Name: Yuca Fries (Yuca Frita)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 2 lbs yuca (cassava, peeled (or 1.5 lbs frozen yuca, thawed)); Vegetable oil for frying; Salt to taste; Cilantro Garlic Sauce (for dipping)

As a kid, I remember my aunt making Cuban yuca with mojo for our Cuban Noche Buena (Christmas Eve) dinner.

On Christmas Day, she would turn the leftover yuca into yuca frita (yuca fries) for lunch. To this day, it’s one of my favorite holiday traditions.

Yuca fries are made from boiled yuca that are cut into steak fries and fried to crispy perfection.

Crisp on the outside and tender on the inside, I guess you can say yuca fries are a Cuban version of french fries.

Let me show you how to make them!

What is Yuca?

Yuca is a starchy root vegetable from the root of the cassava plant that you often find in Latin American or Caribbean cuisine. These root vegetables are long with brown skin, similar to the skin of Russett potatoes except more waxy/rough.

Yuca is dense, full of fiber, low in calories, and rich in carbohydrates and vitamin C. Their insides are a white, cream color and have a slightly sweet, nutty taste.

If you’re looking for the Cuban yuca with mojo recipe, click here.

What’s the difference between fresh yuca or frozen yuca?

Fresh yuca has a paraffin wax on the outer coat which is harder to peel while frozen yuca is already peeled and cut in chunks. The bags can be found in the frozen section of the grocery store.

Personally, I prefer the frozen kind for 3 reasons:

Convenient
Saves you time
No fibrous core!

Boiled yuca always has a string in it, called a fibrous core, that is not edible. This is what it looks like. The frozen kind has this string already removed.

Also, there are no crazy ingredients in the frozen kind so why not just use it!? Just make sure it’s fully thawed before you start cooking.

How To Cut Yuca

Unlike potatoes, fresh yuca has a tough, waxy exterior which means you can’t peel its exterior with a vegetable peeler. You have to use a very sharp knife, not a paring knife.

Typically, I cut the ends of the yuca first.
I, then, make a cut all the way down the vegetable deep enough that it cuts through the thick brown skin.
Next, slowly and gently separate the skin from the flesh using the knife.
Lastly, cut them into steak fries.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Yuca. You can use fresh or frozen yuca for this recipe or, you can make the yuca fries from leftover Cuban yuca.
Vegetable oil for frying.
Salt to taste.

How To Make Yuca Fries (Yuca Frita)

If you’re using leftover yuca, skip the first 3 steps.

Boil the peeled yuca. In a large pot with water and salt, add the yuca. Bring the yuca to a boil on high heat then reduce to low. Cover and simmer for about 20-30 minutes until the yuca is fork-tender.
Let them cool. Drain and pat them dry with paper towels then transfer them to a large bowl with a lid. Let them cool so they are easier to handle (so you don’t burn your fingers).
Remove the stringy, fibrous core from the center of each piece of yuca with a knife, if desired.
Cut the yuca into fries. Once cooled, cut the yuca, horizontally, into thick, long fries similar to steak fries.
Fry the yuca fries. In a large saucepan, heat oil at medium heat until it reaches 350ºF. Carefully add the yuca pieces in the oil in batches, making sure not to overcrowd the saucepan. I did about 3-4 at a time. Fry yuca for about 4-5 minutes until golden brown. Keep an eye on them so they don’t burn.
Drain the yuca fries. Transfer them to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Season with salt. Serve with sauce of choice. I like Cilantro Garlic Sauce.

Can’t wait for you to make these yuca fries!