Sweet Potato Fries Without Cornstarch (Oven-Baked Recipe) (2024)

This recipe for Oven-Baked Sweet Potato Fries Without Cornstarch is so easy to make. It features thin strips of sweet potato tossed with a delicious blend of spices, then baked to perfection. It makes a healthy side, appetizer, or snack. Learn how to make homemade sweet potato fries in the oven with this crowd-pleasing recipe!

Just 6 ingredients and roughly 30 minutes are all you need to make this foolproof dish. Because sweet potatoes are naturally sweet, they beckon to be tossed in anything savory and spicy. A blend of paprika, garlic powder, cumin and cayenne is the perfect combination of spices to balance out the flavor of sweet potatoes.

My favorite way to have sweet potato fries is alongside a hearty burger, but they really are perfect on their own as a snack or appetizer. I love making (and eating) these fries because they are spicy, sweet, and salty, all in one bite!

These homemade baked sweet potato fries are much healthier than the fries served in restaurants. The French fries you get in restaurants are usually deep-fried in unhealthy and inflammatory oils, and often more than once. This recipe instead calls for the fries to be roasted in the oven with a small amount of heart-healthy olive oil, until they are crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

Why Do People Put Cornstarch on Fries?

Coating uncooked fries with cornstarch before popping them in the oven is a popular method for making baked fries crispy. I have tried this trick to make homemade sweet potato fries more crispy, but I’m not a fan of it. This is mainly due to the fact that cornstarch is messy. In addition, the fries never seem to get coated evenly with it. The method does work (sort of), but in my opinion, not well enough to be worth the effort. So, I created a no-fuss recipe for oven-baked sweet potato fries that contains no cornstarch!

How to Make Sweet Potato Fries in the Oven

To make homemade baked sweet potato fries, simply:

1. Scrub your sweet potatoes and cut into thin strips.
2. Preheat your oven, then toss your fries with olive oil and seasonings (as per the recipe card below).
3. Place the fries in a single layer on parchment-lined pans.
4. Bake until golden brown, turning over once.

That’s it! I recommend serving your fries with any of your favorite dipping sauces. I personally love having sweet potato fries with either Greek yogurt ranch dip, blue cheese dressing, or chipotle lime dip.

Tips for Making Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Here are some suggestions to ensure your fries turn out perfect every single time:

• Cut the sweet potatoes into uniform strips. This ensures even baking, because thicker fries take more time to cook through than thinner ones do. I always leave the skin on because it is a good source of fiber and of course, it’s less work. 🙂
• Space out the sweet potatoes in a single layer on the baking sheet so that they are not touching. If the pan is overcrowded, the sweet potatoes will steam rather than roast and will get soggy rather than crispy. If you don’t have a large enough baking sheet, just use two baking sheets.
• Flip the fries over halfway through the baking time. This is an important step to ensure the fries get evenly cooked on all sides.
• If you find that your fries aren’t crispy enough when they are done baking, you can broil them in the oven for a few minutes to crisp right them up! However, make sure you keep an eye on them, so that they don’t burn in the oven.

Keep in mind, you’ll never get the same crisp baking sweet potato fries as you would deep-frying them (like they do in restaurants). But these are just as tasty as deep-fried sweet potato fries and are so much better for you (and lower in calories!).

More Side Dish Recipes

Looking for more side dish recipes? Here are some of my favorites on the blog:

• Homemade Creamy Potato Salad
• Easy Roasted Butternut Squash
• Cornbread Recipe Without Buttermilk
• Mashed Potatoes with Goat Cheese

If you make this Baked Sweet Potato Fries recipe, let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating ★ below, because I love hearing from you! ♡

This post was originally published on November 2, 2016. It has been updated to reflect new information and helpful content.

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