Y’all, if there’s one thing I know, it’s that sweet potato fries are the bomb! They’re a little sweet, perfectly spiced, and just the right kind of crispy that keeps you reaching back for more. Now, I’m sharing my go-to recipe for oven-baked sweet potato fries that’s bound to set your taste buds a dancing. We’re talking about the kind of sweet potato fries that make you wonder why you ever bothered with the drive-thru or frozen!
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Real question: Is there one person on earth who doesn’t love french fries? If you ask me, the answer is heck no! When hot and fresh, fries are crispy, salty, and straight-up life-altering. Unfortunately, traditional french fries are not the best option for ya every single day. *sigh*
Baked Sweet Potato Fries make the perfect solution! Sweet potatoes are already so darn tasty but when you cut them up, roast them in the oven at a high temperature until tender and crispy, and toss them in a seasoned garlic butter, you have something quite special indeed. Don’t let me stop ya from getting your sweet potato fry on, let’s cook!
The Heart & Soul Of This Sweet Potato Fries Recipe
Cuisine Inspiration: American
Primary Cooking Method: Oven
Dietary Info: Vegetarian
Key Flavor: Garlicky, buttery, and a bit sweet.
Skill Level: Beginner
Ingredients to Make Sweet Potato Fries
- Sweet potatoes: Choose fresh potatoes without any bad spots or shriveled skin. Experiment with different varieties of sweet potatoes, such as Jewel, Garnet, Hannah, and Stokes. Each one is incredibly delicious and has a unique flavor and texture that is worth exploring when baking sweet potato fries.
- Butter: We’re giving these fries a double dose of butter. They are tossed with butter before baking, and then more is drizzled over the top after they’re done cooking.
- Seasoning: Give your fries the perfect kick of flavor with a blend of seasoned salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and just a hint of nutmeg. They get a second bit of garlic flavor along with the melted butter added after they’re cooked.
- Nonstick cooking spray: Keeps your sweet potatoes from sticking to the pan and makes them cook up more crisp.
How to Make Sweet Potato Fries in the Oven
Gather your ingredients, heat the oven to 400 degrees F, and line two baking sheets with foil before you start the prep. Let’s get cookin’!
Step 1: Prepping the Sweet Potatoes
- Peel the potatoes.
- Cut the sweet potatoes into 1/2-inch thick slabs.
- Slice each slab into 1/2-inch thick strips.
- Place the cut sweet potatoes in a large bowl and drizzle with butter. Add the salt, pepper, garlic powder and nutmeg.
- Toss the sweet potatoes to coat.
- Arrange the sweet potatoes in a single layer on prepared baking sheets and bake for 10 to 15 minutes.
Step 2: Adding the Garlic Butter
- Turn the potatoes over and bake for 10 to 15 minutes more or until golden brown and potatoes are tender.
- Whisk the butter and garlic powder together, drizzle it over the fries, and serve.
Tips for Making the Best Sweet Potato Fries
Garlic Butter Sweet Potato Fries have been a favorite of mine since I first shared this recipe almost 6 years ago. Spiced, garlicky, and salty-sweet, these fries make for the absolute best side or snack! But, because they’re baked rather than fried, they’re not always as crispy as I prefer my fries to be.
Since posting the original recipe, I’ve picked up a few tricks to make sweet potato fries a bit crispier. Believe me, you’re gonna wanna tuck these tips into your culinary belt!
- Slice the Fries Thinly. Try your best to cut fries that are between ¼” – ½” wide. Thin fries will cook more evenly and develop a crispier skin. If you struggle with your knife skills, a mandolin is a great solution to ensure your fries are even!
- Divide Between Two Pans. Overcrowded fries steam each other and never get crispy! Be sure that each fry is lying flat against the pan, not piled on top of one another. I find that spreading the fries on two baking sheets rather than one is the best method for those getting crisp edges.
- Don’t Skip the Preheat. You want the oven hot when the potatoes start cooking. This will also aid in crisping up the potatoes as well as promote even cooking.
- Season Evenly. Make sure to toss the cut sweet potatoes well so they are all seasoned and coated in butter. I like to use tongs to easily move them around to coat them thoroughly.
- For Easy Cleanup. Wrap your baking trays with foil. This way there’s no baking pan to scrub after dinner.
Popular Substitutions & Additions
- Use Oil Instead of Butter: Butter and garlic work together like magic, it’s undeniable so I don’t suggest skipping it at the end. But, if you’re going for crispy fries, oil is your best friend. Replace the one tablespoon of the butter with an equal amount of olive or vegetable oil. Then top with the garlic butter mixture.
- Add Cornstarch: If you’re looking for next-level crisp, add a teaspoon of cornstarch before drizzling on the butter (or oil). Toss the fries in a large bowl to evenly coat them with the starch then proceed with the recipe.
- Different Potatoes: You can use this recipe with virtually any variety of potatoes! You may just need to adjust the cooking time.
- Different Seasoning: You can easily change up the seasonings used on your fries. Try anything from Cajun seasoning, Jamaican jerk seasoning, Italian herbs, Mexican blend, or any others you enjoy!
What to Serve with Baked Sweet Potato Fries
- Steak Frites. Swap out classic french fries for these and enjoy with your favorite steak such as pan-seared steak, grilled ribeye steak, or steak au poivre.
- Dipping Sauce. Ketchup, ranch, spicy mayo, remoulade sauce, chipotle BBQ sauce, and salsa verde are just a few that come to mind!
- Burger Side Dish. Enjoy these fries with your favorite burger or sandwich. This bacon cheddar burger, black bean burgers, or a shrimp po’ boy are a few options!
- Game Day Party. These fries are great for serving a group and work perfectly with other easy snacks like jerk chicken wings and steak nachos.
How to Store & Reheat Sweet Potato Fries
Sweet potato fries are always at their best, made fresh, but that doesn’t mean you need to waste leftovers. Save them by storing them in an airtight container.
Reheat them on a baking tray in the oven at 400° F for 10-12 minutes or until heated through.
How long will sweet potato fries last in the fridge?
When stored properly, they will taste best when enjoyed within 2-3 days, though they may last up to 5 days.
Can I freeze baked sweet potato fries?
No, I wouldn’t recommend it. Potatoes don’t generally hold up to freezing and the texture will change drastically when thawed out.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, if you prefer to use your air fryer instead of the oven it will work just. Just remember you need to cook in small batches and don’t overcrowd the air fryer basket. Preheat the air fryer to 400° F. Add the fries and cook for 15 minutes opening the air fryer at least once to shake them around. Check and continue cooking for another 5-10 minutes or until the fries are tender.
The key to cutting potatoes for fries is to make use of flat surfaces. I like to cut the potato in half and then turn it so the flat edge is on the cutting board. This gives you more control over slicing the potato into slabs. Then flip the slabs until they are flat against the cutting board and slice them again into even strips.
They should be golden brown on both sides and be tender when you bite into them or prick them with a fork. If you feel any resistance you need to cook them a bit longer.
These Garlic Butter Sweet Potato Fries are going to be your new favorite side dish for meals. Not only are they easy to make, but their flavor is undeniably good! Whether you’re serving them up as a snack or a side dish for meals, they are sure to disappear in a flash.
More Sweet Potato Recipes
Potatoes are the most versatile ingredient in any pantry; they can be used for mashes, pies, fries, and just about everything else in between. Take advantage of those stray spuds and whip up a few of my BEST sweet potato-filled recipes!
Here are a few more of my sweet potato recipes.
- Sweet Potato Pound Cake
- Spiced Sweet Potato Cheesecake
- Sweet Potato Chess Pie
- Maple Rum Sweet Potato Cornbread
- Sweet Potato Coffee Cake
- Sweet Potato Grits
*Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating and leave comments below!* Post a photo of how your version of the recipe came out on Instagram (using #grandbabycakes)!!
Baked Sweet Potato Fries
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Ingredients
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 1 pound medium sweet potatoes
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
- ¼ teaspoon seasoned salt
- black pepper to take
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 dash ground nutmeg
For Garlic Butter:
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with foil.
- Skin potatoes and cut sweet potatoes lengthwise into 1/2-inch thick strips. Place sweet potatoes in a large bowl. Drizzle with butter then season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and nutmeg and toss to coat. Arrange sweet potatoes in a single layer on prepared baking sheets and bake for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Turn potatoes over and bake for 10 to 15 minutes more or until golden brown and potatoes are tender.
- Whisk butter and garlic powder together and drizzle over fries and serve.
Notes
- Slice the Fries Thinly. Try your best to cut fries that are between ¼” – ½” wide. Thin fries will cook more evenly and develop a crispier skin. If you struggle with your knife skills, a mandolin is a great solution to ensure your fries are even!
- Divide Between Two Pans. Overcrowded fries steam each other and never get crispy! Be sure that each fry is lying flat against the pan, not piled on top of one another. I find that spreading the fries on two baking sheets rather than one is the best method for those getting crisp edges.
- Don’t Skip the Preheat. You want the oven hot when the potatoes start cooking. This will also aid in crisping up the potatoes as well as promote even cooking.
- Season Evenly. Make sure to toss the cut sweet potatoes well so they are all seasoned and coated in butter. I like to use tongs to easily move them around to coat them thoroughly.
- For Easy Cleanup. Wrap your baking trays with foil. This way there’s no baking pan to scrub after dinner.
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NEED THE RECIPE FOR SWEET POTATO FRIES!!
Hi Melanie, the recipe is right above the comments in the recipe card. Hope you enjoy!
These sweet potato fries turned out so perfect, better than any I’ve had at restaurants! We will be making these again and again!
Oh boy, these were so good. The garlic butter really amped up this recipe.
You just took sweet potato fries to a whole other level – these sound so delicious!
I absolutely LOVE sweet potato fries! These garlic butter fires are out of this world good!
I love sweet potatoes, I grew up eating them. I love them prepared so many ways, but prepared as fries, never turn out right. Yours look amazing, and I hope my’s turn out just as amazing. I just found your wonderful site, and happy I did. (On BuzzFeed).
Hooray!!!
Sweet potato fries and I are total besties and this version sounds ah-mazing! Pinned!