Sweet Potato Fries Recipe

Name: Sweet Potato Fries Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1-1½ pounds sweet potatoes; ¼ cup coconut oil; ½ teaspoon sea salt; ½ teaspoon paprika; ¼ teaspoon cinnamon or dill

November 3, 2020 by Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DNM, CN

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Craving fries, but trying to cut down on calories, sodium and your intake of unhealthy oils? This healthy sweet potato fries recipe is a great substitute for conventional fries, considering sweet potatoes are loaded with vitamin A, vitamin C, fiber and more. Baking these fries is the secret to keeping them a in a healthy calorie range, this way you can indulge guilt free.

Are Sweet Potato Fries Good for You?

Depending on how they are made, sweet potato fries can definitely be good for you. As opposed to deep frying them, the healthiest way to make them is to use a quality cooking oil, such as coconut oil or avocado oil, and to bake them in the oven at high heat so they get nice and crispy.

Compared to regular french fries, which are deep fried in unhealthy vegetable oil and made with “white potatoes” such as Russet potatoes, sweet potatoes fries are higher in vitamin A.

Both types of french fries (regular and sweet) are good sources of fiber and potassium, while sweet potatoes are also high in vitamin C, vitamin B6 and manganese.

Different Ways to Prepare

Baking sweet potato fries is a good way to keep calories in check, since this method uses less oil compared to deep frying. You can bake fries using a flat cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil and sprayed/smeared with coconut or avocado cooking oil.

Another way to make fries is using an air fryer, which uses air to help crisp the fries rather than lots of oil. You can use as little as one teaspoon of oil in an air fryer and still wind up with delicious fries.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 6
Calories: 167
Total Carbohydrates: 21g
Fiber: 3g
Sugar: 1g
Total Fat: 9g
Unsaturated Fat: 1g
Saturated Fat: 8g
Trans Fats: 0g
Protein: 1g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Potassium: 617mg (13 percent DV)
Sodium: 387mg
Vitamin A: 1100 IU (219 percent DV*)
Vitamin C: 11mg (18 percent DV*)
Calcium: 13mg (1 percent DV*)
Iron: 0mg

*Percentages are based on a diet of 2000 calories a day.

How to Make

How do you make sweet potato fries from scratch?

First preheat your oven to 425 degrees, this way it warms up while you prepare the potatoes.

Do you peel sweet potatoes? The easiest way is to use a high-quality peeler that you hold in your hand. Hold the potato up using one hand and peel in long motions using the other hand.

After you peel the potatoes, cut them in half lengthwise, then into strips about 1/4″ to 1/2” wide.

In a medium-sized bowl, combine all ingredients (oil and spices) and toss the potatoes until they are completely coated. Spread onto a baking sheet bake for 30-45 minutes. Flip the fries half-way through. When they are done, you can add a bit more salt if you’d like and any other spices you enjoy (old bay seasoning, pepper, etc.)

Are sweet potato fries supposed to be crunchy?

They are typically less crunchy than regular fries, and they can become mushy if you store them as leftovers, because they higher in starch and sugar.

One way to help crisp them is to pat them dry after cutting them, which helps to remove some of the moisture. You’ll also want to arrange them on cooking sheet or an air fryer basket with no overlapping and plenty of room (don’t pile them up), and turn them halfway through so they can brown on both sides.

Make sure your oven is nice and hot so they can crisp, since a low temp may lead to sogginess.

Similar Recipes

Looking for other healthy sweet potato recipes? Try these: