The BEST Crispy Homemade Sweet Potato Fries Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why won t my sweet potato fries get crispy? ›

The secret to crispy (instead of soggy) sweet potato fries is to spread them out in an even layer with enough room so that they don't touch. This is especially important if you're making a big batch of fries. Instead of just piling more onto one baking pan, spread them out over two baking pans or cook them in batches.

Sweet potato fries are slightly higher in calories and carbs but also more nutrient dense than French fries. The greatest nutrient difference is that French fries have no vitamin A, while sweet potato fries are high in this nutrient. Vitamin A is important for your vision and immune system ( 2 ).

If you'd like, you can soak the sweet potato slices for 30 minutes up to 2 hours before frying to remove excess starch. Personally, though, going through this step didn't make a real difference for my fries. Peels on or off — it's up to you!

The cold water bath helps rinse the starch off the sweet potatoes so they're a bit more crispy. That said, if you do not have the time, you can still get crispy baked sweet potato fries by using high heat and a little drizzle of olive oil.

Cornstarch really helps to get the outsides crisp!

I've played around with various amounts of cornstarch and olive oil and found the perfect ratio. I've experimented with arrowroot starch as well, and it produced fries that were somewhat less crisp, but it's worth using if that's what you have.

Cooking sweet potato fries air fryer style is much healthier than deep frying them. You still end up with a crispy texture, but with a lot less oil. Compared to regular homemade fries in the air fryer, they have about the same calorie count, but sweet potatoes have more fiber and Vitamin A.

Hannahs are dense, firm, and creamy, and much less prone to becoming waterlogged than orange sweet potatoes. Their firmness and dense texture makes Hannah sweet potatoes ideal for roasting in chunks, turning into fries, or mashing as a side dish.

Because our coated fries are covered in a very thin, practically invisible, layer of potato starch, they're transformed into what you could call 'super-fries'. Firstly, they benefit from a longer holding time as the batter acts as a 'protective jacket' that keeps them warmer for longer.

But to give you the Cliff's Notes version, the baking soda alkalizes the water. It breaks down the pectin in the potato and brings the natural starches up to the surface. This, when combined with the pot shaking, contributes to deep browning and ultra crunchines that we're looking for.

If they are still not crispy you might have skipped a step or you might not have let them cool down sufficiently. Make sure to cool them in a single even layer and also make sure that the oil has the right temperature. Or maybe you've used the wrong potatoes to make them.

Why are my sweet potatoes not crispy in air fryer? ›

If your air fryer fries are turning out soggy it is likely because you are over-crowding your air fryer basket or using too much oil. For the best results, use just ½ Tablespoon of oil per sweet potato and cook your fries in a single layer so that the air has room to circulate.

Why do my air fryer sweet potato fries turn black? Sweet potatoes contain a higher concentration of sugar than standard potatoes, and caramelize as they cook in the air fryer. If you find the fries are darkening too quickly or deeply, cook at a lower temperature, or for a shorter period of time.

If your air fryer fries are soggy, it is likely because you over-crowded them in the basket. The sweet potatoes steam when crowded together, instead of air frying. For the best, most crispy results, cook the fries in a single layer so that the air has room to circulate.

Don't overcrowd the baking sheet!

If the baking sheet it too crowded, the sweet potatoes will not crisp.

If you over-crowded the pan so that there isn't enough space for the potatoes to rest on the pan without touching each other, it will prevent the water from evaporating and making the potatoes crispy. You can always try to broil the potatoes for 1-2 minutes to crisp them up at the end of baking if necessary.