easy oven baked sweet potato fries

These fries are SO GOOD, SUPER ADDICTIVE and honestly as easy to make up as the frozen variety (and cheaper too). I’m serious! They’re browned, caramelized and slightly crispy on the outside, and soft, sweet and tender on the inside. Yum, Yum! I will admit that these fries are not going to be crispy, like fries that have been fried, they tend to be softer like steak fries.

In the past few weeks these fries have become our new favorite dinner/lunch side, and one of the kid’s favorite after school snacks.

See, these fries make my kiddos silly and happy! I’m even getting the thumbs up from Eli’s friend Robby. Make these fries up for your kiddos and they will be happy to!

These fries are SUPER easy to make. Just take a sweet potato, slice it up into fries, toss the fries with a bit of olive oil and coarse sea salt, and then bake them in the oven for 20 minutes. The whole process from start to finish takes roughly 25 minutes. Let’s be honest, most frozen sweet potato fries take 25-30 minutes to bake up, and they’re frozen peeps, while these take less time and are fresh! Hmm… fresh or frozen, not much of a decision here.

Sweet potatoes are complex carbohydrate that contain protein, so they’re the perfect lunch/dinner side or snack because they fill you up, so you can eat one sweet potato and not be hungry or tired later. Bonus! Sweet potato fires are also a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin A and potassium.

I baked up some fries for lunch the other day and paired with my favorite kale salad, and I have to say that I was one happy Marin mama! This lunch kept me full and satisfied until dinner!

I like to keep these fries on simple side by just using olive oil and sea salt, but feel free to spice them up and add a pinch of cayenne pepper, cumin, paprika or curry powder. It’s really up to you!

easy oven baked sweet potato fries:

serves 4 as a side

2 medium-sized sweet potatoes
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil or extra virgin coconut oil, melted- You just want enough oil to lightly and evenly coat the fries
coarse sea salt – approx 1 teaspoon or more depending on how salty you like your fries
optional – freshly ground pepper – I did not add this, as my kid’s are not huge pepper fans

The below photo shows olive oil, but I’ve also used and loved virgin coconut oil, (the kids are not huge fans) as it has a touch of coconut flavor and really makes the fries pop, plus it’s an oil that you can cook with at a higher temperature. My kids prefer the olive oil, so there you go! Both work great, so just use what you have in the house!

Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees and get out a rimmed baking sheet!

Note: I wouldn’t use tin foil to line your baking sheet, as I hear it tends to burn the fries, also parchment paper tends to burn in the oven and also makes the fries soggy, so just put your fries directly onto the baking sheet.

MARIN MAMA TIPS:

I would use a lighter colored rimmed baking sheet as opposed to a darker one. I found that when I used a darker colored baking sheet, it tended to burn the fries, and cooked and caramelized them way too fast (see my photo below in the post).

Don’t bake the sweet potato fries with anything else in the oven, as they will not turn out very crispy.

Don’t overcrowd the fries or cook them too close together, or else they will sweat instead of brown and crisp up.

You can peel the sweet potatoes, or keep the skin on and scrub and wash the potatoes. I prefer to keep the skin on, as it adds some dietary fiber! My kids don’t mind the skin at all either.

After washing and scrubbing the sweet potato, dry it using either a towel or paper towel. If the sweet potato is too wet then the fries will be soggy.

Slice off the two skinny ends.

Cut the sweet potato in half.

Take each half of the sweet potato and cut it into large slices, about 3/4 inch thick.

I usually get about 4-5 slices from each half.

Then cut the larger slices into fries. Try to cut them all evenly, so they all cook at the same rate.

I typically get about 4-5 fries per slice.

You can either put the fries in a large bowl and toss them with the olive oil and sea salt, or put them directly on the baking sheet and add the olive oil and sea salt and toss to combine.

I always toss mine right on the baking sheet as I’m lazy and don’t feel like dirtying up another bowl. Make sure when you’re combining it all that you’re scooping the salt and oil from the bottom of the sheet and mixing it in. If you get too much oil on the baking sheet, then just pat it dry a bit with a paper towel.

Use only enough oil to lightly and evenly coat the fries. You don’t want them sitting in a pool of oil.

Once everything’s mixed, space out the fries on the baking sheet.

Make sure they’re not touching and have ample space around them, or else they will get soggy and not crisp up.

Put the fries in the pre-heated 450 degree oven on the middle rack for 12 minutes, then take them out and flip them over using tongs, a spatula or your bare hands (which I tend to do because my hands are heat-resistant).

Keep an eye on the fries the first time you bake them, as every oven is different and some may cook the fries faster than 12 minutes. You definitely don’t want black fries, yuck!

Below is what my fries looked like after baking for 12 minutes. I flipped them, and as you can see, they’re slightly browned, puffed up and a bit crispy.

I wanted to show you what my fries looked like on a darker baking sheet only after only 8 minutes. See how charred and black they are? Needless to say, these fries were not as tasty. Too charred for our liking!

Sorry fries, you were composted!

Once your fries are flipped, put them back in the oven for another 8-10 minutes. I would check your fries at the 8-minute mark and see how they’re doing. You want both sides to be puffed up in texture, evenly browned and slightly crispy. You don’t want to overcook the fries and have them be black, as they will be dry inside and taste charred.

Below is what my fries looked like after cooking for 20 minutes total (12 minutes then flip, and then an additional 8 minutes).

Note: Keep in mind that baking time may vary depending on how large you cut your sweet potatoes and how accurate your oven is.

If you want crispier fries, try adding a generous pinch of cornstarch to the fries before tossing and baking. I personally have never tried this technique, but I hear that it works. I’m honestly happy with the consistency of the fries cooking them without cornstarch, but if any of you give the cornstarch a try, let me know how it turns out for you.

Dunk these fries into some ketchup, your favorite aioli or some ketchup spiked with Sriracha! We’ve love pairing them with ketchup and chipotle mayo.

These fries are kid and mom approved!

Print easy oven baked sweet potato fries

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Serving Size: serves 4 as a side

Ingredients

2 medium-sized sweet potatoes
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil or extra virgin coconut oil, melted- You just want enough oil to lightly and evenly coat the fries
coarse sea salt - approx 1 teaspoon or more depending on how salty you like your fries
optional - freshly ground pepper - I did not add this, as my kid's are not huge pepper fans

Instructions

I typically use olive oil, but I've also used and loved virgin coconut oil, (the kids are not huge fans) as it has a touch of coconut flavor and really makes the fries pop, plus it's an oil that you can cook with at a higher temperature. My kids prefer the olive oil, so there you go! Both work great, so just use what you have in the house!

Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees and get out a rimmed baking sheet!

Note: I wouldn't use tin foil to line your baking sheet, as I hear it tends to burn the fries, also parchment paper tends to burn in the oven and also makes the fries soggy, so just put your fries directly onto the baking sheet.

MARIN MAMA TIPS: I would use a lighter colored rimmed baking sheet as opposed to a darker one. I found that when I used a darker colored baking sheet, it tended to burn the fries, and cooked and caramelized them way too fast (see my photo below in the post). Don't bake the sweet potato fries with anything else in the oven, as they will not turn out very crispy. Don't overcrowd the fries or cook them too close together, or else they will sweat instead of brown and crisp up.

You can peel the sweet potatoes, or keep the skin on and scrub and wash the potatoes. I prefer to keep the skin on, as it adds some dietary fiber! My kids don't mind the skin at all either.

After washing and scrubbing the sweet potato, dry it using either a towel or paper towel. If the sweet potato is too wet then the fries will be soggy.

Slice off the two skinny ends.

Cut the sweet potato in half.

Take each half of the sweet potato and cut it into large slices, about 3/4 inch thick.

I usually get about 4-5 slices from each half.

Then cut the larger slices into fries. Try to cut them all evenly, so they all cook at the same rate.

I typically get about 4-5 fries per slice.

You can either put the fries in a large bowl and toss them with the olive oil and sea salt, or put them directly on the baking sheet and add the olive oil and sea salt and toss to combine.

I always toss mine right on the baking sheet as I'm lazy and don't feel like dirtying up another bowl. Make sure when you're combining it all that you're scooping the salt and oil from the bottom of the sheet and mixing it in. If you get too much oil on the baking sheet, then just pat it dry a bit with a paper towel.

Use only enough oil to lightly and evenly coat the fries. You don't want them sitting in a pool of oil.

Once everything's mixed, space out the fries on the baking sheet.

Make sure they're not touching and have ample space around them, or else they will get soggy and not crisp up.

Put the fries in the pre-heated 450 degree oven on a center rack for 12 minutes, then take them out and flip them over using tongs, a spatula or your bare hands (which I tend to do because my hands are heat-resistant).

Keep an eye on the fries the first time you bake them, as every oven is different and some may cook the fries faster than 12 minutes. You definitely don't want black fries, yuck!

Below is what my fries looked like after baking for 12 minutes. I flipped them, and as you can see, they're slightly browned, puffed up and a bit crispy.

Once your fries are flipped, put them back in the oven for another 8-10 minutes. I would check your fries at the 8-minute mark and see how they're doing. You want both sides to be puffed up in texture, evenly browned and slightly crispy. You don't want to overcook the fries and have them be black, as they will be dry inside and taste charred.

Below is what my fries looked like after cooking for 20 minutes total (12 minutes then flip, and then an additional 8 minutes).

Note: Keep in mind that baking time may vary depending on how large you cut your sweet potatoes and how accurate your oven is.

If you want crispier fries, try adding a generous pinch of cornstarch to the fries before tossing and baking. I personally have never tried this technique, but I hear that it works. I'm honestly happy with the consistency of the fries cooking them without cornstarch, but if any of you give the cornstarch a try, let me know how it turns out for you.

Dunk these fries into some ketchup, your favorite aioli or some ketchup spiked with Sriracha! We've love pairing them with ketchup and chipotle mayo.

These fries are kid and mom approved!

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