Cajun Baked Sweet Potato Fries are a simple and savory side dish perfect for your next snack or weeknight meal. Sweet potatoes drizzled in olive oil, sprinkled with Cajun seasoning, then oven-roasted for a crispy outside and melt-in-your-mouth inside have a natural sweetness that will get you addicted in no time.
If you haven’t noticed, I absolutely love Creole Cajun Seasoning. The spicy touch of heat makes savory dishes so much better. Add it to the natural sweetness of sweet potatoes, and you have a win-win!
I don’t breathe a word to my family about how healthy they are. Let my guys think they’re getting away with something.😉
These babies are chock full of antioxidants, phytonutrients, and beta-carotene. And they may have more carbs than an Irish potato or Yukon gold, but those carbs are complex and take longer to digest. Translation? This incredible soul food doesn’t spike blood sugar levels as quickly as potatoes do.
And when you believe it couldn’t get any better, I made it super easy with my homemade Cajun Creole Seasoning.
So, with just four ingredients, you can have better-than-restaurant quality Cajun-baked sweet potato fries.
Baked vs. Fried Sweet Potato Fries
Common sense tells us that baked is better than fried. Not only do deep-frying sweet potatoes double the calories, but it also makes them harder to digest. And thus, this recipe is because I want my family to enjoy healthy food.
That said, they’re both delicious. Something is satisfying about the crispiness that frying gives potatoes or sweet potatoes.
And if you don’t want to heat the oven, you can panfry them for something slightly healthier than deep-fried.
Recipe Ingredients
- Sweet potatoes are this recipe’s star, with the perfect sweetness that combines heavenly with the spices. You can peel them or wash them and leave the skins on.
- Cornstarch – This soaks up any extra moisture and helps the seasoning to stick to the fries.
- Butter and olive oil – A must-have for the sweet potatoes to crisp up. And it adds a touch of flavor, too.
- Creole Cajun seasoning is the supporting player with a delicious blend of onion, garlic, oregano, cayenne, and a tad of salt. My homemade Creole Cajun seasoning is so easy that you’ll never use store-bought again. Sweet potatoes and this seasoning mix are a match made in heaven.
- Salt is a pantry-staple flavor enhancer that you can adjust to your tastes.
Alternative Ingredients
Sweet potatoes – If you don’t have sweet potatoes and just have to try this recipe (I don’t blame you), Yukon gold potatoes will work fine.
Oil – I don’t recommend leaving the oil out of this recipe. Sweet potatoes dry out too fast, and they need the oil to keep the moisture in. Tough pieces of sweet potatoes that resemble leather are not delicious. However, you can reduce the amount of oil if you’re concerned.
Tips and Tricks
- Cut the sweet potatoes into even strips, so they cook evenly without burning.
- Something I do for regular potatoes and sweet potatoes is to soak them in the water for a few minutes to get the excess starch out, then drain and dry them. After that, you can toss them with the oil and spices.
- To help them crisp up better, make sure they’re in an even layer with sufficient space between them and not piled up against each other.
- You can cube sweet potatoes and panfry them if you don’t want to heat the oven. I serve them like Southern hashbrowns with scrambled eggs when I want a healthy Southern-style breakfast.
Serving & Storage instructions
I love to serve these sticks of deliciousness straight out of the oven with white BBQ sauce, remoulade sauce, or ketchup. Sometimes, I use straight mayonnaise.
These guys are the perfect healthy side to a hamburger or anything else you usually serve fries with.
If (and that’s a big IF) there are leftovers, you can store them for three or four days in an airtight container. Cajun baked sweet potato fries store in the freezer for up to six months.
FAQs
There can be different reasons. 1. Altitude and oven temperature varies and affects the final results. 2. The sweet potatoes were crowded and didn’t have good airflow to crisp up. 3. The fries weren’t cut thin enough. 4. They weren’t cooked long enough. Just a few degrees difference in the oven can affect the baking time. Just experiment and see what works best in your oven.
As long as they’re baked. They are high in nutrition and fiber, which makes them healthy in my book. Oh yeah, they’re high in potassium and vitamin A, too. Woohoo!!!!!
Sweet potatoes are more calorie-dense than regular potatoes. However, they are also more nutrient-dense. But there’s no reason to worry. When cooked well, they’re both nutritious.
Dips and Sauces for Your Fries
White BBQ Sauce – I know I can’t be the only one that likes BBQ sauce with my fries. However, this drool-worthy mayo-based sauce spiked with mustard and horseradish is so much more than your typical BBQ sauce.
Remoulade – This is one of the most versatile sauces I have ever made. Since it’s made with mayo, and of course, ramped up with mustard and other delicious spices, it goes with just about anything.
Peri-Peri Sauce – Now we’re talking. This hot sauce will light up your life and your mouth. In a good way! My African home’s bird’s eye peppers in a spectacular sweet, sour, and spicy sauce.
Enchilada Sauce – Another versatile sauce that goes great on more than just enchiladas. The spicy tomato-based sauce with traditional Mexican spices is better than ketchup.
More Mouthwatering Sweet Potato Recipes
- Curry Chickpeas Stuffed Sweet Potatoes – The perfect vegetarian dish that combines chickpeas and sweet potatoes with the deliciousness of curry spices.
- Sweet Potato Casserole – This sweet dish takes the already sweet potatoes and combines them with marshmallows and pecans.
- Irio (Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Peas and Corn) – A fantastic dish from Kenya that can be a complete vegetarian meal if you want. It also goes great with baked chicken or fish if that is your preference.
- Sweet Potato Bread – Homemade quick bread even made better with this sweet potato bread recipe. Just the perfect loaf of bread for breakfast or snack time.
How to Make Cajun Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Prepare the sweet potatoes
- Preheat oven to 425℉/218℃.
- Clean and cut the sweet potatoes – Scrub the sweet potatoes, then clean and cut them into the desired shape – the thinner the cut, the less time they take to cook but make sure they are a uniform size for even cooking. (Photos 1-3)
- Coat with cornstarch – In a large bowl, mix with cornstarch until thoroughly combined. Shake off the excess cornstarch. (Optional)
Season the fries
- Add the oil – Add the melted butter and oil, toss to combine. (Photo 4)
- Season the fries – Then season with homemade creole seasoning and salt. (Photos 5 & 6)
Bake the fries
- Arrange on a baking sheet – Spread the potatoes in a single layer over a baking sheet. You may have to use two, depending on the quantity.
- Bake the potatoes for 25-35 minutes, flipping them every 15 minutes with a spatula until they’re evenly browned and crispy, according to preference and size.
- Check for doneness – After 25 minutes, you have to check on them every 5 minutes.
- Serve – Allow to cool slightly and serve immediately with remoulade sauce or guacamole.
Watch How To Make It
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Cajun Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Ingredients
- 2 pounds sweet potatoes, about 3 large ones
- 1-2 teaspoons cornstarch (optional)
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1-1½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons Creole or Cajun seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425℉/218℃.
- Scrub sweet potatoes, then clean and cut them into the desired shape – the thinner the cut, the less time to cook but make sure they are a uniform size for even cooking.
- In a large bowl, mix with cornstarch until thoroughly combined. Shake off the excess cornstarch. Add the melted butter and oil toss to combine. Then season with homemade creole seasoning and salt.
- Spread the potatoes in a single layer over a baking sheet. You may have to use two, depending on the quantity.
- Bake the potatoes for 25-35 minutes, flipping them every 15 minutes with a spatula until they’re evenly browned and crispy, according to preference. After 25 minutes, you have to check on them every 5 minutes.
- Allow cooling slightly, and serving immediately with remoulade sauce or guacamole.
Tips & Notes:
- Cut the sweet potatoes into even strips, so they cook evenly with burning.
- Something I do for regular potatoes and sweet potatoes is to soak them in the water for a few minutes to get the excess starch out, then drain and dry them. After that, you can toss them with the oil and spices.
- To help them crisp up better, make sure they’re in an even layer with sufficient space between them and not piled up against each other.
- You can cube sweet potatoes and panfry them if you don’t want to heat the oven. I serve them like Southern hashbrowns with scrambled eggs when I want a healthy Southern-style breakfast.
- Please keep in mind that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
Wilhelmina James says
I always bake sweet potatoes, but I’ve never used spices on it.I am going to spice them up in future.sounds nice. Thanks.!
Imma says
Great idea to try these, I am sure these would turn out outstanding. Don’t forget to share your experience!!!
betty says
Normally, I bake my sweet potatoes for casseroles, etc. and for fries, I buy the frozen cut fries . Today, I decided to use fresh sweet potatoes. Peeling the potato was not difficult, but I found the potato very hard and difficult to slice. I suggest using the frozen cut sweet potatoes and go forward with the seasoning and baking; so much faster. Thank you for this is a tasty treat. Love you site.
Dorothy Watson says
They were delicious!!
Imma says
Hi Watson,
Wohoo! I am happy that you like them. Thank you!