Baked Sweet Potato Fries That Everyone Will Beg For

Baked sweet potato fries are honestly a new addition to our cooking repertoire. 

I don’t know how I went through so much of my life without ever cooking these. 

When they suddenly started popping up in restaurants, I couldn’t get enough of them. 

Cooking and serving sweet potato fries always feels like such a treat. 

The best part is that they cook up nicely in the oven. 

The secret to getting the fries to crisp up is ensuring they are not crowded on the baking sheet. 

Overcrowded fries steam instead of crisp.

Do you have to peel sweet potato fries?

You don’t have to peel the sweet potatoes when making sweet potato fries. 

However, the skin of sweet potatoes is often tough, and that will change the texture of the fries. 

Peeled sweet potato fries tend to crisp up better. Experiment with both methods and see which one you prefer. 

However, do be sure to thoroughly wash your potatoes prior to baking.

Recommended Equipment

When it comes to experiences in the kitchen, the right equipment can make all of the difference. 

There are nice-to-have items and must-have items for making sweet potato fries.

A large sharp knife

A sharp knife is a must-have because if the knife isn’t sharp, you will likely feel the need to press down harder when cutting the sweet potato and that increases the risk of your knife slipping.

A stable cutting board

When you are using a cutting board, be sure that it is stable and won’t slip. 

The best advice that I have in this arena is to put your cutting board down on a dry surface.

Also, while I love the idea of a thin plastic cutting board but when cutting something hefty and tough like a sweet potato, consider using a strong thick cutting board that will stay in place.

Keep those thin cutting boards for something like cutting green onions.

A vegetable peeler

Yes, in theory, you can peel a potato with a knife, but that is risky. 

A nice vegetable peeler will get the job done better, quicker, and safer.

Parchment paper

While parchment paper isn’t required in baking sweet potato fries, it does make the process much easier.

Parchment paper will help prevent the fries from sticking to the pan. 

It also makes the clean-up process easier.

Baking sheet

This is a must-have for baking sweet potato fries. 

Consider how many fries you have to bake when picking out a baking sheet. 

When picking out a baking sheet, the larger, the better because you want to space out the fries as much as possible so that they crisp up.

Also, you want to use a baking sheet with sides so that no olive oil or juices spill off the baking sheet and drip onto the bottom of your oven.

Dash Mandoline Slicer

This I believe, is the first time that I have ever directly added a specific item to a tools list, but this tool is amazing.

You can safely and easily turn peeled sweet potatoes into sweet potato fries with this device. 

While this is not a must-have item is it is well worth having. 

I highly recommend this kitchen tool.

How to make sweet potato fries from scratch

Making sweet potato fries from scratch is so simple that you may find it to be one of your favorite side dishes.

1. Peel the sweet potatoes

Before you peel the sweet potatoes be sure to wash them. 

The reason that we recommend washing the sweet potatoes first is that while handling them to peel them, you could inadvertently get any bacteria or dirt on the meat of the potato. 

Even though it is an easy step to skip, just take a moment to scrub and wash the potatoes.

Then you are free to peel the sweet potatoes.

2. Cut the sweet potatoes

Then cut the sweet potato into thin ¼” thick slices in the shape of a french fry. 

I highly recommend that you use the Dash Safe Mandoline to cut your sweet potato into fries but you can also just use a sharp knife and a cutting board. 

Do your best to cut the fries into even shapes and sizes.

Even sizes and shapes will help the fries cook evenly in the oven.

3. Toss the fries in oil and seasoning.

Next, toss the fries with olive oil and seasoning, being sure to only lightly coat the potatoes. 

Even though it does add an additional dirty dish to your cleaning duties, I find it so much easier to toss the fries in a mixing bowl with tongs.

However, you toss the sweet potato fries be sure to coat them evenly.

4. Bake the fries

Finally, spread the potatoes out on a lined baking sheet with plenty of space between them. 

Bake them for 30 minutes in the preheated oven at 400 degrees. 

Be sure to stir them halfway through cooking. 

How to tell when the fries are done?

Two major clues to help you know that sweet potato fries are done is if they have a golden brown color and appear crisp.

Next, pierce one of the fries with a fork, and if it is easy to pierce and feels tender on the inside, it is likely done. 

The last test to know if they are done is to do a taste test. 

Be careful because the sweet potato should be hot. 

When you bite into the sweet potato fry it should be crispy on the outside and tender with a bit of toothiness on the inside. 

Why are my sweet potato fries not crispy?

The two best tips to help avoid soggy sweet potato fries are to cut the fries into thin pieces and to allow space on the baking sheet between each fry.

One of the top reasons that your sweet potato fries may not be crispy is because you didn’t provide each fry with enough space when baking. 

If the fries are overcrowded or too close to one another they will not crisp up and instead will steam. 

Another reason that the fries may not crisp up is that they were cut too thick. 

The fries need to be thinly cut to bake crispy.

A few tips:

Slice the fries as thin as possible. The thinner they are, the crispier that they will be.

Turning the fries during the baking process also helps them cook evenly and crisp up. In the recipe, we only say that you “must” flip them once but I will often do it twice when I am cooking them.

Be creative with your seasonings. The recipe that we use is very simple and savory, but you can sweeten them up by adding cinnamon or allspice even. 

Consider adding garlic to the mix too. The options are endless but do be careful not to mix too many flavors at once. 

Use two pans if needed. It can be tempting to try and squeeze all of the sweet potato fries into one pan but that extra space between each fry really makes all of the difference.

More Sweet Potato Recipes

• How to Cook Sweet Potatoes in Air Fryer
• Savory Mashed Sweet Potatoes Recipe
• How to Saute Sweet Potatoes
• Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries
• How to Cook a Sweet Potato in the Microwave