Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Learn how to make crispy, oven baked sweet potato fries! Tossed with olive oil and sea salt, sweet potato fries are an easy and healthy homemade snack.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 10, 2024
These sweet potato fries will change your life. I’m serious! They are salty-sweet, crunchy, and spicy if you wish. Baked sweet potato fries have been one of my favorite snacks since I first shared the recipe eight years ago.
These crispy fries beat their fast-food fried Russet cousins in simplicity and ease. They require fewer cooking steps because they’re baked rather than fried.
Over the years, I’ve learned a few tricks to make my sweet potato fries even more crispy. Crispy fries or bust!
You’ll learn all of them as you make the recipe, but I’m sharing my top tips in more detail below. Are you hungry for sweet potato fries yet?
How to Make the Best Sweet Potato Fries
I’ve tried baked sweet potato fries every which way, and these elements really do make a big difference in the crispy factor:
1) Slice your fries thinly.
You want your fries to be about 1/4″ wide, or close to it. Thick fries never get crispy.
Here’s how to slice a sweet potato into fries: Rest your sweet potato on its side on a sturdy cutting board. Working lengthwise, slice off a 1/4″ thick slab from one of the sides. Turn the sweet potato onto the flat side so it’s more stable. It gets easier from there!
Continue cutting the sweet potato into slabs, and then cut the slabs into thin fries. As you’re cutting the slabs, you’ll eventually want to turn the sweet potato onto the now-larger flat side to maintain stability.
2) Toss your sliced fries in cornstarch before oil.
Cornstarch really helps to get the outsides crisp! It’s a little trick I learned from a commenter named Jeni (thanks Jeni). I’ve played around with various amounts of cornstarch and olive oil and found the perfect ratio.
I’ve experimented with arrowroot starch as well, and it produced fries that were somewhat less crisp, but it’s worth using if that’s what you have.
3) Divide your fries between two pans and arrange them in even layers.
Overcrowded fries steam each other and never get crispy! You can fit one pound of fries per pan.
Be sure that each fry lies flush against the pan, not piled on top of other fries. The fries develop crisp edges when they’re resting on a hot surface.
4) Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Any lower, and your fries will be soggy. Any higher, and the oil will start smoking. Plus, at higher temps your fries will turn from crisp to burnt way too fast.
Halfway through cooking, you’ll flip the fries with a spatula and swap the pan positions (from lower to upper rack and vice versa). This helps ensure that they bake evenly, turning perfectly golden on the outside and cooking through on the inside.
5) Season last, if desired.
Add salt before baking the fries, but wait to add any spices until after baking. Otherwise, the spices will burn and lose their flavor. I love to balance the sweetness of the fries with a little cayenne pepper and garlic powder, and lots of freshly ground black pepper.
Another benefit of seasoning last? You can add spices to taste, so you won’t overdo it.
The Great Soaking Debate
I wondered if sweet potato fries would benefit from a soak in water like my crispy potato wedges do. Those wedges are made with Russet potatoes, and soaking them for 10 minutes in hot water helps release some of the starch in the potatoes and lets them absorb moisture, which leads to ultra-crisp outsides and moist interiors.
So, I tried soaking batches of fries in hot water, and batches in cold water, and baking them with and without cornstarch. You know what? It wasn’t worth the effort. Hot water actually seemed to inhibit crispiness. When I compared a batch of cold water and cornstarch fries with un-soaked cornstarch fries, the un-soaked actually fared better.
I hate extra steps as much as you do, so I’m pleased to report that you do not need to soak your sweet potato fries for great results!
Sweet Potatoes are Nutritious
Unlike regular deep-fried French fries, these baked sweet potato fries have a lot of redeeming nutrition properties. Standard orange sweet potatoes provide an excellent source of beta-carotene, which your body turns into vitamin A.
Sweet potatoes are also full of antioxidants and fiber, and have some beneficial blood sugar-regulating properties. Plus, they’re a very good source of vitamin C, manganese, copper, pantothenic acid and vitamin B6 (source). Winning!
Serving Suggestions
- These sweet potato fries would be awesome with my sweet potato veggie burgers (if you have a copy of my cookbook, Love Real Food, check out the updated version on page 177).
- I bet they would be nice with black bean soup or pinto posole.
- I’m happy eating them with just about anything, but they’d be especially fun with Mexican food, like tacos and quesadillas.
Recommended Equipment
You’re going to need some basic equipment to make these fries. Chances are, you already have everything you’ll need! These links are affiliate links.
- Sharp chef’s knife: Essential for safely slicing the fries into thin shapes.
- Vegetable peeler: Optional. I always peel my sweet potatoes, but you can leave the skin on if you prefer. Just give your sweet potatoes a good scrub and pat them dry before slicing.
- Half-sheet pans: These are large enough to accommodate 1 pound of fries each, and they have rims around the edges so no fries fall off. Half-sheet pans are the professional standard—all legit chefs and recipe writers use these when they create recipes, so if your baked recipes don’t turn out right, it might be your pan!
- Parchment paper: I recommend lining your pans with parchment paper so the fries don’t get stuck to the pan (there go your crispy edges).
Watch How to Make Sweet Potato Fries
Please let me know how these sweet potato fries turn out for you in the comments! I’m obsessed with them and hope you are, too.
Craving more crispy and salt snacks? You do not want to miss my ultra crispy baked potato wedges!
Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Learn how to make crispy, oven baked sweet potato fries! Tossed with olive oil and sea salt, sweet potato fries are an easy and healthy homemade snack or side dish. Recipe yields 4 side servings.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds sweet potatoes (about 2 medium-large or 3 medium)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Optional spices: freshly ground black pepper, cayenne pepper and/or garlic powder
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit with racks in the lower and upper thirds of the oven (make sure the top rack is about 6″ from the heat source and no closer). Line two large, rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper so the fries don’t get stuck to the pans.
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Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into fry-shaped pieces about ¼″ wide and ¼″ thick. Try to cut them into similarly sized pieces so the fries will bake evenly. Transfer half of the uncooked fries to one baking sheet, and the other half to the other baking sheet.
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Sprinkle the sweet potato fries with the cornstarch (use 1 ½ teaspoons per pan) and salt (¼ teaspoon per pan). Toss until the fries are lightly coated in powder. Drizzle the olive oil over the fries (1 tablespoon per pan) and toss until the fries are lightly and evenly coated in oil, and no powdery spots remain (use your fingers to rub visible cornstarch into the fries as necessary).
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Arrange your fries in a single layer and don’t overcrowd; otherwise they will never crisp up. Bake for 20 minutes, then flip the fries so they can cook on all sides. (The easiest way to flip them is with a metal spatula. Section by section, scoop up about ten fries and flip them with a quick turn of the wrist.)
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Arrange the fries in even layers across the pans again, moving any particularly browned fries more toward the middle of the pan so they don’t get overcooked. Return the pans to the oven, swapping their positions (former top pan goes to the lower rack and vice versa).
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Bake for 10 to 18 more minutes, or until the fries are crispy. You’ll know they’re almost done when the surface of the fries change from shiny orange to a more matte, puffed up texture. Keep an eye on them, as they can turn from crisp to burnt quickly. Sometimes the lower pan will be done a few minutes before the top pan. Don’t worry if the edges are a little bit brown; they will taste more caramelized than burnt.
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If desired, toss the baked fries with seasonings, to taste. I like to use lots of freshly ground black pepper, and a scant ¼ teaspoon each cayenne pepper and garlic powder. Serve warm!
Notes
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Love it! Mmm I wanna try some!
Hi Kate! Your write-up and photos are wonderful. I’m relieved they came out okay and cayenne pepper sounds like an excellent idea too. Thanks for sharing my video and the recipe xo
i love sweet potatoes! can’t wait to try this recipe out—looks so yum! thanks!
Holy moly!! These look DEEE-LICOUS! Sweet potatoes are my absolute favorite and I’ve attempted sweet potato fries several times, but they’ve never turned out looking these yummy. I’ll have to give them another shot with your recipe!
Hi there! I tried these tonight and you’re right my life has been changed forever. I just have to work a bot more on the crispiness and then I might never eat anything else ever again.
So glad to hear it, Lesley! Try sprinkling the fries with corn starch before mixing it all up with olive oil. It really does help!
i love mine with sugar on top and dipped in ketchup
Yum! They look perfect. I love them with a nice and simple garlic aioli, too – my fave!
Hey Sarah! I have yet to try these fries with garlic aioli (I’m a ketchup fiend), but they are definitely amazing when baked with minced garlic!
Oh I am making these TOMORROW.
Thanks for sharing this wonderfully written and photographed recipe.
Love your site BTW.
Whenever I bake mine they do not turn out nearly as good as your look. I have made a mental note of what you did, and will definitely be making them your way. Thanks for sharing. I am your newest follower.
xo
Noooo. I yam the newest follower!
no need to tell me twice! i LOVE sweet potato fries! best part is that you don’t ever have to actually fry them! i discovered that a little corn (or potato) starch will help them crisp up just enough! so delish!
Yum, yum! My kids would love these too. We’re featuring side dishes at the M&T Spotlight this week and I’d love for you to submit this: http://www.makeandtakes.com/spotlight
I found this on foodgawker and it has become my go-to fry recipe! For me though, I find that baking them for only 15 minutes on one side is enough :)
Thanks for the tip about cornstarch to get them crispy (I’ve been searching for the secret to getting them crispy for awhile). I also have a tip to share: use a metal baking rack over top of a pan (in case any should fall through), and you shouldn’t need to flip the fries :)
luv the idea of using a metal baking rack w/pan underneath. especially because parchment paper only stands temps up 420 degrees..mine started browning w/in 5mins, turned the heat down & are baking 20mins befor first flip..dont have a baking sheet as of now. Question: recipe says sprinkle in corn starch at the end after oil & seasoning..then in a response to a person comment , you (Kate) say to sprinkle on befor olive oil & seasoning… which is it?.. or does it make a difference?.. thankyou!
Hi Crystal, how did the sweet potato fries turn out on the baking rack? I haven’t tried that trick yet. I don’t think it matters when you sprinkle on the corn starch, just be sure it’s mixed into the olive oil so there aren’t powdery white patches.
I do these with aleppo pepper and it adds a smokey, spicy character to the potatoes. One of my favorite snacks!
I usually end up burning the fries trying to get them crispy. I can’t wait to try your method with the corn starch! Thanks for the great tip.
My sweet potato fries were always a bit mushy instead of crisp like a french fry, until I prepped them the day before I made them (cut into fry size) and salted them. I left them overnight in the fridge and the next day when I baked them they were much crisper than when I had made them in the past.
Also nice for busy people. Prep the potatoes when you have time, bake them the next day when you are hungry.
That is a really interesting technique, Alyssa! I bet the salt helps draw out some of the moisture. I’ve come across a technique for crispy oven-baked fries made with regular potatoes that required soaking the cut fries in salt water (I think it was from America’s Test Kitchen). I’m intrigued.
accidental discovery of a busy single mom. :)
Another method that I have found works well is that I bake for a half hour at a low temperature around 275-300 degrees. This is mostly to remove some of the moisture. Then I crank up the temperature to 450 degrees and cook 10 minutes and then flip and cook for another 10 minutes and then they are nice and crispy. This works well for both sweet potatoes and regular potatoes. Sweet potatoes tend to have more moisture in them than regular potatoes and so it may take a little longer.
I put a cookie cooling rack on my cookie sheet and placed the fries on the cooling rack. I didn’t have to turn the fries and my cooking time at 450 was reduced to 20 minutes, and still nice and crispy.
Great idea, Stan! I’ll give that a try.
If I hadn’t read this I was going to suggest it. I do my reg. fries this way, and other things that were previously fried, now baked. The rack is the way to go for sure! But glad to read that they CAN come out crispy… with a little patience, and I’m sure the rack will help. The reg. fries always come out crispy with no special treatment. I put foil on the baking sheet. You don’t HAVE to turn them, but I find they’re even better if turned. LOVE that I don’t HAVE to use corn starch! Making them tomorrow!
Oh thank you for your tip. I made these tonight and they were not crispy at all (even with the corn starch)… I was wondering what I did not do right.
Will try the tip next time. :)
I cut the fries, put them inside a bag with salt for a few hours, baked them on a cooling rack on top of a cookie pan, and it turned out awful. :( It was super hard and had a weird taste to them. I’ll try the cornstarch method next time.
Made these a few nights ago as a side with these Green Chili Chicken Burgers http://www.howsweeteats.com/2012/04/green-chili-chicken-burgers/ and I took your advice and used the 1/2 tsp of cornstarch and they were crispy and delish! Super easy and will be making these many more times!
I am about to put these in the oven, When they come out wonderful, I am totally posting about it on my site! Thanks for such a great recipe!
yes perfect great idea planning a dinning exp. with my fiance and my brother and his roommate havin good ol country fried catfish,talipa,your sweet tater fry recp,brwn beans,sweet corn (grilled), and good ol NDN frybread mmmmmthnk you for a wonderful recp. AHO!!!
I don’t know what I did wrong, but my fries were completely stuck to the pan. I used foil and plenty of olive oil and after 15 min, they were so stuck that I couldn’t flip them. What could I try differently next time?
Uh oh, I’m sorry to hear that! My fries stuck to the foil one time when I tried using another method that called for egg whites. I blamed the egg whites, but maybe it was the foil! Contrary to the photos above, I usually bake my fries directly on my non-stick baking sheet or on parchment paper. I have never had my fries stick to parchment paper. I just edited my recipe to reflect these tips, hope your next batch turns out great!
Thanks! Yeah, I’m guessing it was the foil. I usually bake on parchment, but I saw foil in the picture and went for it. I guess I learned the hard way. :) I’ll try the same method but with parchment next time!
Yeah, I’m sorry about that! I took down that photo since it’s misleading.
Must try sweet potato fries with a marshmallow cinnamon dipping sauce!! Sounds weird but think sweet potato casserole! Dee-lish!!
Hi Kate – tried these a few times and had varying results, but love sweet potatoes and will keep trying to perfect this.
First two times I put fries directly on an aluminum heavy duty baking sheet, but did not have significant issues with sticking or cleanup. This time I used same pans and used the parchment paper, but also varied by using the convection bake feature of our oven which I hoped would crisp them even more.
This time they came out very soggy and not sure what went wrong.
Hmm. I do not have any experience with convection ovens so I can’t say anything about that. I know I have had success using parchment paper so I don’t think that is the cause. I would guess that either the fries were overcrowded in the pan or that they weren’t baked long enough, but maybe it was due to the convection oven feature? I wish I knew!
I am going to try this recipe tonight. Hopefully is turns out well and I like them because it will be the first time I’ve ever tried a sweet potato. Fingers crossed!
Ok, so do I buy Sweet Potatos or Yams? I always get confused!
Sweet potatoes! Yams might work, never tried them.
Yams have significantly less sugar according to a vendor I talked to at the Farmers’ Market yesterday. I think they won’t be as tasty.
Just tried the recipe with yams and it was fantastic! Not as crispy as I hoped, but I didn’t have any cornstarch. Will try it next time.
Served with the yam fries with a garlic mayo and everybody loved them.
Thanks, JJ! Glad you enjoyed the fries. Garlic mayo sounds delicious.
Yams work and taste great as well.
I have my grandchildren here for two weeks and want to feed healthy meals that they would eat so I am going to try these wonderful looking fries,wish me luck
Doreena, I hope the fries turn out well! Your grandkids might also enjoy my banana oat pancakes, I know they are popular with the little ones!
I just made this recipe. for the seasonings I used pepper, garlic salt, and some parmesan cheese. they turned out AMAZING. Will definitely be making this again
Glad the fries turned out well, Mike!
These came out delicious!! During the cooking process, I was so busy thinking about how excited I was for sweet potato fries, that I forgot the corn starch, but they turned out crispy and wonderful. Thank you so much for posting this recipe!
To tell you the truth, I don’t usually add cornstarch, either! Glad you enjoyed the fries, I eat them for dinner more than I’d like to admit. :)
Just made these tonight and they were fantastic!! First time sweet potato fries actually came out crispy as promised! Thank you for sharing!!!
Glad to hear it, Emily! I eat these sweet potato fries for dinner all the time, seriously. :)
Beautiful Blog!
I find that whenever I bake sweet potato fries, they don’t have enough of a crunch to them. I’ll definitely try the cornstarch idea! Thanks :)
To add a bit of extra crunch, what about scoring the chips lightly with a fork to rough up the edges before baking? It works a treat with my baked potatoes every time I do a roast dinner, might work for this too!
Great idea, Tami! I’ll try that next time.
If you have not tried Old Bay on sweet potato fries, you should. Old Bay is a Maryland seasoning used on blue crabs. Very good as a seasoning for fries.
GREAT Recipe for flavor. I am however, often surprised that we use organics and create healthy recipes..and put them on aluminum foil, so the foil is heated and contributes to our possibility of Alzheimer’s.
Great recipe and flavor! I just made these for my roommates and they were amazing. The only thing that came out a bit different is that mine were not as crispy as I wanted them. I had to transfer them to my toaster oven for a bit. Any suggestions for next time?
Sigal, my only suggestions would be to make sure there’s ample space around each fry (don’t overcrowd) and be sure to bake the fries long enough. You could always move them up to the top rack of the oven for a few minutes if they are not crispy enough. Did you try the corn starch trick?
I googled sweet potato fries and then looked for a private blog, i.e. not Paula Deen or Epicurious. Yours was the first I clicked and voila – these look great and mine are going in the oven as soon as I finish writing this. I added the cornstarch as you recommend – I’ll try to post and let you know how they turn out. Wish me luck!
Thanks, Linda! Hope you enjoyed those fries!
We ate every single one! They were great and when my husband looked for ketchup we discovered we were out. He ate his half happily anyway. I don’t care for ketchup on sweet taters!
Nice simple recipe. Thanks for posting. These are great for a snack.
Glad you’re enjoying the fries, Laura! Thank you for commenting.
Just made these. Used white sweet potatoes as they are my favorite. They did not crisp up for me. I put the cornstarch on last as it said in the recipe. I put the cornstarch on first the next time I make them and see if they crisp then.
These are amazing, I’ve made them 5 times in the last 2 weeks! I almost always find a way to somehow mess up a recipe, but these came out perfect the first time! I used parchment paper and the corn starch and they came out wonderfully. Thanks for posting this!
Awesome, Meredith! I bake these for dinner all the time. I’ll never get tired of sweet potato fries.
I LOVE sweet potato fries. They are the perfect balance of health and comfort, sweet and spice. It’s hard for me to not like sweet potato fries, but these have been my favorite so far
http://trialbyfirewin.blogspot.com/2012/11/jerk-roasted-sweet-potatoes.html
I make these for my dogs :-) I usually eat about half before the little guys get them though. It’s a good protein filled snack that they absolutely love and I know won’t make their allergies flare up.. I do eliminate the spices when I make puppy snacks. Everything else is the same.
Cookie does love sweet potato fries, but then again, she loves everything! I’ll give her a few extra next time now that I know that you feed them to your dogs.
Wow- now you are an awesome doggy momma! You make your doggies real food!! Yay! I know they sell this stuff in vacuum sealed packs for 10x the price it cost to just do it yourself – good for you!!! Yay mommy!!
Hi, I just want to thank you for posting this recipe! Our whole family loves them! I like that my kids are getting extra veggies (not potatoes) and they taste SO good! Sweet Potatoes are a super food (vitamins). We serve them with BBQ sauce instead of ketchup. Thanks again!
I’m so glad your family loves the fries, Laura! I eat them for dinner all the time. (single girl life)
I absolutely love sweet potato fries dipped in a combo of melted butter and warm honey. Heavenly!
Just stumbled upon the recipe. Fries came out good! I used peanut oil instead since I’m out of olive oil. Turned out just fine :) Never will I buy the frozen kind anymore. Thanks!
I’m happy to hear that the fries turned out well. The frozen kind are so expensive!
Made these tonight. So delicious!!! My 14 mo old gobbled them up. Will definitely be making these again and again! Thank you for the recipe.
I’m so glad to hear that, Leslie. Thank you for commenting to let me know!
OMG! Cinnamon. Use cinnamon. Mmmmmm:)
Yes!! I usually take sourcream and mix in cinnamon, garlic and parsley fo r a dipping sauce – yuuuuuuuummmmm!!!!!!
I made these last week and posted the link back to your blog on mine! Yum, thanks!
http://rookietorockstar.blogspot.com/2012/12/meal-plannin-monday_17.html
I’m glad you enjoyed the fries. Thanks for linking over, too. Happy holidays!
Just tried these, thanks for a recipe that was easy to follow and produced great results. Used the corn starch and grape seed oil, salt and pepper…tasted great, looked like your pictures. Thanks again,
Thanks, Fred! Glad to hear the fries were a success.
I made these sweet potato fries tonight for dinner and they were so good. I will definitely be making a lot of them in the future. Thank you so much for your great web site.
I put a generous amount of cornstarch but they did not turn out crispy enough for my liking. It turned out okay for me. Thanks for the recipe!
I followed this recipe and mine were totally black :/
Same here. I had to chuck them. Good thing I only used two small sweet potatoes. I usually make a huge batch.
Sorry to hear that, Peter!
I tried this recipe and it is fantastic ~ cannot believe my teen loved them. Will be incorporating more of this healthy potato into our meals♥
Wonderful! Thank you for letting me know, Ann.
re: the crisping issue some have been having…. when making hashbrowns- you have to make certain to remove any moisture by patting dry the grated potatoes with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel before frying… they will become mushy, if you don’t remember to do this step. I wonder if it’s the same with baking sweet potato fries…
Anyway… These look SO YUM! (I’m drooling!) I’ve been eating fried sweet potato chips from Aldi’s but the oil they use bugs my guts… so I have to limit myself to only a small handful a day, but THIS will be WAY better! Can’t wait to get some sweet potatoes and try this out!! <3