After my first visit to San Diego, I knew I'd make my own Gluten Free Carne Asada Fries recipe, my version made with sweet potato fries.
With saucy carne asada, a thin guacamole perfect for drizzling, fresh vegetables, and punchy pickled red onions, this meal is definitely LOADED.
While I wanted this recipe to be a true "no shortcuts" homemade carne asada fries option, you can reduce the prep by using store-bought sweet potato fries, guacamole, pico de gallo if you'd prefer!
Quick Look: Gluten Free Carne Asada Fries
⏲️Ready In: 1 Hour 30 Minutes (45 minutes prep + 3 hours minimum marinating time)
🍽Servings: 6
🥗Nutrition: 774 Calories / 50g Protein
🥘Main Ingredients: Skirt steak, Chipotle chiles, Arbol chiles, Ancho chiles, Orange juice, Lime juice, Sweet potatoes, Tomato, Cilantro, Avocado, Red onion
📋Dietary Notes: Gluten free, Grain free, Nut free, Dairy free
⭐Why You'll Love It: Homemade carne asada served over sweet potato fries and piled high with classic toppings: this huge high protein dinner is a treat!
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Likely, you're here because you've had carne asada fries and you want to make your own version at home.
But if you popped in because the idea intrigues you but you've never had the pleasure of diving face-first into a heaping mound of fries topped with thinly-sliced carne asada, guacamole, diced tomatoes, diced onion, cilantro, pickled veggies, and more wondrous toppings, this creation will certainly blow your mind.
If you love this kind of bold flavor, my Ancho Skirt Steak Bowls with Poblano Corn Salsa use a similar cut and are a great weeknight option when you want that same charred steak energy with less assembly.
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Key Ingredients
Skirt steak: The classic cut for carne asada. It's thin, absorbs marinade well, and cooks fast on a hot grill. Slice it against the grain after resting and you'll get tender, bite-sized pieces for these carne asada fries. I also use skirt steak for Skirt Steak with Double-Corn Polenta & Shishitos for another weeknight dinner!
Dried ancho, arbol, and chipotle chiles: These three chiles together create a marinade that's smoky, a little spicy, and deep in flavor. You can find dried chiles in the international aisle at most grocery stores, and they're worth tracking down. Seriously, you get SO much more bold, irresistible flavor seeping into that steak when you use dried chiles instead of chili powder or something like that. Trust me.
Don't skip the 10-second microwave step for the dried chiles - it makes the chiles pliable and brings out their aroma.
Fresh orange juice: Essential for carne asada marinade. Fresh orange juice adds brightness, helps tenderize the steak, and balances out the smoky heat from the chiles. Fresh-squeezed makes a big difference here, but you can buy bottled 100% orange juice if oranges aren't in season!
Coconut aminos/tamari and fish sauce: These add a savory, umami depth that takes the marinade somewhere really interesting while keeping it gluten free!
White sweet potatoes: These are a little starchier than orange sweet potatoes, which helps them crisp up better in the oven. If you can only find orange sweet potatoes, they'll still work - just keep an eye on them.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Gluten Free Carne Asada Fries
Step 1: Microwave the dried chiles for 10-20 seconds until soft and fragrant. Remove the stems (they should pull or break off relatively easily) and shake out the excess seeds.
Step 2: Add the dried chiles to a blender with the orange juice, lime juice, olive oil, coconut aminos/tamari, fish sauce, garlic, cilantro, cumin, coriander, and 1 teaspoon salt. Blend for about 1 minute until smooth.
Note: Reserve ¼ cup of this marinade and refrigerate it separately - this will serve as an extra topping for the finished fries.
Step 3: Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of salt to the remaining marinade. Coat the skirt steak thoroughly in the sauce, then transfer to a zip-top bag or sealed container. Pour any excess marinade in with the steak. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight if you can.
Step 4: When ready to make the carne asada, first prep the fries. If baking, Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Toss the sweet potato fries in oil and salt, then spread them in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, flip, then bake for another 15 minutes.
Note: If you prefer to air fry your fries, go for it!
Step 5: Preheat the grill to medium-high heat (450-500 degrees F). Remove the steak from the marinade (discard the excess) and grill over direct heat for 2-3 minutes per side, until well-charred on the outside.
Step 6: Let the steak rest for 10 minutes, then slice against the grain into thin strips and chop into bite-sized pieces.
Step 7: Add sweet potato fries to a bowl or plate. Top with carne asada, then pile on your toppings - tomatoes, jalapeño, pickled onions, cilantro, thinned guacamole, cotija or feta cheese (if using), and the reserved marinade sauce.
Top Tips from Chelsea
Save a bit of marinade. I mean it - do not skip this step! Setting aside ¼ cup before marinating the steak is banking more flavor for the finished carne asada fries. Worth it!
Slice the steak against the grain. Always. Skirt steak has a very visible grain and cutting with it instead of against it will give you chewy, tough pieces. Against the grain keeps everything tender - a rule that comes in handy for carne asada and other meals like Grilled Flank Steak with Olive Herb Relish!
Don't crowd your fries. If the sweet potato fries are touching or overlapping on the baking sheet, they'll steam instead of crisp. Use two baking sheets or bake in batches if you need to.
Shortcuts: Use an air fryer if you have one for the fries. If you don't want to prep everything, you can use frozen sweet potato fries (or fries), storebought guacamole, pico de gallo, salsa, and pickled red onions.
Gluten Free Carne Asada Fries FAQs
Skirt steak is the go-to for carne asada, but flank steak works well too. Flank steak is often thicker than skirt steak, so your cook time may increase by a minute or two per side. Use an instant-read thermometer - you're looking for 130-135°F for medium-rare.
Yes! A cast iron skillet or grill pan over high heat gets you a great sear. Get the pan very hot before the steak goes in and cook 2-3 minutes per side just like you would on the grill.
Not at all! The carne asada steak and sweet potato fries are the base. Use what you have or like for the toppings; I often add radishes or pickled radishes, skip jalapeños, etc. The guacamole and reserved marinade drizzle are the two I'd really encourage keeping.
You can! White sweet potatoes are starchier and crisp up a bit better in the oven, but orange sweet potatoes will still taste great.
Yes, as a quick shortcut you can use frozen sweet potato fries (or fries) and cook according to package directions. Just make sure they're gluten free if needed!
Storage
Store the steak, sweet potato fries, and toppings separately in airtight containers in the fridge.
- Steak: Up to 5 days in the fridge.
- Sweet potato fries: Best made fresh, but you can keep them up to 5 days in the fridge. To re-heat, pop them in the oven at 400°F for 5 minutes or use an air fryer to crisp them.
- Toppings: The guacamole is best made as soon as you need it. The other toppings can be chopped up in advance and stored in the fridge for up to 5 days, ready to use when you are!
More smothered gluten free fries recipes
Did you try this Gluten Free Carne Asada Fries recipe? I'd love to hear what you think! Please leave a comment and rating or tag me on Instagram - I appreciate your feedback.
📖 Recipe
Gluten Free Carne Asada Fries with Sweet Potato Fries
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Marinating Time: 3 hours
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Homemade carne asada and baked sweet potato fries make this Gluten Free Carne Asada Fries Recipe boom with flavor. There's a bit more prepwork than your average meal, but the hot mess of deliciousness is worth it!
Ingredients
For the Carne Asada
- 3 whole dried ancho chiles
- 3 whole dried arbol chiles
- 2 whole dried chipotle peppers
- ¾ cup fresh orange juice (from 2-3 oranges)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons coconut aminos/low sodium tamari
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 6 medium garlic cloves
- 1 bunch cilantro, leaves and tender stems only
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 2 pounds skirt steak
For the Sweet Potato Fries
- 2 medium-large white sweet potatoes, cut into fries
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
Toppings
- 1 cup diced tomato
- ¾ cup diced red onion
- ½ cup diced jalapeño
- ¼ cup roughly chopped cilantro
- ½ cup Pickled red onions or pickled radishes
- 2 avocados
- 3-4 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 4-6 ounces crumbled feta cheese or cotija cheese (optional)
- Limes, cut into quarters, for garnish/squeezing
Instructions
- Prep dried chiles. Put dried ancho, arbol, and chipotle chiles on a microwave-safe plate and microwave for 10 to 20 seconds, until the chiles are pliable and smell toasty. Pull or tear off the stems and shake out excess seeds (a few seeds are fine; no need to remove them all.)
- Blend marinade. Transfer to a blender, adding orange juice, lime juice, olive oil, coconut aminos, fish sauce, garlic cloves, cilantro, cumin, coriander, and 1 teaspoon salt. Blend for about 1 minute, until a smooth sauce has formed. Measure out about ¼ cup of the sauce to use as a topping for the fries and transfer to a sealed container. Place the sealed container in the fridge.
- Marinate steak. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of salt to the salsa that's left. Coat the skirt steak in the sauce, dredging the meat on each side before transferring to a gallon-sized zip-top bag or shallow sealed container. Pour any excess marinade in with the steak. If using a zip-tip bag, squeeze all air out of the bag and seal. Refrigerate and let marinate for at least 3 hours or overnight.
- Bake fries. When ready to make the carne asada, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss the sweet potato fries in avocado oil and salt. Place all fries on the prepared baking sheet, making sure none are touching. Bake for 20 minutes, then flip and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
- Prepare grill. Meanwhile, preheat grill to medium-high heat, roughly 450 to 500 degrees F. Brush the grates with a bit of oil to make sure the steak doesn't stick.
- Cook steak. Remove skirt steak from the marinade, discarding excess marinade. Add the steak directly over the hottest area of the grill and cover. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, until steak is well-charred on the outside and internal temperature is at least 135 degrees F. Allow the steak to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Slice against the grain into thin strips, then chop the strips into bite-size pieces.
- Prep toppings. Chop up any vegetables you're using as toppings, including tomatoes and onions. Mash the avocado in a bowl with 3-4 tablespoons lime juice and add a little water to thin it out if you'd like to make a "saucier" guacamole.
- Assemble bowls. Add about ⅙ of the sweet potato fries to a bowl or plate. Top with about 6 ounces of carne asada. Now add your toppings - load it up with tomato, onion, jalapeño, pickled onions, and cilantro. Drizzle on the thinned guacamole and reserved excess marinade. Serve immediately. Store leftovers separately in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
Use an air fryer if you've got one: My instructions cover how to bake sweet potato fries in the oven, but feel free to use an air fryer if you've got one!
Frozen sweet potato fries/regular fries are fine: This is a simple shortcut that you can definitely take advantage of if it works for you. Follow package instructionst to bake/air fry.
Swap skirt steak for flank steak: Skirt steak is the go-to for carne asada, but you can use flank steak for a slightly leaner cut. The cook time will be similar but may take 1-2 minutes more per side.
Always slice against the grain: Skirt steak and flank steak have very obvious muscle striations throughout the cut. Make sure when you slice, you go against the grain (slice across, not with, those striations), to make sure each bite is tender!
Mallory Acosta says
I really want to make this recipe--it is bursting with color and flavor! I don't have a grill of any kind though and am new to the world of cooking steak (former vegetarian here!), so I would love some advice on another way the carne asada could be cooked if there is an alternative to the grill. Thanks for sharing your creativity and deliciousness!
Chelsea says
Absolutely, Mallory! You can make it in a sturdy skillet, like cast iron. Heat a bit of olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Once it's hot, add the marinated steak and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side. Done!
Here's the skillet I use, in case you don't have one yet: https://amzn.to/2OIZowB (that's an affiliate link - just a heads up!)