This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.

Lightly spicy baked sweet potato fries baked to a crispy brown and served with a spicy mayonnaise dip. The kids fight us for these healthier baked fries!

spicy-baked-sweet-potato-fries

When I was younger, I was an extremely picky eater. These baked sweet potato fries that you see here? I wouldn’t have touched them with a 10 foot pole. I truly believe that having this food blog (and growing up a little) has made me a more adventurous eater. Although, if it were up to me, I would still only be posting chocolate and peanut butter recipes each and every day. But sometimes you need a little healthy, right?

I’ve grown to love these sweet potato fries over the years. When we first made them 3 years ago, my mom would make me try one. Just to say I tried it. Now we get a little fiesty if we think we aren’t getting our fair share of baked sweet potato fries when they come out of the oven, all crispy and golden brown.

It’s just been over the past few years or so that I’ve started experimenting with sweet potatoes. My favorite way to have them is in Sweet Potato Casserole…you know, the one with brown sugar, cinnamon and nuts on top? We’ve even got a healthy version of that holiday side dish.

My interest started swinging towards baked sweet potato fries when we had dinner with friends and our host made for us Spicy Baked Sweet Potato Fries with Spicy Mayonnaise Dip. Wow. I was in love, and excited that I had a recipe for sweet potatoes now that were not loaded with sugar!

Sweet potato fries can be tricky to bake. We like them crispy. And in order for them to be crispy, there’s several steps you have to take.

Cut the sweet potatoes in thin slices and try to get them as close to the same size as possible.
Allow the sweet potato slices to soak in water for at least an hour. This pulls out some of the starch in the potatoes and helps them to crisp up.
Dry the potatoes thoroughly using a cheesecloth or flour-sack towel, toss them with olive oil (about 3 tablespoons for 3 potatoes), then toss them with cornstarch (we used arrowroot starch to make it a paleo and Whole30 friendly recipe).
Arrange the potatoes on a baking sheet that you’ve lightly sprayed with cooking spray. You want to be sure the sweet potato fries are in a single layer, not touching each other at all if possible. If the sweet potatoes are touching or laying on top of each other, they’ll steam and end up soft rather than crisp up.
Season the potatoes.
Bake in a hot oven (425 degrees) for about 25-30 minutes. Watch the fries closely because they’ll cook quickly if your fries are cut thinner, but take longer if they are thick.
If you want an extra boost of crispy after the potatoes are baked, turn off the oven, crack the oven door open and let them sit for 5-15 minutes. We don’t do this regularly because we’re too impatient to start feeding our faces, but if you’re waiting for another part of dinner to be done, it’s an easy trick!

If you’re into spice, you can make a simple spicy mayonnaise dip. For Whole30 and Paleo, use homemade mayo.

The combination of these flavor is simply savory and delicious. You’re going to love them.

Q: Are you an adventurous eater?

Q: It seems people either love sweet potatoes or really dislike them. Do you like sweet potatoes?

Spicy Baked Sweet Potato Fries

5 from 1 vote

Lightly spicy baked sweet potato fries baked to a crispy brown and served with a spicy mayonnaise dip. The kids fight us for these healthier baked fries!

Servings 3 servings

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 25

Total Time 45

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Recipe

Ingredients

3 sweet potatoes washed, thinly and evenly cut into fry shapes
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons arrowroot starch or cornstarch
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt

Spicy Mayonnaise Dip:

1 1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
2 garlic cloves minced
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Cut the sweet potatoes in thin slices and try to get them as close to the same size as possible.
Allow the sweet potato slices to soak in water for at least an hour. This pulls out some of the starch in the potatoes and helps them to crisp up.
Dry the potatoes thoroughly using cheesecloth or a lint-free towel.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
In a bowl, toss the potatoes with olive oil.
Then toss them with arrowroot starch (or cornstarch).
Arrange the potatoes on the prepared baking sheet. You want to be sure the sweet potato fries are in a single layer, not touching each other at all if possible.
In a small bowl, mix together the coriander, fennel, oregano, red pepper flakes and salt. Sprinkle the seasonings over the potatoes.
Bake in a hot oven (400 degrees) for about 25-30 minutes. Watch the fries closely because they'll cook quickly if your fries are cut thinner, but take longer if they are thick.
For the spicy mayonnaise dip, combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. Chill the dip until serving. Serve with fries.

Video

Notes

If you want an extra boost of crispy after the potatoes are baked, turn off the oven, crack the oven door open and let them sit for 5-15 minutes. We don't do this regularly because we're too impatient to start feeding our faces, but if you're waiting for another part of dinner to be done, it's an easy trick!