If you're looking for a healthier alternative to traditional french fries, look no further than baked sweet potato fries. They're delicious and easy to make – just slice up some sweet potatoes, toss them in olive oil and spices, and bake in the oven. You'll love how crispy they turn out!
So if you're looking for a tasty and nutritious snack or a healthy side dish, give this recipe a try!

These homemade baked Sweet Potato Fries are salty, crispy, and delicious. They are a healthy alternative to deep-frying that you can feel good about eating!
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It's no secret I love sweet potatoes; I love them in this Vegan Sweet Potato and Bean Stew and these Chocolate Sweet Potato Muffins.
If you bake them long enough, they'll get crispy at the ends, and they might almost look burnt with caramelization on the outside, but they'll be deliciously soft and sweet on the inside, almost like candy.
I've tried many methods to make these baked sweet potato fries, and I'll share my best tips with you!
These fries are delicious with this Vegan Horseradish Aioli, 4-Ingredent Guacamole, or any dip that you like.
Ingredients
Here are the simple ingredients to make this delicious baked sweet potato fries recipe!
- Organic sweet potato - These are also known as garnet yams at the grocery store. Keep the sweet potato skins on for maximum nutrition and fiber.
- Olive oil - I used extra virgin olive oil in this case, although avocado oil or grapeseed oil is fine too.
- Organic corn starch - You can use arrowroot powder or arrowroot starch instead to help achieve a crispy exterior.
- Fresh parsley - to add color, freshness, and extra texture for garnish.
- Cold water for soaking the potato slices - not pictured.
See the recipe card for the exact quantities.
Are sweet potatoes healthy?
Yes, sweet potatoes have many health benefits! They are a fantastic source of vitamin A and beta-carotene, and they offer more antioxidants and vitamins than white potatoes.
They are rich in fiber, copper, vitamin C, vitamin B5, vitamin B6, potassium, niacin, magnesium, and manganese.
Sweet potatoes are high in fiber, vitamin C, potassium, pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), niacin (vitamin B3), vitamin B6, manganese, magnesium, and copper.
How to make Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Learn how to make crispy baked sweet potato fries! After soaking the sliced sweet potatoes, toss them with cornstarch, olive oil, sea salt, and seasoning, and bake for around 40 to 45 minutes. This recipe makes four side servings. See the recipe card for the full recipe.
If you're in a rush, you can skip the extra steps associated with soaking.
Prepare the sweet potatoes
- The first step is to wash and scrub the sweet potato, then dry it thoroughly. Cut the sweet potato into ¼-inch slices. If you have a large sweet potato like the one pictured in the ingredients photo, It's easiest to cut the sweet potato in half crosswise, then cut each half lengthwise into ¼-inch wide pieces, then cut each piece into ¼-inch wide sticks. We do this by hand, although you can use a mandolin.
Soak the sweet potatoes
- Place the sliced sweet potatoes in a bowl of cold water. Let them soak for 30 to 60 minutes. Preheat the oven to 425°F while the sweet potatoes are soaking.
- Drain the sweet potatoes and rinse them with fresh water. Dry them thoroughly in a single layer by placing them on a lint-free kitchen towel and another towel on top.
Mix with oil and other ingredients
- Place the sweet potatoes in a large bowl and mix thoroughly with olive oil.
- Combine the cornstarch, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and sea salt. Toss thoroughly with the sweet potatoes.
- Cut parchment paper to fit your baking tray and set it aside. Place the empty baking tray in the oven to preheat it to get crisper sweet potatoes.
Bake the sweet potatoes
- Once your oven is hot enough, carefully take the hot baking tray out of the oven and place the parchment paper on it. Line up the sliced sweet potatoes carefully.
- Tip: Do not crowd them, and don't let them touch each other—Bake for 25 minutes on the top rack.
- Take the tray out of the oven and flip the fries over with a spatula. Bake for another 15 minutes or until crispy. Observe the fries to prevent them from burning to a crisp!
- Repeat the baking process for the rest of the fries. You'll get the best results baking one tray at a time.
Hint: Check your fries often to ensure they don't overbake and burn. If you use two baking trays, be sure to rotate the trays and switch the placement in the oven. The top tray will crisp up much faster than the lower tray.
Let rest before serving
- Take the fries out of the oven and let them rest for five minutes. Transfer them to a serving platter and sprinkle them with black pepper and parsley.
Note: Keep in mind that these aren’t super crispy like traditional regular french fries, but they still are tasty! It's not fair to compare these fries to those that are deep-fried.
How to serve
You can serve these tasty baked sweet potato fries with ketchup or your favorite dipping sauce! Here are a few other ideas:
- Sriracha mayonnaise
- Vegan horseradish garlic aioli
- Chipotle aioli
- Plant-based yogurt mixed with lime juice and cilantro.
Substitutions
This recipe is flexible. Here are substitutions you can make:
- Cornstarch - You can use arrowroot powder instead.
- Seasoning- Any seasoning that appeals to you will work - you can try garam masala, sazón, etc.
- Oil - You can spray with oil instead of tossing with oil. You can use a flavored oil, such as garlic-infused oil, or infuse the oil yourself with garlic. Use enough oil to coat the potatoes.
- Sea salt - You can use kosher salt. I don't recommend table salt because it's highly processed and typically contains additives.
Variations
You can adapt this recipe in so many ways!
- Spicy - Add cayenne pepper.
- Flavoring - You can sprinkle with brown sugar, cinnamon, garlic, cumin, Old Bay seasoning, or a mix!
- Deluxe - Make loaded sweet potato fries by topping with guacamole, chopped red onion, chopped tomato, cilantro, and vegan queso.
- Oil-free - Omit the oil entirely if you wish.
- Different shapes - Try cutting the sweet potato into sweet potato wedges or rounds. You may need to adjust the baking time.
Equipment
I always bake the sweet potato fries on parchment paper on a rimmed baking sheet, it makes for easy cleanup, and there's less likelihood that the crispy fries will stick to the pan.
A sharp chef's knife is critical. Keep your knives sharp for the best results and for safety!
Storage
These baked sweet potato fries do not store well; they will lose their crispy texture. Store any leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
I don't recommend freezing.
Expert tips
- Make sure your oven is hot.
- Always preheat the sheet pan.
- I only bake one sheet at a time and only as many as can loosely fit on the sheet in one layer.
- Get your sweet potato fries as evenly sized as possible.
- Check the fries often, so they don't overbake and burn.
- Once the baked sweet potato fries come out of the oven, let them rest for five minutes on the baking tray and serve immediately. The longer they sit, the more likely they will lose any crispiness.
FAQ
You'll get soggy fries if you cut your fries unevenly and don't bake them long enough and if the fries are touching while they are baking. It's essential to keep the size consistent for the best results and to keep some space between the fries as they are baking.
You might get dry burnt crisps from the too-small cut sweet potatoes because they bake quicker than the larger ones. It's necessary to keep the size consistent for the best results. Also, keep a close eye on the sweet potatoes as they are baking to prevent burning. There is a fine line between crispy and burnt.
No, you don't have to soak them. But it's essential to follow the other instructions and tips, such as cutting the fries evenly and making sure your oven and baking sheet are hot enough.
You can coat the fries with coarsely ground cornmeal (also called polenta here in the USA) to make them crispier. You can also try using the convection oven at 450°F during the last few minutes. However, keep a close watch on the fries and the parchment paper!
Related recipes
If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating ★★★★★ below. I love to see your amazing creations on Instagram, make sure to tag me @resplendentkitchen and #resplendentkitchenrecipes. To get more ideas follow me on Facebook and Pinterest.
Recipe
Easy Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Equipment
- metal spatula
- Medium bowl
- chef's knife
- Scrubbing brush
Ingredients
- 1 large orange sweet potato 1 pound/454 g, keep the skin on
- Cold water for soaking sweet potato for 1 hour
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or grapeseed or avocado oil
- 2 teaspoons organic cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper for garnish
- Parsley finely chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Wash and scrub the sweet potato, then dry. Carefully cut into ¼-inch slices.
- Place the sliced sweet potatoes in a bowl and cover with cold water. Let soak for 30 to 60 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 425°F while sweet potato is soaking.
- Drain the sweet potato slices and rinse with fresh water. Dry thoroughly in a single layer with lint-free kitchen towels.
- Cut parchment paper to fit baking tray. Place empty baking tray in oven.
- Place sweet potatoes slices in a dry bowl and mix thoroughly with olive oil.
- Combine cornstarch, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and sea salt. Toss thoroughly with sweet potatoes.
- Carefully take hot baking tray out of oven and place parchment paper on it, then line up sliced sweet potatoes. Do not crowd them.
- Bake for 25 minutes. Take tray out of oven and flip the fries over with a spatula. Bake for another 15 minutes or until crispy. Watch carefully to prevent burning.
- Take out of oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Transfer to serving platter and sprinkle with black pepper and parsley.
- Repeat the baking process for the rest of the sweet potato with fresh parchment paper.
Notes
- Make sure your oven is HOT.
- Always preheat the baking sheets.
- It is preferable to bake one tray at a time. You will get crispier results by baking on the top rack versus the lower or middle rack. Watch carefully for burning!
Nutrition
Resplendent Kitchen offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site as a courtesy. Although resplendentkitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information from online calculators, these figures are estimates.
Alisa
I can't get enough of these!
Emily
Alisa, thank you for taking the time to leave a review! I'm glad to hear you enjoyed them!
Sara
Enjoyed these with dinner last night and they did not disappoint! Turned out perfectly crispy and flavorful! Delicious!
Emily
Thank you for the review, Sara. I'm glad you enjoyed these with dinner last night! We are happy to hear that they were a hit!
Joyce
These were amazing! I couldn't stop eating them! My husband and I thank you so much for sharing this!
Emily
Thank you so much for your review, Joyce! I am so happy to hear that you and your husband enjoyed the recipe and thank you for taking the time to let me know!
Kris
These came out absolutely perfectly! This will definitely be my go-to from here on out. 🙂
Emily
Thank you so much for the feedback, Kris! I'm glad to hear that this recipe came out perfectly!
Michelle
Such a fool-proof recipe, really enjoyed these healthier sweet potato fries!
Emily
Thank you so much, Michelle, for your 5-star review of this recipe. I'm thrilled to hear that this simplified version has been a success in your kitchen!
Kayla
I am LOVING how easy these baked sweet potato fries were! They were so easy and delicious!
Emily
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review, Kayla! I'm so glad you enjoyed them!
Holly
Excellent recipe! The fries came out perfectly crisp and we loved the addition of smoked paprika.
Emily
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, Holly! I'm glad you enjoyed this recipe and that it came out well!
Jacqui
I love sweet potato fries! This is such a great recipe - thanks so much for sharing.
Emily
Thank you so much for the feedback, Jacqui, I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe!
Natalie
Fanatstic dinner idea. My family loves sweet potatoes. Delish!
Emily
Thanks for taking the time to leave a review, Natalie. I'm so glad you like this recipe and that your family enjoys sweet potatoes!
Anna
Fantastic way to eat guilt free, healthy fries. I love all the spices you added here. Great recipe!
Emily
Anna, thank you so much for your review! I'm glad to know that you enjoyed this recipe!
Anaiah
These sweet potato fries are so perfect! They're super easy to make in the oven and turn out crisp and delicious each time.
Emily
Anaiah, thank you for your review of our sweet potato fries! I'm so glad you enjoyed them and found the recipe easy to make!
Katie
Oh these sweet potato fries are too good! I am in love!
Emily
Hi Katie, thank you for your review! We are so happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe.
Marcellina
I'm using a lot of sweet potatoes at the moment because they are so economical and these were a hit! The seasoning is perfection!
Emily
Thank you for trying out this recipe, Marcellina! I'm so happy to hear that you loved it and the seasoning was perfect!
Natalie
A delicious snack for my toddlers who eat nonstop. And healthy too! Big thumbs up. Thanks!
Emily
Hello Natalie, thank you for the 5-star review! I am so happy to hear that this snack kept your toddlers satisfied. I strive to provide healthy and delicious options that everyone can enjoy. I truly appreciate your feedback and support, and hope to see you again soon!