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AIP Burgers and Fries Sheet Pan Dinner shares a few secrets of how to make great burgers in the oven and how to make great AIP-friendly French fries in the oven! This recipe is also perfect for Paleo, GF, VAD, Low FODMAP and could work for Whole30.
How do you make great burgers in the oven?
The secret is: mini meatloaves. This recipe turns out moist, super flavorful and tender burgers because the ground beef is mixed with a few other key ingredients.
The individual meatloaves look like burgers. But if you actually bake plain ground beef in the oven on a cookie sheet, you won’t end up with a yummy dinner. 😉
Here are the burger’s secret ingredients:
- dried herbs — Garlic, onion and rosemary all provide delicious and savory concentrated flavors.
- apple cider vinegar + baking soda — This combination of ingredients creates a nice rise in the meat when the burgers bake, making them light.
- coconut flour + water — Seems odd, but coconut flour binds and creates a flour base for the herbs and baking soda, while the water creates the right consistency to balance the flour added. (Low FODMAP alternative in recipe.)
- coconut sugar — Just a small amount adds richness and helps to keep the meat moist. (omit for whole30)
- sea salt — One always needs great sea salt to make the flavors of juicy meat bloom and burst in your mouth!
How do you make great AIP fries in the oven?
AIP French fries are made with cassava root, also called yuca. I buy ours from the freezer section at our local Asian grocery store.
Many hispanic grocery stores and other markets also carry frozen cassava.
Buying frozen roots saves time, as you don’t have to remove the thick, coated peel.
AIP cassava root fries are a staple in our home. We love them more than potato-based fries. Here‘s the recipe I’ve shared before about how to make Cassava Fries in the Instant Pot and deep fry them.
Recently I figured out how to bake Cassava Fries and make them just as wonderful. They have an amazing crispy exterior and super soft and lovely middle!
The key is to first boil the roots until soft and then to dip them in melted coconut oil (or other ancestral fat) before baking! I give the detailed instructions below. I find it all quite fast and easy. I hope you do too.
What are some tips for cooking cassava?
Cassava needs to be boiled first to soften the hard root.
Cassava is even starchier than potato, which is why it makes such great fries. There is also a kind of layered-honeycomb structure to the root, which makes it super flaky when fried or baked with fat.
To fully take advantage of and accentuate cassava’s texture, I add baking soda to the boiling water. Baking soda makes cassava starchier. The boiled roots will fall apart a little bit (not a lot) when you cool and cut them; that’s what you want! This starchy middle will make the best fries when they’re baked with fat.
So remember to include the baking soda in your boiling water, and embrace the mushy parts of the roots as you cut them (they still hold together well).
One sheet pan or two for AIP Burgers and Fries?
This sheet pan dinner cooks on two separate sheet pans.
This detail is important because the burgers produce moisture — basically broth-y pan drippings. In contrast, cassava fries need to be “oven-fried” to become crispy. We don’t want the fries sitting in the moisture of the burgers.
The photos for this post show meat and fries on the same pan, but that was just an easier way of photographing them together, so make sure to use two pans.
Also, this recipe makes 6 big burgers and 2 pounds of fries. Feel free to halve the recipe for a smaller crowd, but still use two pans.
Hamburgers and Fries Sheet Pan Dinner
Equipment
- saucepan
- oven
- 2 cookie sheets
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- ⅓ cup water
- 2 Tablespoons coconut flour (for Low FODMAP, use tiger nut flour or tapioca flour; use white rice flour for VAD)
- 1 Tablespoon coconut sugar
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sea salt (or use 1-¾ teaspoon if you like your food less salty or aren't using sea salt)
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder (for Low FODMAP, sub asafoetida powder)
- ½ teaspoon onion powder (for Low FODMAP, sub asafoetida powder)
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary powdered
- ½ teaspoon baking soda , sifted
Cassava Fries
- 2 pounds cassava root frozen and peeled
- ¼ cup coconut oil melted and cooled slightly (use refined coconut oil for VAD)
- sea salt to taste
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Place cassava roots into large saucepan or stock pot. Cover with water by 1". Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. Add ¼ teaspoon baking soda to water, and simmer an additional 10 minutes. Drain and set aside on cutting board to partially cool.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease 2 large cookie sheets. Set aside.
- Cut cassava roots into large/long home fries shape. Remove any large inner strings. Dip each cassava fry into melted fat and place on greased cookie sheet in a row. Salt generously, to taste. (See Process Photos below in Recipe Notes.)
- Place fries into preheated oven. Bake 35 minutes.
- While fries bake, place ground meat, water and apple cider vinegar in a large bowl.
- In separate small bowl add dry ingredients: coconut flour, coconut sugar, sea salt, ginger, garlic, onion, rosemary and baking soda. Stir to mix.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Use handheld electric beaters (or a fork) to mix ingredients together well. Form into 6 to 7 equal size patties on the second greased cookie sheet, each one about 3/4-1" tall and 4-5" in diameter. Set aside until ready to bake. (See Process Photos below in Recipe Notes.)
- After fries have baked for 35 minutes (per direction above), remove from oven and flip with an offset metal spatula. Salt again, and return to oven.
- At this time, also add cookie sheet of hamburgers into oven.
- Bake both fries and burgers 20 minutes. Serve alongside salad.
Notes
Process Photos
HOW TO PREPARE CASSAVA
HOW TO PREP THE BURGERS 
Nutrition
Need other great and easy AIP or Paleo dinners? Try these:
- Potsticker Soup
- 5-Ingredient Chicken Stir-Fry
- Thai Beef and Pineapple Sheet Pan Dinner
- Turkey, Apples and Onions Hash (a quick one-pan meal)
- Easy Chinese Hot and Sour Stir Fry (one pan, 20 minutes)
DB says
Do you flip the burgers? Also can parchment paper be used? Thanks.
Megan says
Hi DB, no, you don’t flip the burgers. They’re like mini meatloaves and don’t need to be flipped. I would not use parchment paper for either the burgers or the fries. The burgers don’t need the parchment paper, and the pan cleans up easily. The fries will not get as crispy if you use parchment. 🙂
Lori Anderson says
ABSOLUTELY LOVE YUCCA FRIES! Nice to see your recipe. I’ve been nightshade free for over 15 years. Lost track of how long. Yucca is the best! Yucca fries, mashed yucca, yucca homefries, mashed yucca casserole – you name it.
Megan says
Great Lori!!! I’m excited for you to try baked yucca/cassava fries with this method. 🙂 Thanks for your comment. I agree, we LOVE this root! 😉 And yes, SO nice to have such a great alternative to potatoes that is arguably even better. Cheers!
Dorothy says
This seems like a comfort food meal most would enjoy! Burgers and fries takes me back to childhood and it doesn’t have to be fast food. I would probably make rutabaga fries, which can just be baked in the oven. We have the root available in the store, but I don’t remember seeing yucca root and would prefer the other anyway. It’s been a little while since I’ve cooked rutabega now, but wouldn’t mind trying it again. We’ e been eating some potatos again lately after my not doing so for a long time, and it still seems joints do better without them. Thanks for another yummy meal idea!
Megan says
Hi Dorothy, thank you for your lovely comment. Yes, so true that burgers and fries don’t have to be fast food! I love the idea of doing rutabaga fries. I actually haven’t made them before. It’s hard to beat cassava fries, but I’ll definitely try rutabaga as well!! Glad for that great idea and reminder. Great to have potato alternatives. I hope you love the burgers!! 🙂
Sarah says
Sheet pan question… Megan, I really respect your thoughtful recommendations on products; do you still recommend the USA Aluminized Steel Half Sheets? I thought I read that those are coated with a non-stick surface. Do you use them as is or only with a silicon mat or parchment paper? If not, are there any other brands you like? Thanks so much for the help!
Megan says
Hi Sarah, thanks for your kindness and question. The reviews on pans make them a very confusing product to buy. Most importantly, as you know, we can’t use acidic foods or soaps on them. Pure aluminum is what mine are, from our days in the restaurant business. I also just bought myself this smaller one for bars and smaller needs: https://amzn.to/33Hi3Ud The larger one to consider is the Nordic Ware Natural Aluminum Commercial Baker’s Half Sheet: https://amzn.to/30Haeff If you buy it, I’d love to hear your feedback! Also, where do I recommend the aluminized steel sheets; do you remember where you saw the recommendation? Thank you and best. 🙂
Sarah says
Thanks so much, Megan! I will check out those links. I think I do want the larger half sheet pan.
The aluminized steel sheets are recommended in your Amazon storefront, under Baking Supplies. : )
Lisa says
Thanks for the great recipe! Tried them last night and they were yummy!! They were a tiny bit tough even though boiled enough. Wondering about oven temp. Most recipies have 425 or 450 and shorter overall time. Have you tried different temps? I’m hesitant to try as they were darn good and I don’t want to ruin a batch… Thanks!
Megan says
Hi Lisa, I would not alter the recipe’s baking temp, but you could increase the boiling time, and make sure you use the baking soda in the water.
Tabitha says
Yuca fries are delicious. After boiling, I prepared them to air fry in my omni instant oven. I did use parchment paper, and used the preset for air fry fries, and guessed at the time. I also used avacado oil for my fat. They were awesome, maybe cooked a little to long, but very crispy. One thing I learned about yuca is it’s messy to clean up. So I may opt for frozen next time from our local Latino grocer. Still a good alternative.
Megan says
Hi Tabitha, thanks so much for sharing the air fryer version of yuca fries!
Tracy says
I only made the fries, would give them 10 stars if I could!! They are so good, my whole family loves them! I will make them again and again. Thank you so much for the recipe! My advice is make sure you start these well before you want to eat though because it’sa lengthy process, but so worth it.
Megan says
Great, Tracy! You’re welcome. Thanks so much for your feedback! I’m so glad you all enjoyed! And, thankfully this oven-bake process is easier than frying over the stop top, and I think it just gets easier the more you make them. 🙂
Tara says
Great tips on making good burgers in the oven. This is on the list for rotation now at our house. We really liked the whole meal!
Megan says
YAY, Tara, great to hear, and thank you for sharing!! 🙂
Lauren Temblador says
I just made these. The time to make them was a long process for sure, but worth the wait! My daughter( who loves French fries) couldn’t even tell they weren’t potatoes! I would like to know if you’d recommend them to be frozen? Maybe at some point during the process, after the boil or when they’re half way done being baked? Because I’d love to make a larger batch to freeze and have on hand for faster cooking. Thanks for the recipe!
Megan says
Great to hear, Lauren, so glad you all enjoyed! I do think you could freeze after the boiling, but boy, good question. It would be interesting to try both ways you mention. I’m sorry; I don’t know for sure.
Marianne says
What would happen if I added some cooked diced onion to the beef mix vs onion powder? Would it be too moist? Could I add onions in raw?
Megan says
Hi Marianne, It certainly could make your burgers fall apart a little if the onions are raw, but should be fine if the onions are cooked first. I haven’t tried it to be sure, but it sounds delish. Let us know how it goes if you try it.
Marianne Hubener says
Thank you! I will try w/ the cooked onion in them.
Megan says
Great! You’re welcome. 🙂
Yoga Lindsay says
I doubled the burger recipe and made half burgers and half meatballs to freeze for Christmas dinner. Amazing!! Thanks so much. I didn’t have Yucca on hand but I’ll definitely try the recipes for fries soon.
Megan says
Great, Yoga!! So glad you enjoyed and came up with your own way of doing the recipe, and how wonderful for Christmas dinner! I love that idea. 🙂 My pleasure!