There are two ways to get guaranteed crispy sweet potato fries. In your oven (yes!) or in a deep fryer. But even deep frying plain sweet potato fries won't get them crispy. You need a tiny bit of the secret ingredient - cornstarch.
Skip right to the printable recipe.
Right here, right now I am going to teach you how to make crispy sweet potato fries. Even though they're not a real french fry. They are french fry substitutes to be eaten when a real french fry can't be found.
Yes, I know. But you loveeeeeeeee sweet potato french fries. You like them wayyyyyyyyyy better than regular french fries. That's because you're an amateur. I on the other hand, am a french fry professional.
I have been making, eating and gorging myself on theses sticks of potato deliciousness for as long as I can remember. In high school I ate so many of them at lunch that at the end of the year I threw up a ball of grease. So ... clearly ... a professional here whose advice should be followed.
But ... if you're on some sort of stupid meal plan, or you're all out of regular potatoes, or you just feel like having something a little different than regular french fries, why wouldn't you cook up some Sweet Potato French Fries?
Because they're soggy messes. That's why. They'll get brown but they don't get crispy.
I've oven baked them, par boiled them and deep fried them and they don't get crispy. They get brown, but not crisp.
Finally, I've figured out how to make crispy sweet potato fries and the best part is you can do them in the deep fryer or the oven! Either way, you'll end up with crispy fries. Guaranteed.
But like with most things, you're more guaranteed if you do them in the deep fryer.
Here's what you need to do to create this perfect sweet and spicy lunch or side dish.
Gather your sweet potatoes.
Get some corn starch.
Also get some olive oil. Just the cheap stuff. Not the good stuff like my favourite Lorenzo No.5. Seriously best tasting olive oil ever.
Peel your sweet potatoes. I have used the same brand of vegetable peeler for 15 years now. It's the cheapest, most basic vegetable peeler around and it's pretty much every cook's favourite. It's the Great Lash mascara of the vegetable peeling world.
Cut your sweet potatoes until they're a medium thickness. Not hugely thick cut and not shoestring.
Let potatoes soak in water for an hour - half the day. (not mandatory, but recommended)
Preheat oven to 425°
Throw a Tablespoon or two of cornstarch into a plastic bag.
(update: I'm reducing this to a definite 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch because people were reading this as 1 to 2 to 173 Tablespoons of cornstarch. So it's a hard 1 Tablespoon now. Got it?)
Dump a handful of sweet potatoes into the bag with the cornstarch. You don't need to dry them with paper towels or anything. Just drain the water and then give each handful you drop in the cornstarch a good shake. Twist the top of the bag so it forms a balloon with some air inside and shake the fries around until they're lightly coated with the cornstarch. This is important. Too much water and too much cornstarch and you'll end up with a goopy mess. Plus your fries will taste like cornstarch.
Put them on a non stick cookie sheet. The darker the cookie sheet the better - all the better to brown with.
Drizzle 2 Tbsps. of olive oil over the sweet potatoes. This is if you want to be healthy.
Any vegetable oil will work. I've used sunflower, avocado, vegetable etc. etc.
Saturated and Unsaturated Fats
Saturated Fats for frying
- Lard
- Tallow
Monounsaturated & Polyunsaturated Fats for frying
- Olive Oil
- Canola Oil
- Peanut Oil
- Sunflower Oil
You can use as much oil as you want.
(Update: The more oil you use the easier time you'll have of getting the fries crispy but the less healthy they will be.)
I usually go the totally unhealthy route to make sure the fries are crispy. Just drizzle the oil across them and then mix them up with your hands to coat well.
Spread the whole mess out evenly on your baking sheet.
Arrange them so they have space between each fry. The less of them on the pan the better they'll cook. Too many shoved together and they'll never get crispy. They'll just steam. So do NOT overcrowd the pan. Pop the pan into your preheated oven and cook for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile you can make the dipping sauce. Mix together ½ cup of mayonnaise with 1 teaspoon of Sriracha sauce and ¼ teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper.
You can adjust the proportions to taste. Mix it up and taste it then adjust as you like.
Check them after 15 minutes, flip them over (you might have to use a spatula depending on how "non stick" your pan is) and return to the oven if necessary for another 5 minutes. The timing really depends on the size of your fry, the heat of your oven and how well your pan conducts heat.
(update: You can see the pan I'm using here is very dark, this very dark, old, used pan cooks things faster and crispier. So if you have an old pan like this use it. If you have a shiny, new baking sheet your fries will take much longer to cook, will have a greater tendency to stick and won't get as crispy)
Maxwell Williams French Fry and dipping cup!!
If you prefer your food deep fried, (and who doesn't) throw them in the deep fryer at the highest setting for a few minutes instead of sticking them in the oven. You STILL need to coat them in cornstarch. Even in a deep fryer, sweet potatoes fries won't want to get crispy unless they have a coating of cornstarch.
This is how I do them when I'm in a rush. They're always crispier than those from the oven, but far less healthy.
Ingredients
- 2 large sweet potatoes
- 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch
- *Dipping Sauce*
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon or more Sriracha sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 or deep fryer to highest setting
- Peel sweet potatoes, slice into medium thick slices (closer to thin than thick).
- Soak potatoes at least 4 hours in water.
- Drain water from sweet potatoes and shake dry with your hands.
- Put 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch into food safe plastic bag.
- Dump sweet potato fries into bag, blow some air into it, and shake bag until fries are coated.
- Place fries on cookie sheet, drizzle with a couple Tablespoons of olive oil.
- Toss fries until evenly coated with oil.
- Arrange on cookie sheet(s) with lots of space in between fries to prevent steaming.
- Cook in hot oven for 15 minutes then check.
- The fries will release from the pan when they're ready to flip the same way a steak would.
- Flip fries, and continue to cook for another 5-10 minutes.
- (cooking time depends greatly on the quality of your baking sheet so keep an eye on them)
- Dipping Sauce: Mix together mayo, pepper and Sriracha sauce. Adjust to your taste.
Notes
- Do NOT use too much cornstarch. It will lead to heartache and raw, powdery tasting fries.
- A dark, metal baking sheet will give the best results.
- Sweet Potato Fries will get dark fast because of their high sugar content. Don't forget to flip and turn them.
TIPS
- Do NOT use too much cornstarch. It will lead to heartache and raw, powdery tasting fries.
- A dark, metal baking sheet will give the best results.
- Sweet Potato Fries will get dark fast because of their high sugar content. Don't forget to flip and turn them.
Please note : This recipe does have a bit of a learning curve. It may take a few attempts to get your proportions of corn starch and oil correct. It took me several years to figure out how to do this, but with these instructions it shouldn't take you more than a couple of tries.
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Rachel
Wow, thanks for this! I gave up on making my own sweet potato fries a while ago (I had even tried the egg white thing to no avail). Went out to Bulk Barn and bought a bit of corn starch (used tonight) and a bit of potato starch (cuz really, not supposed to have corn). Cost me $0.11! haha
SO..thanks for my dinner tonight - these kick butt CRISPY sweet potato fries with chicken and veg. YUM. Who knew? ta :)
abjacabjacal kris
this idaho girl and self proclaimed (idaho russet) french fry expert is going to have to try this! I love sweet potato fries but never have any luck, and eating it with sirachi sauce might just be the best idea ever!
Karen
kris - It may take a couple of tries to get the proportions of corn starch and oil down. Usually by the second try all is good! ~ karen
Rachel
I just made these and they taste floury. I thought I didn't even have enough corn starch but maybe it was too much still? And not enough oil?.0
Karen
Rachel - Yes, it sounds like you had too much corn starch. You really just need a very light dusting of cornstarch. The first time I tried them this way I used too much cornstarch as well. And make sure each and every fry is covered in oil. If you have a deep fryer try them with the cornstarch and deep frying them. The oven method is definitely more difficult to get the hang of, but once you figure out the proportions of corn starch and oil you'll be set. ~ karen!
Rachel
I just made them again with very little corn starch and lots of oil and they came out perfect! My 3 year old and one year old gobbled them right up!
Karen
Rachel - Good! Glad to hear it. :) ~ karen
Linda
I got so excited when I saw the title cause Sweet Potatoes are allowed on my stupid meal plan but I'm pretty sure corn starch is not allowed cause it's from corn and has starch. Urghhh. Still I'm going to try it for the days when I don't follow the stupid meal plan exactly.
Petrel
Hi Linda--can you have potato starch? Or rice starch? I've tried these with potato starch and they were very good.
Kelly| product reviews
Hey! Karen,
As a matter of fact I just bought some sweet potatoes today. I was just gonna bake them, but your fried sweet potato recipe has tweeked my interest. I think I'm gonna go for it.
Thanks for sharing!
Karen
Good luck with the fries Kelly! Make sure to use "just enough" corn starch and make sure they're evenly coated with oil. And make the sauce!!! So good. ~ karen
Activities for kids
I tried making them once, and you're right they were soggy. I didn't even try again b/c I didn't know you could make them crispy. I will definitely try this!!
Jan
How long do you usually soak them in cold water? And what does the soak do? Thanks!
Karen
Hi Jan - A lot of restaurants soak their fries all day in water. I've read it should only be for an hour or two. It removes a lot of the starch. That's why the water is cloudy when you remove them. Removing the starch from the potato makes a crispier fry and it helps to stop them from stick to each other and your pan. (you have to let them dry before cooking them by rolling them in a dish towel) ~ karen!
Holly
Ooh! Ok, we soaked our potatoes for an hour, then went straight to the cornstarch. They were so mushy... The cornstarch just got all gooey over them, so we added more after letting them sit for a while, but I knew I wasn't missing a step, and then they were in the oven 3x as long and skipped right to getting burnt... Ok. Dry them off, first. That will probably help. Thanks!
Shannan
Same thing here. I ended up with way too much cornstarch on my SP. I thought maybe I should towel them off first but I didn't see that mentioned in the steps and I wanted to follow the directions to a "t". They were still awesome-but next time I'm sure they will be even better. The dipping sauce was off the hook!!!
Nichola
Well I made an attempt but they weren't quite as crispy as I was hoping for. I think I must have used too much corn starch and maybe not enough oil? Will definitely be trying again though!
Karen
Nichola - You definitely need to coat the fries in oil. And you don't need a ton of cornstarch. If push comes to shove and you're having trouble, you can use the same technique in the deep fryer. It's easier to get them crispy that way. But even in the deep fryer you'll need to coat them in corn starch. Even in the fryer they won't come out crispy. Try again and let me know how it goes. ~ karen
Nichola
Less corn starch, more oil = a tasty success! Thanks!
Karen
Nichola - Phew! Glad to hear it! ~ karen
Cynthia
This Canadian is so proud of you! I've always loved you on TV. How is it you get even better in print? And now, as if it couldn't get better, you share the secret of crispy sweet potato fries on the absolute day I have been bemoaning the limp disasters I keep producing. As a breast cancer survivor I can't indulge in normal fries as often as I'd like, but these, especially with Sriracha dip, these are going to be my new, healthy, crack. Bless you!
Karen
Thank you Cynthia! Remember ... a really good non stick pan and if you don't have one a touch extra oil so they don't stick too badly! Good luck. The dip is absolutely delicious! The more Cayenne the better, too. (if you like hot that is) And congratulations on kicking breast cancer's ass by the way. BREAST CANCER CAN SUCK IT! ~ karen
office interior design
Great tips...thank you. I love french fries but sweet potatoe fries are pretty good too especially with the right dipping sauce. Can't wait to try this one.
Jen
I'm making these for my in-laws tonight! My kids have always resisted sweet potatoes. Maybe if they are crispy they'll enjoy them. Bonus: I'm roasting off an extra tater for my wee!
Karen
Jen - Glad to hear it! Make sure you have a good non-stick pan. If you don't, add a tiny bit of extra oil to help the sweet potatoes not stick so badly. When you flip them you'll have to use a spatula to scrape them up regardless. Good luck! ~ karen
Gayle
Okay, first. Those are YAMS.
Second, I've been trying for YEARS to get them crispy. How did you figure this out?
Karen
Gayle! Hmm. They were labelled as Sweet Potatoes at the store. They aren't scaley or anything like a Yam. Why do you think they aren't the dark skinned variety of sweet potatoes (which are often wrongly called a Yam?) Not being accusatory. Just curious! Do you know things I don't know? I like to know everything. It's a downfall. Lemme know! :) I looked up all kinds of recipes and techniques on the Internet, weeded out the ones that didn't work and combined a couple of techniques that did. It's that whole "know everything" gene in me. ~ karen!
Gayle
Okay, I just read up on yams and sweet potatoes on wiki, and, well, sweet potatoes can be orange after all. Also, I think I was being a bit rude... sorry. I'm going to try these very soon.
The funny part is, I was trying to make crispy ones the other day using the broiler, and I thought to myself I should submit an Ask Karen... but I forgot!!
from wiki:
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In the United States, sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas), especially those with orange flesh, are often referred to as "yams." In the United States, firm varieties of sweet potatoes were produced before soft varieties. When soft varieties were first grown commercially, there was a need to differentiate between the two. African slaves had already been calling the soft sweet potatoes "yams" because they resembled the yams in Africa. Thus, soft sweet potatoes were referred to as yams to distinguish them from the firm varieties.[10] Sweet potatoes labeled as "yams" are widely available in markets that serve Asian or Caribbean communities.
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Karen
Gayle - Don't worry about it. If I thought someone was wrong I'd be just as vocal about it. I *am* just as vocal about it. :) ~ karen
Ralph
Hold on; let’s not let this slip by too fast. I had understood yams and sweet potatoes were two different things and got into conversations with family who I now, out wisdom with this conversation. It went to the point in the supermarket, they were all called Yams, I went to the produce guy, fresh out of kindergarten, and he said they were the same thing, I got back to the shack and they were not the same things, in the bag, I indeed had two different products. He, thinking they were the same had put them all together and listed them under Yams. I go to the guy with the grey hair now and ask and do get sweet potatoes. So, yes there is a difference.
Marti
Hey Karen!
LOVE sweet potato fries, baby chicks and fried chicken. (There's an icky question about poor, sweet Lucky buried around here somewhere, but we won't go there.)
What is the oven temperature for this, please? Love sweet potato fries. Oops! Said that already.
Thanks!
Karen
Marti ! Sorry .. the temperature is hidden above one of the pictures somewhere. Set your oven to 425. ~ karen
Marti
Thanks much! Luv your blog, btw. :) Bookmarked already!
magali
I don't like this post. I had managed to forget that I wanted french frie cups with matching sauce cups (or was it that I/my boyfriend convinced me that I didn't need any..?) and now you just went ahead and reminded me just how great they look.
I will like this post the day I decide to make sweet potato french fries however.
Denise
magali...
Maxwell & Williams French Fry cups...try this!
http://www.maxwellandwilliams.com.au/mw/maxwell-williams-dinnerware-servingware-platters-bowls-white-basics-french-p9003.asp
Rosa @ flutterflutter
Very excited to try this out! Thanks!!
B.J.M
Sound and look yummy! Great idea. Gonna give them a go! I always found the mushy thing disappointing in a sw.-potato-fry too. I was thinking of soaking the cut fries in ice water like is done for good regular fries...but this is definitely less time consuming.
BTW - the cute dishes are no longer available and havent any ETA either. Whaaa.
Karen
Brenda - Blech. That's too bad. Also, I do soak my Sweet Potato fries in cold water before cooking them if I have time. I didn't have too much time this particular day so they were only in the water for a hour or so. ~ karen
Lynn
I like my SP Fries dipped in lazy-gal aioli (Hellman's/Best Foods mayonnaise with tons of minced garlic and a squeeze of lemon juice). Just about everything is good with garlic mayonnaise, though.
Sarah P
I have tried a wide range of (baked) sweet potato fry recipes and always end up with soft mushiness. Delicious, but mushy. I can't wait to try your way!
Sarah P
Hey, ALSO: do you think baking them on parchment paper on a baking sheet would change anything? I don't have non-stick ones and I'm not big on scrubbing them clean.
Michelle Hill
I use my silpat when I make oven fries. It works really well and is so much easier to clean than a pan or sheet. I think parchment would work, just keep an eye on it, as the oven is pretty darn hot for these fries.
Lalia
I agree. They were the most delicious mush I've ever served. I had about 5 fries that miraculously didn't stick.
CourtneyOutLoud
First - I love a woman who enjoys fried foods. Second, great tip about the corn starch!
Liz S.
I've redone my meal plan too. My son LOVES sweet potato fries. This will be a big treat for him. I've tried making them before and they were awful!