Crispy and delicious, these homemade oven-baked sweet potato fries are just about as easy as it gets!
What makes Homemade Baked Sweet Potato Fries so good?
I love a good fry (ANY kind: sweet potato or regular). In fact, a hamburger and side of fries is my go-to meal when I just need a little hug in the form of good ole comfort food. What I *don’t* love, though, is a soggy fry that has zero crunch or crisp to it, and unfortunately, this is how a lot of homemade fries turn out. These homemade sweet potato fries, on the other hand, are perfectly crunchy and crispy (thanks to cornstarch/arrowroot, EVOO, and a really dialed in cooking temperature/time) — they’re everything I want a good sweet potato fry to be!
Are baked sweet potato fries healthy?
I’d say that these certainly are! Because they’re baked and not deep-fried, they’re certainly healthier than most restaurant sweet potato fries (though I do indulge in those from time to time, too!). Another health plus: the ingredients for this recipe are super simple and minimal (which is almost always a healthier choice than a long list of mystery ingredients).
What are the nutritional benefits of eating sweet potatoes?
Sweet potatoes are incredibly nutritious, and because of that, such a great addition to your diet (if you tolerate them well). They’re loaded with fiber, vitamin A, magnesium, beta-carotene, potassium, and folate; they’re also naturally anti-inflammatory. Essentially, if you like sweet potatoes and can eat them, you should!
Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries Ingredients
Just a handful of ingredients are needed here, and I’d be willing to bet that you have a couple in your pantry already!
- Sweet Potato – to start, you’ll need 1 medium sweet potato sliced into ¼-inch-thick fries. If you want to make more fries, feel free to grab more than one potato and adjust the rest of the ingredients accordingly.
- Cornstarch – to give the fries a nice, subtle crisp, you’ll need 2 teaspoons of either cornstarch or arrowroot starch.
- Paprika, Garlic Powder, Salt, and Pepper – to season the fries, you’ll need a ¼ teaspoon of paprika, a ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder, ½ of a teaspoon of sea salt, and a ¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper.
- EVOO – 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil gets tossed with the fries before they head into the oven.
Ingredient Modifications
Though this recipe is really delicious as written, you can definitely make some swaps if needed/wanted. Here are a few:
- Spice up your fries: switch out the seasonings for ANY seasonings that you love.
- Switch up the potato: if you aren’t a fan of sweet potatoes, use this same method with a russet potato instead.
How do you cut sweet potatoes for fries?
Cutting sweet potatoes into fries is super easy: using a sharp knife, carefully cut the sweet potato in half lengthwise until you have long ¼-inch-thick fry-shaped potato strips.
Should the sweet potatoes be peeled for fries or leave the skin on?
You can do either, but I personally prefer leaving the skin on. I find that it adds a bit more texture and potential crisp to my fries, not to mention the fact that I get to skip actually peeling the potatoes!
Best Seasonings for this Sweet Potato Fries Oven Recipe
This recipe is written with simple seasonings (just salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder), but you can absolutely jazz your fries up with any seasoning you love.
Supplies Needed to Make this Recipe
How to Bake Sweet Potato Fries in Oven
The process is SUPER simple, y’all. Here’s how you’ll bring it together:
- Prep – preheat the oven to 400°F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Season the sweet potato fries – toss the sweet potatoes with the cornstarch, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper until the fries are evenly coated, then drizzle the olive oil over top and toss to coat again.
- Spread the fries on a sheet pan – once the fries are coated with seasonings and olive oil, spread them onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, making sure they don’t overlap.
- Bake – bake the fries for 25 minutes, then toss and bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until crisp.
- Serve and enjoy!
How Long to Bake Sweet Potato Fries
Your fries will be in the oven for a total of 40-45 minutes — 25 minutes to start, and then another 15-20 minutes after being tossed.
Should sweet potato fries be soaked in water before baking?
While some say that soaking the fries in water helps to release starches (yielding a crispier baked fry), we’ve actually found that tossing the cut sweet potatoes in a little bit of cornstarch or arrowroot helps to crisp them without the extra step/time of soaking.
How do I make oven sweet potato fries crispy?
Good question! There’s nothing worse than a soft, soggy fry (in my opinion, at least). The cornstarch/arrowroot and olive oil will ensure that the fries get a nice crisp on them. Also, when you’re spreading the fries out on your sheet pan, it’s really important to keep the fries as spread out as possible — this helps them to crisp and not steam!
What do you serve with baked sweet potato fries?
While I absolutely love serving these fries with classic accompaniments like chicken nuggets, chicken tenders, and hamburgers, they’re also really delicious served next to a simple protein (like salmon patties, grilled chicken, or even a grilled steak) and a veggie side.
How do you store oven baked sweet potato fries?
Store any leftover fries in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Do know that if you plan on reheating leftovers in the microwave, they won’t be as crisp as they were just out of the oven. If you’re looking for crispy day two fries, your best bet is to reheat them either in the oven or in an air fryer.
How long do baked sweet potato fries last?
Stored in an airtight container in the fridge, your fries will last for up to 5 days (though, I bet you’ll eat them quicker than that… I know I would!).
Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Ingredients
- 1 medium sweet potato sliced into 1/4-inch-thick fries
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch or arrowroot starch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Toss the sweet potatoes with the cornstarch/arrowroot, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika until the fries are evenly coated, then drizzle the olive oil over top and toss to coat again.
- Spread the fries out on the parchment paper-lined baking sheet, making sure they don’t overlap.
- Bake for 25 minutes, then toss and bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until crisp.
- Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
This is my new go-to fry recipe!! Fry perfection.
We’re so glad you love them, Danielle!