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Perfectly crispy oven baked fries topped with caramelized kimchi (seriously amazing), cilantro, cheddar cheese, onion, and a special spicy sauce makes for the ultimate vegetarian side-dish or appetizer. These Loaded Kimchi Fries will take your french fry game to the next level!
I often get asked where I get inspiration for my cooking. One of the best sources of inspiration is from traveling! Trying new cuisines, meeting the brilliant chefs behind the dishes, and exploring new flavor profiles and combinations are some of my favorite things to do!
I have been wanting to create this recipe ever since trying the Kimchi Fries at the Korean BBQ inspired food truck turned store front, Chi’lantro during my last trip to Austin, Texas! I couldn’t get over the complex and all-around amazing flavors going on and had to try making a version of my own.
I left out the meat to make these a fabulous meatless/vegetarian side, though they did serve them up with some pretty amazing chicken and pork!
Look at those crispy, crispy fries!
These will definitely be a staple for game-day entertaining and summer BBQ’s! Everyone will go nuts of these flavors, guaranteed.
Look at all of those toppings! A truly amazing flavor combination.
P.S. I recommend digging in with a fork!
Loaded Kimchi Fries
Ingredients
Fries:
- 2 medium russet potatoes cut into strips
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil more as needed
- 1/2 teaspoon course sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
Caramelized Kimchi:
- 2 teaspoons coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon chili paste
- 1 tablespoon coconut aminos
- 1/4 teaspoon fish sauce more to taste
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- 1 cup kimchi liquid squeezed out (see note)
Spicy Mayonnaise:
- 1/4 cup organic mayonnaise store-bought or homemade
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha
Everything Else:
- 1/4 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 small onion sliced thin
- 2 tablespoons cilantro roughly chopped
- 1 1/2 teaspoon black and white sesame seeds for garnish
- 1 avocado thinly sliced or diced
- Optional: Sprinkle Nori dried seaweed on top as a garnish
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees °F.
- In a medium mixing bowl, toss potatoes in spices.
- Lay potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with additional spices if desired. Bake for 45 minutes, or until crispy. Toss every 15-20 minutes and make sure there is a good amount of space between each potato.
- Combine kimchi ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Heat a medium skillet over high heat until very hot. Add the kimchi to the pan and cook over high heat until the kimchi has browned, about 4-5 minutes. Take off heat, roughly chop and set aside until ready to assemble.
- In a small mixing bowl, mix Sriracha and mayo until well combined.
- Place baked fries in a desired serving dish. Top with cheese if using, onions, cilantro, caramelized kimchi, avocado, and sesame seeds. Drizzle with spicy mayo and serve!
So my hubby went Paleo Jan. 2017 and we stumbled upon this recipe trying to find side dish to take to 4th of July cook out. Everyone devoured this in minutes before our ribs and chicken even hit the grill; seriously! To say these were a hit is an understatement! We’ve since made these at least monthly and currently have another batch in the oven to go with our BBQ Chx. I’ve made as recipe states and some times added bacon bits, green onion or chives etc. and all are amazing! Thanks so much for sharing this delicious dish.
OMG these are amazing! Only change made was using 1 sweet potato and 1 celeriac root, left out optional cheese to make it paleo. Really yummy. Thanks for inspiring recipe.
its so funny I searched this on pinterest because I’m in LA and my sister in Austin, TX send me a pic of french fries with kimchi from the place I think you’re talking about! I am definitely going to make these, but I’m vegetarian, can I make it without the fish sauce?
You can! It’s just for salty umami flavor.
great fries.
The recipe works with sweet potatoe and zucchini as well! But my kids prefer the original version ?
So, the hubs and I really really need to make this! We have kimchi ALL the time and are obsessed, so I know we would automatically love this!!
Omg you will LOVE