The SECRET to Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries | Say Goodbye to Limp & Soggy Fries (2024)

FAQs

The SECRET to Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries | Say Goodbye to Limp & Soggy Fries? ›

TIPS & TRICKS to Make this Recipe: The main secrets to achieving that incredible crispy texture, is to soak the cut sweet potatoes in cold water for at least 30 minutes. This helps remove the starch from the sweet potatoes so they´re not limp & soggy. The other secret is the corn starch.

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.

2. Give them a cold water bath: Once your fries are chopped, toss them into a large bowl. Then cover the fries completely with cold water and let them soak for at least 30 minutes (or up to overnight). This will help to rinse off the excess starch and help the potatoes crisp up beautifully in the oven.

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.

Here's what you do. Heat a few tablespoons of the oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat just until it starts to shimmer. Think about covering the entire bottom of the skillet in oil, erring on the side of using more oil than less. The oil helps to “fry” the French fries a second time and get them extra crispy.

Oven-warming for long-lasting crunch: To keep crispy dishes warm in the oven without compromising texture, place them on a wire rack and bake at 170 to 200 degrees. This method preserves the crunch for about 15 to 20 minutes, ensuring no crispness is lost when served.

It's best to keep sweet potatoes in a cool, dry area that gets good ventilation, according to the U.S. Sweet Potato Council. You really shouldn't store sweet potatoes in the fridge if you plan to eat them within a month or so, as refrigeration can bring on an unpleasant taste and a hard center.

Trust us, 'cutting cook time' isn't worth the batch of soggy fries you'll get in the end. Keep your fries frozen until you're ready to cook them. Frozen fries are full of water so you definitely don't want too much steam in the oven which makes your fries soggy and limpy.

Typically when you roast sweet potatoes, they end up mushy, not crispy. That's because the high sugar content and moisture in the potato creates a softer result. In this case, they get their crispiness not by deep frying, but by sprinkling a secret ingredient over and baking them!

Lining the baking sheet first with foil or parchment ensures an easy clean up. No need to wrap your potatoes in foil though—you want them to really feel that oven heat, rather than steam. The skins: Removing the skin is completely up to you.

Why are my sweet potato fries not crispy in the air fryer? ›

A couple of reasons! It could be that the temperature of your fryer was too low, that you used too much oil, or that you crammed too many fries into one batch. Preheating before adding sweet potato fries to the air fryer also guarantees the crispiest results.

For best results, keep your frozen fries frozen until you're ready to cook them. Bake two bags or less per tray. Remember, fries are full of water. The more fries you add to a tray, the more steam they'll be releasing in your oven, reducing crispness.

Corn Starch: Adding a thin coating of corn starch to the potato fries before frying can help create a crispier exterior. When the corn starch comes into contact with the hot oil, it forms a barrier that traps moisture within the potato while also developing a crunchy crust.

Preheat your oven to around 350°F (175°C). * Spread the soggy chips evenly on a baking sheet. * Bake for 5–10 minutes, keeping an eye on them until they become crispy again. * Remove from the oven and let them cool for a minute or two before serving.

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.

Rough them up. The math is simple: More surface area = more opportunities for starches to mingle with fat = more contact between hot pan and your potato = crispier all over. So while you can slice potatoes cleanly or leave them whole, the potatoes that are rough around the edges produce the crispiest results.

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.