These days you can find sweet potato fries on many restaurant menus, but just ten years or so ago that wasn’t the case. I still remember the first time I ever tasted them- it was at McMenamins when we lived in Portland. They were were served plain with just a sprinkling of salt, and they were so good. I didn’t expect to like them but when I bit into that crispy, salty exterior and found a soft fluffy center, I was sold. I came home right away and tried a homemade version that was baked in the oven instead of fried. These baked sweet potato fries with honey-lime dip are a fun side dish and healthy alternative to both traditional oil-fried fries and also regular potato dishes.
Sweet potatoes are packed with vitamin C, fiber, and tons of antioxidents, just to name a few. They’re also are lower in carbs than a regular potatoes. If you battle blood-sugar issues, sweet potatoes are a better choice than traditional potatoes. The sweetness comes from complex carbohydrates (the good kind) and not simple carbs (the bad kind) Combine that with heart-healthy olive oil and this little number packs quite a punch.
How to Make Baked Sweet Potato Fries
First cut your sweet potatoes into matchsticks. I actually don’t even peel my potatoes anymore! I also keep mine pretty thin because I like a higher ratio of browned exterior to fluffy center. Then you’ll drizzle them with Olive Oil. Hands down my favorite Flavored Olive Oil for sweet potatoes is our Rosemary Olive Oil!
Seasoning Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Then you’ll toss them with seasoning. There are a lot of flavor variations you can use with sweet potatoes, and this one is fairly simple with salt, pepper, garlic, onion, parsley, cumin, oregano and coriander.
How to Bake Sweet Potato Fries
You’ll want to spread them out in a single layer on a baking sheet. It’s important fries aren’t piled on top of each other. If you have convection mode on your oven, you can play around with that. I’ve found it helps brown the outside of the fries and you’ll want to keep an eye on them because they will bake much faster than normal!
Making a Dip for Sweet Potato Fries
The dip is easy to mix up while your fries are baking. It’s plain yogurt, a drizzle of honey and a squeeze of lime juice and some herbs and seasoning.
Serving Sweet Potato Fries
You’ll want to serve baked sweet potato fries immediately after baking. They will cool quickly and just won’t be as great. That being said, if you have leftovers, chop them up and store them in the fridge. They’re great for tossing on salads later!
These are definitely different than oil-fried sweet potatoes, there’s no getting around that. But they’re still great in their own right and a fun alternative to mix things up at dinner at home. Hope you try them and love them!
Nutrition Info:
This recipe serves 4 and each serving has 147 calories, 5 g of fat, and 4 grams of fiber.
Love sweet potatoes? Try these recipes out as well!
1lbpeeled sweet potatoes cut into 1/4" match-sticks
2Textra virgin olive oil
1/2teaspooncumin
1/2teaspoonoregano
1/2teaspooncoriander
1/2teaspoonkosher salt
1teaspoonparsley
1/8teaspoonblack pepper
Honey-Lime Dip
6ozcontainer plainlow-fat yogurt
1tablespoonmayolow cal is fine
1/2tablespoonhoney
1tablespoonfresh lime juice
1/4teaspooncumin
1/8teaspoonoregano
1teaspoonparsley
1/2teaspoononion powder
1/2teaspoonkosher salt
Mix all ingredients until combined. Chill until ready to use.
Instructions
*you want 1lb sweet potatoes after they are peeled, sliced, etc. If you weigh them at the store make sure you have a little more than a pound to allow for the peeling, and tossing of small pieces.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Place sweet potatoes in a pile directly on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Use hands to toss until all pieces are well coated. Sprinkle seasoning mixture on top and toss again with hands to coat.
Arrange sweet potatoes in a single layer so that pieces are not touching each other. Place pan in oven and bake for 15 minutes. Use a metal spatula to gently flip fries and then return pan to oven. Cook for an additional 15-20 minutes or until fries are starting to lightly brown and crisp. Remove pan from oven and cool 5 minutes.
While potatoes are cooking, mix all dip ingredients and place in fridge to chill. Serve fries immediately.
Author: Sara Wells
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Sara Wells co-founded Our Best Bites in 2008. She is the author of three Bestselling Cook Books, Best Bites: 150 Family Favorite Recipes, Savoring the Seasons with Our Best Bites, and 400 Calories or Less from Our Best Bites. Sara’s work has been featured in many local and national news outlets and publications such as Parenting Magazine, Better Homes & Gardens, Fine Cooking, The Rachel Ray Show and the New York Times.
This is the very first recipe I ever made from your site and have been following your blog ever since. My husband still gets excited when I make sweet potato fries with my “famous dip” as he refers to it. It’s a classic in our house.
We had the fries last night, and they were really, really good. The secret, finally discovered, is to cut them skinny like this. I’d tried them before as wedges and they just never got crispy, just soft and soggy. But done this way, (I baked on parchment paper), they were just perfect. Season them however you like, but be sure to make them like this.
I am going to be making these today as a snack! But I just realized I don’t have coriander 🙁 Can I substitute them with something else or can I make it without?
Questions & Reviews
This will forever change the way you eat sweet potatoes! Sweet and savory. Everyone’s favorite.
They look yummy and delicious. Thanks for sharing. I must try it one of these days
These were super yummee and we Loved the dip as well. Big hit with the kiddos!
These look delicious! I didn’t know that you lived in Portland! I’m moving there this summer. What were your favorite restaurants there?
It’s been a long time- I used to live there but we are in Boise now!
This is the very first recipe I ever made from your site and have been following your blog ever since. My husband still gets excited when I make sweet potato fries with my “famous dip” as he refers to it. It’s a classic in our house.
I love these but every time I make them they are black on the bottom after the first 15 minutes. Any suggestions?
We had the fries last night, and they were really, really good. The secret, finally discovered, is to cut them skinny like this. I’d tried them before as wedges and they just never got crispy, just soft and soggy. But done this way, (I baked on parchment paper), they were just perfect. Season them however you like, but be sure to make them like this.
I am going to be making these today as a snack! But I just realized I don’t have coriander 🙁 Can I substitute them with something else or can I make it without?
Could you sub plain yogurt for plain sour cream?