These sweet potato fries will change your life. I’m serious! They are salty-sweet, crunchy, and spicy if you wish. Baked sweet potato fries have been one of my favorite snacks since I first shared the recipe eight years ago.
These crispy fries beat their fast-food fried Russet cousins in simplicity and ease. They require fewer cooking steps because they’re baked rather than fried.
Over the years, I’ve learned a few tricks to make my sweet potato fries even more crispy. Crispy fries or bust!
You’ll learn all of them as you make the recipe, but I’m sharing my top tips in more detail below. Are you hungry for sweet potato fries yet?
How to Make the Best Sweet Potato Fries
I’ve tried baked sweet potato fries every which way, and these elements really do make a big difference in the crispy factor:
1) Slice your fries thinly.
You want your fries to be about 1/4″ wide, or close to it. Thick fries never get crispy.
Here’s how to slice a sweet potato into fries: Rest your sweet potato on its side on a sturdy cutting board. Working lengthwise, slice off a 1/4″ thick slab from one of the sides. Turn the sweet potato onto the flat side so it’s more stable. It gets easier from there!
Continue cutting the sweet potato into slabs, and then cut the slabs into thin fries. As you’re cutting the slabs, you’ll eventually want to turn the sweet potato onto the now-larger flat side to maintain stability.
2) Toss your sliced fries in cornstarch before oil.
Cornstarch really helps to get the outsides crisp! It’s a little trick I learned from a commenter named Jeni (thanks Jeni). I’ve played around with various amounts of cornstarch and olive oil and found the perfect ratio.
I’ve experimented with arrowroot starch as well, and it produced fries that were somewhat less crisp, but it’s worth using if that’s what you have.
3) Divide your fries between two pans and arrange them in even layers.
Overcrowded fries steam each other and never get crispy! You can fit one pound of fries per pan.
Be sure that each fry lies flush against the pan, not piled on top of other fries. The fries develop crisp edges when they’re resting on a hot surface.
4) Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Any lower, and your fries will be soggy. Any higher, and the oil will start smoking. Plus, at higher temps your fries will turn from crisp to burnt way too fast.
Halfway through cooking, you’ll flip the fries with a spatula and swap the pan positions (from lower to upper rack and vice versa). This helps ensure that they bake evenly, turning perfectly golden on the outside and cooking through on the inside.
5) Season last, if desired.
Add salt before baking the fries, but wait to add any spices until after baking. Otherwise, the spices will burn and lose their flavor. I love to balance the sweetness of the fries with a little cayenne pepper and garlic powder, and lots of freshly ground black pepper.
Another benefit of seasoning last? You can add spices to taste, so you won’t overdo it.
The Great Soaking Debate
I wondered if sweet potato fries would benefit from a soak in water like my crispy potato wedges do. Those wedges are made with Russet potatoes, and soaking them for 10 minutes in hot water helps release some of the starch in the potatoes and lets them absorb moisture, which leads to ultra-crisp outsides and moist interiors.
So, I tried soaking batches of fries in hot water, and batches in cold water, and baking them with and without cornstarch. You know what? It wasn’t worth the effort. Hot water actually seemed to inhibit crispiness. When I compared a batch of cold water and cornstarch fries with un-soaked cornstarch fries, the un-soaked actually fared better.
I hate extra steps as much as you do, so I’m pleased to report that you do not need to soak your sweet potato fries for great results!
Sweet Potatoes are Nutritious
Unlike regular deep-fried French fries, these baked sweet potato fries have a lot of redeeming nutrition properties. Standard orange sweet potatoes provide an excellent source of beta-carotene, which your body turns into vitamin A.
Sweet potatoes are also full of antioxidants and fiber, and have some beneficial blood sugar-regulating properties. Plus, they’re a very good source of vitamin C, manganese, copper, pantothenic acid and vitamin B6 (source). Winning!
Serving Suggestions
- These sweet potato fries would be awesome with my sweet potato veggie burgers (if you have a copy of my cookbook, Love Real Food, check out the updated version on page 177).
- I bet they would be nice with black bean soup or pinto posole.
- I’m happy eating them with just about anything, but they’d be especially fun with Mexican food, like tacos and quesadillas.
Recommended Equipment
You’re going to need some basic equipment to make these fries. Chances are, you already have everything you’ll need! These links are affiliate links.
- Sharp chef’s knife: Essential for safely slicing the fries into thin shapes.
- Vegetable peeler: Optional. I always peel my sweet potatoes, but you can leave the skin on if you prefer. Just give your sweet potatoes a good scrub and pat them dry before slicing.
- Half-sheet pans: These are large enough to accommodate 1 pound of fries each, and they have rims around the edges so no fries fall off. Half-sheet pans are the professional standard—all legit chefs and recipe writers use these when they create recipes, so if your baked recipes don’t turn out right, it might be your pan!
- Parchment paper: I recommend lining your pans with parchment paper so the fries don’t get stuck to the pan (there go your crispy edges).
Watch How to Make Sweet Potato Fries
Please let me know how these sweet potato fries turn out for you in the comments! I’m obsessed with them and hope you are, too.
Craving more crispy and salt snacks? You do not want to miss my ultra crispy baked potato wedges!
Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries
- Author:
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 35 mins
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Side dish, snack
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Learn how to make crispy, oven baked sweet potato fries! Tossed with olive oil and sea salt, sweet potato fries are an easy and healthy homemade snack or side dish. Recipe yields 4 side servings.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds sweet potatoes (about 2 medium-large or 3 medium)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Optional spices: freshly ground black pepper, cayenne pepper and/or garlic powder
Instructions
-
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit with racks in the lower and upper thirds of the oven (make sure the top rack is about 6″ from the heat source and no closer). Line two large, rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper so the fries don’t get stuck to the pans.
-
Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into fry-shaped pieces about ¼″ wide and ¼″ thick. Try to cut them into similarly sized pieces so the fries will bake evenly. Transfer half of the uncooked fries to one baking sheet, and the other half to the other baking sheet.
-
Sprinkle the sweet potato fries with the cornstarch (use 1 ½ teaspoons per pan) and salt (¼ teaspoon per pan). Toss until the fries are lightly coated in powder. Drizzle the olive oil over the fries (1 tablespoon per pan) and toss until the fries are lightly and evenly coated in oil, and no powdery spots remain (use your fingers to rub visible cornstarch into the fries as necessary).
-
Arrange your fries in a single layer and don’t overcrowd; otherwise they will never crisp up. Bake for 20 minutes, then flip the fries so they can cook on all sides. (The easiest way to flip them is with a metal spatula. Section by section, scoop up about ten fries and flip them with a quick turn of the wrist.)
-
Arrange the fries in even layers across the pans again, moving any particularly browned fries more toward the middle of the pan so they don’t get overcooked. Return the pans to the oven, swapping their positions (former top pan goes to the lower rack and vice versa).
-
Bake for 10 to 18 more minutes, or until the fries are crispy. You’ll know they’re almost done when the surface of the fries change from shiny orange to a more matte, puffed up texture. Keep an eye on them, as they can turn from crisp to burnt quickly. Sometimes the lower pan will be done a few minutes before the top pan. Don’t worry if the edges are a little bit brown; they will taste more caramelized than burnt.
-
If desired, toss the baked fries with seasonings, to taste. I like to use lots of freshly ground black pepper, and a scant ¼ teaspoon each cayenne pepper and garlic powder. Serve warm!
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Lisa
This sweet potato fries recipe was a huge disaster for me. They were a clumpy mess.
★
Kate
I’m sorry to hear that, Lisa! Did you rub the starch into the fries?
Jess
I had the same issue. I added the amount of olive oil that the recipe stated but they all still stuck to the pan and when I tried to get them off they were mushy. So sad :(
★★★
Kate
Hi Jess, I’m sorry to hear that. Did you use parchment paper?
maili
j used 1.5 tblsp instead n it worked for me
Not pleased
No idea what I did incorrectly , thought I followed the the recipe perfectly but after almost 1/2 hour I got limp dry fries…
Kate
Oh no! I’m sorry to hear that. How thick did you cut them and did you have them too close to a heat source?
KENNETH
These were the crispiest sweet potato fries I have ever made. Thank you very much for the recipe — it’s a keeper
Monique
I made these and was BBQ’ing at the same time so didn’t check on the fries until the half-way point. I used my upper oven and when I went to flip the fries, they were already burned. The few that were edible were very tasty so I will try this again and use my lower, and much larger oven. I think the small upper oven browned everything too quickly. Thanks for the tips. I’m sure it will work out much better next time.
★★★★
Joseph DePergola
I followed your instructions and made these minor additions:
1 I added / whisked in 1 tablespoon brown sugar and 1 teaspoon salt to the Cornstarch before adding and coating the Sliced Sweet Potatoes
2, I added 1 tablespoon of Maple Syrup to the Olive Oil before added it to the Cornstarch coated sweet potatoes
The result was delicious
★★★★★
Vanessa
I love this recipe so much. First time in my life successfully making crunchy sweet potato fries in the oven. Thank you so much!!! The detail and precision really helped. I truly appreciate this recipe. Thank you :)
★★★★★
Mark
Like many others, I’m afraid just a mushy mess of fries for me, very disappointing.
★
Kate
Hi, I’m sorry to hear that. Are you sure you cut them small enough and that they weren’t overcrowded in the pan?
Charlene
Made these last night and they were delish First time visitor to you site and now a subscriber. Thanks for the great tips.
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Charlene! Thank you for your review.
NB
The fries turned out limp/soft for me… I followed the recipe so not sure what happened.
★★
Kate
Hi! I’m sorry to hear that. How thick did you cut them? Did you place the oven racks as stated?
Rodrigo
I ended up using a lot of cornstarch after not being able to find the recommended amount with all the pop ups, and just tossed them around an arbitrary amount.
They came out a messy mush, but at least the mush tasted good.
Erika
I don’t usually leave reviews for recipes but after reading so many disappointed reviewsI felt it necessary to do so for this recipe. This is an excellent baked sweet potato fries recipe. I think some inexperienced cooks may not realize the importance of following this recipe EXACTLY! If you do exactly as written you will have success! This recipe is an example of the importance of quality tools. You must use quality baking sheets and half sheets are a must for this recipe. It’s important not to crowd the fries on the pan. Also, you must use parchment paper. If you don’t have parchment paper, don’t try to make these! I have a quality convection oven and so I reduced my temperature to 400 degrees as I always reduce by 25 degrees when I use the convection. Mine were excellent and I will make them again because it is the easiest method I’ve found for making crispy sweet potato fries. Another word of advice is not to expect baked fries to be just like ones fried in hot oil. Thank you for creating and sharing this recipe. Well done!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Erika! I’m delighted this turned out so well for you. Yes, it is important to follow the recipe exactly to guarantee results. I appreciate you trying it and for your detailed comment!
Piya
Did follow the recipe exactly but they turned out the worst. Just baking with some sea salt and olive oil works much better than this.Maybe it works for you cos looks like you are more experienced but not for me atleast
★
Kate
I’m sorry you didn’t like this one, Piya.
Margaret Arroyo
Thank you Erika. I want to experiment with my smaller Cuisinart convection/fryer oven. I tried today and I now see the temp of 380F wasn’t high enough (diff recipe), will try the cornstarch, used the basket instead of tray with parchment paper, and need to go much much thinner. Also may try olive oil spray for a lighter touch. Well… we’ll see. Thanks Erika and Kate and others.
Taylor
I followed instructions and checked on my fries after 15min and they were all burnt on the side they were laying on. So disappointed! Confused at what happened. :(
Kate
Hi! I’m sorry to hear that. How did you place your oven racks? Does your oven tend to run hot?
Sarah
The recipe worked well. Crispy sweet potato fries at last – something I’ve been trying to get right for a while with no success. Thanks for sharing the recipe. :)
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Sarah! I appreciate your review.
Katie
What sauce do you recommend for this recipe? Is it barbeque sauce in the video?
★★★★★
Kate
Hi! Whatever sauce you love with your fries. This is ketchup, or mayo would be delicious too. Or try my Cheater’s Aioli too!
Gwenn
I love these fries with a honey mustard sauce. I don’t have a recipe, but mix a couple of T honey with Half cup mayo, then add Dijon mustard to taste. You could also add a pinch of cayenne pepper.
★★★★★
Stephanie
What is the dipping sauce you have in the picture?
Kate
Hi! Just ketchup :)
April Benoit
I made these today and they never got crispy. I followed all the steps, baked 20 min, flipped them and switched places in the oven. I baked for 10 more min and had to remove them because they were starting to burn. Even then, they weren’t crispy, just charred :-(
★
Kate
Hi April, I’m sorry to hear that. How did you place your oven racks?
Ellen BridgesSmith
The directions indicate preheating oven @425. Is this convection oven temp. Or normal oven temp?
Kate
Hi! Standard oven. I hope that helps.
Rayyy
How long do you bake them for?
Kate
Hi Rayy! See step 4 & 6.
Jennifer
Yes, they were crispy – because they all burned after 20 mins! I followed the recipe exactly (except the final 10 minutes) and my oven does not run hot. I will try again at a lower temp and less time. And maybe a fatter fry.
Kate
Hi Jennifer! I’m sorry to hear that. What type of oven to do you have? Where were your oven racks placed?
Linda Greene
I can’t say this will be a repeat, even though I cut them 1/4” and spaced them apart and baked at 425 convection, they were mostly limp. I couldn’t leave them in any longer as the ends were beginning to burn. Even limp sweet potatoes are better than no sweet potatoes at all however. We ate every one.
★★
Kate
Hi Linda, I’m sorry this didn’t turn out for you. It may be the convection oven as this was with a non fan oven.
Allison
I was looking for a good sweet potato recipe for the oven, since my air fryer was busy with the main dish. I followed all the directions to a T and these still turned out awful! Nearly all were already burning, and weren’t crispy, but soggy. When I tasted them they were so starchy and just not edible. A huge disappointment!
★
Kate
Hi! Did you use parchment paper? Do you have a conventional or convection oven? If convection you will get a soggy result. Let me know as I would love for you to enjoy them!
Big Barry
Loved it! Recipe worked perfectly – we were careful not to put the indivudual fries too close together so they could cook properly. I had heard that preheating the trays and parchment paper in the oven as it preheat helps with crispness so we did that too. Great recipe – thank you!
★★★★★
Maria Pilar
Hi! Can you sustitute the cornstarch for potato starch or Tapioca starch.
Kate
Hi! This works best as written, sorry to disappoint!
Jarrett
Same as most of the others, complete disaster. I used parchment paper, correct temp, starch and they just burned. A charred, limp, inedible mess. I had to throw it all away and scramble to make a new side for my large party. Not upset at the recipe creator, just warning others to have a back up ready.
★
Kate
Hi Jarrett, I’m sorry you had issues with these. I have made these several times. Are you using a convection or conventional oven?
Monica
I followed the directions exactly and these fries were fantastic! I was very careful to cut the fries 1/4 inch wide by 1/4 inch thick and per your directions I was sure to use parchment paper on the pans. They came out perfectly. I didn’t even have to add any seasoning after they were baked. Just the bit of salt prior to baking was perfect. Thank you for a fantastic recipe.
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Monica! I’m happy you enjoyed it.
Saranya Sivakumar
Would rice flour work instead of corn starch?
Kate
Unfortunately this one works best as listed. Sorry!
Rachel
This recipe completely failed. I followed it to a T. I should have listened to my gut and not toss everything on the pan. All the fries were stuck to the parchment and burnt from all the oil left on the pan from tossing. Thumbs down
Kate
Hi Rachel, I’m sorry to hear that. Did you cut them too small? If not cut right correctly.
John
Followed the recipe to a T. It worked out wonderfully!Thank you so much for sharing the corn starch tip
★★★★★
Kate
Hooray! I’m delighted you loved it, John.
Clare
I must have done something wrong. Too much corn starch. They were awful. I was so disappointed
Tricia
Crisper than other attempts at baked fries, but still not very crisp and I could taste the cornstarch–not pleasant. I made sure none was visible before putting them in the oven. Maybe mixing the cornstarch into the olive oil before drizzling would help? I may test a half batch.
★★★
Kate
I’m sorry you didn’t love these. I have been baking them for years without an issue.
TheBusyCooksKitchen
I saw an episode of America’s Test Kitchen last weekend that showed cornstarch mixed with water, then microwaved briefly, making it into a pudding-like paste, before adding it to the fries. Now, this was for regular oven fries, not sweet potatoes, but I bet it would work the same. I’m sorry I don’t recall the particulars, but I’m sure you could look it up. They said this would get the fries crispy while avoiding any powdery-ness on the finished product.
Meanwhile, I definitely plan to try this recipe, as is, to see how it works for me.
Laurie
These turned out fabulous. Light, crispy and flavorful. The family fought over them, they were that good. It made me feel bad for all the sorry frozen/deep fried sweet potato fries I’ve served in commercial and home kitchens. So much better!
Pointers:
-Verify your oven temp with a quality probe thermometer and leave the probe inside the oven for entire cooking time. I use a probe with an alarm when the oven strays from correct temp. Adjust temperature as necessary. Recognize your oven likely has hot and cold spots. Follow the rack placement instructions carefully. Change tray position and back to front as well. I’ve ruined too many recipes with inaccurate ovens. And no convection – they’ll go right from soggy to burn.
-give each fry a little love with the cornstarch and olive oil steps to make sure each is coated evenly. This wasn’t a quick stir for me but a gentle little rub down with individualized attention. I used an olive oil sprayer because I’m not a good “drizzler.” It took some time, but these absolutely won’t work if they are not neatly placed with no overlap whatsoever. Arrange in neat rows (OCD tendencies come in handy here) to be able to turn them and bake each one evenly on both sides.
-Tools are everything. Sharp knife, ruler if you forget exactly what 1/4” thick looks like, good quality parchment paper that won’t burst into flames at 450 (make sure it’s marked as OK for high heat), thin metal spatula for turning, and decent half sheet pans – not the ones the kids have been burning nuggets on for the last five years. (I’ve been known to hide mine in the basement.)
In short, these take a little more time and attention than other baked veggie recipes, but you’ll be richly rewarded. If it’s too much trouble, there’s always the freezer aisle : P
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for your tips and what worked well for you!
Kat
I loved the sweet potato fries! I added the garlic and cayenne at the end too. Thanks for the recipe!!
★★★★★
kiera
completely failed, thought the parchment paper was supposed to stop them sticking but they stuck to that anyway.. ended up with dry mashed potatoes. very disappointed
★
Kate
Hi, I’m sorry to hear that. Are you sure they were evenly coated?
Chris M Sargent
Hello i dont see where you cook them for how long. When you say bake at 425 This is my firs time making fries.
Kate
Hi! Steps 4 & six give you the times.
joan thurston
Mine turned out just plain soggy and i don’t know why
Kate
Hi! I’m sorry to hear that, Joan. Did you get everything evenly coated? What type of oven to you have – convection or conection?
Alison
Very delicious. I hadn’t really thought about how to cut a potato so it looks like fries and it is quite simple. Thank you for this recipe. I just read a few other comments and wanted to mention that I used a bowl to toss the sweet potatoes with the cornstarch and then with the olive oil rather than tossing directly on the pan.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for reporting back, Allison! I’m glad you liked them.
Steve Wright
I tried this and they turned out great. Curious though, aren’t those yams pictured here?
Kate
Hi! They are sweet potatoes :)
Linda Brown
Thank you for this awesome recipe ! My husband loves sweet potato fries so I made them for Valentine’s Day. He didn’t believe that I made them ! He was so happy and excited so thanks to you for making his day.
Marion Napier
Made these for supper. Best sweet potato fries I have made. I did make a couple of mistakes. I didn’t have parchment paper so used aluminum foil—should have lightly greased the foil because the fires stuck to the foil. I cut the fries a little too thin, so when they stuck some of them became shredded sweet potato fries. I will definitely make this recipe again. My husband couldn’t get enough of them.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m excited you loved them, Marion! Thank you for your review.
JaniceC
They turned out crispy. I cut mine around 0.6cm and I felt it makes it easier to crisp. And the key is keep peeping to make sure it doesn’t burnt. I kept mine in the middle rack in first 20min, and top rack at later stage for browning it’s the first crispy sweet potato, and moist in the inside. So grateful for your recipe. And I swap coconut oil, added salt to my cornstarch. Tq so much Kate
Carolyn
I made these tonight and they were delicious. I’ve played around with sweet potato fries before but this is the first time I’ve seen corn starch as an accessory so I was curious. I do think it helps with a little crisp! I think the easiest application for this was to run the starch in my hands and then toss the fries with the starchy hands. Seemed to help it apply more evenly than the first few that I just used a “sprinkle” method. Anyways, good recipe and good tips. Optional spices are (in my opinion) not optional. She lists out some good examples and may I add paprika to that list as well.
One thing that I’ve noticed is the odd reason that some people left negative reviews on here. First, please understand that baked will never be as crispy/crunchy as fried. An unfortunate but unavoidable truth. Secondly, please people, do not leave a bad review because YOU burn your fries. A recipe involving baking always can vary with the time suggested, so keep an eye on it until u get the hang of it. There are so many variables that vary from kitchen to kitchen. Ovens and their ever unreliable temperature, baking sheets and the color, altitude, oven rack position, just to name a few. So give this recipe a try, and if you make a mistake, learn from it and tweak accordingly. :)
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing your experience and detailed review, Carolyn!
Marion
I agree. Check on whatever is in your oven a few minutes before the end of the recommended cooking time. I used to have an oven that cooked 25 degrees too hot, so I either had to remember to turn down the temperature or cook for a little less time.
For those who say they have a clumpy mess or it tastes like cornstarch, you have to toss with the cornstarch for several minutes and make sure all the sweet potatoes are evenly and lightly coated. When you add the olive oil and toss again, the cornstarch should disappear.
I am making these again tonight at my husband’s request—and he is a super picky eater.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing your experience, Marion! I appreciate your review.
Dee
No ma’am. Burned and tasted like corn starch. My toddler loves sweet potatoes and wouldn’t touch them after the first bite. I do have a convection oven but did not use that setting and followed the instructions. Back to the drawing board on finding a crispy recipe.
★
Kate
I’m sorry to hear that. If everything was evenly coated, you shouldn’t have tasted the starch.
Ellie
Worked PERFECTLY! Just tried this recipe and followed instructions to the T. I’m no seasoned chef in the slightest but managed to make the most perfect crispy sweet pot fries which I’ve never been able to achieve in the oven, paired with your cheat olio . Thank you for sharing.
Kate
You’re welcome, Ellie!
Taylor French
Absolutely hate this recipe…. i ruined 3 perfect sweet potatoes because the cornstarch on them burnt almost instantly. Absolutely do not recommend.
★
Kate
Hi Taylor, I’m sorry to hear you didn’t have great results. Did you ensure all the fries were evenly coated?
Amanda
Perfect crispy fries! I have made your recipe several times and they are a hit. Thank you so much for sharing.
★★★★★
Kate
Wonderful, Amanda! I’m happy you enjoyed these. I appreciate your review!
V
I’ve tried these twice now. Both times ending in a nasty burnt mess. I follow the recipe and directions perfectly and take care to check them, but it never fails, they end up charcoal black.
★
Kate
Oh no! Sounds like your oven may run warm. I would reduce your bake time prior to them burning.
Lynne
I made 2 trays . I totally followed your recipe. The bottom 1 completely burned before the 20 minutes. The top tray made it through the1st 20 minutes. Then I turned them over. Half of them burned, & didn’t get crispy.
Kate
Hi, I’m sorry to hear that! You do need to keep an eye on them at the end, especially if you feel like they need more time. It’s important you have them placed in the oven exactly as stated otherwise they will burn.
Annie
Um…these turned out to be the absolute WORST in the world of potatoes. Burnt, awful blech. So bad.
Skip the corn starch. These were embarrassingly terrible
Burnt to a crisp…
★
Kate
Hi Annie, I’m sorry you had issues. Did you evenly distribute the corn starch? It’s important the racks on in the correct position, otherwise they will burn.
Skip
Mine just came out of the oven – totally limp. Still taste good. Followed the recipe exactly, as far as a know. There are different types of sweet potatoes and yams at the store, maybe that plays a role?
★★★
Kate
Hi! Be sure you cut your fries small enough, that can impact the doneness.
Teemoh
My family was fighting over the last of these! So very good! I took the time to make sure each fry was coated with oil and the corn starch was rubbed. I had quite a few, so I think too many were on the pan, so I just cooked longer, and they came out wonderful! Thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
That’s fantastic! Thank you for sharing.
Sarah
First time making homemade sweet potato fries and I love them! I had them in the oven for waayy less time I never got the chance to flip them and they got a little brown but don’t really taste burnt. Perfect amount of crunch and soft
★★★★★
Kate
That’s great, Sarah! Thank you for your review.
Amy
These were prefect! Thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Amy! I’m happy you enjoyed them.
Gin peters
I love it. Thank you so much. I make often
★★★★★
georgina read
thank you for all your advice, inspired to have another go tomorrow
★★★★★
Lisa
Thanks so much! Struggled to find a good crispy sweet potato fry without having to deep fry them.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m happy you enjoyed it, Lisa!
Charlee
Love this recipe, I use it 1 time every week give or take. I’ve also tried making them with just white potato’s and it turned out amazing. My family loves them with some good old faction A&W seasoning after they are cooked. Give this recipe 2 thumbs up.
Ohh and when ever I make them I used conventional bake and don’t do that interesting top rack bottom rack thing… but they always turn out amazing, for me. :)
★★★★★
Emily
I wonder if the bad reviews are due to the confusion surrounding sweet potatoes and yams – I’m in Canada and sweet potatoes are white on the inside, whereas yams are orange (like you have pictured) – I’m sure there is a difference in starchiness and how they cook.
Side note: will a silpat mat work in lieu of parchment paper?
Shelley
Hi Katherine
I just made these sweet potato fries exactly per the recipe. They were in the oven for over 45 min. )my oven temp is correct) . Aside from the few that got burnt on the edges, the rest never got crispy.
I was quite disappointed after the hype.
★★★
Kate
Hi Shelley, I’m sorry to hear that. Was the pan over crowded at all? They were cut exactly to size?
shelley
yes they were for the most part cut the right size, and no the pan was not crowded, in fact I used my large cookie sheet. It seems that other people had the same issue as myself, so maybe there’s a flaw in the recipe?
Kate
Hi Shelley, Thank you for your feedback. I try to bring consistent recipes to you and test them several times prior to posting them. This is one I personally make all the time and don’t have that issue. Sorry to not have more insight.
Kim
These were a hit! Even though I don’t have the right type or size of pan my sweet potato “fries” turned out perfect. I had to use all three of my rimmed baking stones with parchment and bake them for 2 rounds of 20 mins. I followed all of the other instructions as written making sure to evenly massage in the cornstarch and oil. They take a bit of patience but they are worth it.
Thank you
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Kim! Thank you for your review.
Jacquelyn O
These turned out great for me! I just kept an eye on them based on the comments below and made sure that I cut them thin! They came out delicious and crisp (which I always fail at when making sweet potato fries). Thanks Kate!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Jacquelyn! Thank you for your review.
Susan
I am single so I typically make one sweet potato at a time. Are you saying that it should stay on the top rack the whole time? I found they were not ready to flip at 15 min but I could’ve kept them too large.
Kate
Hi Susan, I would suggest starting at the bottom, then switching like you would for a single recipe. Yes, if you cut them too large that will cause them to be soggy. Sorry they didn’t turn out for you!
Stuart Grossman
Tasty and good? Yes. Crispy…not. No better than the a fe recipes I’ve tried and worse than a few.
★★★
Juni Viera
They were absolutely delicious but the came out really soggy. There was no crisp at all and the inside was a little raw. Overall recipe is good just didn’t cook quite right. Not sure if it was just my oven but we had the heat really high and it was on the top shelf in a small oven. Not quite sure what I did wrong. Usually I’m a really good cook
I’m giving this recipe 2 3/4
* There was no 2 3/4 option so I did the closest and gave it a 3
★★★
Kate
Hi, how large did you cut your fries and it sounds like you may have not had them in the right spacing per the recipe. They need to make sure they aren’t over crowded. Sorry to hear you didn’t have great results!
T Campbell
Perfect! Fixed my craving and went great with those sloppy joes.
★★★★★
Kate
That’s great, T! Thank you for your review.
Vithusan
Tried this recipe for dinner and it tasted absolutely perfect!! This sweet potato fries recipe is definitely a keeper:) thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe :)
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you! I’m glad you loved it.
Scott
Just made this and it turned out great. I did a half batch. I also added the corn starch, salt and oil to the fries in a large bowl, tossing them between each ingredient. This gave them an even coat and didn’t leave a lot of oil on the the parchment paper when I arranged them in the pan. Also used the suggestion to start them on the upper rack and finish on the lower rack. Came out perfect. I wonder if the problem of sogginess and/or burning listed in some comments had to do with the sweet potatoes themselves. There are lots of variations, including sugar and starch content, as well as freshness that could have affected the outcomes.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing! I’m glad you enjoyed them, Scott.
Ryan K
I followed this recipe exactly (using a scale to weigh out ingredients) with a Breville Convection oven. I also ended with a soggy mess in the middle and crispy goodness (a few even slightly singed) on the side. What this tells me is you reeeeeally need to be intimate with your oven before attempting this.
★★★
Kate
Hi, I’m sorry this didn’t work for you. The oven type does really matter. Convection oven doesn’t work well, you need a conventional oven.
Steve
Hi. Tried the recipe and it didn’t turn out well. I used arrowroot, since we avoid corn products – no cornstarch. Followed the instructions of sprinkling the starch, sprinkling the oil, then rubbing in the oil until the powder absorbed. Left the sweet potatoes in for 20 min and when I looked at them to turn, they were already quite burned. I flipped them (easier said than done on parchment but I did it) hoping the flip sides would be less burned. Gave them another 5 min. They turned out quite burned and not very crispy. Perhaps at 425F in a convection oven I should have counted on less time?
★
Kate
Hi Steve, I’m sorry this didn’t work well for you. This recipe was developed for a standard conventional oven, not a convection oven. That seems to be the issue.
Linda
I noticed how varied the results were for different people. I wonder if the differences are caused by the types of sheet pans people are using. I have both aluminum and steel sheet pans. I have noticed very different results with them in general. For the sweet potato fries, I would use my aluminum sheet pan, because in my experience any food that needs to bake dry and brown will quickly burn on a steel pan, while on an aluminum pan it will be slow to brown. That applies to making chips from tortillas, toasting nuts or granola, or baking a stiff cookie dough. A steel pan usually results in burned and stuck food before I can catch it. A lower oven temperature will slow it down a bit, but I’d rather work with an aluminum pan.
Sophia
Not good… definitely a lot to change in this. I wouldn’t do the cornstarch method, but if you all want to, I would suggest an olive oil (or avocado oil) spray instead to reduce the mess and not make it lumpy. Also 425 is either way too high of a heat or the cook time is too long- probably have to take 10 min off that 30 min time elapse. Normal ovens will burn these thinner slices that the recipe calls for, so I would suggest 10 min cook, flip, then 10 min to be safe. Good luck everyone but this isn’t it
★
Kate
I’m sorry to hear this didn’t work out for you. Did you place the oven racks as stated in the recipe?
JASMIN CASTILLO
They didn’t turn out for me, I followed instructions, they were not crispy they looked a mess, soggy
★★
Kate
Hi Jasmin, I’m sorry to hear that. Was the pan overcrowded?
Ariel
What’s worse than fries sticking to the pan? Fries sticking to parchment paper. It was a nightmare trying to get the fries off the paper. This just did not work for me AT ALL. Once off the paper they never crisped up and I had piles of soggy fries I followed the instructions to the T – so much time spent cutting the fries to a uniform size only to have everything stick. Awful. I did one batch on the metal sheet and they turned out much better.
★
Kate
Hi Ariel, I’m sorry to hear that. I have made these several times and haven’t run into that issue. Did you toss them half way?
Kathy Richards
These were unbelievably delicious!! I have to admit I was a little nervous based on some of the reviews… But I follow the directions very carefully and these were fabulous! My husband and I both devoured them with lunch today. My only regret is that I only made a half batch! Lol will definitely make these again. Yum Yum!
★★★★★
Becky
I followed your recipe exactly! But I didnt have any parchment paper. I didnt think it would matter as I always make chips in my oven pan without a problem. I wish I’d read the comments first. Every chip stuck solidly to the pan! All I could salvage was a mushy mess and a hard to clean pan. Is it the corn starch that makes them stick like that?
★
Kate
Hi Becky, you need parchment to help them not to stick. I’m sorry they stuck. I hope you try it again with the parchment and let me know how they turnout!
Ella
I wish I’d read the ratings before wasting my time with this recipe. I followed it to a T and they turned out half burned, not crisp, and an unpleasant texture on the unburnt parts. Very disappointing :(
★
Kate
I’m sorry you didn’t love this recipe, Ella. I have made these several times without issue. It sometimes can come down to variability in ovens, correct size, etc. I appreciate your feedback!
Daniel Csank
I make sweet potato fries all the time and wanted to try cornstarch to make them crispier. All I got were baked wet fries caked in uncooked cornstarch. Had to toss it all
★
Kate
Hi Daniel, I’m sorry to hear that. Was your oven set to conventional, or convection? Also overcrowding the pan can impact it.
Jen
Yummy!
Janice
Loved the sweet potato fries. Thanks for sharing
Kate
You’re welcome, Janice!
Kyle
Pretty good recipe. My only issue is that the cooking times may not necessarily work depending on your oven. After the first 20 minutes, mine were about 3/4 done, so I flipped them and let them cook for another 5 min— by then, they were done, and some of the smaller ones were beginning to burn. I am glad I checked after 5 min, and not waited the listed time.
These tasted pretty good for baked fries. I like mine with bbq sauce— it brings out a nice smoky flavor with sweet potatoes.
★★★★
Kate
Hi Kyle, yes ovens can vary. Thank you for sharing your experience.
Sara
EPIC FAIL…:(
I followed the recipe to the T. Did all the steps, in the order asked…fries all burned and were limp. Very disappointed because this recipe is quite time consuming with the starch and the rest. I wish I would have checked the reviews first…will not make this again.
★
Kate
Hi Sara, I’m sorry to hear that. Do you have a convection or conventional oven?
Emily
What is the quantity of corn starch? The itemized list says 1 tablespoon, but the break down of the recipe says 1/2 tsp?
★★★★
Kate
Hi Emily, I’m not sure where you are seeing that. Refer to step 3. It’s 1.5 per pan.
scott
thank you so much for to teaching us how to make sweet potato fires it is so useful because it hard for me to make them
Gigi
I made these last night, followed instructions…. they turned grey!!!! :( not burnt, just turned a weird color… also it was a bit powdery… I don’t know what I did wrong!!
★★
Kate
Hi Gigi, I’m sorry to hear that. I’m not sure what happened. I haven’t had that issue before.
Veronica
This was great! I haven’t enjoyed sweet potato fries at most restaurants. This was easy and I’m no cook! I used one of my grandmother’s old tricks to get the starch, oil and salt to stick to the fries.I put the corn starch in a large baggie, then put in the fries and shook it to cover all of them. Then, in the same bag, I added the olive oil and repeated. After that, the salt and did the same. All of the fries were completely and evenly covered! Yum!
★★★★★
Kate
That’s great to hear, Veronica! Thank you for sharing.
Mandy Dart
This recipe worked out perfectly! Before baking, one of the sweet potatoes didn’t seem great on the inside yet it still turned out awesome using your recipe. I really appreciated how specific you were about using two baking sheets and that you saved your recipe-users a dish by suggesting the tossing right on the baking pan. Thank you for helping me make my daughter’s fave new snack for the first time!
★★★★★
Jose
What a wonderful recipe. My wife and I absolutely love how the fried turned out. Definitely restaurant quality. Thank you Kate!
Ed C
Hi Kate,
I just wanted to reach out as I read all of the comments since Dec 17, 2020 and I see all of the problems many folks have had, and my attempt to to make oven baked sweet potato fries was a long journey that had pretty much all of those same problems.
Your recipe is pretty much the same as the one that finally freed me from buying Alexia brand frozen sweet potato fries (my favorite frozen SP fries) for oven frying.
The only differences in your recipe and the one I settled on several years ago is that I didn’t rub the corn starch into the fries. I used a ziploc bag or a bowl to coat the fries with corn starch then added the oil and seasonings. I also soak my sweet potato fries after they are cut in water, but I think that you are right that there is no need to soak sweet potato fries based on the very limited amount of starch that comes out. I think that it is much more important to soak regular (more starchy) potatoes in water after cutting into sticks.
Anyway, my point is that there are lot of variables that can make your recipe come out badly.
Here’s a brief list:
1) All sweet potatoes aren’t created equal
2) What is your oven’s true temperature
3) How accurately can you judge 1/4 of an inch by eye
4) Watch what is happening in your oven instead of the clock
Depending on how long your sweet potato was sitting in the grocery store or on your counter, the moisture content can vary by a large amount and that will affect how your fries come out. Sticks from high moisture sweet potatoes will be limp when sticks from low moisture potatoes may already be burned.
I own several ranges between our home and rental properties. Even relatively new stoves can easily be off by 25 to 50 degrees in temperature. I would recommend to everyone here to make a small investment in a Taylor oven thermometer and see if your oven is accurate in temperature. I have several Frigidaire Gallery ranges and they wisely allow you to put an offset in temperature to correct errors that can be quite large. I’ve had to correct all of them.
The size that you cut your fries makes a huge difference in the outcome of your final product if you just use the published bake time without monitoring what is going on in your oven.
My favorite frozen Alexia sweet potato fries are cut in perhaps 3/16 of an inch sticks. They have the entire process down to the smallest detail and their results are very predictable.
That level of consistency just doesn’t exist for the home sweet potato oven fry community.
So for my home sweet potato oven fries, I plan on 40 minutes at 425 degrees F. I set an external timer at 12 to 15 minutes just to be sure nothing unusual is going on. Then set the time to check every five minutes or so until it’s time to turn the fries.
I should add that initially, I place every fry individually on the sheet pan with no contact between any of them until they need to be turned. I don’t worry too much about a little contact between fries after turning.
But the key point is that you need to monitor what is going on in your oven.
The posts that say the recipe doesn’t work because the fries were all burned suggests to me that they were not interacting with their fries enough.
The posts that say the fries came out limp and mushy tell me that they turned them way to early. They should have looked for that little bit of browning on the top surface before turning.
★★★★★
Kate
I appreciate you sharing your in-depth experience, Ed. Yes, monitoring, size, spacing, etc are all very important to achieve good results in the end.
Ken
I’ve made these twice now with varying results. The first time they were the best because I used a middle position for the rack in my oven. They took longer to crisp up than I expected so I moved them to a lower position the next time. That was a mistake because they were too close to the heating element. What you warned about, burning too quickly, happened with these. Our stove is at the end of its life cycle and has become a bit janky so the heat is not always even but I think that it was more of a user error. When I got them right, they were good. I sprinkled some fresh finely diced rosemary on them at the end. My daughter makes sweet potato fries all of the time and she just cuts them and puts them in the oven. They never seem to be crisp. I’ll share your technique with her. I also used this recipe on potatoes to make french fries and they were really good – very crispy and probably some of the best fries I’ve ever had.
As an aside, I think I am going to order your “Love Real Food” cookbook as a Christmas present for my sister that is a vegetarian. I looked at the table of contents on Amazon and it looks interesting. If it is helpful to you that I order through your website rather than directly through Amazon, I’ll do that (for affiliate $).
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing your experience and support! I hope your sister loves my cookbook, Ken.
Kellie
These were pretty good! Most of mine turned out more chewy than crunchy, and a few got burned, but they are definitely the crispiest sweet potato fries I’ve made yet.
Which sauces do you think would go best with them? (I tried peanut sauce tonight.)
★★★★
Shane
I salted my fries for 20 mins first to pull some of the water out as you do with eggplants.
Buffy
Best fries I’ve ever eaten, anywhere, ever! I just did one small white sweet potato. Cut in 1/4″ size strips. I shook in plastic bag with the cornstarch, small amount, like top. or less. Shook hard. Then 8 poured olive oil into same bag, again shook like crazy. Dumped on small baking sheet lined with parchment, well separated them,, put into 425 oven. 15+ mins, turned when browned and another 15. OMG. Crunchy, delish. Best ever. Thanks for this recipe!!!
★★★★★
Kat
Followed your directions and measurements but I didn’t cut them equally thin but the thinner ones were perfect! They were awesome! My hubby is still talking about them!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing!
Matrix
Ovens vary widely on how accurate they are so that can account for inconsistent results. Calibrate with a separate oven thermometer. Then get a loaf of day old bread and spread all over a rack. Bake in a 375F oven and see if you get hot or cold spots.
The other thing than cooking to temperature is to observe results. These are 2 things chefs do that many home cooks are ignorant of and that cause inconsistent results. Cooking by time is possibly the worst way to cook. Check doneness before you think you need to.
★★★★★
Carrie
Hi Kate!
Having looked through the comments, I feel better knowing I’m not the only one who messed up! I overcrowded a pan that goes in the oven , DIDN’T use parchment paper…I was rushed and didn’t read recipe CAREFULLY. I also overcrowded the fries…..I’m just starting to cook again after long illness! This recipe was a great learning experience!!
The result was still yummy!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m sorry it wasn’t the best turnout, but glad you enjoyed it! Yes, all of those elements are key to get them crispy. I’m glad you are on the mend, Carrie!