
Those look so good! I need one of these fryers and apparently, to starting eating Paleo. 😉
Give it a try, Jennifer! I feel so much better.
I really want an air fryer. They look amazing. I love that you can use something other than potatoes to make fun fries.
Me too! I really want to try sweet potatoes next.
I really want an air fryer. They look amazing. I love that you can use something other than potatoes to make fun fries.
I cannot wait to try some new things in this. I was excited to see the range of foods it can cook.
Those sound great. I wish I could sacrifice the countertop space for a fryer, so we use the oven instead!
We keep it in the pantry until we need it. It takes up about the same room as my blender.
wow, that’s awesome!! my crunch loving hubby would devour these i think
Definitely! You need to try it!
Cool! i have something similar to this and will have to test this recipe out! Thank you!
Let me know how you like it!
Those look so good! We’ll have to try this sometime. Thanks! 🙂
Glad to share. They really were good!
The air fryer looks amazing! I’ve seen them before, but this is the first blog review I’ve come across for one. I love that you used parsnips for veggie fries. I’ve used zucchini, sweet potatoes, etc, but never thought about parsnips! Looks super delicious!
It really is amazing. I cannot wait to try out something else.
Thank you for sharing this, Ellen. I really want to try out this Phillips Airfryer. I looks like a wonder gadget, lol. I pinned the recepy in case I can buy one for me.
It really is a handy appliance. I love it.
My kids LOVE french fries, but I don’t let them eat them nearly as much as they would like. This is a nice healthy alternative that I would love to make for them!!
It definite is, Robin. My daughter really liked them.
I have had mashed parsnips in place of mashed potatoes before. They taste good, I would like to try out an Airfryer.
I love mashed parsnips! They are really good!
I have a friend that just got one of these Philips Airfryer and I want! It’s fantastic!
I agree! I definitely recommend it.
Ooh, I really want to try one of these.
It’s really easy to use & to clean up!
This is definitely an appliance we would LOVE at our house! I rarely if ever fry anything at home, but I admit I like to eat fried foods when I eat out. 🙂
It’s really amazing! I just love it!
I have never made parsnip fries, but it sounds delish! I love that these were made without so much oil.
Me too. They weren’t greasy at all!
never would have thought of cooking parsnips that way! Look tasty!
They definitely were!
I don’t have any air fryer but this is a great reason, or an excuse, to go out and buy one! I love french fries and I think they would be even more tasty if they were made out of veggies. I wonder if I can try making these without a fryer and just baking them? They probably won’t have that great crunch but it would give me a way to try them out!
I am not sure that the coating would stick if you just baked them? I’ve never tried it that way.
Interesting, I’ve never used an air fryer before. I love parsnips, I usually roast them but this recipe for air frying them looks delicious.
I’ve never tried roasting them before. I’ll have to try that next!
I love the crunch that comes with deep frying but I hate how unhealthy it is plus I’m a total wimp and scared all the oil is going to burn down my house! -big baby-
This looks like the answer to my prayers!
LOL I am always really nervous about deep frying too!
Yeah, just what I was looking for! These look wonderful Ellen! You are awesome for sharing all your Paleo recipes! I am off to pin this! Thank you!!!!!!!
Thanks so much! They really were a nice treat!