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It is not only possible, but extremely easy to make flavorful, crispy Sweet Potato Fries at home! With a few trade secrets, you can permanently swap out frozen sweet potato fries for these crispy baked sweet potato fries!
When it comes to burgers, be it a classic beef burger, a black bean burger, or a BBQ chicken burger, fries are the obviously choice for a side dish. And while we love my recipe for oven baked fries, we also love sweet potato fries.
But to be honest, I struggled for a bit to make sweet potato fries at home. I wanted a crispy, flavorful sweet potato fry. Not one that was soft, soggy, or limp.
I am happy to share, that after trial and error, I have finally perfected a recipe for homemade crispy sweet potato fries!
How To Make Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries
The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the ingredient quantities and detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Soak Sweet Potatoes Fries in Water
I am all about shortcuts, but if you want crispy sweet potato fries, you really do NOT want to overlook this step. Soaking the sweet potatoes for at least 60 minutes is a MUST to remove excess starch from the potatoes and will help tremendously in achieving crispy sweet potato fries.
Dry Well
Drain the sweet potatoes fries from water and dry them thoroughly, using a clean kitchen towel. You don't want ANY water left on your sweet potato sticks, or they won't get crispy.
Coat Sweet Potato Fries in Cornstarch
The secret to achieving that crispy exterior is to coat the fries in cornstarch. Trust me on this, cornstarch is the magical ingredient that will help you make the most crispy Sweet Potato Fries, just like you get at restaurants!
Bake Fries on Preheated Baking Sheet
Another crucial tip to crispy sweet potato fries is to bake the fries on a pre-heated greased baking sheet. This acts almost like a fryer to immediately sear the outside of the sweet potato, giving your fry a crispy exterior.
Salt AFTER Baking
Salting the sweet potatoes before baking them brings out moisture, which in turn can inhibit sweet potato fries' ability to get crispy. So another crucial tip for crispy sweet potato fries is to wait to season with salt until AFTER your fries are baked. Now it is time to drain and coat sweet potato fries--this is CRUCIAL for crispy fries, plus the seasoning is perfection!
Serving Suggestions
Serve warm and crispy with ketchup, BBQ Sauce, or Ranch Dressing. Serve up these delicious Baked Sweet Potato Fries with Homemade Sloppy Joes, BBQ Chicken Drumsticks, Burgers, Black Bean Burgers, or Quinoa Burgers for one delicious meal!
How to Store Reheat Sweet Potato Fries
- Refrigerate: Store cooled leftover fries in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. To reheat so the sweet potato fries stay crispy, place them on a baking sheet bake for 10-15 minutes at 425 degrees F.
- To Freeze Sweet Potato Fries: Prepare as directed and allow them to cool completely before transferring them to a freezer-safe bag. Store the sweet potato fries for up to 3 months in the freezer. To bake, place frozen fries in an even layer on a baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes at 425 degrees F, flipping after 15 minutes.
More Delicious Sweet Potato Recipes
- Sweet Potato Burritos
- Instant Pot Baked Sweet Potatoes
- Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- The Best Sweet Potato Casserole
- Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili
- Hasselback Sweet Potatoes
- Sweet Potato Pancakes
- Sweet Potato Waffles
If you enjoyed these Homemade Crispy Sweet Potato Fries, please be sure to leave a comment and review below.
Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Ingredients
- 3 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed and peeled
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch , or rice flour
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- nonstick cooking spray
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Peel 3 large sweet potatoes and cut into ½-inch sticks. Place sweet potato fries in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Soak at room temperature for 60-90 minutes, or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- When ready to bake the fries, preheat the oven to 425℉/215℃. Once preheated, brush a rimmed baking pan with 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and place into the preheated oven for 5 minutes.
- Drain the sweet potatoes from the soaking water and dry thoroughly with a clean kitchen towel.
- In a gallon size bag, toss 1 tablespoon cornstarch , ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, and ½ teaspoon paprika. Add fries and toss to coat.
- Carefully remove the heated pan from oven. Take fries out of the mixture, shaking off excess, and place evenly on the baking sheet, being sure to leave space around each fry. Drizzle with additional oil or nonstick cooking spray.
- Bake for 20 minutes, then flip the fries, and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
- Generously salt fries with 1 teaspoon kosher salt after they have baked. Serve immediately.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I absolutely love sweet potato fries and your tips took them to the next level. So good, I couldn't believe I made them myself!
Love hearing this!! And thank you for taking the time to come back and leave a review. I appreciate it!
These are my hubby's favorite!! Love the baked version! They are nice & crisp & healthier.
Thanks for sharing Kristyn! So happy to hear you (and your husband) enjoy this recipe!
Do you have an air fryer time/temp and suggestions?
Give me all the sweet potato fries! I'll take these over regular fries any day! Crisp & delicious!
Crispy fries are a MUST!
Great tips! I had no idea that soaking the fries in water and then coating them in cornstarch would make such a difference! So wonderfully crispy! I love it!
Hi Betsy! It really does make quite a difference. Happy you had success.
Olive oil is perfectly fine for this. Despite a lower smoke point, the high antioxidant and low polyunsaturated fat content actually keeps it more stable at high temperatures than other oils, and it's much healthier. It's not only ok to use, it's better.
I look forward to trying this. I've been wondering why I can't make homemade sweet potato fries that aren't soggy.
I hope you enjoy! As for using olive oil, I understand your viewpoint on it, but I would caution that it will not only burn easier, it will give a strong flavor to the fries. But feel free to use of course 🙂
These are so good!
So glad you enjoyed Justine!
Thank you for all the tips on making fries from real sweet potatoes! This was very helpful.