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.
The ORANGE sweet potatoes are actually YAMS. True sweet potatoes are white.
Can I peel these ahead of time?
Used a chipotle-honey seasoning blend – flavor was nice, but fries never crisped. Used corn starch and olive oil, but texture was basically that of a baked potato.
Will go back to frying…
I have made these twice. Once using the cornstarch and once plain. No way are they the least bit crispy. We still think they are delicious and much better than a baked sweet potato, but crispy they just are not.
Thanks,
Suzie
I have the pampered chef chip maker. I’ve tried making sweet potato chips in the microwave. They have never been crispy. Do you think I can use corn starch for my sweet potato chips too?
I’m addicted to fries,but they are unhealthy and high calorie and since making these I lost a LOT of weight.
They don’t even taste that different than regular ones. Nothing better than delicious and healthy,thanks for the recipe!
Just made this, it was delicious thanks for the recipe!!
Very yummy, just made a batch for lunch. Used the corn starch, seemed to make them crispy. Super easy lunch, and oh so delicious.
I tried using the cornstarch but didn’t care for it. I followed the instructions but I found there was a powdery/starchy taste when eating them. Apart from that they were great.
It’s hard to cut the potatoes into fry strips and have them similar in size. They can quickly burn, but they tasted great. I didn’t have any corn starch so I’ll try that next time too. The kids liked tem!
Mine never crisped up. Be sure to cut them fairly thick or they will burn.
hi I’m 68 and never had these fries before. I followed your recipe and they were wonderful. I’m going to see other ways I can cook them. thank you.x
These were great! I used coconut oil along with cayenne pepper and cinnamon for the seasoning. I did try using a bit of cornstarch as I had never heard of it before and they were crispy and delicious! Thank you!
Couldn’t get them crispy. So sad.
Just did these with sea salt, parsley, and garlic. No corn starch. I paired them with organic ketchup mixed with tons of curry. Delicious!!!
sweet potato fries in a electric oven is very easy .set timer for 30 min they finished sprinkle onion power and garlic power on them and a little pepper and some ketcup on them.
I followed your recipe and was even worried that I had added in too much olive oil when tossing with the spices… I placed them on the cookie sheet and when I went to flip them over they were all stuck to the cookie sheet! :(
Next time I will try parchment or the wire rack as some have suggested.
These were wonderful! I used the corn starch and Braggs herb sprinkles. Yum!
These were the best sweet potato french fries I’ve ever had. They were so perfectly crispy and Delicious. The flavors were so scrumptious. I am not a big fan of sweet potatoes but i will be eating them more often now using this recipe.
Can you freeze them ifter cook
I’m not sure. Might be worth a shot!
I followed the instructions to an absolute T, and my fries aren’t crispy at all. They are mushy, and many of them are past the point of being “brown on the edges” and went straight to completely black and inedible. Do you think there’s something that could’ve gone wrong?
Very tasty but not crispy at all. I will try using the convection setting on my oven next time. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Thanks so much for such a clear recipe – fabulous, I am going to make them later…yummmm….excited!
I think I will try using the cornstarch to make sure they’re crispy…thanks for the extra note
AMAZING RECIPE……delicious. Eating now and will def make again and again…
Loved this recipe! We used all the spices you suggested except curry. No reason other than I just forgot. We did add a tiny bit of corn starch and a lil’ bit of brown sugar. We also have a favorite sweet & smokey rub/spice we use a lot so we threw that in. These were the best baked sweet potato fries we’ve ever had. Thank you!!!
I made these last night for our New Year’s Eve family meal. Thank you, worked a treat. Andrew (Oxford, UK)
As a widowed octongenarian I am looking forward to my culinarian attempts which I feel will be a pleasure with relative ease to accomplish .Thank you for giving me this opportunity.
I made these last night and they turned out soggy. What might I have done wrong?
Great recipe. I personally like to coat the pan with a tablespoon of olive oil and heat in the oven for about 5 minutes. Keeps them from sticking and guarantees that they get crisp.
Great tip. Happy to hear you liked it!
Why cornstarch never heard of adding that before
Hi Jane, it dries out excess moisture on the edges of the fries and makes them extra-crispy.
These are delicious! I used one sweet potato, 1 tsp olive oil, and a pinch of salt, cooked at 425 in my copper infused pan for 10 minutes (then flipped and cooked for 10 more minutes)-
So good
I will do it again tomorrow! It’s a great side and a great snack for the new year!
Happy you enjoyed, Joni!
Delicious! Making a second batch tonight! I cooked it in a Copper infused pan and it was wonderful!
YUM sounds excellent! You know it’s a good recipe when you make it back-to-back :)
Just a suggestion. Preheat your dark baking trays in the oven prior to putting fries on so they don’t stick.
Thumbs up for this tip. Thanks, Noel!
Actually making these right now!
Lemme know how they turn out!
Hiya, looks delicious. Will have to try. May I know why do u put corn starch flour ?
Hi, Cathy! The corn starch will help prevent the fries from sticking to the pan and keep them nice and crispy.
Looks Great… But, I don’t have a dark non-stick sheet pan, only a regular one… Has anyone else tried making these without a dark non-stick sheet pan??? Or should I just pass on the recipe??? Thank You…
Hi Cheryl, your pan should work! Just keep an eye on them to determine the best cooking time for your pan.
My grocery store has 3lb bags of sweet potatoes for .99 this week so I now have around 10lbs of sweet potatoes to eat (and I’m the only one in my family who likes them). Will be trying this recipe tonight, served alongside salmon and then sauteed asparagus and mushrooms :)
(first time visitor, loving your blog!)
Sweet potato jackpot! Looks like you have some experimenting to do. :) I hope this went well!
thank you for this great recipe. i did not like sweet potato fries much, but hubby loved them. Sadly, I never tried to make them. but I wanted to try them for him. well, we both loved them!!! I read all the comments and chose to make them this way–Lined the pan with parchment paper,but cut it to fit flush in the pan, hoping to prevent scorching of paper, it worked. coated the fries with coconut oil and cooked as directed. then sprinkled them with sea salt and garlic powder. they were great!! they were our supper. dips were BBQ sauce. ketchup with honey mustard.(hubby’s fave) and one I like on my fries, mayo and regular mustard mix. (i know sounds gross, but I like it.) Your cooking directions helped sooo much!! we will be eating these a lot.
I’m so glad this changed your mind about sweet potato fries! Thanks, Bev.
Tried the recipe with the optional corn starch and PLEASE, for the love of any fictional being you pray to in the sky, DO NOT USE CORN STARCH. Felt like we were eating dusty fries.
Oof, sorry this didn’t turn out so well for you, Gene!
Hi! I tried this but my fries were soft & not crispy. I cranked up the heat to no avail. What did I do wrong Cheers!
These fries came out really well, I am now a convert to sweet potato fries! I think the sprinkle of corn starch may the key to the elusive crispy finish I’ve not been able to achieve with sweet potato fries before -I sprinkled it onto fries first & made sure it was well distributed before adding seasoning & oil. The seasoning makes this a really tasty treat, easily adjusted to suit the rest of the menu. I used salt, garlic granules, paprika & cayenne. Colour is gorgeous too. Thank you Kate
Great! Yes, I think the corn starch is the trick, too. I’m glad you’re a sweet potato fry convert!
Yeah 100% use tin foil. I didn’t like the recipe says and they all stuck to my tray turned into mush trying to turn them
Oof, sorry this didn’t work out so great, Matt.
I just tried this recipe and it was sooo delicious. My fries didn’t turn out all that crispy- even with the corn starch (I don’t think I added enough). I probably didn’t bake them long enough. They’re still so tasty though. I used cayenne pepper and curry, so good.
I’m glad it still tasted delicious, Lexie!
I had to bake them much longer than stated to get them crispy (even with cornstarch). They were good!
Good! Sorry it took a bit longer than indicated– times and temperatures can really vary among oven brands!
I tried it and didn’t work. I followed all the steps and left in the oven for like 50 min and they still weren’t crispy.
It was a waist of time! :(
I’m sorry to hear that, Brenda! They might be worth another shot on a different pan—sometimes the pan material really makes a different. Cornstarch definitely helps, too. That said, these will never be quite as crispy as fried French fries can be.
Tried your recipe as a replacement for French fries in my new diabetic friendly diet. They are great! I didn’t have any corn starch on hand though. I imagine they’ll be better with it. Do you know if cornstarch is high or low glycemic?
I hope you can try it, John! That is not my area of expertise and I don’t want to guide you incorrectly. I know there are a lot of great resources out there for food restrictions. Thank you for the time to comment!
Sadly, cornstarch is almost 100 on the glycemic index. Still delicious without it !
What white sauce are you dipping your sweet potato fries in?
I am not sure what you are referring to, sorry Mechelle.
I was doubtful about the cornstarch, but they turned out great! Now my go-to recipe!
Great! Happy to hear that. Thank you, Dale for your review.
I have tried so many different sweet potato fry recipes, I don’t remember where my method came from…but I knew yours was one of the sites I had looked at…but my method is a bit different. I got a cookie cooling rack that fits inside my tray and I bake the fries on that at 425. I use the smell-o-vision & puff-up look as doneness time as I think it varies greatly depending on how much moisture is in the potato and how big I happen to cut them that day. I also read somewhere, and it TOTALLY works to lightly salt with fine salt after you cut them and let them hang out that way for a while….like an hour or more if you can stand it. It draws out quite a bit of water, and then you can get rid of that moisture, shake ’em up with a bit of oil, and they definitely get crispier. Of course, one time I was staying with a friend who had a convection oven. Jealous! That definitely works better than any of my conventional ovens ever have.
Thank you, Stefanie for sharing what has worked for you!
Hi Kate! I tried this recipe several times over the last year, and while they always turned out delicious and not too soft, they weren’t quite crispy enough. Today I did the preparations, but ended up baking them 2 hours later – and at 15 minutes into cooking they’re already almost perfect! I think letting them sit for a bit (probably more than 30 mins) really helps.
Thank you, Jenette for sharing your experience. I will have to try it!
I should add that if letting them sit beforehand for extra time, the baking time should be shortened as well. I checked in after 30 minutes total and they were burnt :( but still delicious :)
what does corn starch do for fries?
The corn starch helps to get them a little extra crispy and soaks some of the moisture.