This is the ultimate guide to making the best crispy baked sweet potato fries, and it is all done in the oven! That's right, crispy sweet potato fries without deep-frying, who knew it could be done?
These sweet potato fries are a crispy, salty, savoury masterpiece, and we are obsessed with them! Healthier than traditional deep-fried potato fries, these sweet potato fries are baked with only a few essential ingredients and use very little oil. Dip them in this quick homemade sriracha aioli or homemade Big Mac sauce for the ultimate combo!
Baked sweet potato fries are a super-easy, healthy, and versatile side dish that can be served alongside a variety of meals. For example, they can be served individually as an appetizer or alongside these amazing cream cheese stuffed chicken breasts, mouth-watering beef burgers, turkey lettuce wraps, and even with these root beer beef bites, for just a few ideas. Pair them up with a side of oven roasted broccoli, and the possibilities are endless!
Jump to:
- Ingredients For Crispy Sweet Potato Fries
- Flavour Variations
- What To Serve With Sweet Potato Fries
- How To Make Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries
- Tips To Achieve Ultra-Crispy Sweet Potato Fries
- Don't Forget Dip!
- Storing Leftovers
- FAQ's
- What To Serve With Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries
- 📖 Recipe
- ⭐️ Leave a Review
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Ingredients For Crispy Sweet Potato Fries
- Sweet Potatoes - Any variety of sweet potatoes will work for this recipe, even purple sweet potatoes!
- Cornstarch - this is the key ingredient to achieving sweet potato fries with a crispy and crunchy exterior. When the cornstarch comes into contact with the heat and oil, it will create a barrier trapping the moisture inside the fry, while allowing the exterior to get crispy. Resulting in a crispy sweet potato fry with a wonderfully soft interior.
Cutting Sweet Potato Fries
Cutting sweet potato fries takes nothing more than a little bit of patience and a sharp chef's knife.
Firstly, peel and wash your sweet potatoes. After your sweet potatoes have been peeled and rinsed. Cut the potato down the center, lengthwise. Now you will have two halves. Place the cut sides down (for extra stability) and, cutting lengthwise, cut the potato into ½" discs.
When you have your discs, lay them flat and cut lengthwise again, cutting them into ½" sticks. These should now resemble fries.
Flavour Variations
- Cajun Sweet Potato Fries - After baking, while still hot, toss the sweet potato fries with your favourite Cajun seasoning for a smoky, sweet, spicy (and delicious) twist!
- Cinnamon Sugar Sweet Potato Fries - for this fun flavour, omit the garlic powder and black pepper and bake the fries as directed. After baking, toss the fries with a mixture of 1 tablespoon brown sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, and a pinch of both nutmeg and salt.
- Fully Loaded Sweet Potato Fries - Transform these sweet potato fries into a fun, hearty meal by adding all kinds of toppings. Pile a serving of fries in the middle of a dinner plate and top with cooked ground beef, diced tomatoes, caramelized onions, sour cream (or Greek yogurt), shredded cheese, and jalapenos!
- Hot Honey Sweet Potato Fries - Make honey garlic sauce and buffalo wing sauce, mix those two sauces together and drizzle the honey hot sauce over top of the crispy sweet potato fries for an extra special honey-hot treat.
- Fully Loaded - Use these sweet potatoes as the base for this loaded French fries recipe!
What To Serve With Sweet Potato Fries
Serve these crispy sweet potato fries with this delicious cream cheese bacon wrapped chicken, light and fresh chipotle chicken tacos, or this broccoli summer salad.
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How To Make Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries
In this section, I am going to show you how to make sweet potato fries baked in the oven. If you follow all my tips and tricks, you will be rewarded with perfectly crispy, crunchy sweet potato fries that everyone will love!
Soak and Dry The Fries
Immediately after cutting the sweet potato into fry shapes, transfer the fries into a bowl filled with cold water. Let the fries soak for 30-45 minutes.
After the sweet potatoes are done taking their bath, line a large surface with a towel. Drain off excess water and place the fries onto the towel to remove all excess water. Using another towel, press on top of the fries to ensure that they are completely dry.
Season The Fries
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 425°F.
In a large dry bowl, add the fries, cornstarch, garlic powder, and black pepper. Using your hand or a pair of tongs, toss the sweet potato fries to coat them completely with the spices.
(Remember, don't add the salt yet!)
Drizzle the oil over the fries and mix well, so there are no dry spots of cornstarch left.
Spread In A Single Layer
Place the spiced sweet potato fries onto the parchment-lined baking sheet and spread them out to be in a single, even layer. Remember to keep adequate room in between the fries to ensure maximum potential for crispiness.
Bake The Fries
Bake for 25-30 minutes, flipping once in between, until they are crispy and golden brown.
After the sweet potatoes are done baking and as soon as they come out of the oven, sprinkle them with the desired amount of salt and parsley (optional), and serve immediately.
Tips To Achieve Ultra-Crispy Sweet Potato Fries
- Don't crowd the baking sheet. If you want fries with a super crunchy exterior, then make sure to leave adequate space between the fries on the baking sheet. You may choose to spread the fries over two baking sheets and cook in batches instead.
- Hold the salt. Salt extracts moisture. Leave the salt to the side until right after the fries come out of the oven, while they are still hot, sprinkle the salt over them and toss them around the pan to coat them with your desired amount of salt.
- Give them a good soak. Soaking the fries will extract some of the starch. Doing this will help make them softer on the inside, but still crispy and crunchy on the outside.
- A toss in cornstarch. Tossing the fries in cornstarch will help create a barrier between the inside and outside of the fry. It will help to preserve moisture within the fry while also making the exterior wonderfully crispy.
Don't Forget Dip!
You have got to have a good dip for sweet potato fries. It's the rules.
If you want a super duper easy dip for sweet potato fries, all you have to do is add some chipotle chilli powder to a little bit of mayo and stir it together.
If you love a good aioli for sweet potato fries, my roasted garlic and thyme aioli or bang bang sauce is the perfect option!
Storing Leftovers
Storing leftover sweet potato fries can be a tricky business. Make sure the fries are completely cool before transferring them into an airtight container-store fries in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To reheat: heat the oven to 350°F and bake the fries in a single layer for 10-15 minutes until thoroughly reheated.
Hot tip- Only reheat sweet potatoes once after the initial time that you make them. They are delicate and reheating more than once will most likely come out as a soggy mess.
FAQ's
The bottom line, it's a toss-up. Sweet potatoes and plain old regular potatoes both contain similar nutrients and vitamins. What is definitely healthier is the preparation of baking these sweet potato fries in the oven vs. deep-frying them.
One thing to note is that sweet potatoes are lower on the glycemic index, making these a good choice if you have to watch your blood sugar.
What To Serve With Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Sweet potato fries are a wonderful side dish for all kinds of meals, especially sandwiches.
If you made these Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating, a 💬 comment and share it on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook!
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Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries
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Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
- 2-3 medium Sweet Potatoes approximately 2 - 2 ¼ lbs
- 1 tablespoon Cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ teaspoon Pepper
- 2-3 tablespoons Neutral Oil divided
- Salt to taste
- Parsely optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into lengths that are about ½" thick to resemble fries.
- Place the cut sweet potatoes into a large bowl and cover them with cold water. Let the fries soak for 30-45 minutes.
- After they have finished soaking, drain the sweet potatoes and place them onto a large surface that has been lined with paper towels or dish towels. Pat with a towel to dry the sweet potatoes thoroughly.
- Transfer the sweet potatoes into a large dry bowl and sprinkle on the cornstarch, garlic powder, and black pepper. Toss the sweet potatoes to coat them completely with the spices.
- Drizzle the oil over the fries and mix well, ensuring that there are no dry spots of cornstarch left.
- Place the sweet potato fries onto the prepared baking sheet and spread them out to be in a single layer, taking care to not overcrowd the pan.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, flipping once in between, until they are crispy and golden brown.
- After the sweet potatoes are done baking sprinkle them with the desired amount of salt and parsley (if using), mix well and serve immediately.
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Notes
- You may skip the peeling step if you prefer.
- I used a variety of orange and white sweet potatoes in this recipe, you may use whichever variety you desire.
- Be sure to choose an oil with a high smoke point, such as avocado oil, canola oil, peanut or sunflower oil.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator and it will vary based on the ingredients that you use.
Kellie says
Yes! This is great.