Perfect Paleo Sweet Potato Fries Recipe - My Natural Family (2024)

FAQs

Why are sweet potato fries never crispy? ›

Overcrowded fries steam each other and never get crispy!

Be sure that each fry lies flush against the pan, not piled on top of other fries. The fries develop crisp edges when they're resting on a hot surface.

Yes — sweet potatoes are generally considered a paleo-approved food, however, some paleo dieters prefer to limit their consumption to avoid consuming too many carbohydrates that spike their blood sugar levels.

I've seen baked versions of sweet potato fries with cornstarch or cornmeal added to crisp them up. I wanted to avoid corn because I know that a lot of people in this community avoid it or have allergies. Here, the dried sweet potatoes are tossed with arrowroot to coat.

Sweet potato fries are a great alternative to regular potato fries because they are packed with vitamins and minerals. Use garnet yams for this dish for their vibrant orange color. They are sliced thickly, like steak-cut fries, and are coated with a lively herb and spice olive oil mixture.

The same 3-ounce serving of frozen sweet potato fries contains 140 calories, 5 grams of fat and typically less sodium than the regular fries. Sweet potato fries at a restaurant also land in the 400-calorie neighborhood, and the fat content also averages 20 grams; sodium can add up quickly.

Some recipes for homemade sweet potato fries ask you to soak the fries before cooking. The theory is that soaking draws out starch from inside the potatoes, helping them crisp up.

Paleo-Friendly Sweeteners

Raw honey might have been most prevalent to cavemen so this would be approved if you're going the paleo route! Maple syrup and molasses are also paleo. Maple syrup, in its purest form without any additives, is a naturally occurring sugar extracted from maple trees.

Paleo might be naturally lower in salt than the standard American diet, due to the exclusion of sodium-rich processed foods, but there's no need to artificially restrict sodium intake.

The beta-carotene in sweet potatoes has been shown to fight inflammation, and eating them regularly can help ease joint pain and other symptoms of inflammatory conditions like arthritis. If you're looking for a delicious way to reduce inflammation, add some sweet potatoes to a salad or bake alongside protein!

While you can peel your sweet potatoes before making the fries, I prefer to leave the skin on. It's packed with Vitamin-A and fiber (read more about the health benefits here). If you leave the skin on, make sure you scrub the outsides of the potatoes well. Cut Thin, Uniform Slices.

How to make sweet potato fries not soggy? ›

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.

Before the air fryer became popular I was all about baked sweet potato fries. I still love them, but I have to admit that using the air fryer to make them is faster and they actually get crispier too. Spoiler alert: there's no need to soak your potatoes in water ahead of time!

"With very similar nutrient profiles and the fact that deep frying either type of potato essentially makes both equally unhealthy, there's no real health benefit to choosing sweet potato fries over regular ones," adds Willingham.

Sweet potato fries have fewer total lipid fats than French fries and contain virtually no saturated fats. If you need to closely monitor your cholesterol levels, sweet potato fries can be a healthier choice than French fries.

You can still eat sweet potatoes if you have diabetes, assures Huff. The fiber content in sweet potatoes, especially if you consume them with the skin on, can help reduce spikes in your blood sugar. Plus, how you cook your sweet potatoes can also help reduce the extent to which your blood sugar rises.

Don't overcrowd the baking sheet!

If the baking sheet it too crowded, the sweet potatoes will not crisp. You should provide optimal space for air to flow through, and the sweet potatoes shouldn't be touching.

I've found that sweet potatoes really need space for a truly roasted, crisped-edge result. Aim for about one inch of space between pieces. This leads to good, dry, hot airflow that will let the potato pieces' moisture evaporate while letting them dry and crisp up more.

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.