Crispy Sweet Potato Fries Recipe

If one thing is true about fries, it's that there is no shortage of variations in the world. From classic shoestring French fries to waffle fries, crinkle-cut fries to curly fries, there's a type out there that is sure to please anyone's taste buds. Most fry variations involve russet or white potatoes as the base, with deep-frying as the cooking method to get crispy and incredibly tasty results. If there's one downfall to fries, it's that the excess of oil can be quite heavy. But, how else are you supposed to get crispy fries without deep-frying them?

Recipe developer Kit Hondrum from Kit's Kitchen has a solution to that quandary with her crispy sweet potato fries recipe. Instead of using russet potatoes, this recipe calls for sweet potatoes, and instead of deep-frying, these fries will crisp up beautifully in the oven. "These fries are the perfect side dish for a healthy weeknight dinner," Hondrum says. "I love them with burgers or steaks." With pretty much any meal that you'd want fries as a side, these crispy sweet potato fries will fulfill that craving, without leaving you with that heavy feeling afterwards. 

To make these crispy sweet potato fries, you'll only need a handful of ingredients, including sweet potatoes, extra virgin olive oil, cornstarch, sea salt, garlic powder, black pepper, and paprika. 

To cook these fries, you'll be using the oven, so go ahead and preheat that to 425 F on the convection roast setting. "Using the convection roast setting gives us some nice air circulation inside the oven and allows the fries to get even crispier, similar to an air fryer," Hondrum explains.

Now, turn your attention to the sweet potatoes. Peel each one, then chop them into long fry shapes, approximately ⅓-inch thick. Hondrum notes that you should try to make each fry as close in size as possible, so that they'll all cook evenly in the oven. Once all the fries are cut, place them into a large bowl and toss them with olive oil.

In a small bowl, mix together the cornstarch, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Then, sprinkle this mixture over the fries and toss them to coat. The cornstarch will help the fries crisp up in the oven!

Grab a wire rack-lined baking sheet and spray it with nonstick spray, or rub some oil on it. Now, line your fries up in an even layer and make sure there is some space in between each one. Pop the sheet into the oven and allow the fries to roast for 30 minutes — you'll know they're done when the outside is crispy and the inside is soft. "Due to the sugar content in sweet potatoes, there will usually be some blackened edges on the fries," Hondrum notes. "That's totally normal and actually very yummy!"

Just like that, you have perfectly crispy sweet potato fries. Serve these fries with burgers or steak, as Hondrum suggests, or feature them at your next backyard barbecue — they're sure to be a huge hit.