Sweet Potato Fries Crispy Easy Oven Method Wellplated Com

You can pair sweet potato fries with just about any of your favorite main dishes, or do what I do: polish ‘em off straight off the pan! After years of my snitching fries off of Ben’s plate at restaurants, to his tremendous relief I have finally started ordering my own, especially when sweet potato fries are an option. I adore them. When they are crunchy outside and tender inside, sweet potato fries are a top life comfort food. I decided to see if I could come up with an easy way to make sweet potato fries crispy like the ones I’ve long loved in restaurants, without the mess or indulgence of a deep fryer. (One result was these crispy Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries, which use just a smidgen of oil.) As when I set out to unlock the secrets for crispy Baked French Fries, it was important to me that the sweet potato fries be as quick and easy to make as possible. I don’t know about you, but by the time I’ve finished cutting sweet potatoes into sticks, I don’t have much additional energy left to finish preparing them. I want to pop them into the oven at 400 degrees F and call it a day. Did I mention I was looking for a sweet potato fry shortcut?

Panko Breadcrumbs. Coating veggies with panko to make them crispy is a trick I employed for these popular Zucchini Fries.

The problem with panko coating: I prefer it for vegetables that are naturally soft and have a high water content, like zucchini or eggplant; it’s not necessary for starchy vegetables like potatoes and sweet potatoes, which have the potential to crisp on their own.

Cornstarch. This is the most common method I’ve seen for making crispy fries. I’ve tried the popular cornstarch trick to make sweet potato fries crispy, but (homemade fry fans, please do not hate me for this), I’m just not into it.

The problem with cornstarch: Cornstarch is messy. The fries never seem to coat evenly. It works (kind of) but not well enough to be worth the effort. Crispy side note: I haven’t tried these as homemade sweet potato fries air fryer-style, but if you decide to experiment with it, I’d love to hear how it goes!

How to Make Sweet Potato Fries Crispy

Are you tired of asking “why are my sweet potato fries NOT crispy?” Here are my four best tips for crispy sweet potato fries without cornstarch:

Egg White. Beaten egg white transforms in the oven and makes for amazingly crispy sweet potato fries! It’s a trick I use to make crunchy, homemade Gluten Free Granola, and when I saw the same idea in a recipe from Run Fast, Eat Slow, I knew I had to try it.

Cut the Fries Thinly and Uniformly. More details below in “How to Cut Sweet Potato Fries”, but the main thing to know is that you want the fries to be thin. It takes some patience, but the thin slices will help them crisp and taste like true fries, versus sweet potato wedges. Wedges are delish, but not what we are going for here.Don’t Skimp on the Oil. While it’s tempting to cut out the oil to save a few calories, you need it for the sweet potatoes to roast properly without burning.

Roast at 400 degrees F. After testing a few different oven temperatures, I found 400 degrees F to be the sweet spot to making fries that crisped nicely without burning.

How to Make Sweet Potato Fries from Scratch

Good sweet potato fries should be lightly crunchy and give way to a tender roasted interior. Follow these steps for quick sweet potato fries that are better for you than a restaurant but don’t skimp on flavor!

The Ingredients

Sweet Potato. A bright orange dream machine! Rather than the somewhat blank canvas that white potatoes create, sweet potatoes are slightly sweet and richly-flavored all on their own. Plus, they’re packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants (see more health benefits here).Egg Whites + Olive Oil. Our easy, secret duo of ingredients that work together to make the most perfect, crispy fries.

Seasonings. I used a combination of curry powder, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. It was the ideal mix of heat and sweet.

The Directions

Sweet Potato Fries Seasoning Options

You can use this method for oven roasted sweet potato fries with any of your favorite spice combos. Here are a few to try: If you’d like to make the sweet potato fries vegan, you can omit the egg white and use an additional tablespoon of oil instead.

Curry. My go-to and the version you’ll see in this sweet potato fries recipe. Curry’s warmth is delicious paired with the natural sweetness of sweet potatoes.Chipotle. Swap in 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chile powder for the curry powder and cayenne pepper called for in this recipe. Smoky and so addictive.Spicy. Turn things up a notch by increasing the amount of cayenne pepper to 1/4 teaspoon.Italian. Omit the curry powder and cayenne pepper, and use 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning instead. Top the finished fries with a little freshly grated Parmesan (like these Parsnip Fries) for a delicious final touch.Classic. Simple salt and black pepper make an excellent, always satisfying everyday option.

Any of these seasoning combos would be delicious with a sweet potato fries dipping sauce like this Skinny Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip.

Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe

Baking Sheet. These are heavy-duty and will be a workhorse in the kitchen.Mixing Bowl. You’ll find so many uses for these easy-to-store bowls.Sharp Chef’s Knife. A perfect tool for easily cutting your fries.

When these healthy sweet potato fries are on the menu, there’s no reason to split. Once you taste just how addictive they are, you’ll be relieved.

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45 mins If you try this recipe for oven sweet potato fries, I’d love to hear what you think! Your comments and reviews are so helpful for others, and they mean so much to me too. DO YOU LOVE SWEET POTATOES? Be sure to check out the stellar recipes for Stuffed Sweet Potatoes (5-Ways!) from The Well Plated Cookbook. Leave a rating below in the comments and let me know how you liked the recipe.