Healthy snack options mean, well, it means options. And options are good, especially when we’re heading into the holiday season, packed with all flavors of goodies at every turn. Yes, having healthy and tasty options in your repertoire is always a good thing. This recipe for Baked Sweet Potato Fries submitted by Tasty Kitchen member Caitlin is one of those options. Sweet potatoes are packed with carotenoids, vitamin C, potassium, and fiber, and baking the fries, as this recipe calls for, keeps the fat down. Good for snacking, or as a side dish, these Baked Sweet Potato Fries are satisfying to the max. Simple too. Let me show ya.
For starters, I’d recommend doubling or tripling this recipe right off the bat. They’re good and will get gobbled up quick.
You’ll need: sweet potato(es), olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper.
(The spices/herbs can easily be changed for different flavor combos, so be creative with these. Maybe rosemary, salt, and olive oil? A simple trio, but mighty tasty too.)
Slice the sweet potato into strips, about 1/2″ thick. The thinner they are, the crispier they’ll be. They’ll cook quicker too, so make sure you account for that in the cook time.
Place the fries in a bowl and add the olive oil.
Then add the spices and combine well, coating all fries evenly. We like it spicy, so I added a full 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne to ours. Yum!
Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Toss and continue baking another 10-15 minutes until crisp. Ovens vary, so make sure to watch your first batch closely to see what cook time is appropriate for your oven.
That’s it! Easy huh? And totally drool worthy. Try them soon and let me know what you think. And again, you may wanna double the batch.
A big thanks to Caitlin for the recipe. We’ve already made it three times this week. My 13-year-old son even asked for them for a snack. Smart kid, I think. Definitely a good option.
Printable Recipe
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Description
These puppies are quickly becoming my new popcorn, a.k.a. my new late-night, movie watching snack. They are quick and easy, as well as healthier than the starchy alternative. I leave the skins on them, because Maude tells me to, but you should follow your instincts on that one. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself making these at 11 pm when everyone else is asleep, but you have a lot of Grey’s Anatomy to catch up on.
Ingredients
- 1 whole Sweet Potato
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- ½ teaspoons Kosher Salt
- ¼ teaspoons Freshly Ground Pepper
- ¼ teaspoons Garlic Powder
- 1 pinch Cayenne Pepper (if You're Down With That)
Preparation Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 450F.
2. Scrub the sweet potato and cut into 1/2 inch slices (or thinner if you like your fries crispier).
3. In a bowl, toss the sweet potatoes with the olive oil, kosher salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne (if you like-ah some spice-ah).
4. Arrange fries evenly on a cookie sheet and bake for about 20 to 30 minutes minutes, checking after 20 minutes to prevent burning (ovens vary). Flip halfway so they cook evenly.
5. Settle in for a good movie and a glass of wine with a delicious snack.
Suggestion: Try throwing on some parmesan cheese during the last few minutes of baking for a yummy surprise!
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Amy Johnson is a blogger who writes about food, travel, the home (both inside and out), and various observations and random musings about anything and everything. Visit her blog She Wears Many Hats for a dose of deliciousness, practicality, hilarity, or just plain fun. She lives in South Carolina with her husband and two children.
45 Comments
Comments are closed for this recipe.
Anthony on 10.7.2011
My wife makes these all the time and the kids love em. I usually dip them in ketchup, but I might have to try the dijon or bbq sauces mentioned in the other comments. Thanks for sharing!
Corinne Doanld on 10.1.2011
BLUE CHEESE DRESSING is my favorite with these. We use salt, brown sugar, and cinnamon, and the blue cheese is still amazing with them!
rnlizzieo on 9.29.2011
I tried to add this recipe to my recipe box but the link isn’t working. Is anyone else having this problem?
Cathy on 9.28.2011
I made these tonight and they were amazing! The spices were great and yes, I used more than a pinch of cayenne. Yum!
Kathryn on 9.28.2011
I tried making this last night — such a great recipe and idea! I read the comments about making them crispier, but I was wondering if anyone else had any tips to add? Mine turned out a bit mushy and they were turning brown before they got crispy. Any tips would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
Sandy on 9.27.2011
These are AMAZING with a garlic aioli dipping sauce. Oh.my.yum.
Lauralli on 9.27.2011
If you like them crispy and you have convection on your oven that is the way to go. Also, when sprinkling them with the salt and spices, try a little sugar with it. It helps with the crispiness. And, just recently we found out a restaurant we frequent uses powdered sugar icing mixed with chipotle dressing as their dip for their sweet potato fries. It’s a winner for sure! However, it kinda defeats the whole healthy thing going on!
And, one more thing, I don’t know where in the world you would get a light colored sweet potato—I live in the South and I’ve been eating the dark orange ones my whole life! They are not yams!
Curt on 9.27.2011
These look awesome. I love sweet potato fries. A great blend of spice on them.
Morgan on 9.27.2011
These are GREAT! A good tip is to stick the baking sheet in the oven while it’s pre-heating. Dump the seasoned fries on the hot sheet. They won’t stick that way and they’ll be way crispier!
laura h on 9.27.2011
Any recipe the kids can help with and enjoy, is a keeper.
Pam on 9.27.2011
Thanks for sharing this recipe. We have a great place in town that sells all types of fries including sweet potato, and I have always wondered if you make them the same way as a white potato.
Rosemary B on 9.27.2011
We make these all the time on burger night…or steak night…or pork chop night…really? Any night – these are awesome to have and much better for you than standard french fries.
Meredith on 9.27.2011
I love all the dipping sauce ideas. We dip ours in grainy mustard and honey.
RuthAnn on 9.27.2011
Oven temp is 450* according to the printable.
Paula on 9.27.2011
What oven temperature?
Wenderly on 9.27.2011
Yummy! I live sweet potato fries!!
Amy | She Wears Many Hats on 9.27.2011
Hey y’all!
Wanted to answer two things…
Oven temp? At the bottom of the post you’ll find a link to the full, printable recipe, called “Baked Sweet Potato Fries”
Sweet potato or yam? From what I understand, (which, I know I can be confused a lot of the time) there are a variety of sweet potatoes with skins that are white, yellow, red, purple or brown, with flesh ranging from white to yellow, orange, or orange-red. Yams are really few and far between in U.S. markets. Unless you’re shopping in an international market or specialty store that offers a wide array of produce, it’s probably a sweet potato. I know the ones I buy around here are called sweet potatoes.
Happy cooking!
~ Amy
Katrina on 9.27.2011
Gotta love a good fry recipe. Yum!
Joann Tompkins-Winborn on 9.27.2011
I’m putting Sweet taters on my grocery list!
Laura Hilbert on 9.26.2011
The first time I had these at a restaurant they were served with ranch/BBQ dipping sauce. I can’t eat them without it now.
Jayne on 9.26.2011
I made these recently when I got hold of some sweet potatoes. Nice with purple sweet potatoes too!
Lois Schultz on 9.26.2011
I have made these with a package of Ranch dressing mix! They were a hit and now they are the only fries that my 23 yr old daughter will ask for when she comes home! Yummy!!
Mary Pat on 9.26.2011
Try baking them with grape seed oil–oh, my, my are they delish. That and a little Ranchers Steak Rub from Wildtree make them to die for!
Rhonda on 9.26.2011
Made these tonight after I finished at the Y! Very yummy!! Thanks for the reminder to do them!
Frostine on 9.26.2011
Must buy sweet potatoes next shopping trip and try these.
LibraryGirl62 on 9.26.2011
The new Sandwich King guy on FN said to roll them in 1 cup cornstarch and
3/4 cup cold club soda before frying to make the really crispy-I wonder if it works for baking…I will try and see!!!
Andy Busse on 9.26.2011
I would have to agree with Megan, these pictured in the recipe are not Sweet Potatoes they are Yams. Sweet Potatoes are light yellow inside and Yams are orange.
Which is healthier Mary? By far the Sweet Potato!!!
Andy
ileen in houston on 9.26.2011
What is the oven tempurature please? My son likes his sweet potato fries with brown sugar!
Diana. B. on 9.26.2011
I have to wonder…if you made the slices a little thicker, could you get a texture like regular oven fries, crispy on the outside, but mushy on the inside?? That’s how we like ‘em around here!!
Mary on 9.26.2011
Anyone know which is healthier—-yams or sweet potatoes?
Niteowl Nancy on 9.26.2011
My 5yo son and I absolutely LOVE sweet potato fries! My favorite dipping sauce is plain old sour cream, but @Jan’s cinnamon idea sounds pretty good!
Ginny on 9.26.2011
This would have been more helpful yesterday when I was actually searching for how to make baked sweet potato fries. However, this is pretty much the recipe I used, and they turned out great! I used a little sriacha mixed with sour cream for my dipping sauce, and it was delicious!
Megan on 9.26.2011
Love sweet potatoes! I have a question though, aren’t sweet potatoes more white? What you used looks like a yam.
Kathleen Stafford on 9.26.2011
What was the oven temperature?
Donna Savage on 9.26.2011
I make these quite often–but cut the fat a bit more. I spray a large baking sheet with PAM, then spread out the potatoes in a single layer. Spritz ‘em with more PAM, then sprinkle them with sea salt and nutmeg. YUM!!!
Margaret on 9.26.2011
cinnamon sugar sprinkled instead of salt makes for a great snack
Dianne Campbell on 9.26.2011
Those look soooo good! Bet they’d be good with an array of “sweet” spices as well. Thanks for sharing!
Jan on 9.26.2011
I have the perfect dip for these…BUTTER! Cinnamon mixed in doesn’t go wrong either~
Jane in KC on 9.26.2011
Love these but I’m really bad about keeping different spices on hand but I’ve used packaged taco seasoning – YUM!
Jeni on 9.26.2011
I love them with a chipotle mayo dip. Buffalo brand chipotle is good with either mayo or that other stuff.
callimakesdo on 9.26.2011
I’ve been making these too! I absolutely love them with a Cajun spice blend… and served with BBQ sauce mixed with a bit of mayo. I try to go easy on the sauce so I don’t totally ruin the health food vibe.
Melinda on 9.26.2011
I have made similar fries like this and they are a family favorite. I make a dipping sauce for the side with low fat mayonaise, Dijon mustard and shake or two of smoked paprika. Yum! Think I’ll make them tonight.
Wild Nana on 9.26.2011
I just love the fact that these delicious “fries” are baked, not fried. My food diet requires eating sweet potatoes at least 4 times a week, so I eat a lot of sweet potatoes (usually just scrub one and ‘nuke’ it in the microwave for 3-4 mins.) I’m definitely going to give this a shot since there’s no frying involved (frying is poison to people like me). Thanks.
The Mrs @ Success Along the Weigh on 9.26.2011
I made some a week or so ago and need to remember to cut them thinner or I’m going to have a mushy mess! D’oh!
Heather on 9.26.2011
Tis the time for sweet potatoes! These are so addicting!