Spicy Sweet Potato Fries with Cilantro Ranch Sauce

By Sarah On August 4, 2014 | Updated: August 2, 2024

Sweet and spicy sweet potato fries are perfectly crispy and go incredibly well with a creamy cilantro ranch sauce for dipping.

Sweet potato fry lovers, you’re definitely in the right spot today!

We’ve got a little sweet with heat action going on today with these crispy fries and then we’re cooling the whole deal down with a creamy cilantro dipping sauce.

Yeah, I take zero responsibility if you end up eating this entire batch solo.

It took much trial and error and many sweet potatoes put through the ringer to perfect these fries, but I can honestly say that we’re there now! The crispiest oven sweet potato fries you’ll ever have the pleasure of face-shoving.

There’s a few tricks to getting a crispy sweet potato fry, so keep reading for all the details!

These Sweet Potato Fries feature…

A light and crispy texture
A flavorful sweet and spicy spices blend
Creamy cilantro ranch sauce for dipping

Making the Sweet Potato Fries

(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)

Ingredients You Will Need

Mayonnaise
Greek yogurt
Buttermilk
Lime juice
Cilantro
Garlic
Sweet potatoes
Coconut oil
Cornstarch
Spices

How To Cut Sweet Potatoes

The size and uniformity of the sweet potato fries is super important for even cooking! I found that 1/4-inch wide and about 3 inches long is the ideal size for a perfectly-cooked sweet potato fry.

I like to leave the skin on the sweet potatoes for the added nutrients and I also find it gives them a crispier texture. However, if you’re not a fan of the skin, feel free to remove it!

Tips for Perfect Sweet Potato Fries

Soak sweet potatoes in cold water – this soak time helps remove excess starch from the sweet potatoes resulting in a crispier fry.
Pat sweet potatoes dry after soaking – use a paper towel to blot sweet potatoes dry. You want them as dry as possible prior to baking!
Space sweet potato fries apart for baking – it’s very important to space fries apart during cooking otherwise they will steam and not cook up crispy. If you don’t have a large sheet pan, I recommend using dividing the sweet potato fries between 2 smaller ones.
Bake fries at 425F – this high temperature will help crisp up the fries.
Flip fries halfway through baking – again, we’re going for crispy here! Rotating the fries will crisp up every inch of them.

Recipe Variations

Try these ideas for a different twist on these fries.

Adjust heat level – reduce the amount of cayenne or skip it entirely for a more mild flavor. Alternatively, you can up the cayenne for extra-spicy fries.
Add herbs to spice blend – add 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano and 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme to spice blend.
Serve fries with a different dipping sauce – try dipping fries in a garlic aioli, chipotle ranch dip, barbecue sauce, or ketchup.

Reheating Sweet Potato Fries

If possible, I recommend enjoying fries straight out of the oven for the best texture. However, if you would like to store fries for later they may be stored in refrigerator up to 4 days.

To reheat fries, lay fries in a single layer on a sheet pan and bake at 425F 8-10 minutes. You can also air fry sweet potato fries in an air fryer set to 400F for 6-8 minutes, shaking basket occasionally.

Y’all, these fries are just pure perfection. The texture of the fries is picture-perfect crispy, the flavors balance just the right amount of sweet and spicy, and pairing it with the creamy cilantro sauce is a dream, period.

Word of caution: once you start dipping these bad boys, it’s pretty much impossible to stop!

Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram with #wholeandheavenlyoven.

More ways to cook with sweet potatoes that you will love!

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