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.
This recipe turned out perfect, thank you! I cut mine bigger but they still came out crispy. Thank you!
Followed instructions to a t. Soggy mess stuck to the pan :(
Is this recipe for real?
Hi Robin, I’m sorry you didn’t have good results with this recipe. Did you use parchment paper and make sure they were cut small enough?
how long should they be in the oven for?
Hi Mayer! See step 4 and 6. I hope this helps.
Dear Kate, today I have tried your crispy fries and they are absolutely delicious! Best I ever had. I was a little bit worried during the preparation because the experiences are different but they turned out great. I baked them at 200°C and added smoked paprika after baking. Those are only 2 changes that I have made. They stayed crispy and soft inside. I’m saving the recipe and I can’t wait to make it again :)
The sweet potato fries turned out awesome! I seasoned the fries with Old Bay and folks were fighting for the last few at our BBQ! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!! :)
Mine all stuck to the parchment paper. Do you know why this might have happened?
Hi Caitlin! I’m sorry to hear that. Did you toss halfway? Were they evenly coated?
Your recipe has made it to the South of France where we are waiting in anticipation for the results. If they are good (which I am sure they will be) I will make them for the grandchildren on Thursday. Bon appetit!
.
Made the recipe, turned out great,so delicious.Put cornstarch in bowl, then tossed in fries, added olive oil in pan and baked 20 minutes,flipped once. Garlic salt before serving.
Made the recipe, turned out great,so delicious.Put cornstarch in bowl, then tossed in fries, added olive oil in pan and baked 20 minutes,flipped once. Garlic salt before serving……hardest part was slicing sweet potatoes.
Success!! My husband was so happy with these. He really enjoyed them. I will make them again. I do need to watch them so not to burn. I think some were too thin. But I was able to salvage most. I made them as recipe says adding the black pepper and garlic powder. We both enjoyed them very much.
Crispiest oven baked sweet potato fries I’ve ever had! Smiles all around the table. Thanks for sharing the recipe and for doing the legwork on other methods so we don’t have to. :)
Something is not quite right with this recipe. I followed all of the steps as written, and all of my potatoes stuck to the foil. I had to peel them off the foil to salvage some of them so that there would be something to have as a side dish for dinner. They were burnt on the outside, and either chewy or mushy depending on the incidental thickness variations. I am a good cook, and while I’m open to operator error being the cause, I don’t think this recipe works as written. I hope you can fix this.
Love the way you describe the technique before you share the recipe and the accompanying photos are spectacular!
This recipe was wonderful! Best Sweet Potato Fries I’ve ever had! I made some jalapeno chicken burgers to go with these fries. I sauted jalapenos and red onion in olive oil until soft and added the mixture to my ground chicken with some shredded cheddar cheese, formed patties and put them on the grill, oh boy they were good, and the fries were a perfect compliment to the burgers. (One thing I forgot to add to the burgers was some mashed fresh garlic, next time….) Thank you for all the tips!
Hooray! I love to hear that. I love how you got creative with these, Carol. Thank you for your review.
Absolutely delicious! Crisped them right up with no issues. Followed your instructions and am now making more! Already ate my first pan as a trial! Dipped in chipotle mayo and hubby loved too! Thanks for the cornstarch secret! So easy!
Ignore the naysaywers… you have done nothing but try to assist us with delicious fries.
LOVE this recipe. Taught me tricks to get the fries crispy. I did not measure the corn starch and olive oil – just added to what I thought was right. I believe that I used more corn starch and they came out crispy.
This was perfect. I have tried to make baked fries on my own and they either come out over-dried and burnt or hopelessly soggy. The recommendations you suggested fixed everything. I used less oil than in the past and cut the fries much smaller. They turned out so well that I will not use any other recipe going forward.
Regarding other reviews … you have to follow the recipe exactly. Period. It works great!
Mine stuck to the pan and when I tried to flip them half the fries remained stuck! I threw out the batch and tried again on a different day. This time I oiled the pan a bit. They didn’t really come out crispy at all, despite following the recipe otherwise.
Burnt and soggy, followed the recipe exactly. Maybe my fries were cut too thin, or maybe my oven (gas/convection) runs too hot at 425 for this, or maybe my pan was too thin. Check every 5 min as they burn on the bottom and you won’t notice until it’s too late.
These fries have become a go-to treat. They’re easy and delicious. Even if you forget them and they get a little burnt, they still taste great.
can you do these with a silpat instead of parchment?
Hi Dawn, I think so! I haven’t tried to be sure, though. If anything, on a Silpat, the fries might need an extra minute or two in the oven.
Mine didn’t really get crispy, taste great though!
Ok im going to make these today but I’m seeing disappointments with this recipe, mostly are too soggy and burnt. Im not a chef but from watching food network and watching Valerie’s homecook meals I seen her make sweet potatoes fries. You never put olive oil on anything that your cooking on a high temp whether it be in the oven or on the stove, it will burn, im almost shocked that this chef suggests olive oil for a 425 degree oven and the recipe is almost 25 min long. Use a neutral frying oil that won’t change the flavor in your food like canola oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil is a better choice and healthier and it has a high cook temperature too. So I’ll be using canola oil for this. See it pays off to read reviews and also Valerie used a cookie sheet with no parchment and they turned over with no problem, but then again im sure it was top of the line cookie sheet, its not so much about the parchment its about the kind of sheet pan your using. I think parchment will not help them crisp.
I followed your recipe exactly and my fries came out great! Soooo yummy!
These are sooooo good! The corn flour makes all the difference
As usual, your recipe turned out amazing! I accidentally ate all of the fries while cooking the main course. Best fries I’ve ever made! Thank you for another terrific recipe!
Hooray! Thank you for your comment, Allie.
Followed the recipe and instructions to the letter and the fries were burnt before the 20 minutes were up.
Taste great, but NOT crispy! Followed the recipe exactly. Used both a regular cookie sheet and another that has an elevated rack for better air flow. Neither was crispy after 50 minutes (flipped at 20 minutes, evenly spaced, no touch, cut at 1/4″ width. I have never had good success getting sweet potatoes to crisp up….I am wondering if the recipe used above was done in a Convection Oven versus most of us that didn’t get crispy results using a Conventional Oven??
Hi, I’m sorry this one wasn’t perfect for you. This recipe is meant for a standard oven. If you followed everything to the recipe, I’m not sure why it didn’t turn out. Did they get bubbly at all?
Followed the recipe to the letter but still ended up with droopy fries…
Do I need to add more cornstarch?
Hi! I’m sorry to hear that. Was there enough space between the fries on the tray? You want to make sure they aren’t over crowded otherwise they won’t crisp up.
Mine wasn’t successful. Not even 20 minutes and some were burnt and they were quite hard.
I’m sorry to hear that, Jeannie. It sounds like you have a very hot oven.
If you love burnt sweet potatoes, this is the recipe for you.
My oven was set to 350 for 20 minutes then cranked up to the recommended 425 for the remaining time and my fries came out burned after 10 minutes.
Fries are NOT baked. Would love to find an actual FRIED sweet potato recipe!
Terrible recipe!! Far too long in the oven – really should turn after 10 minutes – followed the recipe and now have burnt fries and the rest of the dinner still cooking as depended on these timings! Not crispy, just burnt with cornstarch dusting!
Mine turned out amazing!! Thanks for the recipe, much appreciated :)
Thank you for your recipe! I loved them! Even though they are a little time consuming to cut, they are certainly worth it!
Can you make these without parchment paper since I don’t have that on hand?
Hi Jeff! They may stick to your pan otherwise. Parchment paper really helps with this recipe.
This was the worst ! It was burnt fries.
I’m sorry this one didn’t turnout for you. Did you toss them and be sure your oven racks were set correctly?
Finally, successful sweet potato fries! Thank you. I have found it so difficult to make them, but these turned out just delicious. I paid special attention to the size and uniformity of the cut. The corn starch must have helped them crisp up. After flipping them, I don’t think I put them in for another 20 minutes. I just tried to pay attention(which is not my forte!) to when they looked done.
I wonder if some people didn’t flip & rotate theirs and put them back in in the over? If you take them out after only 20 minutes they will be soft & stick to the paper slightly.
They turned out great for me! I followed all the directions exactly. After rotating/putting back in, they were done after 8 more minutes, 10 would have burned them. I might reduce the oven to 400 at this point in the recipe next time.
Thank you for cracking the code!! They were gone in less than 15 minutes, we gobbled them all up!
Myriam
I’m glad they turned out for you, Myriam! Thank you for sharing your experience.
Lol settle down buddy. I just made them and they turned out great. Like she says – you need to watch them to ensure they don’t burn. The recipe didn’t burn your fries, you did.
You can get firm chips if you boil them before cooking and add vinegar to the water. What the vinegar does is it strengthens the pectin in the chips. Great for thin cuts, if you don’t want them breaking and flopping when you pick them up.
Also, boiling water is energy dense. This will mean your chips will spend less time in the temperature range at which the amylase (a protein found in sweet potatoes) converts starches into soluble sugars.
As for starches, I like to use potato starch, though cornstarch is more commonly found in most households. If you mix water with your cornstarch in a bowl, it helps to hydrate it. This is key, as it will allow the starches to gel on the surface of your chip.
The reason russet potatoes end up so crispy is because their starch to sugar ratio and the fact that the starches in sweet potatoes get converted into sugars. Starches gel on the surface, they brown and get crispy. Sugar will burn and go black, while dehydrating everything. The solution is to add hydrated starch to your chips.
Another tip is peanut oil offers the most crispy chips. And you don’t need much oil to bake chips, just a small drizzle will do. When using the hydrated starch method, use a wrack and make sure your chips are not touching, they need that air flow to cook evenly.
I hope this helps my fellow spud lovers.
Love this recipe. We make it every week and eat them with vegan burgers. Make two trays and eat them all. Sprinkle them with cajun spice when done. Bravo and thank you.
Robin
Made them for the 1st time. My wife and I enjoyed them! Adding the recipe, Thank You…
Whoa little buddy it will be alright. Ovens misbehave, really old sweet potatoes act differently than really new ones, people mis-measure accidentally even though they swear they didn’t…stuff happens. This recipe is great and it worked perfectly for me. Try some chamomile tea with your next go around at it. It’s very calming.
BTW- I love recipes from this site. Thanks for all the time you put into sharing them with the world and how dedicated you are to answering people’s questions and offering guidance.
I’ve made these twice now and both times they have turned out lovely and crispy , really enjoyed just snacking on them on there own , better than crisps
They’ve been in oven for over 45 minutes total so far. 20 minutes then flipped. Still waiting for them to crisp. Maybe my oven is too cool? I just increased temp to 450. Two pans fries spread out. But my gas oven’s heat source is on bottom. Maybe that’s my problem?
Hi Sara, how did it end up? Does you oven tend to be off?
hi my sweet potato fries went really well thank you
I was so excited to make these “crispy” sweet potato fries for my son and family. It was a disaster and my fault. I didn’t have parchment paper I only had wax paper and they all stuck to the wax paper. I will try again. I also don’t think I used enough oil. Pictures to follow on the next batch! Love your recipes and subscribed after seeing this recipe.
XAndrea
Hi Andrea! I’m sorry to hear that. Yes, wax paper is not meant for baking. Be sure to report back next time!
Holy smokes. I was just looking thru sweet potato recipes (hubs wants mashed tonight but I’m just kind of mindlessly scrolling at this point) to get some inspiration and read this one because of the cornstarch technique… and the comments here are out of control! Something occurred to me though: could the variety of sweet potato be what’s causing the problems?
Anyhoo I make sweet potato fries all the time and am generally happy with how they come out but might use some cornstarch next time and see what happens. Will they be great? Will they be such a soggy mess that leave me agitated enough to want to drop a hostile comment on the internet? O the suspense!
Hi Shannon! That is an interesting idea. I think it may be a matter of sizing and ovens with timing. Thank you for your comment and providing some ideas!
I love this recipe. The sweet potato fries are crispy and yummy, I will definitely make again.
Wonderful, Lillian! Thank you for your review.
Thank you, I have been using too much olive oil and never thought of trying corn starch. I am trying your recipe for my company tonight! Thanks again!