Crispy Sweet Potato Fries

Crispy Sweet potato Friese baked in the oven for the best healthy comfort food. Use my method for the perfect snack and side dish.

Crispy, sweet and salty fries are my ultimate comfort food. Sweet potato fries, zucchini fries, carrot fries, you name it, I love them with a side of yummy dipping sauce.

Although FRIES may not have the most healthy reputation! But in this post, I will share my favorite alternative to make the most crispy and healthy sweet potato fries. This recipe Paleo, Gluten Free, and minimum oil required.

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You may already know my obsession with sweet potato if you follow me on Instagram. Pretty sure I bleed orange at this point given the amount of sweet potatoes I eat every day (read – every meal). This crispy sweet potato fries are my go-to every meal prep Sunday. It is about time for me to dedicate a post for this amazing recipe and share my secret!

Sweet Potato Fries with Ketchup

Do you ever roll your eyes when you go to restaurants, and have to pay $1 extra to substitute French Fries with Sweet Potato Fries? That’s the sacrifice we sweet potato lovers have to pay, right? Although sometimes, they come out kind of soggy, and we roll our eyes again? This is WHY I need to share this homemade CRISPY sweet potato fries recipe with you.

Let’s make a batch of CRISPY Sweet Potato Fries

First of all, I am going to show you a few methods I use to make these sweet potato fries healthy, gluten free and very little oil required.

What Tools to use to make Fries Healthy?

1. Oven-Baked

You might be thinking, “hold on there. we are not trying to make baked sweet potatoes here. Where is the fries recipe you have been raving about? Well, Oven-Baked method is one of my early discovery of making healthy homemade “sweet potato fries”. (I may have been inspired by Kentucky Fried Chicken). I remember obsessing over their really thick cut potato wedges.

Here is how you do it:

• Crank up your oven to 400 F to 425 F. (Note: If you have a convection oven, you may need to turn it up a little higher.)

• BOIL the sweet potatoes for 5 minutes. This step is very important for the fries to come out extra CRISPY. It will also make your cutting process a lot easier since the quick boil will soften the sweet potatoes a little bit.

• Cut the sweet potatoes into your preferred fries shape.

• In a mixing bowl, season sweet potatoes with avocado oil and spices. (Avocado oil has one of the highest smoking point 520 F. )

• Mix everything and sure all the sweet potatoes are covered with oil and spices

• Line the sweet potato fries on sheet pan with parchment paper

• Bake for 30 minutes (adjust the time depending on the thickness of fries)

• Tip: Make sure the sweet potato fries are not touching each other. This step is important. Because having room between the fries give them room to “breathe” and get extra crispy. Otherwise, they will absorb the steam from each other and become soggy.

Downside of Oven-Baked Fries:

• Doesn’t cook evenly: Bottom of the fries usually turn out crispier, sometimes burnt unless you turn them a few times.

• Time-Consuming: It takes forever and even more effort if you need to turn them a few times while baking.

• Oven-heat: when your oven is on 425 F for 30 min in a steamy summer? Sweet Potato Fries may become the last thing you want to make.

2. Air Fryer

I got mine from my wedding registry last year and it is a game changer when it comes to making the most perfect sweet potato fries. And they are actually pretty affordable on Amazon.

Sweet Potato Fries with Vegan “cheese” sauce

Here is how you do it:

• The seasoning steps are the same as the oven baking method above.

• After everything is mixed well in a bowl, you can just chuck everything in the frying basket.

• Set it on 380 F for 15 minutes.

Why prefer Air Frying over Oven Baking:

• Crispy and golden brown all around:Oven baked fries tend to be browner on the bottom than the top.

• Less effort to arrange the fries: It may sound easy, but let me tell you, when you are trying to make 3 trays of fries for a dinner party, or even just 1 full tray during a 2-hour meal prep, that’s the last thing I want to be doing

• Takes less time to cook: The cooking time is cut in half in air frying method compared to oven baking.

3. Mealthy Pot

Mealthy Pot is similar to an Instant Pot, but more POWERFUL. It has 9 functions in it, including an air fryer, pressure cooker, slower cookers, saute, cake, yogurt, you name it. So if you are on a budget, this is one of my best investment. It saves you money from getting multiple kitchen appliances, and more importantly, kitchen space. Before I got this mealthy pot, I already own a crockpot, airfryer. Imagine if I only had just bought this one.

This method works similarly as the air fryer since we using the “air frying” function. Oh and you should check out one of my popular recipes “Sweet Potato Turkey Chili” that I made using the pressure cooker function in this Mealthy Pot. It is one of my most popular recipes on Pinterest.

Why is Air Fryer a Healthy Alternative?

So now you know how much I love using the air frying method to make the most crispy sweet potato fries. You may be wondering how it works and why I love it so much.

First of all, an air fryer is like a mini convection oven for your kitchen counter. It speedily circulates hot air around food to cook it quickly. Similar to a deep fryer, you put the food to be fried in a removable basket. But instead of submerging it in boiling oil, the food is baked by the heat from air flowing around them (Read more Here).

Secondly, it requires less oil. Even in oven baking, a decent amount of oil is required because they tend to dry out a bit in the oven. With that said, I personally still prefer using a good amount of healthy oil with a high smoking point, such as avocado oil. It provides healthy fat and better flavor.

Last but not least, it is super easy to use. I don’t know about you, but I am not a professional cook who knows or owns a real deep fryer.

Dipping Sauce for Sweet Potato Fries

For potato fries, I am a ketchup type of gal. But when it comes to sweet potato Fries. The sky is unlimited.

1. Ketchup

Classic Classic Classic dipping sauce for fries. Say no more. (This one is whole30 approved)

2. Tahini Sauce

This creamy, nutty sauce has been my go to dipping sauce for sweet potato fries, roasted veggies, and just about anything

3. Vegan “Cheese” Sauce

This Vegan “Cheese” Sauce is made of butternut squash, raw cashews and nutritional yeast. It is my favorite dipping sauce for these fries in the fall, and my go to “gluten-free pasta sauce”.

4. Hummus

Trust me this is such a delicious combo. Crispy sweet potato fries dipped in nutty and creamy hummus? Brb drooling. (I’ve got a Pumpkin Pie Hummus which is a game changer).

Alright Now, scroll down to the full recipe of this crispy Sweet Potato Fries!

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Don’t forget to save this CRISPY sweet potato fries on your favorite Pinterest Board and share with your friends and family!

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