Baked Yuca Fries with Cilantro Dipping Sauce

These baked yuca fries are crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. The creamy cilantro dipping sauce is tangy, herbaceous, and ridiculously addictive.

I first discovered yuca fries – and yuca in general – at one of my favorite restaurants here in NYC, aptly named Cuba. They serve all the greatest hits of Cuban cuisine, make a mean mojito, and sometimes have a live salsa band, too. In a nutshell, this place is just the freakin’ greatest. I fell in love with their yuca frita at first bite and have been making a baked version at home ever since.

What is Yuca

Yuca (a.k.a. cassava and manioc) – pronounced “YOU-kah” – is a mild-tasting, starchy root vegetable native to South America as well as parts of Asia and Africa. It presents as a large, somewhat irregularly-shaped brown stalk with bark-line skin.

Underneath, yuca has a hard white flesh that’s not unlike a potato’s. When cooked, yuca becomes creamy and absolutely delicious – again, like a potato. (“Yucca,” on the other hand, is a shrub common in the Western U.S. and is unrelated to the vegetable.)

Yuca happens to make the most delicious fries (sometimes called “cassava fries”), which are commonly served in Cuban restaurants as a veggie side dish or appetizer, alongside a garlicky cilantro dipping sauce. This is my homestyle, baked version of the dish that forgoes deep-frying.

Key Ingredients + Substitutions

• Yuca: Look for firm, evenly-colored yuca without black spots or mold on the ends. Yuca is available at many supermarkets, as well as in Asian or South American markets. You may also find peeled and chopped bagged yuca in the frozen vegetables aisle, which would work just as well here.
• Cooking Oil: Use any neutral-flavored cooking oil you have. My favorites are avocado, organic canola, and refined coconut.
• Mayonnaise: You can use conventional or vegan mayo for the cilantro dip.
• Cilantro: Cilantro gives this sauce an unmistakably vibrant, green, grassy flavor that I can’t get enough of. If you’re a cilantro-hater, substitute with basil, dill, and/or parsley.
• Lime Juice: Feel free to sub with lemon.

How to Peel Yuca for Fries

Yuca is much firmer than a potato. You’ll definitely need a sharp chef’s knife – plus patience and plenty of elbow grease – to get the job done…

Peel the Yuca

Using a sharp knife, cut the yuca stalk into 2 or 3 pieces. (When you cut into it, the flesh should be white; if you see brown, mushy spots or detect an unpleasant acidic aroma, the yuca has gone bad and should be thrown away.)

Working with 1 piece at a time, stand the piece upright on a flat side, and carefully slice off the skin, turning the piece as you go.

Remove the Core

Cut the peeled chunks lengthwise into 4 batons to reveal a woody core (you may not see it, but it is there). Slice away a thin piece of the core and discard.

Cut Into Fries

Cut each resulting baton into French fry shapes.

How to Make Baked Yuca Fries (Step-by-Step Photos)

Find the complete instructions with ingredient amounts in the printable recipe card below.

Step 1: Boil the Yuca

Place the chopped yuca in a pot of water with salt and bring it to a boil. Then turn the heat down and simmer gently for 5 to 7 minutes, until the yuca is cooked about halfway through.

Then drain in a colander and let it sit for a few minutes until it stops steaming.

Note: For safe consumption, yuca must be boiled first, before baking or frying. Yuca naturally contains trace amounts of cyanide, which the boiling neutralizes. Furthermore, boiling first helps yuca cook evenly and end up with a nice fluffy interior.

Step 2: Bake the Fries

Transfer the yuca to a large bowl and drizzle with oil. Toss to coat evenly. Then arrange the fries in a single layer on a parchment-covered baking sheet. Bake until they’re golden brown and crisp, flipping them once about halfway through, about 25 minutes total.

Step 3: Make the Sauce

Meanwhile, combine all the sauce ingredients in a blender and purée until completely smooth. Chill the sauce in the fridge until ready to serve.

Step 4: Serve the Fries

The fries are best served straight from the oven, while they are still hot and crispy.