Sweet Potato Fries

Learn how to make crispy baked sweet potato fries in the oven! Olive oil, salt, and savory spices pack this healthy snack with irresistible flavor.

Sweet potato fries

These sweet potato fries are about to become your new favorite snack. They’re easy to make in the oven. They’re PACKED with sweet and savory flavor. And they’re crispy too! Paired with a tasty dipping sauce, these baked sweet potato fries are impossible to resist.

This sweet potato fries recipe is an updated version of a baked sweet potato fries recipe I shared several years ago. What’s changed?

Sweet potato fries ingredients - sweet potatoes, cornstarch, oil, and spices

Well, if you’ve ever made sweet potato fries in the oven, you might know that it’s hard to get them crispy. I thought I’d tried every trick in the book—soaking them in cold water, tossing them with cornstarch, roasting them on a wire rack—until I came across this YouTube video.

The video shares a tip from America’s Test Kitchen that I think is a game changer for baked sweet potato fries. Instead of just tossing the fries with cornstarch, I toss them with a cornstarch slurry. Combining the cornstarch with water helps it gel and create a crispy coating on the outsides of the fries.

Are these baked sweet potato fries as crispy as regular French fries made with russet potatoes? No.

Are they as crispy as deep fried sweet potato fries you’d get at a restaurant? Also no.

But they do have a satisfying crunch, and they’re by far the crispiest sweet potato fries I’ve made at home. I can’t get enough of them. I hope you love them too!

Pouring cornstarch slurry over sweet potato matchsticks

How to Make Sweet Potato Fries

You can find the complete crispy baked sweet potato fries recipe with measurements at the bottom of this post. For now, here’s an overview of how it goes:

1. Cut the sweet potatoes into thin matchsticks.

Scrub each sweet potato well, and place it on a cutting board. You can peel the sweet potatoes if you like, but I prefer to leave the skin on. It’s packed with fiber, and I think it makes the fries crispier!

Cut each potato lengthwise into 1/4- to 1/2-inch planks. Then, cut those planks lengthwise into 1/4- to 1/2-inch matchsticks. Be careful not to cut them too thick—thin matchsticks crisp up better than thicker ones. Once you cut the fries, place them in a large bowl.

Recipe Tip

The fries will be different lengths. The ones you cut from the edges of the potatoes will be quite short, while the ones you cut from the middle might be several inches long.

For the best texture, I recommend cutting very long fries in half crosswise. The shorter fries get much crispier!

Sprinkling sweet potato fries with garlic powder

2. Use a cornstarch slurry.

Cornstarch slurry = cornstarch + water. Mix them together until smooth, and then pour the mixture over the sweet potatoes.

Suspending the cornstarch in water helps it evenly coat the potatoes and gel on their outsides, giving them a crispy coating once they bake.

What about soaking?

Some recipes for homemade sweet potato fries ask you to soak the fries before cooking. The theory is that soaking draws out starch from inside the potatoes, helping them crisp up.

I’ve tested soaking sweet potato fries many times, and I’ve found that it doesn’t make them much crispier, if at all.

My hot take? Skip the soak! You’ll save time and dishes, and your fries will be equally good.

Sprinkling sweet potato fries with paprika

3. Season them up!

Sprinkle the fries with garlic powder, paprika, and salt. This savory spice blend offers a delicious contrast to the potatoes’ natural sweetness. If you want to give the fries a spicy kick, add a pinch of cayenne pepper too.

Toss to coat the fries in the cornstarch and seasonings.

4. Arrange the fries on two baking sheets.

If the fries are too crowded on the pan, they’ll steam and soften instead of becoming brown and crisp. For this recipe, you’ll need two large baking sheets to give the fries enough room.

Line the pans with parchment paper, and arrange the fries in a single layer, leaving a little space around each one. Drizzle with olive oil.

Tossing sweet potatoes with spices in glass bowl

4. Bake in a hot oven.

Bake the fries at 425°F. Any lower, and they won’t crisp up and caramelize.

After 15 minutes, remove the pans and use tongs to flip the fries. If they look dry in places, drizzle them with a bit more oil.

Return the pans to the oven (make sure to rotate them!), and bake until the fries are browned and crisp. Season to taste with more spices and salt, and serve!

Sweet Potato Fries Dipping Sauce Ideas

Even the best sweet potato fries can benefit from a tasty dipping sauce! Try pairing them with one of these:

Enjoy the fries as an appetizer or snack, or serve them as a side dish. They’re delicious alongside my black bean burgers, veggie burgers, and BBQ jackfruit sandwiches.

Baked sweet potato fries recipe

More Tasty Sweet Potato Recipes

Love sweet potatoes? Try one of these delicious recipes next:

And if you can’t get enough French fries, check out these crispy air fryer French fries!

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Sweet Potato Fries

rate this recipe:
3.82 from 11 votes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Serves 4
Learn how to make oven baked sweet potato fries! Crispy and flavorful, they're a delicious healthy snack. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce. Find suggestions in the blog post above!

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 425°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Arrange two oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven.
  • Slice the sweet potatoes lengthwise into ¼- to ½-inch-thick planks. Slice the planks vertically into ¼- to ½-inch-thick sticks. Slice any very long sticks in half crosswise. The smaller pieces will get crispier in the oven. Place the sweet potatoes in a large bowl.
  • In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and water until the cornstarch is dissolved. Pour the mixture over the sweet potatoes and add the garlic powder, paprika, and salt. Toss to coat, using your hands to make sure the spices are evenly distributed.
  • Evenly arrange the sweet potato fries on the prepared baking sheets, leaving a little space around each one. Drizzle generously with olive oil.
  • Bake for 15 minutes, or until blistering underneath. Remove from the oven and use tongs to flip the fries. If they look dry, drizzle with a bit more oil.
  • Return the pans to the oven, swapping their positions on the oven racks and rotating them front to back. Bake for another 7 to 12 minutes, or until the fries are browned and crisp.
  • Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Toss with more garlic powder, paprika, and salt to taste and serve.

56 comments

3.82 from 11 votes (5 ratings without comment)

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Rate this recipe (after making it)




  1. Carol
    07.14.2024

    1 star
    Followed to the letter. They never crisped up. They were cooked, but nothing resembling fries. The chipotle sauce was yummy though. I will rate that higher.

  2. Therese
    05.20.2024

    2 stars
    What a disaster..parchment paper?? Everything stuck. Don’t use that paper

  3. Mary
    05.12.2024

    1 star
    I tried this recipe. Followed it to the letter except for adding pepper to the spices.

    The fries stuck like superglue to the parchment paper. They never got crisp.

    I tried again Bumped the temp to 450. Same result. Oh well, I tried.

  4. LT
    02.03.2024

    5 stars
    Genius technique! Mine turned out very crispy! (True convection oven at 400 degrees was plenty hot enough.)

  5. I finally have an air fryer and I’m going to try these for fun. I know I’ll be dipping them in Truff.

  6. Linda
    01.25.2024

    3 stars
    Pretty good for first try. My challenge: what is drizzle of olive oil? When I look it up, it is anything from a few drops to 2 Tbsp. So…what is a drizzle for this recipe? Thanks.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      01.27.2024

      Hi Linda, about 1 to 2 tablespoons or until there’s enough to lightly coat the sweet potatoes.

      • Linda
        01.29.2024

        Thanks. These are now on my menu rotation.

  7. Beverly Hayes
    01.25.2024

    Could you make these in the air fryer?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      01.27.2024

      yep, you could!

  8. Debra
    01.16.2023

    If baking in convection oven would the temperature still be 450 degrees?

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      01.20.2023

      Hi Debra, you could lower it to 425.

  9. Anna
    03.23.2022

    Hi! This may be a silly question but do the racks stay in the oven for the preheating process and then we take them out to put the potatoes on?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      03.24.2022

      Hi Anna, the racks and baking sheets don’t need to preheat in the oven.

  10. Linda Lauritzen
    10.25.2021

    Sweet Potato Fries is the perfect pallet for a Lime Ginger Mayo dip. I had it in Victoria BC, and have tried forever to make it right. Still trying!

  11. Alexsandra
    10.01.2020

    The instructions say to preheat to 450, but the video says 400, which is it?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      10.01.2020

      Hi Alexsandra – the instructions. Thanks for pointing that out.

      • Sasha
        05.05.2024

        The instructions say 425. Is that correct, or is it 450, as this comment thread suggests?

        • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
          05.10.2024

          Hi Sasha, we recently updated this recipe. The correct temperature is 425.

  12. Jeanine Donofrio
    12.08.2019

    Hi Camilia, I’m so glad you loved the fries!

  13. Uma
    10.19.2019

    How do you dry them after the soaking? I patted them dry with paper towels but they’re not dry at all!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      10.20.2019

      Hi Uma, after patting dry I set them on a towel until they’re fully dry – about 20 minutes or so.

  14. Yusuf Cheema
    03.25.2019

    This looks delicious and fun to make!

  15. Jessy from dorky-and-weird.blogspot.com
    03.24.2019

    I love sweet potatoes!!! didnt know about the cold water part 😮
    thanks for sharing!!
    xoxo <3

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      03.26.2019

      let me know if you give it a try!

  16. I’ve never come across a fry I didn’t love. These look amazing!

  17. Love the idea of putting the fries on a metal rack – that’s always the problem with my oven fries, they stick to the baking sheet. Thank you for sharing! I’m so making these for my potato-loving boyfriend 😉

  18. super cute, Jeanine! That toss part of the video was my favorite part. And now i know what i’m making tonight 🙂

    • jeanine
      09.03.2014

      Thanks Dervla 🙂

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Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.