Sweet Potato Fries Recipe (2024)

By Mark Bittman

Sweet Potato Fries Recipe (1)

Total Time
35 minutes
Rating
5(6,202)
Notes
Read community notes

These addictive seasoned "fries" from Mark Bittman are actually baked, but we promise you won't miss the grease. The spice mix – garlic powder, paprika, salt and black pepper – can be used on regular potatoes as well (you'll just need to increase the baking time a bit).

Featured in: Yes, Healthful Fast Food Is Possible. But Edible?

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

  • 2pounds sweet potatoes, peeled
  • 2tablespoons olive oil
  • 1teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1teaspoon paprika
  • 1teaspoon salt
  • ½teaspoon black pepper

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

173 calories; 5 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 31 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 365 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Sweet Potato Fries Recipe (2)

Preparation

Make the recipe with us

  1. Step

    1

    Heat the oven to 400.

  2. Cut the sweet potatoes into sticks ¼ to ½ inch wide and 3 inches long, and toss them with the oil.

  3. Step

    3

    Mix the spices, salt and pepper in a small bowl, and toss them with the sweet potatoes. Spread them out on 2 rimmed baking sheets.

  4. Step

    4

    Bake until brown and crisp on the bottom, about 15 minutes, then flip and cook until the other side is crisp, about 10 minutes. Serve hot.

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6,202

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Patrick

I find using parchment paper helps with the crisping. And sliding parchment paper onto a pre-heated stone rather than a sheet pan yielded the crispiest (but keep an eye on them, they cooked a bit faster this way). Lastly, thinner cuts = crispier.

Rosemarywc

great seasoning! to make the fries crispier, I heated the baking sheets until a drop OF water bounced on them then tossed the fries on - cooked till crisp then turned. Preheating the sheets really helps the crisping.

Jen

Soaking them in water beforehand to reduce starchiness (a few to several hours is good), slicing them thinly, and lastly, using 1-2 teaspoons of corn starch (use tea towel to dry first, put in ziplock bag with the corn starch and shake, then add oil and seasonings) will increase the crispiness of your sweet potato fries. My two kids can polish off three sweet potatoes by themselves this way!

bluetomatoes

Placement in the oven matters a lot. Those in the pan on the top rack were much crisper than the ones in the middle rack.

Rotating front to back and switching shelves helped a lot.

Stephen Prescott

The ultimate crispy secret,... bake on a rack on top of a baking sheet. And the best part, you don't even have to turn because the heat circulates all around!!!!

Judith Rae

No need to peel the sweet potatoes.

Mary Ellen Cummings

After 3 tries, got it perfect. One pan, preheated in a 425 degree oven. Potatoes cut uniformly; a critical step. Used spice mix. Used parchment. Cooked for 12 minutes, tossed and cooked a further 12 minutes.

Thomas

I'm not sure if it would help with sweet potato fries, but when I make regular oven potato fries the trick to get them crispy is to wash them in a bowl, after cutting, to get some of the starch off and then to thoroughly dry them with paper towels before mixing with oil and seasoning. I only bake one sheet at a time and only as many as can loosely fit on the sheet in one layer.

Mike in Minneapolis

I set the oven at 450 and got some reasonable crispness on the fries. Next time I might either go to 475 or turn on the broiler for the last 1-2 minutes. But 400 is definitely not high enough.

Jon

Absolutely do not listen to the corn startch idea... the fries stuck to the tin foil and ruined them.

Roni Jordan

Found this recipe last night for my son, who wanted to make sweet potato fries that wouldn't get mushy. He made 1/2 batch, with two sweet potatoes that weighed about 1 lb, in our Breville countertop convection oven. He cut the potatoes and tossed them with 1 tbsp EVOO a couple of hours before dinner, tossed with the seasoning mix just before baking, and preheated the baking pan so they'd start to crisp up quickly. Worked like a charm His verdict - delicious!

Kate

Parchment paper helps. No peeling of course. I prefer to season them fresh from the oven. Not only tastes better, but I can toss a few to the dog. Sweet potato is very beneficial to dogs.

Sue C.

Answered my own question with internet search. Sweet potatoes come in several varieties. The darker variety (which I think of as "yams" are not really yams but "jewel" variety sweet potatoes), tend to be more moist (and I think, tastier) than the lighter variety. The variation in success in crispness is likely to be due to the variety of sweet potato, as well as cooking method.

Karen

I made the mistake of trying to cook two pans in the oven for a larger group. They came out soggy and inedible. I will try them again, but only ONE pan this time.

ER

I find using parchment paper helps with the crisping. And sliding parchment paper onto a pre-heated stone rather than a sheet pan yielded the crispiest (but keep an eye on them, they cooked a bit faster this way).
Preheating the sheets really helps the crisping.

Kathy Golden

So sad my fries were not crisp one bit. I followed the directions perfectly.

Disappointing And Soggy

Followed the directions exactly and they were soggy. Yuck

Sophie

These were so good but they weren't crispy enough! I would say they're more like roasted sweet potato than sweet potato fries but the seasoning was amazing.

Mary

This was the best sweet potato recipe ever. I could not stop eating it. Actually, I didn't. I just ate those without the chicken I had prepared. They really need NO sauce - the seasonings were the bomb!!!!

Mel

I find that cubing sweet potatoes is way easier than making fries so I use the seasoning for the fries and use the cooking directions of the smoked paprika recipe

Donaldo

One pan, preheated in a 425 degree oven. Potatoes cut uniformly; a critical step. Used spice mix. Used parchment. Cooked for 12 minutes, tossed and cooked a further 12 minutes.

heather

I did this but did at 450 and added Honey and Rosemary

Dml

Next time will try parchment paper as others suggested. I peeled and cut thick wedges but my fries were very soft and not at all crispy, despite turning oven up to 425 and adding another 10 minutes to cooking time. Disappointing.

Patricia

I've made these several times and am still hunting for a non-mushy solution... However, the spice combo is great and sweet potatoes are great, so all in all this is not a bad recipe. Will keep trying to achieve peak crispiness!

Barbara

This is a keeper, I used convection for the last few minutes which helped to crisp the potatoes.

natasha

Made these with sweet potatoes. Would add more oil I think or try the advice of having a very hot pan before I added the Fries to it.

Mel

I love the spicing of this recipe but the cutting of the fries is a pain.i would use the spicing of these fries but cubing the potatoes like in the roasted sweet potatoes with smoked paprika

oct 2023

Use 1T of seasoning mix for 2 large-ish SPs (full big pan)Cook at 425 instead of 400.Broil for a few minutes at the end to crisp-ify.

Angelina

Does anyone know what was the dipping sauce?

Monica

Flavor was wonderful but didn’t yield crispy fries as written. Broiled each pan after baking for about 6 minutes - tossing halfway - came out great!

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Sweet Potato Fries Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why won't my sweet potato fries get crispy? ›

Arrange your fries in a single layer and don't overcrowd; otherwise they will never crisp up.

What makes sweet potato fries better? ›

Sweet potato fries are slightly higher in calories and carbs but also more nutrient dense than French fries. The greatest nutrient difference is that French fries have no vitamin A, while sweet potato fries are high in this nutrient. Vitamin A is important for your vision and immune system ( 2 ).

What is the secret to good fries? ›

The Double-Fry Method

When it comes to the actual cooking, you want to fry the french fries twice. The first round is at a lower temperature to cook the inside of the potato and the second time you'll use a higher temperature to make the fries golden brown and crispy.

Why do you need to soak sweet potatoes before cooking? ›

Some recipes for homemade sweet potato fries ask you to soak the fries before cooking. The theory is that soaking draws out starch from inside the potatoes, helping them crisp up.

What can I use instead of cornstarch for sweet potato fries? ›

6 Cornstarch Substitutes for All Your Cooking and Baking Needs
  1. Potato Starch. Potato starch is the cornstarch substitute favorite of associate food editor Kendra Vaculin. ...
  2. Rice Flour. ...
  3. All-Purpose Flour. ...
  4. Tapioca Flour. ...
  5. Arrowroot Powder. ...
  6. Xanthan Gum.
Jun 13, 2022

Why are my sweet potato fries always soggy? ›

The secret to crispy (instead of soggy) sweet potato fries is to spread them out in an even layer with enough room so that they don't touch. This is especially important if you're making a big batch of fries. Instead of just piling more onto one baking pan, spread them out over two baking pans or cook them in batches.

What type of sweet potato is best for fries? ›

Hannahs are dense, firm, and creamy, and much less prone to becoming waterlogged than orange sweet potatoes. Their firmness and dense texture makes Hannah sweet potatoes ideal for roasting in chunks, turning into fries, or mashing as a side dish.

What makes sweet potatoes taste good? ›

Why Are Sweet Potatoes Sweet? When you heat a sweet potato, an enzyme starts breaking down it's starch into a sugar called maltose. Maltose is made up of two glucose molecules bound together, and tastes about a third as sweet as regular table sugar, also known as sucrose. Maltose contains no fructose.

What are the tips and tricks of sweet potatoes? ›

Selection and storage tips: Choose firm, small- to medium-sized potatoes with smooth skin. Avoid cracks, soft spots and blemishes. Choose sweet potatoes with a bright, uniform color. Store them in a cool, dark, dry place for use within two to three weeks or at room temperature for up to a week.

Should you peel sweet potatoes for fries? ›

Cut the sweet potatoes into ¼-inch thick french fry shapes. (You do not need to peel the sweet potatoes.) Place cut sweet potatoes in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with the olive oil and toss to coat.

Why do you put fries in water before frying? ›

This step is commonly missed in making homemade fries, but it might be one of the most important! Soaking your fries in cold water helps remove excess starch, which allows for crispy, golden fries! The cold water bath also helps the french fries retain their shape and contributes to a fluffy inside.

How does Mcdonald's make their fries taste so good? ›

When our suppliers partially fry our cut potatoes, they use an oil blend that contains beef flavoring. This ensures the great-tasting and recognizable flavor we all love from our World Famous Fries®. The Fries are cooked in our kitchens, seasoned with salt, and served hot to you.

Why are my sweet potato fries still soft? ›

My guess is you aren't blanching the sweet potato fries before you are frying them. In order to get crispy fries, of any type, you need to cook them twice. You begin by either boiling them in water, or frying them at 325, until they are just cooked through, but not so much that they lose their shape.

Why are my homemade fries never crispy? ›

If they are still not crispy you might have skipped a step or you might not have let them cool down sufficiently. Make sure to cool them in a single even layer and also make sure that the oil has the right temperature. Or maybe you've used the wrong potatoes to make them.

Why do my sweet potato fries turn out soggy in the air fryer? ›

If your air fryer fries are soggy, it is likely because you over-crowded them in the basket. The sweet potatoes steam when crowded together, instead of air frying. For the best, most crispy results, cook the fries in a single layer so that the air has room to circulate.

Why won't my fried potatoes get crispy? ›

This sure sounds a lot like potatoes that have been stored too long, in too cold of an environment before cooking. When potatoes are held below 41°F for too long a period, the starches convert to sugar and it changes the cooking chemistry.

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