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These Spicy Baked Sweet Potato Fries are absolutely perfect for a meatless side dish that you’ll make over and over! Try Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries if you’re an air fryer fan!

PIN Spicy Baked Sweet Potato Fries to try them later!

Spicy Baked Sweet Potato Fries shown on serving plate

Baked sweet potato fries have been a favorite in my family for years, so I was happy I managed to get some new photos to update this popular recipe for Spicy Baked Sweet Potato Fries. The first time I made this recipe, I took one bite and knew immediately I’d be making these sweet baked potato fries over and over. Who knows, this just might become your favorite way to cook sweet potatoes, whether you eat them regularly or just make this occasionally for a splurge on the carbs.

And if you have an Air Fryer, you might want to try my Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries, which are just slightly more crisp than the baked ones! And of course there are a huge variety of things that would taste good with sweet potato fries, but I am hugely partial to Sriracha Dipping Sauce to serve with these.

What ingredients do you need?

What do you need for the Sweet Potato Fry Seasoning Mix?

Do I Need to Cut Up Whole Sweet Potatoes?

You can certainly make this recipe with those pre-cut sweet potato fries that show up in the stores this time of year, but I prefer to cut my own so I can make them a little thicker.  Having a little more thickness lets me cook them slightly longer for maximum crispness, although sweet potatoes don’t ever get as crisp as regular fries.

These are Sweet Potatoes and not Yams!

Orange-fleshed sweet potatoes are often called “Yams” or “Sweet Yams” in the United States. but they’re really sweet potatoes. Please trust me on this. And if you’re a fan of savory recipes with sweet potatoes, you can check out Favorite Healthy Sweet Potato Recipes to see my personal faves.

Spicy Baked Sweet Potato Fries process shots collage

How to make Spicy Baked Sweet Potato Fries:

(Scroll down for complete recipe including nutritional information.)

  1. Cut off both ends of the sweet potato and use a sharp vegetable peeler to peel off the skin. 
  2. Then cut the sweet potato in half lengthwise and again in half crosswise, so you have four pieces.
  3. Slice each piece longways into 2 or 3 slices.
  4. Then cut each slice into 4 or possibly five fries.
  5. I like to make thick fries, about 1/2 to 5/8 inch thick (12-15 mm.) I don’t mind if the pieces are a little irregular, it adds to the charm!
  6. Put the fries into a large bowl and toss with enough olive oil so all the fries are very lightly coated with oil (1-2 tablespoons of oil for 2 sweet potatoes, depending on how big the sweet potatoes are.)
  7. Then sprinkle with 2-3 teaspoons of spicy sweet potato fry seasoning (see recipe for how to make that.)
  8. Use the largest baking sheet you have and spray with olive oil or non-stick spray. Arrange sweet potatoes so the flat side is down and they’re not touching each other. (Use 2 pans if your pan isn’t big enough.)
  9. I used to bake these at 425F, but I’ve come to like them better cooked at 450F/230C, and that’s the temperature I used this time.
  10. Cook 15 minutes, then use your fingers or a fork to turn them over and put back in the oven.
  11. Cook 15 minutes more and turn them again.
  12. Put back into the oven. Cook another 5-10 minutes, depending on how well-done you like them.  (I cooked mine about 7 minutes more.)
  13. Sriracha Dipping Sauce is my favorite for dipping sweet potato fries!
  14. I promise, these Spicy Sweet Potato Fries will be a hit with anyone who likes sweet potatoes!

Spicy Sweet Potato Fries cropped image of sweet potatoes on plate

More Tasty Recipes for Sweet Potatoes:

Spicy Baked Sweet Potato Fries shown on serving plate
Yield: 4 servings

Spicy Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes

These Spicy Baked Sweet Potato Fries are a meatless side dish that you'll make over and over!

Ingredients

  • 2 orange-fleshed sweet potatoes
  • 2 T olive oil (see notes)
  • Sriracha Dipping Sauce (optional)

Spice Mix Ingredients:

  • 2 T ground coriander
  • 1 T ground fennel
  • 1 T dried oregano (use any Mediterranean oregano like Greek Oregano or Turkish oregano, but not Mexican oregano for this.)
  • 1 T Aleppo Pepper (or use a smaller amount of cayenne pepper)
  • 2 T kosher salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 450F/230C.
  2. In mortar and pestle or spice grinder, grind together coriander, fennel, oregano, and Aleppo pepper. Mix in salt. (This makes enough for several batches of sweet potatoes, so you'll need a small jar to store the extra.)
  3. Cut off both ends of the sweet potatoes and peel with a sharp vegetable peeler.  Then cut each sweet potato in half lengthwise and again crosswise so you have four pieces.
  4. Slice each piece into 2 or 3 thick slices, then cut each slice into fries.  (I made them about 1/2 - 5/8 inches thick, or about 12-15 mm.)
  5. In plastic bowl, toss together cut sweet potatoes, olive oil, and spice mixture. You will need about 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2-3 teaspoons of the spice mixture for two sweet potatoes, depending on how big the sweet potatoes are and how spicy you like it.
  6. Spray flat roasting pan with non-stick spray. (Use the largest baking sheet you have.)
  7. Spread out sweet potatoes in single layer, with the flat side down and not touching each other.  (Use two baking sheets if yours is too small to do this.)
  8. Roast sweet potatoes 15 minutes, then use your fingers or a fork to turn each sweet potato.
  9. Roast 15 minutes more and turn again. Roast another 5-10 minutes, depending on how done you like them.
  10. Serve hot, with Sriracha Dipping Sauce, if desired.

Notes

Use more or less oil to taste, but you want enough oil to make the spice mix stick to the sweet potatoes.

Recipe adapted from Epicurious.com.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 134Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 3502mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 4gSugar: 8gProtein: 2g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

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© Kalyn Denny
Category: Side Dishes
Spicy Baked Sweet Potato Fries square thumbnail image of sweet potato fries on plate

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Sweet potatoes are probably too high in carbs for low-carb eating plans except for maybe an occasional splurge, but they’re considered a “good” carb for the original South Beach Diet (unlike potatoes, which are very high on the glycemic index.) This would be a great side dish for phase two or three of South Beach.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Sweet Potato Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to Follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe was first posted in 2007! It was updated with better photos in 2013 and the recipe was last updated with more information in 2021.

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