oven-roasted sweet potato fries
March 7th, 2011
It’s the rare occasion when I crave fries. Granted, I will enjoy them whenever they are served with a meal, but usually they’re just “ok”.
However…sweet potato fries are a totally different story.
Oh my goodness. I’ll take a sweet + salty + savory combination anyday. But when you add in the flavors of the wonderful spices, plus the oh-so-slight crisp around the edges, plus that deep, round sweet potato taste, I’m in heaven. Absolutely love sweet potato fries! And much more — I love roasting them in the oven at home. It’s super-simple, and so much healthier than actually frying the “fries”. :)
So if you’ve never made these at home, you should totally give it a try! All it takes for a large batch is two sweet potatoes, and a few teaspoons of your favorite seasonings. (Probably one of the most inexpensive sides you can make!) Definitely a recipe everyone will enjoy!
Sweet Potato Fries Recipe
Ingredients:
- 2 medium-sized sweet potatoes, rinsed and dried
- 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- 2 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1 tsp. coarse salt
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. freshly-cracked black pepper
- 1/2 tsp. cumin
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne (optional)
Method:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Carefully cut the potatoes into 1/4″ thin strips, or to your desired thickness and length. Then place in a large bowl, and toss with the remaining ingredients (oil and spices) until potatoes are evenly coated.
Then spread out the potatoes evenly on a baking sheet prepared with parchment paper or silicone baking sheet. (Try not to overcrowd the sheet, or have multiple layers of fries — you want them to be roasted, not steamed.)
Place in oven and cook for 20-25 minutes, turning the fries once or twice during that time to cook evenly. (May take more or less time, depending on the size and thickness you cut the fries.) Remove once the edges slightly begin to brown and fries begin to crisp.
Ali’s Tip:
I’m pretty sure I’ve never seasoned these the same way twice. You can literally substitute in just about any of your favorite seasonings, or grated parmesan, or other fun oils. Experiment away!
one of my favorite dinner sides of all time!
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I have tried making a similar recipe but I can never get them crispy and honestly they are not so tasty when they are droopy. Any sure-fire hints for me?
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ali Reply:
March 8th, 2011 at 12:02 pm
Hey Jane!
My biggest tip is to cut them thin and have the oven heat up high so that they do get a little crispy around the edges. I’ve also read about other tips on flash-boiling the fries before baking them, but it always sounds like too much work. Mine were nice and crispy on the oustide (and cooked but not soggy in the middle) this time. I agree — droopy fries are no fun!
Good luck!
~A
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I LOVE sweet potato fries. I need a better knife though because I typically give up on making them thin, and end up with sweet potato disks. :)
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I love sweet potato fries, and I usually try to order them when they’re on the menu. Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen too often, but I always figured they couldn’t be too hard to make. This looks like a great recipe. Thanks for sharing it with us! I can’t wait to try it out.
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Yum! I always have bad luck when I make my own sweet potato fries, so usually I just buy the Alexia frozen ones. Mine always turn out kind of soft and soggy. But maybe I’ll get brave enough to try again after this post. These look so delicious!
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I love sweet potato fries too, but I always have to roast them along with some regular potatoes. I keep hoping my kids will love the two colors and dig in, but they just don’t get on board with me. When the fries didn’t work, I started making mashed potatoes with half of each potato. Works a little bit, but they don’t like the color. Grrr! I think your fries look delish!
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These look great! Sweet potato fries are one of my favorite “comfort” foods… I make them a lot on the weekends. Yours look fantastic.
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I LOVE sweet potatoes, but seem to have trouble making perfectly crisp fries at home. These look awesome!
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Wow, that photo makes me so hungry. I will make these this weekend. My kids will love them. But I’m not such a great experimenter. Can you give a couple other specific ideas for seasonings? Thanks!
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ali Reply:
March 14th, 2011 at 9:58 pm
Hi Suzanne,
Thanks for the question! Really — just about anything works on fries. If you have any pre-mixed seasoning blends (I have a few favorites from some of our local spice merchants in town), those are always great for saving a step. But otherwise, any kinds of latin combinations (chili powder, cumin, chipotle powder, oregano, etc.), Italian blends (oregano, thyme, rosemary, basil, etc.), or smoky combinations (smoked paprika, etc.) are good places to begin. Then it’s fun to tweak and experiment from there. Best of luck!!
~A
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Those sweet potato fries look nice and crispy and good!
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Hi Alison! I showed this recipe to my hubby a few days ago then forgot about it and he surprised me by making them while I was napping today–yay!! They were delicious!! Hope you’re well!
-Mira
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These are great. I’ll try your spice mix as it’s a little different than mine. My only tip is to put the fries (or roasted potatoes) on a cooling rack over you parchment-lined sheet pan. This allows the hot air to circulate underneath and eliminates the need to turn them.
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ali Reply:
March 20th, 2011 at 10:10 pm
Oooh – great tip, Brad! Thanks a bunch!
~A
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Your beautiful photograph makes those fries look so crunchy and good. I want some right now!
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Addicted to sweet potato fries!!
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I searched ‘sweet potato fries’ on pinterest tonight and found your recipe. We made these for supper and they were amazing! Thanks for a great recipe!
Oh, and we also tried the reader’s comment below about using cookie racks to avoid flipping – it worked out wonderfully!
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In New Zealand we call this vegetable Kumara and a myth says they were given by the gods. I’m about to try your recipe and I’m sure that myth will come true :)
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Can’t wait to try these! I make white potatoes like this all the time , but cut them in cubes. They are really good and so much better for you! I never fry “fries” anymore.
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Saw ‘em! Tried ‘em! Loved ‘em!! I used some Tony Chachere’s on them. Yummy. Thanks for sharing!
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Yum! One of my favorite restaurants serves sweet potato fries sprinkled with curry powder, and they’re scrumptious.
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I am making these as we speak! I didnt cut them all the same size, but they are all thin so hopefully they will cook pretty decent! I used salt, pepper, a little bit of garlic and a pinch of sugar. I’m making a sweet sauce to dip them in as well, sour creme, brown sugar and crushed pineapple. Cant wait!
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Hi! I make these all the time, and serve them with Honey Mustard dressing..I don’t measure this stuff out but go by taste=dijon mustard, honey, mayo and a little sour cream to give it a little rich taste. These are the best, thanks for the great post!
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I would serve these with a cilantro lime sauce. It would compliment them well.
Food Network’s Cilantro-Lime Sour Cream:
1 cup sour cream
1 lime, juiced
1 teaspoon finely minced fresh cilantro leaves
In a mixing bowl, whisk all ingredients vigorously until light and creamy.
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