Crispy sweet potato oven fries are seasoned with a spicy jalapeno seasoning and garnished with roasted jalapeno slices.
spicy jalapeno sweet potato fries

This is one of those “so simple you’re either going to slap me or hug me for writing a whole post about it” recipes.

It’s a toss, bake, flip, bake, eat situation with just enough downtime to shower, fold your laundry, get distracted by the cookbook you thought you were putting away but hmmm maybe not, and check the oven five to ten times because ARE THEY DONE YET.

Patience is not my virtue when it comes to sweet potato fries. And I make no apologies for that.

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To be honest, the majority of my homemade sweet potato fries to date have turned out more like roasted sweet potato sticks than fries. Still good, but not always what I’m going for.

Apparently sweet potatoes don’t play by the same rules as regular potatoes, so you can’t just throw them on a pan with a smattering of oil and a dash of salt and call it a day. Those orange gems are as high maintenance as spuds can get, and they won’t just give it up for any old baking pan.

According to Cook’s Illustrated the key here is to preheat and pre-oil your pan before baking. This starts the crisping process from the second those taters hit the pan. They won’t even see it coming.

Because I can’t leave well enough alone, I seasoned these with a mix of smoked sea salt and jalapeno chili powder. It’s a sweet smoky spicy flavor explosion. Oh, and then during the last 10 minutes of baking, jalapeno slices are actually roasted on top of the fries so that their juices sink into them. You’ll be inclined to lick them off the pan, but I advise you to wait until it cools.

Really. Wait.

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Spicy Jalapeno Sweet Potato Fries
 
Crispy sweet potato oven fries are seasoned with a spicy jalapeno seasoning and garnished with roasted jalapeno slices.
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 tsp + 1 tbsp peanut oil
  • 2 lb sweet potatoes, peeled
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • ½ tsp smoked sea salt
  • 1 tsp jalapeno or chipotle chili powder
  • 1-2 jalapenos, sliced into thin rings
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 400F. Place ½ tsp of peanut oil on each of two baking pans. Use a paper towel to spread an even layer of the oil on the pans. Place both baking pans in the oven.
  2. Cut each sweet potato into thin wedges. Toss in a large bowl with the oil, cornstarch, salt, and chili powder. Remove a baking sheet from the oven and place half the sweet potatoes on the sheet, cut side down. Spread them out so that they form a single layer and are not touching. Return the baking sheet to the oven and repeat with the remaining baking sheet and sweet potatoes.
  3. Bake until the side of the sweet potatoes that is directly touching the pan is crusty and golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the baking sheets from the oven and turn the sweet potatoes with a thin spatula. Top with the jalapeno slices. Bake until the second side of the sweet potatoes is crusty and brown, 10-15 minutes. Transfer the sweet potatoes to a platter and serve immediately.
Notes
Adapted from Cook's Illustrated
Nutrition Information
Serving size: ¼ of recipe

 More fries!

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Vegetarian Chili Cheese Fries

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sweet potato pie fries

Sweet Potato Pie Fries

From Around the Web:

Buffalo Sweet Potato Fries from A Kitchen Addiction

Herb Salted Garlic Parmesan French Fries from How Sweet Eats

Eggplant Fries with Honey and Sea Salt from Sippity Sup

Baked Garlic Sweet Potato Fries from Damn Delicious

Spiced Parsnip Fries with Roasted Garlic Yogurt from A Cozy Kitchen

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spicy jalapeno sweet potato fries
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52 Responses to Spicy Jalapeno Sweet Potato Fries

  1. I definitely think a post on getting sweet potato fries “just right” is hug worthy 🙂

  2. Sune Moolman says:

    I like that you roasted the jalapeno slices with the sweet potato. Looks fantastic!

  3. debbie says:

    These look delicious. They definitely are not as easy to bake as a regular potato. I’ve made them and they’ve turned to mush! Thanks for the tips in making these!

  4. this is totally i want to hug you posts because i often forget how delicious sweet potatoes are!!!

  5. Kathryn says:

    You can never have too many sweet potato fries in your life. Especially when there’s jalapenos involved too.

  6. Most fries I try to make in the oven are really just roasted potatoes. Thanks for the tips! I see crispy, spicy sweet potato fries in my future.

  7. Sweet potatoes and jalapeños are 2 of my favourite things to eat, so put them together and you have yourself a party. I have shared on Twitter too 🙂

  8. Yum! I love sweet potato fries! And with jalapeno? I’m sold!

  9. I would eat these non-stop ’til they were all gone! I’m afraid I wouldn’t be good at sharing when it comes to a recipe like this 🙂 Delish!

  10. SallyBR says:

    Haven’t quite mastered the sweet potato fries thing yet – I used the cornstarch a couple of times, arrowroot a couple of times, they turned out ok but not great.

    I will try this method of heating up the baking sheet with oil – it might just do the trick

    Merci!

  11. Lori R. says:

    Ha! I have the hardest time with baked fries, too. I cannot stand the anticipation! These sound so good — spicy with sweet potatoes is such a good combo!

  12. Mira says:

    I love sweet potato fries and the addition of jalapeño is just perfect! Pinning to try them!

  13. I am ALWAYS down for sweet potato fries and the spicy kind are a FAVORITE of mine!

  14. They look absolutely mouthwatering!

  15. laura says:

    these look delicious, I love sweet potato

  16. Julia says:

    Ugh those look perfect! My girlfriends and I are obsessed with baking sweet potato fries for girls night, and while we’re totally fine with them turning out like “sweet potato sticks,” we stepped up our game a few months ago to include cornstarch (or tapioca starch). Absolutely LOVE these roasted nuggets o’ delish…and those jalapenos sound marvelous too!

  17. Heather says:

    I always forget how long it takes to get sweet potato fries just right, so I often end up with roasted sweet potato sticks as well. Either way, I’ll eat em, though. 😉

  18. Pam says:

    I love simple recipes! These spicy sweet potato fries look and sound amazing to me!

  19. These spuds are high maintenance, aren’t they? Thanks for the tip about preheating the pans – maybe that’s where I’ve gone wrong! I am looking forward to my next attempt!

  20. CakeSpy says:

    GIMME!! These look crisped and toasted to absolute perfection.

  21. Hug for sure! Love the spicy sweet combo, Joanne!

  22. Trisha says:

    I’m in the hug-you-camp. 🙂 I’m always looking for simple recipes with helpful tricks and techniques. Definitely trying that oil trick next time!!!

  23. Kate says:

    I usually end up with sticks not fries also!

  24. Sippitysup says:

    Here’s an idea. I toss sweet potato fried with egg whites. Sounds odd, but the results are very crunchy. Try it and let me know what you think. GREG

  25. Oh, delicious – Joanne – love the addition of jalapeno!

  26. its so hard to get baked fries just right . I am liking your method which means I must make your sweet potato fries pronto

  27. This is the perfect thing to eat on any given day. I am so in love with these fries

    And please don’t forget to complete my Reader Survey.

  28. cheri says:

    Love sweet potato fries!

  29. Thanks for the tip about preheating the pan, these sound amazing!

  30. Reeni says:

    Spicy sweet potato fries rule! Love those roasted jalapeno nuggets.

  31. Betty says:

    I’m loving the crisp on these- must try! (I only have two bushels of sweet potatoes in my basement to last the winter.)

  32. Oh, don’t even get me started! These look so good, I seriously don’t think I could wait long enough for them to cool..

  33. Isadora says:

    I so love easy but totally delicious recipes like this one! Sweet potatoes are kindof a weekly thing in my house, but i’ve never made them with jalapeno! I’m so excited for the new spin 🙂

  34. Hotly Spiced says:

    These do look like a whole lot of yum. I love how you have spiced them up with a bit of chile xx

  35. Kelly says:

    Sweet potato fries are my weakness! Love the added kick in these! Thanks for the tip about preheating the pan, I can’t wait to try that next time along with the jalapeno powder!

  36. I’m all for simple recipes that deliver maximum taste, and frankly, these fries epitomize that category!

  37. There’s no such thing as patience when I have a tray of sweet potato fries in the oven indeed. AND yeah, this is the kind of post that makes me want to hug you. Spicy fries?? Yessssssssss. Give me two trays thankyouverymuch.
    Happy Wednesday! x

  38. I also can never get my sweet potato fries to turn out just right, but the hot pan trick helps. I love this idea of adding jalapenos into the mix. Definitely coming to my belly sometime soon.

  39. My boyfriend would flip over this recipe! He loves everything spicy. Now I know what we are having for valentines day. Chili Cheese Fries!

  40. These sweet potato fries look so delicious, I have a weakness for them actually 😀

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

  41. Wow these look amazing! I love anything spicy so this is right up my alley!

  42. tigerfish says:

    The waiting game is hard, especially when it comes to fries! 😛

  43. Eileen says:

    YESS. I haven’t had sweet potato fries in WAY too long (mostly because our CSA kept giving up lots of winter squash, but never sweet potatoes). Must eat now!

  44. These sound amazing ! Thanks For the baking tip and spices -sweet potatoes the best!

  45. grace says:

    i get carried away when i’m eating sweet potato fries–those things taste SO good. this is a fantastic twist!

  46. what an awesome twist on sweet potato fries 🙂

  47. Chris says:

    Is it bad that I like to dip my sweet potato fries in melted cinnamon butter? I’d love these fries with some Jamaican foods.

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