Crispy Sweet Potato Fries that are perfectly crispy and still fluffy in the middle with both fried and oven baked directions with a single magic ingredient to keep them crispy!
If you love Sweet Potato Fries you’ll have to check out these Fried Cheese Curds, Beer Battered Onion Rings and Loaded Garlic French Fries too for all the best fried comfort foods for your summer bbq and grilling recipes!
Perfectly Crispy Sweet Potato Fries
Crispy Sweet Potato Fries! Yes, we are in full swing of fun summer recipes and today is no exception. These homemade sweet potato fries were one of the biggest hits at a recent Memorial Day BBQ party for 40 people (yes, Crispy Sweet Potato Fries for 40!) and it is all thanks to one secret ingredient that makes these crispy fries!
I’m not sure if you’re like me, but I love sweet potato fries. I was introduced to them sort of late, being a purist and all. I couldn’t understand why anyone would mess with the perfect food, French Fries, long enough to make them out of a different potato. Then, one day I was at a burger place back in LA that offered ½ fries, ½ sweet potato fries. YES! All the adventure, 50% the commitment.
Sweet potato fries are a vegetarian, gluten free, super food option that is dairy-free, high in vitamins and good enough for you that you can overlook the calorie count in this recipe. Well, I can. 😉
THE SECRET TO CRISPY SWEET POTATO FRIES
If you’ve ever wondered how to make sweet potato fries crisp up and not look like noodles 2 minutes after they come out of the fryer? Look no further. Crispy Sweet Potato Fries are COMPLETELY doable, and they’re easy in fact! Yes, they still need a second fry, but they don’t need a long soak! And I don’t even boil them ahead like I do with normal fries. Here’s the secret…. cornstarch!
If you don’t want to fry these sweet potatoes you can absolutely make crispy baked sweet potato fries too!
Oven baked Sweet Potato Fries are SO EASY and also use the same cornstarch trick the fried version use (just use much less cornstarch). You can also use parchment paper if you’re baking these fries because the sweet potatoes can stick if you use the cornstarch, or if you use less oil than you should. Also be sure you give them enough time to really crisp up, if you turn them too early they may still stick to the pan.
Baked Sweet Potato Fries Recipe:
- Heat the oven to 400.
- Cut the 1 pound sweet potatoes into matchsticks about 1/4″ thick and toss with vegetable oil or olive oil, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper.
- Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, flip over and cook for 15 additional minutes.
If you want to add more seasonings to your fries you can certainly add more spices.
The first time you make the recipe you should try them the classic way, but the next time you can also try them with some different spices. Other spices that can be added (I’d add ½ teaspoon or less of any of these spices):
- garlic powder
- chili powder
- cumin
- paprika (use ¼ teaspoon)
- cayenne (use ¼ teaspoon)
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What to serve with Sweet Potato Fries:
Sweet Potato Fries scream summer favorites including Fried Chicken, Pulled Pork, BBQ Pulled Chicken, Slow Cooker Ribs and all the best summer side dishes including Macaroni Salad, Coleslaw and Pasta Salad. Sweet Potato fries are the perfect fried comfort food.
Fry Sauce Recipe:
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ¾ cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon pickle juice
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- Mix all the ingredients together and refrigerate for at least an hour.
Easy Dipping Sauces:
- Fry Sauce: Recipe Above
- Chick Fil-A Dipping Sauce
- Buffalo Wing Sauce
- In-N-Out Sauce
Tools used to make Sweet potato fries:
- Cast Iron Dutch Oven – For Frying, keeps even heat well and not expensive!
- Oil Thermometer – NEVER guess your temps, you’ll end up with greasy or burned fries.
- Spider Strainer – My go to for frying, removes/drains almost whole batch at once.
- French Fry Basket – Because they are adorable for serving!
- Checkered Liners – Catches grease, disposable and cheap.
Ingredients
- 2 large sweet potatoes (about a pound)
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 6 tablespoons club soda (or ice water)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- canola or vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Wash and peel your sweet potatoes. Cut into ¼ inch thick fries and rinse the potatoes for about 10-15 seconds under cold water then dry with paper towels or a clean dish cloth you don't mind turning slightly orange.
- Mix the cornstarch with the water to make a slurry in a large bowl or large ziploc bag, add sweet potatoes and toss to coat.
- Heat your oil in your pot to 350 degrees and add the fries 1 at a time so they don't stick together, but make sure you don't overcrowd your pan.
- Each time you do another round of potatoes toss the potatoes in the slurry again to prevent the cornstarch from settling. This should only take a few seconds and is even easier if you have a ziploc bag you can just flip upside down a few times and shake.
- Fry for 1-2 minutes (no browning yet) and drain on a brown paper bag.
- Once all the fries are done with their first dip in the oil, start the second round of frying, then fry them the second time for an additional 2 minutes, until they're browned and crispy.
Notes
Nutrition
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I see that the promise but the bake recipe is vague and results were not great. I get the approach but just didn’t work ? still tasted good but crispy not really. I’ll try again.
When you baked the sweet potato fries did you flip them over and bake for 15 more minutes? I’m sorry you were disappointed. Maybe next time, try the fry recipe? Both recipes were included in the blog!
If you made this recipe please disclose what cooking method you used when you leave you comments, fry or oven. Also, in the comments people wrote they used baking soda? Maybe as an error. recipe states cornstarch. I‘m just curious if they bake crispy in the oven.
These are positively the best sweet potato fries I have ever made. So crispy, perfectly cooked interiors, I will never do it any other way! Thank you for this excellent technique!
Can’t wait to try these in the oven, but have a quick question. How much oil should you toss the potatoes in? There is no amount indicated in the baking instructions above. Thanks so much.
Looks good, going to make these with your cod fish stick recipe. Question about the sweet potato fries, have they worked in the air fryer? Do I need to do anything special with the corn starch for the air dryer, if it’s doable? Also what can I do during my meal prep time ? I likely won’t cook the fries until a day or 2 after prepped.
We followed this exactly and they turned out SO crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside and all around amazing. We will definitely be making these again! Thank you for your tips/tricks on getting them so crispy!
You’re welcome, Hailey.
Literally THE BEST sweet potato fries EVER. Not hard to make…but definitely use a thermometer and keep an eye on the temperature, letting the oil heat up to 350 degrees between batches.
Yay!! Glad to hear you love them so much, Rebecca.
When you bake them, do you still need to make the water and cornstarch mixture?
Or just drizzle them with olive oil and toss them only in cornstarch?
I added the directions for baking them in the post above. 🙂 Hope this helps clear things up. Enjoy!
I don’t see the recipe for baking. Can you please give it to me?
Baked Sweet Potato Fries Recipe:
Heat the oven to 400.
Cut the 1 pound sweet potatoes into matchsticks about 1/4? thick and toss with vegetable oil or olive oil, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper.
Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, flip over and cook for 15 additional minutes.
Excellent recipe! So easy and taste like a restaurants! Served with buffalo chicken sliders! Perfect summer meal!
Thanks, Megan.
I have to say these were very delicious. The sweet potato fries were nice and crunchy as promised and it was so quick and easy to do. Thanks for sharing this recipe. I didn’t even bother to do a first fry and then a second fry. I just tried them once and they came out perfectly.
That’s awesome, Jamye. Thanks for the 5 star rating.
Easy to make and as good as any restaurant.
Thanks, Ruth.
Omg these were uhmaaaazzzzing I love sweet potato fries and hate how they’re so expensive when eating out.
Tried the fried version and they were basically as good as the restaurants ! Will try the baked version
Yay!! I’m glad you enjoyed it so much!
Do you know how they could be done in the oven?
I included oven instructions in the post above. Enjoy!
SO. FRICKEN. GOOD. I’m so glad I discovered this recipe! I was curious if you could do these with russet potatoes as well?
Yay!! Russets would be perfect for this too.
I don’t have any cornstarch on hand. Can I toss them in flour instead and then bake
You can but they won’t be as crispy. If you have time, soak them in water for 30 minutes to help with the crispiness. 🙂
Could you use this method in an air fryer? Thanks!
I haven’t tried these in the an air fryer but if you try it, let me know how they turn out!
These look delicious. Mine came out super soggy still. I don’t think it’s your recipe I believe it’s me lol. Any tips? I did just as the oven cooked instructions say
Oh no! If you used the oven directions, make sure next time that they’re spread out on the baking sheet. You want to give them space so they don’t steam vs getting crispy. You can also try them in an air fryer now too. Good luck!
Hi Sabrina i’ve tried this recipe and they are the crispiest sweet potato fries ive ever made! Im going to make a big batch so can i fry them first time then freeze them and fry the 2nd time whenever i want? Will it be crispy?
That’s how I would do it. Fry once, freeze and then fry again. You may need to adjust to the oil heat to get them as crispy since they will be going in much colder.
Ohhh ok thanks
You’re welcome!
Do you need to give them the quick ice water (or club soda) bath before cooking if you are going to bake them?
I did not, I found the cornstarch was sufficient to make them crispy. But the ice water bath won’t hurt 🙂
If I bake these how much less cornstarch should I use?
You would use 2 Tbsp of Cornstarch. I included full baking instructions in the post if you need them. 🙂
I’m a little confused. Is baking soda in or out?
Thanks
No baking soda needed for this recipe. 🙂
These came out perfect!
dammmm these bad boys look good im doing the food truck project and oh oh boy i want em bad boys in my mouth
Haha, you gotta try them!
I made the sweet potato fries. Delicious is all I can say?
Thanks so much for the 5 stars, Gennett! So glad you enjoyed them!
Question: on the 3bd fry do I put fries in the cornstarch slurry a 2nd time prior to frying a 2nd time?
You don’t put them through the slurry again, just fry them. Hope this helps! Enjoy!
It works! No more soggy fries for me
Yay!!
Seems easy…I hope I get it right. Looking forward to more easy recipes.
If no corn starch. Can they be fried anyway. Just salt and pepper and garlic and paprika.
You can but they just won’t be crispy. If you leave them in the oil enough to get crispy then the inside won’t be fluffy and soft.
I didn’t see baking soda in the ingredients list, did I miss something?
So sorry, I think we both meant cornstarch. Thanks for catching that!
I made these but ended up with some hard white little pebbles on the fries. I think the baking soda mixture made these hard pebbles. What did I do wrong? Thanks
was the baking soda sort of old and compacted? Or did it get caked on a bit too much?
Great recipe. Ours turned out great. Thanks for sharing. Simon
Thank you for coming back to let me know how much you enjoyed it!
Do you think these can be frozen? If so, would i freeze it after the first dip in the fryer? Thanks for the recipe.
Sorry this comment took so long to get to, it ended up in my spam filter somehow! If you freeze definitely do it after the first fry to avoid spoilage of the fry. It may need a slightly hotter oil to compensate for the much more severe drop in temperature too.
My grandmother fried sweet potatoes but not cut as fries. The potato was sliced thin and fried then sugar was sprinkled on them
Sounds delicious!
Wow – fries that stay crispy? So cool!
Hahaha I was the same way! I got my sweet potato start several years back…such adventurous eaters we are 🙂 And I love the corn starch method!!!
These look perfect! I’ve only tried making sweet potato fries twice and haven’t been able to get them crispy. I’ll need to try it with the cornstarch next time, thanks!
Good luck! Let me know how they turn out!
I’ve been wanting to try sweet potato fries like this *forever* 😀 Looking forward to making them!
Sweet potato fries are my favorite…especially when they’re crispy. Thanks for the cornstarch tip!
I, also, love Lucille’s BBQ. I love sweet potato fries too, anytime I can order them I do. I am going to have to try out the cornstarch trick.