Air Fryer Sweet Potato Masala Animal Fries
I was in high school the first time I tried In-N-Out’s Animal Fries. They were crispy, saucy, and clearly the star of the In-N-Out menu — forget the burgers!
I’ve tried various plant-based takes on Animal Fries since going vegan and all have been incredible — From My Bowl has a great recipe that I would definitely recommend — but what I really want to do with this recipe is add a little bit of masala magic to traditional Animal Fries.
If you like spice and warming flavors, you are going to love these sweet potato fries! The essential seasonings for these fries are:
garam masala,
chili powder,
garlic powder,
whole cumin seeds,
and salt and pepper.
And to make these Animal-Style, you’ll need:
red onion
and a super easy breezy turmeric tahini drizzle (that I’ll show you how to make, of course)!
Got everything you need? Let’s get cooking!
Air Fryer Sweet Potato Masala Animal Fries
Ingredients:
- 3 medium-large sweet potatoes (about 4 cups or 600g of potatoes)
- 1 tbsp coconut oil (can omit if oil-free)
- 1 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/4 medium red onion (about 1/4 cup), diced
- 1 tsp neutral oil or veggie broth
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp tahini
- 1 tbsp water (plus more, to thin to desired consistency)
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 3 tsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions:
- Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Wash and scrub potatoes. Pat dry and cut into wedges by first cutting each potato in half, then slicing the halves vertically to create the wedges.
- Toss wedges in the (optional) oil, garam masala, chili powder, garlic powder, and cumin seeds and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Spread wedges on baking tray and bake at 400 degrees for 12 minutes, tossing the air fryer basket halfway.
- In the meantime, caramelize your onions. Add oil or veggie broth to a pan and heat to medium heat. Add your diced onion and cook until translucent (about 3 minutes).
- Sprinkle salt over the onions and cook for an additional 3 minutes or so, until browned. Deglaze the pan with water as needed.
- Prepare the tahini drizzle by whisking together tahini, water, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, turmeric, cayenne, salt, and pepper.
- Once the fries are ready, top with the onions and tahini drizzle. Serve immediately.