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Here’s how to make baked sweet potato fries: the best you’ll have at home! They’re incredible: crispy and seasoned to perfection.

Sweet potato fries
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Hello, fry lovers. Meet our new favorite fries: the Baked Sweet Potato Fries! They’re crispy, perfectly seasoned, and you won’t be able to stop sneaking bites. (We have proof, at least at our house!) This recipe is the culmination of years of research: our quest to find the best crispy baked sweet potato fries you can make at home! All our knowledge from regular baked French fries translates to this master technique.

Tricks to crispy baked sweet potato fries

There are lots of people who claim to have the secret to the best baked sweet potato fries. Here’s the the problem with sweet potatoes: they have more moisture than a typical russet potato. So it’s tricky to get them to crisp up unless you deep fry them. Here are four tricks that make baked sweet potato fries come out crispy:

  1. Soak for 10 minutes in cold water. This really works! Soaking removes excess potato starch, resulting in maximum crispiness. The best part: you can do this while you preheat the oven, so there’s no time lost.
  2. Coat in cornstarch. Cornstarch helps to form a crispy coating for sweet potatoes, which can turn soggy and limp in the oven, unlike a russet potato.
  3. Place on parchment paper. Don’t use a Silpat or silicon baking sheet, which can make for soggy fries! Paper is the way to go.
  4. Spread apart on the baking sheet. Spread the fries as far apart on the baking sheet as possible: this allows for maximum airflow and enhances crispiness. Bake a maximum of 2 pounds of potatoes in the oven at once.
Sweet potato fries

Ingredients for baked sweet potato fries

These sweet potato fries require only a few ingredients to make fry perfection. Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Small to medium sweet potatoes: Weigh out 2 pounds when you buy them: they vary in size widely, so it’s easiest to specify weight. Some sweet potatoes can be massive: these are hard to cut and don’t make pretty fries. Look for small to medium sized sweet potatoes for the best looking fries.
  • Olive oil
  • Garlic powder and onion powder
  • Cornstarch
  • Salt
Crispy sweet potato fries

How to cut fries by hand

Cutting fries is easy: but there are a few tricks! For sweet potato fries, we like to leave the potato skin on. That way you get all the nutrients and don’t have to waste time peeling potatoes. Here’s how to cut fries:

  • Slice off the ends of each potato, then slice off part of the side to make a base.
  • Place the potato half cut side down and cut off a 3/8-inch slice, then lay the slice on its side and cut it into several long 3/8-inch wide strips.
  • Repeat until all potatoes have been cut into fries!

Cutting sweet potato fries with a fry cutter

You can also use a fry cutter to cut fries! This is only for the most serious of home cooks, because it’s a uni-tasker (only good for one thing) and rather large. We got one because we make a lot fries around here! It makes for beautifully perfect fries. Here are some notes:

  • Sweet potatoes are more difficult to cut with a fry cutter than russet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are tougher than russets, so they take much more strength to pass through the cutter. We struggled here, but eventually made it work (with Alex’s muscles). We don’t necessarily recommend using a fry cutter, but it did work.
  • The fry cutter works brilliantly for russets and other vegetables. Here’s a link to the French fry cutter we use.
Best sweet potato fries
We added a hint of fry seasoning to our baked sweet potato fries

Aare sweet potato fries healthy?

These baked sweet potato fries aren’t fried, so we think you can call them healthy! Here’s why these are a healthy version of the standard comfort food:

  • You’ll just use sweet potatoes, minimal olive oil and a bit of salt. These are all healthy, whole food ingredients. They’re basically just roasted potatoes!
  • The serving size is moderate. The serving size is much less than a restaurant would serve, so that helps to keep the calories down.

Dips for baked sweet potato fries

Once you’ve cut your fries, seasoned and baked them: you’ll want to start sneaking bites right off of the baking sheet! It’s hard to actually get them on our table because we want to devour this side dish so quickly. You don’t even need a dipping sauce with these. But if you love a little flair (as we do), here are some tasty sauces for dipping:

Sweet potato fries

More sweet potato recipes

The humble sweet potato is one of our favorite ingredients for healthy meals! It’s a vegan sweet potato recipe that’s great for completing a meal. Here are more sweet potato recipes to try:

This baked sweet potato fries recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.

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Sweet potato fries

Baked Sweet Potato Fries


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4.5 from 2 reviews

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 3 to 4 1x
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Description

Here’s how to make baked sweet potato fries: the best you’ll have at home! They’re incredible: crispy and seasoned to perfection.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 pounds small to medium sweet potatoes*
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Evenly space the oven racks to ensure even cooking.
  2. Cut the potatoes into fries: (Watch this video or use a fry cutter.) Wash the potatoes, leaving the skins on. Slice off the ends of each potato, then slice off part of the side to make a base. Place the potato half cut side down and cut off a 3/8-inch slice, then lay the slice on its side and cut it into several long strips. Repeat until all potatoes have been cut into fries. The pieces can be uneven, but aim for as uniform of thickness as possible**. See the video for full instructions!
  3. Soak in cold water (10 minutes): Place the cut fries into a medium bowl and rinse with cold water until water is clear. Then fill the bowl with cold water and allow to rest for 10 minutes (while the oven preheats). Then drain the potatoes and dry them thoroughly with a clean dish towel.
  4. Season the fries: Place the fries in a large bowl; drizzle with the olive oil, then add the garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, and cornstarch. Mix thoroughly to combine. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Spread the fries on the paper, placing them as far apart as possible.
  5. Bake: Bake 15 minutes on one side. Remove the trays from the oven and flip the fries. Place them back in the oven (on reversed oven racks for even baking) and bake 16 to 19 minutes until the fries are dry and slightly browned. Watch them carefully as the cooking time can depend on the thickness and your specific oven. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Notes

*Weigh out the potatoes for accuracy. Sweet potatoes vary widely in size so it’s easiest to specify quantity by weight instead of a number of potatoes. Small to medium potatoes have the best shape for fries.

**You can also use a fry cutter; it’s a little harder to use on sweet potatoes but still works (see above).

  • Category: Side Dish
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan

About the authors

Sonja & Alex

Hi, we’re Alex and Sonja Overhiser, married cookbook authors, food bloggers, and recipe developers. We founded A Couple Cooks to share fresh, seasonal recipes and the joy of cooking! Our recipes are made by two real people and work every time.

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8 Comments

  1. Lois Chowen says:

    I am grain-free. What can I use instead of corn starch?

    1. Alex Overhiser says:

      You can just omit! They won’t turn out as crispy but will still taste great.

  2. Kelley Foreman says:

    These fries are great! They stay really crispy. Totally reasonable for a weeknight side dish.






  3. Sandy says:

    I looked all over for the video but couldn’t find it. Where should I look?






  4. Melissa says:

    Have you tried making these in an air fryer?

    1. Alex Overhiser says:

      Sorry, we don’t have one!

    2. Jaden says:

      I do homemade fries in the air fryer all the time so I’m sure these will turn out just fine.