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Vegan Carne Asada Fries

December 17, 2019 By Nava Atlas 6 Comments

vegan carne asada fries

Vegan carne asada fries made with plant-based protein, is one of those odd but really delicious dishes — and it’s so easy to make!

The first time I had vegan carne asada fries was at the restaurant Mexican Radio, when it was in its lovely Hudson, NY location (it’s now in Schedectady). The last time I had this dish was at home — it’s so easy to replicate, and we’ll be getting to that in a flash.

Carne asada fries is a perfect example of how an offbeat local food trend can take off and go national. A unique combination of french fries, avocado, sour cream, and, in its original form, strip steak, this dish originated in San Diego in the 1990s and soon became a standard in casual Mexican restaurants in the American Southwest before spreading nationwide.

vegan carne asade fries made with sweet potato fries

What is carne asada, and how can it be made vegan? Carne asada refers to beef strips marinated in citrus juices and grilled or in another way cooked over high heat. This plant-based version replaces the meat with plant-based beefy strips or, it can be equally good made with seitan. I’ve made it with both, to great success.

What are the best plant proteins to use? For this particular round I used plant-based Very Good Steak from The Very Good Butchers, a Canadian company. They craft what might be called artisanal plant-based “meats” incorporating interesting ingredients like jackfruit, beets, and mushrooms. But you can use any plant-based “beefy” product that can be cut into strips (or comes that way), or, as mentioned just above, seitan.

What about the fries? This dish is usually made with regular fries, and you can definitely use them if you prefer. But sweet potato fries add another lovely layer of flavor, not to mention color, to the dish. You have a choice of using prepared fries or making your own.

vegan Carne asada fries recipe

Yield: 3

Vegan Carne Asada Fries

vegan carne asada fries

Vegan carne asada fries are made with plant-based beefy strips served over fries and topped with dairy-free sour cream and mashed avocado.

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

The “carne” asada

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons orange juice
  • 1/4 cup salsa, your favorite variety
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 8 ounces plant-based beefy strips or seitan, cut into strips

The rest

  • 20-ounce bag organic fries (regular potatoes or sweet potatoes; or see Note)
  • 2 medium ripe avocados, pitted, peeled, and mashed (see Note)
  • Juice of 1/2 lime
  • 1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes or diced tomato
  • Cilantro leaves
  • Vegan sour cream
  • 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and sliced
  • Salsa, your favorite variety
  • Lime wedges

Instructions

  1. Combine the oil, lime and orange juices, chili powder, and chili powder in a shallow container and whisk together. Add the beefy strips, stir together, and allow to marinate while doing the next steps.
  2. Preheat the oven to 425º F.
  3. Arrange the fries on a parchment-lined roasting pan or baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or as instructed on the package.
  4. Meanwhile, combine the mashed avocados with the lime juice in a small bowl and stir together. Prepare the rest of the toppings and set aside.
  5. About 10 minutes before the fries are done, heat a medium skillet. Add the beefy strips and marinade and cook over medium-high heat until the marinade has mostly evaporated and the strips are sizzling hot.
  6. To assemble, transfer the fully baked fries to a serving platter. Scatter the beefy strips over them, followed by the tomato and cilantro. 
  7. Traditionally, a dollop of the mashed avocado and sour cream are placed side by side on one side of the platter, but if you prefer, you can put those in small bowls for everyone to take and embellish their servings. 
  8. Put the jalapeño slices, salsa, and lime wedges in separate small containers.
  9. Distribute the fries and carne asada to individual plates along with a little avocado mash and sour cream, and pass around the extras. 

Notes

Using frozen organic sweet potato fries makes it all easy and convenient, but feel free to use fresh potatoes or sweet potatoes. You’ll need about a pound and a half; scrub (peel if you’d like) and cut into fry shapes, toss with a little olive oil, and bake as directed in step 3.

If you can’t find avocados that aren’t just right for mashing, you can substitute prepared guacamole.

© Nava Atlas
Cuisine: Plant-based / Category: Veganize This!

How to make vegan carne asada fries

If you like this recipe, you might also enjoy …

Vegqn Poutine (Canadian Cheese and Gravy Fries)

In a way, carne asada fries are a cousin of the yummy Canadian oddity Poutine, an amalgam of melted cheese and gravy on fries. And yes, we have a recipe for Vegan Poutine.

  • Here are more ways to veganize classic recipes, and more easy vegan main dishes.

Filed Under: Easy Vegan Recipes, Main Dishes, Veganize This!

About Nava Atlas

Nava Atlas is the author of many vegetarian and vegan cookbooks, including 5-Ingredient Vegan, Plant Power, Wild About Greens, Vegan Holiday Kitchen, and many more. A longtime dedicated vegan, find out more about her on this site's About page.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sylvia Flores

    December 25, 2019 at 10:35 AM

    “Carne Asada” means grilled MEAT! It is absolutely idiotic to say vegan carne asada.

    Reply
    • Nava Atlas

      December 25, 2019 at 11:09 AM

      You’re entitled to your opinion, but I disagree! A lot of today’s plant-based meat analogs are simply being called by their meat name. The producers of these plant-based meats are looking to upend the notion of what is considered meat. Hence, you’ll be seeing a lot of these in the supermarket’s meat section in the months and years to come, just as brands like Beyond® are starting to do.

      Reply
      • Joshua Harm

        December 26, 2019 at 9:39 AM

        While you can disagree, they’re right, factually. Carne asada means grilled meat in Spanish. This unfortunately is not an opinion.

        Reply
        • Nava Atlas

          December 26, 2019 at 11:36 AM

          I’m not disagreeing on the meaning of carne asada, just saying that the vegan world has appropriated meaty terms — think meatballs, beefy ground, vegan “ham” and such — just identifies the type of food that it resembles!

          Reply
  2. Dhea Riana

    January 11, 2021 at 11:58 PM

    We tried this recipe out and it turned out absolutely amazinggggg!!1 This has become a family tradition for us to have for dinner almost every month!! Its almost IMPOSSIBLE to find quality recipes that taste good as well as match our sense of taste especially since we’re vegetarians who don’t consume eggs 🙂 Also, cuz we’re still going through quarantine in my country and we are kinda getting bored lol. I just wanted to come on here to thank Ms. Nava and her team for coming up with this extraordinary recipe!! Have a great day y’all <3

    Reply
    • Nava Atlas

      January 12, 2021 at 8:08 AM

      Thanks so much! I’m glad you enjoyed it. This is one of those recipes that sounds odd on paper, but is really freaking delicious — especially veganized!

      Reply

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