These easy baked sweet potato fries are cooked until they’re perfectly crispy, then served alongside a smoky chipotle lime sauce for dipping. Say hello to your new favorite appetizer!
Why You’ll Love This Sweet Potato Fries Recipe
- Nice and crispy. These sweet potato fries are soft and tender on the inside, but crispy on the outside. Olive oil is key to ensuring that the fries crisp up as they bake and cool.
- Tangy and spicy dipping sauce. Made with mayo, a chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, fresh lime juice, chives, and a pinch of garlic powder, you’ll want to coat each fry in it completely! Heck, you may even want to spoon it straight into your mouth.
- Simple seasoning. Since the dipping sauce is bold, I like to keep the seasoning for the fries relatively simple. A mix of cinnamon, salt, and pepper delivers on flavor, but keeps your prep work easy!
Are Baked Sweet Potato Fries Healthy?
Sweet potato fries offer a wide array of health benefits that you just can’t get from classic french fries. They fuel up your body with tons of Vitamins (A, C and B6), as well as plenty of antioxidants, fiber, potassium, protein, and various other nutrients. Plus, since these bad boys are baked in the oven, they use much less oil than your average fries!
What You’ll Need
This wholesome baked sweet potato fries recipe only requires a handful of simple ingredients. For exact amounts, scroll down to the bottom of the post.
For the Sweet Potato Fries
- Sweet potatoes – Carefully cut these into ¼-inch strips before you begin.
- Olive oil – This helps the seasonings stick to the fries.
- Ground cinnamon – A dash of cinnamon enhances the natural sweetness of the fries, making them taste even more amazing with the smoky, spicy aioli sauce.
- Salt and pepper
For the Chipotle Lime Aioli
- Mayonnaise
- Chipotle pepper in adobo sauce – If you’re not huge on spice, try using half of a pepper instead of a whole to lessen the effects of the heat.
- Lime juice – I like to use freshly-squeezed lime juice in this recipe because it offers bolder, tangier flavor than store-bought does.
- Garlic powder
- Fresh chives
Do You Have to Soak Sweet Potato Fries Before Baking?
Some recipes recommend soaking sweet potatoes in water before baking them. After a few experiments with soaking the fries first, I discovered it was completely unnecessary! In fact, I think it made the fries come out less crispy. All in all, it’s totally not worth the extra effort.
How to Make Crispy Oven-Baked Sweet Potato Fries
- Prepare. Preheat the oven, line two large baking sheets, and cut up the sweet potatoes.
- Season the fries. Place the fries in a bowl with the olive oil, ground cinnamon, salt, and pepper, then toss to coat them completely.
- Bake. Spread the sweet potato fries out in a single layer on the prepared baking sheets. Next, bake them on the first side for 15-17 minutes.
- Flip and continue cooking. Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven, flip them over, then bake the second side for the same amount of time.
- Make the aioli. While the fries cool, mix together the chipotle lime aioli ingredients in a small bowl.
- Enjoy! Serve the fries with the sauce on the side.
Tips for Success
- Don’t crowd the baking sheets. Putting too many fries onto one baking sheet will prevent them from getting as crispy in the oven. Try to leave some breathing room between each fry.
- Use tongs to flip the fries. I don’t recommend flipping the fries with your bare hands when the pan just came from the oven. Utilize tongs for your safety.
- Let the fries cool and become crispy. I know you’re going to want to chow down on those fries as soon as they’re done baking, but try to resist the urge! They’ll continue to crisp up as they cool.
Variation Ideas
- Use different seasonings. Go ahead and season your sweet potato fries however you’d like. Cajun seasoning and Italian seasoning come to my mind in particular, but don’t be afraid to try something new – you might just fall in love!
- Add cheese. Do you like adding cheese to practically everything you eat? Try sprinkling some shredded cheese onto your baked fries and returning them to the oven for another minute (I recommend parmesan). It’ll get nice and melty for you!
- Use another dip. I’m a huge fan of the tangy chipotle aioli, but that doesn’t mean it’s the only dip that will taste good with these fries. Feel free to stick with your go-to condiment (mayo, ketchup, etc.).
Serving Suggestions
- Serve with burgers. These oven-baked sweet potato fries are pretty amazing with a perfectly grilled burger! I love them with this avocado burger in particular, which is so much more than just a sandwich – they’re absolute perfection. Beef patties are seasoned with a simple spice blend and sandwiched between two fluffy buns along with avocado mash, spicy mayo, and a super fresh pineapple pepper relish.
- Pair with chili. If you’re looking for a hearty meatless meal, serve these fries as an appetizer for this vegetarian lentil chili. It’s jam-packed with protein and sure to satisfy.
- Serve with steak salad. Tender steak, tangy goat cheese, juicy cherry tomatoes, and more make this easy steak salad an unforgettable dinner. Paired with these baked sweet potato fries, it’s a feast fit for a king!
Proper Storage
- Refrigerator. If you have leftover sweet potato fries, wait for them to cool before you store them. They’ll stay good for up to 4 days if you keep them refrigerated in an airtight container.
- Reheating. I find that reheating these fries in the toaster oven is the best way to crisp them back up, but you can pop them into a 400°F oven if preferred. Give them a little spray of oil before warming them up for the best results.
- Freezer. Place the cooled fries into a resealable freezer bag, squeeze out all of the air, then seal the bag and freeze them for up to 4 months. Reheat them directly from frozen.
More Homemade Fries
- Crispy Baked Garlic Parmesan Fries
- Baked Asparagus Fries with Lemon Herb Aioli
- Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries
- Air Fryer Zucchini Fries
Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
These baked sweet potato fries are so crispy, and served with a tangy chipotle lime aioli! They’re perfect as a snack, an appetizer, or a side.
Ingredients
For the Sweet Potato Fries
- 3 sweet potatoes, cut into ¼” strips
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- salt & pepper
For the Chipotle Lime Aioli
- ½ cup of mayo
- 1 large chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
- 1 teaspoon of fresh lime juice
- ⅛ teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon of chives, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450ºF.
- Cut up the sweet potatoes and place in a bowl with olive oil, ground cinnamon, and salt & pepper. Toss to coat all the sweet potatoes.
- Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper and spread sweet potatoes fries out in a single layer.
- Bake for 15-17 minutes.
- Remove the sweet potatoes from oven, flip, and bake another 15-17 min on the other side.
- Remove and let cool.
- In a small bowl, mix together mayo, chipotle pepper, lime juice, garlic powder, and chives.
- Serve!
Notes
- Makes 4-6 servings.
- To Store & Reheat: Keep cooled fries refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat them in a 400°F oven or toaster oven, spraying them lightly with oil before warming them up.
- To Freeze: Place cooled fries into a resealable freezer bag, squeeze out the air, seal the bag and freeze for up to 4 months. Reheat directly from frozen.