These Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries are perfectly seasoned and awesome for serving alongside burgers, grilled chicken, or fish, or just enjoying with your favorite dipping sauce as an appetizer or snack! A couple of easy tricks will have you enjoying the best sweet potato fries in no-time!
Our love for fries of all sorts runs deep and strong. Some of our other favorite fries are Baked Greek Feta Fries, Oven Roasted Barbecue Potato Wedges, and classic Homemade French Fries.
I never really used to be much of a sweet potato fan until I discovered sweet potato fries. The sweet and savory combination is just incredible. They are so good! These crispy seasoned sticks of deliciousness were my gateway to the broader world of sweet potato sides like smoked sweet potatoes with cinnamon honey butter and sweet potato casserole.
We serve sweet potato fries most often as a side dish at our house, but they also make a fantastic snack or appetizer, especially with something delicious to dip them in like a homemade aioli. Their crisp exterior and soft insides are enhanced by the simple fry seasoning that compliments the natural flavor of the sweet potato.
My ONLY problem with this recipe is that I never seem to make enough! I frequently have to double it because whenever I set a basket of hot sweet potato fries on the table they are gone within minutes!
Let’s make sweet potato fries!
- Start out by washing and peeling your sweet potatoes. Often with regular french fries I like to leave the skin on, but sweet potato skin is usually a bit thicker so I always peel it first. The number of sweet potatoes really depends on their size, since I have seen monstrous sweet potatoes that are the size of a nerf football and others that are more reasonably sized. I prefer the smaller to medium-sized ones when I can find them.
Pro Tip: Sweet potatoes are sometimes labeled as “yams” at the grocery store. They will have red skin and orange flesh. If the ends taper significantly to a point, you might want to cut off the ends for more uniform length to your fries.
- Slice into evenly sized sticks. Use a large sharp knife to slice off on side of the sweet potato to create a flat, stable surface. Flip the sweet potato onto that flat side and use the same sharp knife to slice 1/4-inch planks lengthwise all the way across the sweet potato. Then turn a few planks over at a time and stack them, slicing 1/4-inch across again to create the fries. You could also use a mandolin slicer to get uniform thickness to your fries, if you have one. If the sweet potatoes are really long, you may want to cut the fries in half.
Pro Tip: Slicing the fries in a uniform thickness will make it so they cook evenly. If you have both thin and thick fries baking at the same time, some will be overdone while others are still crunchy.
- Soak the fries in an ice water bath for 30 minutes. They can even soak for up to 24 hours in the fridge. This step is optional and can totally be skipped if you don’t have time, but soaking the fries helps leech out some of the starch, which is going to help them crisp up even better in the oven. This also helps you make the fries ahead of time – up to a day in advance – so you have less work to do when trying to get dinner ready quickly.
- Toss with the crispy coating. When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 425°F, then drain the fries well and pat completely dry with paper towels. Toss in a ziploc bag with cornstarch and spices, then drizzle with olive oil and toss again. The cornstarch will help lightly coat each fry and also aids with forming a crispy exterior to the fries. Just wait to add the salt until after baking since it has a tendency to draw moisture out of the fries.
- Arrange the fries in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with foil for easy cleanup. Make sure they are spaced apart and not touching so they can crisp up on all sides.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until tender inside and crispy on the outside, flipping halfway through. Flipping each fry is the most tedious part, but it’s really not too bad with a small metal spatula and you will get better results. Immediately sprinkle the hot fries with salt after removing them from the oven, then serve hot!
How to make crispy sweet potato fries
If you really want the crispiest sweet potato fries, you really can only achieve them by frying them in hot oil using the same technique in my homemade french fries post. However, you can still get deliciously crispy sweet potato fries by baking them in a hot oven! Tossing them with cornstarch and olive oil helps create a crispy exterior while the fries bake at a high heat.
Dipping Sauce Ideas for Sweet Potato Fries
- Copycat Outback Sauce (we love this stuff! It has a kick of horseradish to it that is so good!)
- Ketchup
- Mayo
- Aioli
- Ranch Dressing
- Fry Sauce
- BBQ Sauce
- Even more great dipping sauce ideas!
How do you store sweet potato fries?
Fries are always best eaten fresh, but you can store leftovers in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container. Crisp them up a bit by reheat in a single layer on a sheet pan in a 425°F oven for about 10 minutes before eating. They are still tasty warmed in the microwave, but they definitely won’t be crisp.
Flavor variations
I typically just season my sweet potato fries with the spices listed in the recipe below, but you can keep them basic with just salt and pepper for seasoning.
Or use any favorite spice blend you have on hand in place of the seasoning listed in the recipe. Fries take really well to spicy blends like cajun seasoning, taco seasoning, or try them with this fry seasoning.
More side dish recipes you’ll love
- Roasted Green Beans
- Italian Peas
- Oven Roasted Asparagus
- Oven Roasted Broccoli
- Easy Oven Roasted Cauliflower
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
Sweet Potato Fries
Ingredients
- 3-4 sweet potatoes peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch sticks
- 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Prepare two large baking sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil for easy cleanup.
- Wash and peel the sweet potatoes. Use a sharp knife to slice close to the edge of one long side of a sweet potato, then set it on the flat, stable side and cut into 1/4-inch planks. Stack the planks and slice again into 1/4-inch sticks. Repeat with all of the sweet potatoes.3-4 sweet potatoes
- Soak the fries in ice water for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours in the fridge to remove excess starch. Drain well and pat dry.
- Transfer the fries to a large ziploc bag and add the cornstarch, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and black pepper. Toss to coat, then drizzle with the olive oil and toss again.3 Tablespoons cornstarch, 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, 4 Tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt
- Arrange the fries in a single layer with space between the fries so they can get crispy rather than steam while they bake. Bake for 25-30 minutes, flipping halfway through, until crispy on the outside and tender inside.
- Immediately sprinkle the fries with the salt after removing from the oven, then serve hot with your favorite dipping sauce!
These sweet potato fries are the best ones I’ve tried! SO crispy and soaking them in a water bath truly helps! Served these up with burgers and it was perfect. Thanks so much Amy!
These are SO GOOD. We make them last night and it won’t be the last time!
I admit, I’m not a sweet potato fan, but my son and husband LOVE them, and this hit the mark for them. Thanks for the tips, soaking them and the cornstarch really made them like fries, even in the oven. I’ll definitely be making them for my boys again!
So easy and quick and the best flavorful snack for the evening.
Now, this is gonna be a crowd favorite in no time. Loved the idea of this recipe and the finish product looks so delicious and the crispiness is what everybody hope for. Thanks for sharing this recipe, can’t wait to make it at home.
I might say I prefer sweet potato fries to regular ones. And I love how you made them thin, just like regular ones. I usually make baked wedges, but these look infinitely better! Thanks for sharing.
You know, I never thought to soak my sweet potato fries in an ice bath before baking. I don’t peel them either. No wonder they never come out right! Your tips are awesome and I am looking forward implementing them next time I bake sweet potatoes fries. Thanks so much for the fab recipe!
I love sweet potato fries but haven’t been able to master them at home. These step by step instructions are great, especially soaking them in water. I’ll definitely be trying this out.
I actually prefer sweet potato fries to regular fries and these look so good! Thanks for the tips!
These sweet potato fries are so good! We have been making it for the past three days, and soaking them in cold water is a great idea.