Loaded sweet potato fries

What is even better than loaded fries? How about loaded sweet potato fries? This recipe for loaded sweet potato fries is easy to make, flavorful, and surprisingly healthy! That’s because these sweet potato fries are made in the oven rather than the fryer. They are also piled high with fresh fruits and vegetables.

These loaded sweet potato fries are topped with lime sour cream, zesty green onions, creamy avocados, spicy jalapeños, diced tomatoes, and monterey jack cheese. They are gluten free, vegetarian friendly, egg free, and nut free, and can easily be made vegan and dairy free by using vegan cheese shreds and vegan sour cream. 

Loaded sweet potato fries with avocado, tomatoes, cheese, and sour cream.

What is on these loaded sweet potato fries?

What is on these loaded sweet potato fries? Here are the tasty toppings that are used in this recipe for loaded sweet potato fries. 

  • Lime sour cream. Lime sour cream is drizzled on top of these tasty sweet potato fries. The sour cream is mixed with lime juice to give it a fresh, zesty flavor. A little heavy cream is added to thin out the sour cream so that it is easy to drizzle over the fries. If you want to make this recipe vegan friendly you can use vegan sour cream and omit the heavy cream. Vegan sour cream is generally thinner than dairy sour cream anyways. 
  • Monterey jack cheese. No recipe for loaded fries is complete without a little cheese! In this recipe we use monterey jack cheese. Sweet potatoes have a lot of flavor of their own so they pair best with mild cheeses that do not have strong flavors such as monterey jack, pepper jack, or provolone. This is the opposition of regular fries, which pair best with flavorful cheeses like sharp cheddar. If you want to make this recipe vegan friendly, you can use your favorite vegan cheese shreds. 
  • Avocado. Avocados are also added to these loaded sweet potato fries. The avocados add even more creamy goodness to fries. The creamy taste of the avocado helps to balance out the sweetness of the sweet potatoes. The creamy texture of the avocado adds a nice contrast to the crispy texture of the sweet potato fries.
  • Green onion. A few stalks of green onions are thinly sliced then added to these loaded sweet potato fries. The green onions add a fresh and zesty flavor that serves a nice contrast to the sweetness of the sweet potato fries. The light green part of the green onions also provides a nice crunch and some added variety in texture. 
  • Jalapeño. Sliced jalapeños are added to these loaded sweet potato fries to give them a little bit of spice. The spiciness of the jalapeños serves as a nice contrast to the sweetness of the sweet potato fries. 
  • Tomato. The final ingredient that is added to these loaded sweet potato fries is diced tomatoes. The juicy tomatoes add a little more acidity to balance out the sweetness of the sweet potatoes. We recommend using flavorful tomatoes such as heirloom tomatoes or cherry tomatoes.

Chopped sweet potato fries in a bowl.

How to make sweet potato fries from scratch

How do you make sweet potato fries from scratch? Here is how to make sweet potato fries from scratch. 

  • Peel the potatoes. The first step for making sweet potato fries from scratch is to peel the skin off of the sweet potatoes. We recommend running the sweet potatoes under hot water before you start to peel them. Soaking the potatoes in water helps to soften the skin of the potatoes so that it peels off more easily.
  • Slice the fries. After you peel the skin off of the sweet potatoes, you need to cut the potatoes into individual fries. You should use a high quality chef’s knife (this is the one we use). It is very difficult to cut through potatoes if you do not have a high quality, sharp knife.
  • Soak the fries (optional). In order to make extra crispy fries, you should soak the fries in cold water for 30 minutes to a few hours after cutting them. Soaking the fries in water draws some of the starches out of the fries, which ensures that  they turn out extra crispy. This step is listed as optional because it is not necessary if you do not have the time to soak the fries. Nonetheless, it is another great option to try if you are trying to make your sweet potato fries extra crispy!
  • Spice the fries. Next you should coat the fries in any oil and spices that you want to use on your fries. In this recipe for loaded sweet potato fries, we use garlic powder, cayenne, black pepper, oregano, and salt.
  • Cook the fries. The final step in making sweet potato fries is to cook the fries. We recommend baking the fries in the oven. Fries that are made in the oven are more healthy and do not create as much of a mess.

Chopped sweet potato fries on a baking sheet.

How to make crispy fries in the oven

Are you looking to make your oven baked fries a little more crispy? Here are our best tips for making your crispy fries in the oven. 

  • Space the fries out. The number one most important thing you can do to ensure that your fries come out crispy is to space the fries out when you bake them. Potatoes contain water that evaporates as the fries cook. If your fries are too close together then they will steam each other as they cook. 
  • Dry the fries. Make sure to dry your fries off with paper towels before you cook them. This is especially true if you soaked your sweet potato fries in water prior to cooking them. The more water that is present on the surface of your fries, the less likely they are to crisp up. You can also salt the fries 10 – 15 minutes before drying them off to bring more of the water to the surface. 
  • Add a little cornstarch. Adding a little cornstarch is a great technique that helps to crisp up many different kinds of food. When you add cornstarch to a food, it helps the outside of the food dry out faster. The result is a food that has a nice, crispy outside and a soft, tender inside. Adding cornstarch works with fries, but you should add the cornstarch sparingly. Otherwise, your fries will have a powdery coating on them. 
  • Make thinner fries. The thinner your fries are, the easier it is for the water on the inside of the fries to make it to the surface of the fries and evaporate. This means that fries that are on the thinner side are more likely to crispy up. 
  • Raise the temperature in your oven. If you are having trouble getting your fries to crisp up and you are cooking your fries at a temperature that is lower than 450 degrees, try increasing the temperature in your oven to 450. You can also try broiling your fries on high for 30 – 60 seconds after you cook them. 

If you want even more tips on how to make homemade fries that are nice and crispy then you should check out this article. 
Loaded sweet potato fries with avocado, tomatoes, cheese, and sour cream.

How to store loaded sweet potato fries

How do you store loaded sweet potato fries? If you plan on having leftover sweet potato fries, we recommend storing the sweet potato fries and the toppings separately. This is because some of the toppings that are on these sweet potato fries might become mushy and disfigured when reheated. 

The sweet potato fries themselves should be stored in an airtight food storage container in the refrigerator. The fries will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. 

How to reheat loaded sweet potato fries

When you are reheating these loaded sweet potato fries, the only part of this dish that needs to be reheated is the fries themselves. All of the toppings can be served cold. You have a few options when it comes to reheating these sweet potato fries. 

  • In the microwave. The quickest and easiest way to reheat these sweet potato fries is to cook them in the microwave for 45 – 75 seconds on full power. That being said, fries that are heated in the microwave will be less crispy and more floppy than fries that are reheated in the oven. 
  • In the oven. If you want your leftover fries to be nice and crispy then we recommend reheating them in the oven. The fries should be reheated at around 400 – 425 degrees. We recommend laying the fries out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and cooking the fries for 5 – 10 minutes until they are heated throughout. 
Loaded sweet potato fries with avocado, tomatoes, cheese, and sour cream.
Print Recipe
5 from 2 votes

Loaded sweet potato fries

These tasty loaded sweet potato fries are gluten free, vegetarian, egg free, and nut free.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian
Keyword: egg free, gluten free, nut free, vegetarian
Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

  • 1 cup monterey jack cheese
  • 2 large avocados
  • 2 tomatoes
  • 4 stalks green onion
  • 1 jalapeño

Sweet potato fries

  • 2 large sweet potatoes
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp oregano
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp vegetable oil

Lime sour cream

  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1 tbsp heavy cream
  • 1 tbsp lime juice

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
  • Peel the skin off of the sweet potatoes. It is easiest to peel sweet potatoes when the skin is wet. We recommend running the potatoes under hot water for 30 seconds before peeling them.
  • Cut the sweet potatoes into thin fries.
  • Put the sweet potato fries in a large bowl and coat them with vegetable oil and all of the spices listed in the sweet potato fries section of the ingredients.
  • Spread the sweet potato fries out on a baking sheet that is lined with parchment paper. The more space you leave between adjacent fries, the more likely the fries are to come out nice and crispy.
  • Cook the sweet potato fries for 20 minutes at 425 degrees. After they have cooked for 20 minutes, flip the sweet potato fries with a spatula then cook them for another 10 - 15 minutes.
  • While the sweet potatoes cook, dice the tomatoes, avocados, jalapenos, and green onion into small pieces.
  • Mix the ingredients for the lime sour cream then put the lime sour cream in the refrigerator until you need it.
  • When the sweet potatoes are done cooking, top them with cheese, sour cream, and veggies.

Notes

Tips for making crispy fries. There are a few steps you can take to make sure your sweet potato fries come out extra crispy. These include cutting your fries extra thin, soaking your fries in cold water for 30 minutes before cooking them, salting your fries and letting them rest for 15 minutes before cooking them, thoroughly drying the fries with paper towels before cooking them, dusting the fries with cornstarch before cooking them, and spacing the fries out on the pan when you cook them.
Tips for cutting fries. You should make sure to use a high quality chef's knife (this is the one we use) when you cut the fries. Potatoes are thick and dense so it is difficult to cut through them unless you use a sharp knife. 

Substitutions for loaded sweet potato fries

  • Monterey jack cheese. If you do not have monterey jack cheese you can use another mild cheese such as pepper jack. We recommend using a mild flavor cheese with a creamy flavor rather than a sharp cheese with a nutty flavor when working with sweet potatoes. If you want to make this recipe vegan friendly then you can use vegan cheese shreds. 
  • Sour cream. If you do not have soup cream then you can use plain greek yogurt as a replacement. If you want to make this recipe vegan friendly then you can use vegan sour cream and omit the heavy cream. Vegan sour cream is generally thinner than dairy based sour cream so there is no need to thin it out. 

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