Learn how to make crisp sweet potato fries at home. Baked, not fried—so you can feel good about eating them!
I have a confession.
I am not only addicted to desserts; I have a serious obsession with sweet potato fries. Well, if we’re being honest, I have an obsession with ALL things sweet potato. Baked sweet potato wedges, sweet potato casserole, sweet potato chips, sweet potato chili, and my mom’s brown sugar glazed sweet potatoes (my favorite Thanksgiving side dish).
I make these baked sweet potato fries at home all the time. Since they’re baked and not fried, I feel good about snacking on them or serving them up with dinner. The “recipe” is so simple, I never thought to share it on my blog. But the time has come; I can no longer keep my love for these cinnamon-spiced fries a secret.
The first step is to start with some sweet potatoes. The amount of potatoes depends on how many fries you want to make. For the two of us, I always use 2 very large sweet potatoes. Sometimes three, which makes a ton of fries. I’ve never complained about snacking on the extra sweet potato fries, that’s for sure.
If you’re baking for just yourself, I’d use 1 large sweet potato. If you’re making the fries as a side dish for a family of 4+, I’d use 1 small size sweet potato per person depending how hungry you are.
Wash, peel, and chop the sweet potatoes up into french fry shapes with a very, very sharp knife. When I first started making these fries at home, the shapes of my fries were all over the place. I didn’t cut them very neatly at all. But I’ve picked up on french fry shaping; it takes practice. They all won’t be perfect.
I like to cut the fries to be a little thin. Not shoestring-style and not too thick. About 1/4 inch wide. Like so:
Here’s a trick I’ve learned over the years: toss your fries into a touch of cornstarch right after you slice them. I do the same thing when making cinnamon sugar sweet potato fries, too. This creates a very thin layer of coating and help the fries get crispy in the oven. To coat, toss the fries and cornstarch in a large bowl or throw both into a large ziplock bag and shake shake shake. The second option is obviously more fun. You want cornstarch to go onto the fries before the oil and the spices or else your fries will have large white lumps and taste like cornstarch.
After they’re coated with cornstarch, sprinkle with a touch of olive oil (or coconut oil) and cinnamon-sugar. The oil will help your fries crisp up in the oven.
Instead of coating in cinnamon-sugar, sometimes I sprinkle the fries with a touch of salt and cayenne pepper. Or just simply sprinkle with salt. The spice is totally up to you and what you like.
Line the fries up on a Silpat or parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Try not to crowd them and make sure they have a bit of space in between each other. The less fries on the pan, the better. Too many fries shoved together and they’ll just steam—not bake.
Bake for 15 minutes at 400F degrees. Remove from the oven and flip them over. Bake for another 10-15 minutes. Make sure to rotate your pan during the bake times or else you may get some burnt ends. My oven has hot spots, so I always make sure to rotate the pan.
Here’s another handy trick. Turn the oven off completely and crack open. Keep the baked sweet potato fries inside and allow to sit there for about 30+ minutes. Sitting in the oven as it cools down, rather than sitting at room temperature, will help your fries get crispier. The crispier, the better in my opinion!
Obviously you may not have time for that step, so it’s not mandatory. But I try to plan ahead so I have time. No matter what you do though, some fries will still be soft. There is just no way around it with sweet potatoes because of their moisture content. Using a couple of these tricks certainly helps in the crisp factor though.
Now it’s time to gobble them up.
I love making these because sweet potatoes are (1) cheap (2) readily available year-round (3) nutritious (4) don’t spoil quickly (5) easy (6) delicious.
The second I was finished with this photoshoot, I downed the fries in minutes. I honestly don’t even think I took a breath of air. I could live on sweet potato fries for the rest of my life. I love their crispy ends and soft centers!
PS: Did you know that 1 sweet potato contains over twice the amount of vitamin A you need for the day? Yeah. And trust me, it’s easy to eat more than one sweet potato worth of these fries!
If you love them as much as I do, try my sweet potato turkey chili for dinner. And for dessert, brown sugar sweet potato pie or even this bourbon sweet potato pie. Sweet potato pie is very similar to pumpkin pie, but with more substantial texture than it’s custard-y pumpkin counterpart. It definitely deserves a spot in your roundup of favorite Thanksgiving pies!
And don’t forget these crispy baked onion rings for another homemade side option.
Print
Baked Sweet Potato Fries
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
- Yield: serves 2-4
- Category: Appetizers
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Crispy edges, soft centers, nutritious, and delicious. Baked, not fried – so you can feel good about eating them!
Ingredients
- sweet potatoes – 1 per person
- 2 teaspoons of cornstarch per large potato
- 1 Tablespoon of olive oil (or coconut oil) per large potato
- spices: cinnamon-sugar or salt, cayenne, curry, pumpkin pie spice, garlic – anything you please
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Two large sliced potatoes are usually too crowded on 1 sheet, but it depends on their size. You may need an additional sheet. Set aside.
- Wash and peel the potatoes. Cut off the ends. With a *very* sharp knife, cut the potatoes into thin slices about 1/4 inch wide. Place in a large bowl or ziplock bag and toss with cornstarch. You want a nice thin coating. Pour the potatoes into a strainer to get rid of any extra cornstarch. Discard the extra cornstarch out of the mixing bowl, too. Place potatoes back into the bowl and add the olive oil and seasoning(s) of choice.
- Line the sweet potatoes onto the baking sheet. Try not to crowd them or else they won’t bake, they’ll just steam. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and flip. Place back into the oven for 10-15 more minutes. Make sure to rotate the pan to avoid uneven browning. Don’t fret if the edges are a little brown, they will taste more caramelized than burnt.
- Turn the oven off and keep the fries inside as the oven cools down for about 30 minutes. This step will help the fries get crispier. Enjoy immediately.
Notes
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Baking Sheet | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Potato Peeler | Glass Mixing Bowl
Can flour be use instead of cornstarch?
That would be just fine here, Nancy.
This recipe looks great! I plan on making this with your garlic honey ginger glazed salmon tomorrow, but that cooks at 350 and these fries cook at 400. If I were reducing the temp these, how long should I bake them for?
Hi Cloey! We’re unsure exactly how long they would need, but they will get less crisp at a lower temperature.
Can you share the calories per recommended servings of your sweet potato fries with the cinnamon-sugar as seasoning? Thank you!
Hi Amanda, I’m unsure of the nutritional info of this recipe, but there are many great online calculators like this one: https://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp
Thank you for your prompt reply! I will check it out. Thanks.
Be careful not to put too much corn starch, mine had a bit too much and were not that crispy. My pan was not full. Will try next time w/o the corn starch. Thanks!
Sally I have been baking your artesan bread and wal ut cranberry bread since social distancing the last few months… to rave reviews I might add! Today I made them both and have just popped your sweet potato fries in the oven! Can’t wait to try them! Love your site!
Can you substitue a yam for the sweet pototoes? Was given a yam but don’t don’t what to do with it. Thanks for any info.
Yam and sweet potatoes are the same!
This came out so great – crispy and delicious!
Hi! Excited to try these, but I usually use tapioca or arrowroot in lieu of recipes that call for cornstarch (when a thickening agent is required) – any idea if either might work in this context for crisping? Thanking you in advance 🙂
Hi Pauline, I haven’t tried either so I can’t say for sure. Let me know if you test it.
Perfect for my dinner!!!! So easy and delicious
Hi Sally, mine stuck to the baking paper. Peeling them off left most of the fry on the paper. What did I do wrong? Amy x
I am interested in trying this recipe. I was at a restaurant years ago that served string sweet potato fries with this awesome dipping sauce that, of course, was sweet. Can anyone share a recipe for this purpose?
Can I cut these up early in the day and then bake at night?
That shouldn’t be a problem!
Sally, I just started following your blog. I’ve been trying to make sweet potato frides for years with minimal success, but your recipe is SO fantastic! The cornstarch is a game-changer – nice and crispy!! Thanks so much!! Even more excited to try your cookie recipes!
Can I make fries for next morning? Will it de-crunch overnight? 🙁
Hi Sally
Sending this message all the way from Ghana, west Africa.l love to cook and I literally just found your site…love everything I see…about to try my hands on your sweet potatoe fries. I totally love them but never made them myself. Wish me luck!
I dip sweet potato fries (leave skins on) in plain Greek yogurt with added cinnamon. So cinnamon in the dip instead. I am used to plain greek yogurt, maybe you aren’t.
These fries are so delicious! While my husband enjoyed your BBQ Meatballs over mashed potatoes, I chose salad with your best Italian Dressing and lots of sweet potato fries.
Thanks again, Sally!
When I make sweet potato fries. I use Morton’s seasoning blend and chili powder on them before I bake them. I also peel then microwave the sweet potato for about 5 minutes to make the fries easier to cut.
Great tip, Wendy!
Hi Sally! Planning on using 2 sweet potatoes, however, I don’t think they fit on one sheet. Is it okay to have 2 sheets at the same time in the oven or do you suggest baking in 2 batches?
I suggest baking in separate batches– don’t want to crowd the oven which could prevent the fries from baking evenly and crisping up.
I love sweet potato fries, but I have never been able to get them to crisp – until now! I made these tonight and they were awesome. I think the corn starch and leaving the oven cracked a few minutes was the difference. I ended up cooking my fries for longer and hotter in my oven so that I didn’t have to flip. Thank you for sharing!
Is it possible to use an electric skillet for these fries?
Definitely! You’ll have to add oil to the electric skillet and I am unsure of the exact amount and exact temperature. I just prefer baking.
I have been making these since my daughter started eating. It’s a great first food if you are doing baby led weening, but every time I’ve ever made them, they turn out mushy and not crispy. I never would have thought to try the cornstarch. Next time I make them, I’m going to add this step in.
Thanks for the tip about the cornstarch! I’ve tried about 8 different baked sweet potato fries recipes from 8 different websites over the past year & this is the first recipe where, not only were all of the fries firm and not falling apart when you tried to pick them up, but a decent amount of them were crispy like the real “fried” kind too! Now this is my “go-to” sweet potato fry recipe 😉
Hi Sally! Is it possible to use flour in place of corn starch?
That would be just fine here Daphne.
Sally, thanks for your tips! Eating mine with ketchup right now. Just a few changes, I never bake at a higher temp than 375 degrees. Also, I prefer savory fries and use Cajun seasoning instead of cinnamon or sugar. So good!
Just made these and they were so good! I did them exactly as you instructed and they came out perfect!
Thank you for the nice recipe – with and without frosting.
Sweet potatoes are from heaven! I love to bake them and top with peanut butter and cinnamon but I was thinking of trying oven baked fries to change it up!
I stumbled upon your website last night after Googling “sweet potato fries”. I did try these this morning and they were delicious. I bookmarked your website because I think I want to make every single recipe you have. The pictures are beautiful and everything is very well written. Great job!!
Thanks Sally for this wonderful recipe! I love that these sweet potato chips are crispy and guilt-free. Thanks also for the tip on turning the oven off and crack open while the fries cool down. I have been experimenting with baked apple chips these days and I discovered the same thing sort of by accident. Now I’ll check out your baked chips recipe to see what else I can learn!
Thanks for another great recipe. My 1 year old son and I are enjoying them as an afternoon snack.