When you can’t in good conscience serve french fries yet again, or when you seemingly can’t crack the code on getting your kiddo to eat this-or-that vegetable, I have two words for you: carrot fries. Carrots. In fry form. Think about it: in stick form they’re thin like french fries; they’re naturally sweet; and, yes, they look like sweet potato fries. Carrot fries.
Now, life–and especially raising small children–is never as simple as putting something in fry form, so we’ve taken a few steps to make your child want to eat carrots. Garlic butter would probably help, right? In there. Making the fries both crispy and creamy? Yeah, we did that. And the best part, at least for you: they are incredibly easy to make. So you can keep on making them until your child likes them. (Took the author six tries himself.)
Check out our other great toddler vegetable recipes! Looking for a great french fry recipe for kids? We've got the best air fryer french fries!
Let’s be real: life—and especially parenting—is rarely as simple as “just put it in fry form.” That’s why these carrot fries get the full treatment:
They’re so simple, you can make them over and over… until the little one admits carrots aren’t so bad after all. (It took the author six tries.)
Crunchy and sweet, this air fryer fries recipe (finally) makes carrots fun to eat.
Peel and dice the garlic cloves until finely minced. Chop your butter into two pieces.
In a small bowl, sprinkle cornstarch all over the carrot slices, then drizzle with oil; toss carrot slices until all are coated in oil.
When you first serve this, go light on the sauce: wait and see how your child responds to the initial serving before dousing the rest (or not including altogether). If your child is skeptical and/or reticent when these are put before him or her, be honest about what they are but also encouraging and enthusiastic (because they taste really good)–for instance, we call them “surprise fries” in our house. Also: these can serve as a side dish for pretty much anything–burgers and sandwiches, pasta, a hunk of meat or fish–so keep putting them on the table until it clicks (or your child relents).
The same technique, with a few tweaks, can be applied to broccoli, too. Cut the stalks off, then boil the broccoli florets until slightly soft, about 1-2 minutes; cool until room temperature. With a flattener/tenderizer, spatula, or a strong palm, flatten the broccoli until it lays pretty flat; toss broccoli in oil and cornstarch, just like you did with the carrots. (I recommend adding grated parmesan to the mix, too.) Heat at 425 for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through the cook.
Servings 4
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Brad (the Dad) is the founder and Chief Recipe Officer of New Dad's Kitchen. His own cooking/feeding journey started humbly during his son's infancy, preparing and managing his son's bottle intake in order to support his wife; it has since blossomed into a full-on passion to feed his child and family delicious and healthy meals that can satisfy both a toddler and his very tired parents.
