I think I’ve mentioned it before but that won’t stop me from saying it again, I love fries. Love em’!
What’s not to love? Seriously, you tell me because I can’t think of one thing.
I also love sweet potatoes (what can I say, I just love food) so needless to say, these fries really do it for me; they’re the best of both worlds.
This recipe could not be any easier… basically all you have to do is cut your sweet potato into strips, season them and pop them in the oven for about 20 minutes. I love how the heat from the cumin partners with the sweetness of potatoes… SO GOOD!
I must warn you though, although these fries are delicious, they don’t get very crispy or crunchy. They’re firm, but not super crispy.
I am playing with a few ideas to see if I can come up with a way to make them crunchier. I tried dipping them in egg first, but then they tasted like mini potato omletes. The egg flavor was too strong. I’m gonna try egg whites next… I think that may do the job.
(I can’t lie, taste testing sweet potato fries is a pretty fun job, so I don’t mind experimenting one bit;)).
Do you guys have any secrets behind crispy sweet potato fries?? If so, I’d love to hear about them… maybe together we can come up with the world’s most delicious baked sweet potato fries!!
UPDATE: My conclusion – I prefer the wired rack over dipping my fries in egg whites. It’s quick and simple and while still not super crispy, they are the perfect clean and delish weeknight fry!
Ingredients
- *Sometimes I pop these under the broiler right at the end just to get them a little extra brown but you could easily skip this step and still have yummy fries!
- 1 sweet potato1 tsp of olive oil OR cooking spray1 teaspoon of ground cuminSalt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425.
- Cut the sweet potato into "fry-like" strips and pop them into a large bowl.
- Drizzle with one teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil OR spray them with some cooking spray. You just need enough to lightly coat the "fries".
- Season with salt and cumin (in the video I use salt and pepper) and then lay them out on your wired baking sheet (demonstrated in the video).
- Bake for 20 minutes or until browned. Enjoy!
- Serves 1. (okay maybe two, but not if you like fries as much as I do)
Laurie says
I’m a TA in a high school autistic class. Two students (one in one class and one in the other) are on gluten free diets. I am excited about giving their moms your web site. One is really into food (sells cooking stuff for a chef:)), and the other is a nurse. I think both will enjoy your blog.
The latkes I made last night were great; sweet potato fries are a new favorite!
Thanks
Katie says
I’m struggled with the same issue many times! My best advice is the smaller and thinner, the better. A skinny fry = a crispier fry.
Kevin says
Those sweet potato fries look really good! I like the sound of using cumin with the sweetness of the potatoes.
Dani says
Laurie – Thanks for passing my site along. I think sticking to whole, nutritious foods is a huge benefit to any diet.
Katie – Good advice…thanks:)!
Kevin – It’s a yummy combination!
Psychgrad says
Just tried this recipe today. It was good! I’ll post pictures of the dinner on my blog within the next couple of days. Thanks.
Dani Spies says
Psychgrad – Great, can’t wait to check out your site:)
gizmar says
If you dip the sweet potato fries in egg whites before baking, they’ll be crispier.
Dani Spies says
Gizmar – That’s what I am gonna do next time…I’ll let you guys know how they turn out!
Tartelette says
I also dip mine in egg whites and sprinkle some chili powder on top.Works great! Thanks for reminding me it’s been too long since I have had some!
Jason says
I get my sweet potato fries crisp up much better in the convection oven. There’s something in that circulating heat that does the trick. I also spray them with a fine coating of olive oil and sprinkle cayenne pepper on the fries.
Dani Spies says
Tartlette – I am definitely gonna try the egg white trick…thanks!!
Jason – The convection…huh? I never thought of that!
Kindra says
A great dip for sweet potato fries is to make a curry mayo. Just mix some curry powder in with your mayo (or a low fat substitute to save some calories)…it’s so good! It’s a great combo for the sweet potato.
jade says
instead of cutting the sweet potato into strips, I slice it into round thin pancake shape, about half centemeter thick. Then I bake them for 10 minutes and add honey between two slices to make a honey sandwich out of sweet potatoes.
Dani says
Jade – OMG… a sweet potato and honey sandwich?? That sounds insane…YUM!! Thanks for the idea:)
Maggie says
I am excited to try these today. I found another recipe here
https://greenlitebites.com/2007/11/27/curried-sweet-potato-fries/
that calls for a longer cooking time. Perhaps that will help them crisp up. Longer time, hot oven, thin fries = crispy crispy crispy!
Dani says
Maggie – Thanks for the link… I’ll give it a try:)
Kaysha says
Hi there. First visit to your site, and I have to say that I love it! Not much of a cook now that I have kids. Odd, when I was single, I loved to cook. Now, I am just sick of watching my 3 girls and husband pick everything apart. I think with the simple and healthy nature of your dishes, I may actually enjoy cooking for my picky family and they may actually stop being picky.
I was prompted to write because I think I may have an idea for crispier sweet potato fries, keep in mind that I am online looking for ways to improve my cooking though! LOL! I have been checking out tons of recipes, seems like when they want something crispier or crunchier they tell you to turn off the oven and then let the item sit in the oven until the oven cools. Don’t know how great it would work on sweet potatoes, but I hope it gives you a fruitful idea.
Thanks for turning me back on to simple, healthy cooking!
Dani says
Kaysha – Thanks for the tips!! I will definitely give it a try b/c I LOVE sweet potato fries:)!!
Sandi Garth says
Thanks for the Baked Sweet Potato Fries recipe. I intend to use it for our Thanksgiving meal instead of creamed potatoes.
lori says
Crinkle the tinfoil before cooking lets the heat circulate around the fries.