Low Carb French Fries: Crispy Keto Chips Made From Coconut Flour and Cheese
In short
Chips without the potato. A simple dough of coconut flour, xanthan gum, shredded cheese and boiling water, chilled, rolled thin, cut into strips and shallow fried until golden. Olive oil works, but beef tallow or lard is even better.
Key points
- Ingredients: 50g coconut flour, 2 to 3 teaspoons xanthan gum, ⅓ cup shredded cheese (I use mozzarella, but most cheeses work) and 100ml boiling water.
- Xanthan gum is sticky stuff. Start mixing with a fork, then knead with your hands until it’s like slightly sticky Play-Doh.
- Chill the dough for 10 to 15 minutes so it firms up and is easier to cut.
- Roll it out between baking paper to about 5mm, then cut strips with a knife or pizza cutter. Work quickly, as the strips get stickier the longer they sit.
- Shallow fry in plenty of fat. Olive oil is fine, beef tallow or lard is even better. Keep the fries apart or they’ll stick together.
- They only take a few minutes. Pull them out when golden and drain on kitchen roll.
Hot chips are one of those little treats you really miss when you go low carb or LCHF. Potato is off the menu, so in this video I make my go-to stand-in: proper crispy fries from a simple coconut flour and cheese dough. No potato, and they’re part of the same real-food way of eating that got me off the carbs.
They’re a bit fiddly to handle, but mark my words, they’re worth it in the end.
Method in brief
- Put the coconut flour, xanthan gum and shredded cheese in a bowl and give it a stir.
- Pour in the boiling water. Mix with a fork until a dough starts to form, then knead it by hand.
- Pop the dough in the fridge for 10 to 15 minutes to firm up.
- Lay it on a good length of baking paper, fold the paper over and roll it out to about 5mm with a rolling pin.
- Cut into strips the length you want your fries, with a knife or pizza cutter.
- Heat a good amount of olive oil, beef tallow or lard in a frying pan. Drop in a bit of the mix to test it: when it bubbles straight away, you’re ready.
- Shallow fry the strips, keeping them apart, until golden. Drain on kitchen roll (you can skip that if you’ve used tallow).
How I eat them
Chips if you’re in England or Australia, fries everywhere else. Either way, I like a splash of vinegar on mine, and they go nicely with a grilled steak and salad for a proper low carb feed.
Want the written version with photos? See my low carb French fries post.
New to all this? Grab the free Carb Guide, or watch my story and how I lost 23kg in four months.
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Not medical advice. I'm not a doctor, dietitian or nutritionist, just a bloke telling the story of what worked for me. Check with your doctor before changing your diet or medication.
