Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries sprinkled with spices traditionally found in falafel and served up with a creamy, dairy free Lemon Garlic Dipping Sauce. The perfect side dish or snack!
Sometimes you just need fries! They’re perfect for a side dish, appetizer, or just for snacking. I’m upping the fry game today and using sweet potatoes instead of traditional baking potatoes. Sweet potato fries are definitely not a new thing, but I’ve spiced mine up today with spices traditionally found in falafel. I’m not sure what sparked the idea for this flavor combo, but I’m finding it pretty addictive and we can’t stop eating them! Paired with a creamy Lemon Garlic Dipping Sauce, they’re a sweet and spicy treat you’re sure to love!
How to Make Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Admittedly, these sweet potato fries aren’t going to be as crispy as those restaurant fries you might be used to. We aren’t frying these in a vat of oil like they do either, so we are saving a ton of calories and saturated fat grams. The texture of these are more like steak fries – a bit of a crispy bite on the outside, while soft and creamy on the inside.
I do have a few tricks to get your oven baked sweet potato fries crispy on the outside though. First, make sure your oven is properly pre-heated before putting your fries in there. You can even pre-heat your baking pan too if you wish. Just remember to be careful and use oven mitts please. Second, do not add salt to the fries prior to baking. Salt draws out moisture and you definitely don’t want to do that here. Third, do not…I repeat, do NOT…crowd the baking sheet. Place them in a single layer with space in between each one. Otherwise they will steam and will not crisp up. I like to bake one sheet at a time. If your fries don’t all fit on one baking sheet, I suggest baking two batches instead of putting two pans in the oven at once. Fourth, do not touch them or even open the oven to look at them for the first 15 minutes. Just let them do their thing. If you feel you must check on them during that time, flip on your oven light and look through the little window.
Don’t be afraid of the dark spots. Sweet potatoes contain natural sugars (that’s why they are so deliciously sweet) and that sugar will start to caramelize causing dark spots (and crispy, sticky, delicious, sweet bites). However, there is a fine line between caramelized and burnt. So, definitely do keep an eye on them during the last few minutes of baking. If you do get some burnt edges while the middles are still perfectly spotty brown, just cut off the burnt spots and enjoy the rest!
And, keep in mind, that every oven is different. If yours runs hotter or cooler than average, you may need to adjust the cooking time slightly. But, with these methods and the cooking temp/time, I can get delicious crispy on the outside, creamy in the middle, sweet potatoes every time.
Lemon Garlic Dipping Sauce
Falafel are usually served with a tangy lemony and garlicky sauce. Since I’m using falafel spices on these Baked Sweet Potato Fries, I decided to go with a lemon garlic sauce for dipping. Yum! I use cashews as the base, like I do in my popular Creamy Cumin Ranch Dressing and my Creamy Dill Sauce w/ Spirulina (both of which would also be delicious with these fries!). You could also use plain unsweetened dairy free yogurt instead of the cashews.
Falafel Spiced Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries
I hope you enjoy these Falafel Spiced Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries as much as we do. If you try them, please come back and leave me a comment with your feedback below. You can also find me on social media. Be sure to tag @veggie_inspired and #veggieinspired so I’m sure to see it. Enjoy!
Yields 4 servings
Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries sprinkled with spices traditionally found in falafel and served up with a creamy, dairy free, Lemon Garlic Dipping Sauce. The perfect side dish or snack!
10 minPrep Time
25 minCook Time
35 minTotal Time
Save Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 sweet potatoes, scrubbed well and dried thoroughly or peeled
- 1 tbsp high heat oil (I used grapeseed)
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp coriander
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- pinch cayenne (I used about 1/8 tsp*, use more if you like the heat)
- salt to taste
- chopped fresh parsley to garnish
- cooking spray for the baking sheet
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked 30 minutes in warm water
- 4 garlic cloves
- juice of 2 lemons
- 1/2 cup chopped cucumber
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
- water to thin
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Position the oven rack in the top third of the oven.
- Slice your sweet potatoes in half lengthwise. Slice each half in half again. Then slice each quarter into 4-6 "fries." If you sweet potatoes are particularly large, you might have cut a few of the fries in half again if they seem too thick. Try to make sure all of the fries are the same size so they cook evenly.
- In a large bowl, toss the sweet potato fries with the oil, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon and cayenne.
- Spray the baking sheet lightly with cooking spray. Spread the sweet potato fries into one even layer on a rimmed baking sheet and space them out so none of them are touching. If you have too many fries to fit on one baking sheet, I like to bake two separate batches instead of putting two baking sheets in the oven at once. It helps them stay crispier this way.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Carefully flip all of the fries over and again make sure they are in one single layer and not touching. Bake another 10 minutes. Your fries should now have plenty of dark spots on them on both sides. If they do not, you can bake another 5 minutes, but watch them closely!! Don't be afraid of dark spots as the sugars in the sweet potatoes will caramelize and turn dark, however, there is a fine line between caramelized and burnt. Don't let them get TOO dark.
- When the fries are done, take them out of the oven and immediately sprinkle with sea salt and chopped fresh parsley. Serve with Lemon Garlic Dipping Sauce or your favorite sauce. Ketchup works too.
- Place all ingredients in a high speed blender and purée until smooth.
Notes
*I used 1/8 tsp of cayenne and the fries had a nice kick without being too spicy. If you like things spicier, feel free to add more.
You'll have extra sauce leftover. Use it to dip raw veggies, crackers, or as a spread for sandwiches or wraps. Or whip up another batch of these Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries!
These fries are best served immediately. Leftovers will soften in the fridge. You can reheat in the oven, but they won't really crisp up again.
More Quick and Easy Veggie Loaded Side Dishes:
Broccoli & Shredded Brussel Sprouts
The post Falafel Spiced Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries appeared first on Veggie Inspired.