The Trick to Crispy Sweet Potato Fries

Everyone loves a good sweet potato fry! But how do you make them crispy while baking them in the oven? This article teaches you how to make the perfect crispy sweet potato fries without having to deep-fry them! Baked sweet potato fries have never tasted this good.

*This post was originally written in April 2013. It has since been updated with new pictures and updated instructions.

Clearly I am a potato diva. If the amount of work I put in to making the perfect roasted potatoes is any indication, I will do just about anything to get my baked sweet potato fries just right. There is an art to sweet potato fries. They must be crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside and just a little bit burnt at the tips. But getting the texture and flavor exactly how I like it without a deep fryer is definitely a challenge. After several attempts I finally had success. I finally pulled off baked sweet potato fries that meet all of my criteria!

Note that most of what leads to crispy sweet potato fries is in the process, and not the ingredients (necessarily). We did find that adding a starch to the fries helped with crispiness but we’ll get into the basics of all of that below. So read on for my perfect crispy sweet potato fries…

SIMILAR: Sweet Potato Noodle Pad Thai

HOW TO MAKE CRISPY SWEET POTATO FRIES

Here are our best tips for making crispy sweet potato fries in the oven:

1. Size matters – Your fries should be cut no larger than a 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch. The thinner they are the crispier the end product will be. A few thicker ones will likely happen and you’ll notice that they’re definitely less crispy than their thinner counterparts. But there’s more to this process. Read on to learn how to make the perfect crispy sweet potato fries…

2. To soak or not to soak?-  Some people say to soak the fries in cold water to remove the starch. Jess and I tested both methods and found there was no benefit to soaking the fries – so yay! One less step.

3. Bring on the starch-  There is one strange thing that you will notice in the ingredient list, arrowroot starch. Now this may seem odd to you but in our testing it turns out that a layer of arrowroot starch on the outside of the fries can actually draw the moisture from the potatoes so that the surface is even drier. The drier the potato, the crispier it will be after baking.

3. DO NOT overcrowd the baking sheet- The last and most important step! If the sweet potatoes are too close together on the baking sheet they will steam each other rather than getting crispy. No soggy fries for me.

The spices that I used are entirely optional. I like my sweet potatoes spicy with a bit of sweet, but feel free to adjust to your liking or just omit if you prefer them with just salt. Either way you will definitely be pleased to finally be able to enjoy some crispy baked sweet potato fries without any deep frying!

Crispy Sweet Potato Fries

Everyone loves a good sweet potato fry! But how do you make them crispy while baking them in the oven? This recipe will teach you the ultimate sweet potato fries tricks and  how to make the perfect crispy sweet potato fries without having to deep-fry them!

• Author: Davida @ The Healthy Maven
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 2 large sweet potatoes
• 2–3 tsp arrowroot starch (can use tapioca or cornstarch too)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

Optional spices:

• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (or less if you don’t like spicy)
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

1. Cut sweet potatoes into fry-like strips a 1/2 inch by a 1/2 inch thick.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
3. Place sweet potatoes in a ziploc bag (ideally) or a bowl an shake bag to coat with arrowroot starch.
4. Top with olive until until fries are well coated.
5. Coat with spices if using.
6. Place fries on parchment or silicone lined backing sheet – do not overcrowd! You may need to bake in two rounds.
7. Bake for 15 mins on each side – flipping in between. Watch to make sure they do not burn.
8. Serve immediately.

Like this recipe? Here are a few others you might enjoy:

The Ultimate Roasted Potatoes
How to Make Crispy Baked French Fries
Loaded Guacamole Sweet Potato Fries