Enjoy crispy sweet potato fries without deep-frying! Serve them hot from the oven with a spicy tangy chipotle mayo and you've got a winner of a side dish!
It's hard to resist a basket of crisp, salty, fries.
And while these sweet potato fries are not exactly like potato fries, you are still going to love them...
...especially with the tangy, spicy, chipotle mayo for dipping!
They're flavorful and healthy...it's upping the whole fries experience!
How To Make Chipotle Mayo
Let's start with the chipotle mayo first because once you've got the ingredients combined, it's good to let it hang out in the fridge for a while to really let the flavors meld. And you can certainly eat sweet potato fries as is, but really, the chipotle dip really takes them up a notch.
Chipotle peppers are basically smoke-dried ripe jalapeno peppers, and the kind you need for this recipe are the canned ones in adobo sauce.
Look for them in the Mexican food aisle since it is a common ingredient in many of their dishes. (There are numerous brands that make them…Herdez is one that I happen to be able to get in Hong Kong.)
Mix together a well-chopped chipotle chili pepper, some of the adobo sauce that comes in the can, mayonnaise, and a bit of cumin. Set the mayo aside in the fridge while you prepare the sweet potatoes.
Preparing the Sweet Potatoes
I usually allot one sweet medium sweet potato per person, but depending on how big they are, you may get more or fewer servings. I cut each sweet potato in half lengthwise, then cut 4-5 wedges from each half, getting 8-10 wedges from one whole potato.
Toss the sweet potato wedges in oil, making sure they are completely coated.
Then comes the dry ingredients that help crisp up the fries...a simple combination of salt, pepper, and dry Parmesan cheese...and I'm talking about the cheese made by Kraft that comes in the green canister!
You could use fresh grated Parmesan (been there, done that), but the extra moisture it contains causes it to clump unevenly on the wedges.
The Kraft Parmesan in the green can is much drier and more like a powder, which aids in adding crispness to the fries in addition to flavor It basically coats the sweet potatoes like a spice or dry rub, and that's exactly what you want.
(FYI this is not a sponsored post! It's just what works! 🙂 )
Make sure you toss the sweet potato wedges really well in the salt, pepper, and dry Parmesan to make sure they are evenly coated.
Grease a baking sheet with some oil, then spread the fries out in a single layer, standing them up on their curved side.
You don't have to go to the trouble of doing this, of course, but I want as much surface area on the wedges exposed to the heat, so that means standing them up. Some wedges won't want to stand up on their own, so I just lean those against the edge of the pan.
The final step to crispiness is a hot oven. Slide the sweet potatoes into a 425F (220C) oven for 25 minutes and that's it!
Frequently Asked Questions
If you cut them into sticks so they look like "regular" fries, line your baking sheet with parchment instead of foil to reduce the possibility of them sticking. Because there is more surface area on the fries touching the pan, they will be more likely to stick and you won't get nice sticks.
Also, sweet potato fries are softer than potato fries and stick-shaped ones will not hold their shape as well as wedges.
Whatever you would normally serve with potato french fries, you can serve with these sweet potato fries! If you're thinking about meat dishes, consider Dry Brined Roast Chicken, Perfect Prime Rib Roast, Slow-Roasted Dry Rub Ribs, or Balsamic Marinated Flank Steak.
There is also the ever reliable pairing of burgers, but I would also eat these with a fried egg or other roasted vegetables or a fresh salad! They would also go great with chicken wings or meatballs!
If you happen to have any leftovers, place them on a parchment-lined baking sheeting and reheat them in a 400F (200C) oven for about 10 minutes. Don't worry about standing them on their curved sides as they'll be too soft to stand up. Just make sure to space them out evenly on the pan.
The chipotle mayo will keep for about a week in a sealed container in the fridge. Besides making a great dip for the sweet potato fries, it also makes a delicious spread for sandwiches!
You're going to love being able to make them in the oven and not in a deep-fryer. That being said, even when I have had sweet potato fries at restaurants where they are deep-fried, I have not found any (yet) that I like as much as these. The dry ingredient seasonings really makes a difference, not only in crisp texture but taste, and the chipotle mayo can't be missed! If you love sweet potatoes and you love fries, this is a must-try recipe!
~ Lisa.
Recipe
Crispy Sweet Potato Fries with Chipotle Mayo
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Fries
- 4 medium sweet potatoes peeled and cut into wedges length-wise
- 3 tablespoons light olive oil (or neutral flavored oil)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt divided
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
- ⅓ cup dry Parmesan cheese (see Recipe Note below)
- 2-3 tablespoons light olive oil (or neutral flavored oil)
Chipotle Mayo
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 chipotle pepper, finely chopped
- 2-3 tablespoon adobo sauce (in the can with the chipotle peppers)
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
Instructions
Chipotle Mayo:
- Combine mayonnaise, finely chopped chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, and cumin in bowl. Mix until well combined. Refrigerate for at least an hour for best flavor.
Sweet Potato Fries:
- Preheat oven 425 deg F (220 C).
- Toss sweet potato wedges with 3 tablespoons light olive oil until well-coated.
- Sprinkle sea salt, black pepper, and HALF the dry Parmesan over the sweet potato wedges and toss a couple of times to bring the wedges from the bottom of the bowl up to the top.
- Sprinkle the wedges with the remaining sea salt, black pepper, and remainder of the dry Parmesan. Toss well to coat the sweet potatoes evenly.
- Line a baking sheet with foil and grease with 2 tablespoons light olive oil. (Alternatively, use parchment paper with no oil.)
- Arrange sweet potato wedges on baking sheet, cut edges up (curved sides down). Lean any wedges that cannot stand up on their own against the baking sheet rim.
- Bake for 25 minutes until crispy. Serve with chipotle mayo.
Notes
- When cutting the sweet potatoes into wedges, try not to make them too thin as they will have difficulty standing up. I get 8-10 wedges from one medium-sized sweet potato.
- If any wedges do not stand up on their curved side, lean them against the rim of the baking sheet for stability.
- Make sure the sweet potato wedges are evenly and well-coated in the olive oil, sea salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese when tossing.
- I use the shelf-stable Kraft Parmesan Cheese (green canister) because it clumps less and distributes more evenly over the sweet potato wedges, providing the crisp coating.
- If lining the baking sheet with parchment paper, there is no need to grease it.
- Refrigerate the chipotle mayo for at least an hour before serving so that the flavors have a chance to develop.
- Add more spice to the chipotle mayo, if desired, by adding more cumin or some chili powder.
- To reheat any leftover fries, lay them out on a parchment-lined sheet and bake in a 400F (200C) oven for 10 minutes.
Nutrition
Thanks for stopping by! If you make this dish or any of my other recipes, I would love it if you could take the time to comment and rate it below. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
** This recipe was original published on July 31st, 2017 and republished on March 28th, 2021 with recipe updates, new photos, and writing.
John says
Would this recipe work ok with regular potatoes too?
Hi, John! Yes, this should work with regular potatoes, too. In fact, they will likely turn out more crisp than sweet potato fries because regular poatoes have more starch and less moisture content. Thanks for the question!
Julia Pinney says
Have to try these! I never think to use sweet potatoes and I love the dip! Pining for later.
Thanks, Julia! I hope you like them!
nancy says
it looks so crispy! can't wait to try this!
Colleen says
We love these but I've never used Parmesan and now I can't wait to give this a try. And the chipotle mayo sounds wonderful. Thanks for sharing, Lisa!
Thanks, Colleen. Hope you like them with the Parmesan!
Sadia Malik says
The mayo dip and the fries both are awesome and easy to make
Cindy Mom the Lunch Lady says
I love dipping my sweet potato fries in spicy mayo. This recipe looks and sounds amazing. Thanks for the Parmesan tip!
Thanks, Cindy! Yes, the Parmesan makes a big difference in helping to make the fries more crisp!
Bernice Hill says
Yes!! Nice to meet a fellow mayo dipper. Fries just taste even better dipped into a mayo based sauce and I'm loving the kick of heat the chipotle brings. Great idea!
Thanks, Bernice. I love the heat from the chipotle in the mayo, too.
Juliette says
The crispiness was wonderful and all the directions made perfect sense. Fantastic recipe!
So glad you liked them, Juliette! Thanks for the comment!
Chloe says
Do you peel the sweet potatoes or leave the skin on? Thanks!
I peel them in this recipe, but you could certainly leave the skins on if you prefer!
Billie says
I didn't realize you could eat these on Keto 😘 Do you have the nutritional values on this recipe?
I didn't know that either, Billie! Thanks for sharing that information! As for nutritional values, I came up with about 450 calories per serving for the fries and chipotle mayo by entering the ingredients into a nutritional calculator. That being said, I do not know how accurate that number is.
Deanna says
Excellent Recipe!! My fries turned out so good. I would suggest adding bit more salt and parmesan so all the fries are covered.
Awesome! I'm so glad you liked them!