These spicy baked sweet potato wedges are so light and fluffy inside but crispy on the outside. They are the perfect addition to everything from BBQ to simple eggs or beans.
Why you’ll love this simple recipe
- These sweet potato wedges are baked they are not fried so they are healthier than the standard fried sweet potato wedges
- Sweet potato wedges are easier to make than chips!
- You will love the tasty spices in this baked sweet potato wedges recipe, they pack a real punch of flavour.
Looking for a healthier alternative to standard chips/fries? Then this spiced baked sweet potatoes recipe is for you.
Ingredients
There aren’t many ingredients for these baked sweet potato wedges, basically, you want those all-important sweet potatoes, a little olive oil to drizzle over them for baking and the spices.
Spices – These are spiced sweet potato wedges so the spices are the stars of the show. I’ve used a mixture of garlic powder, cumin, smoked paprika and chilli.
Feel free to use any spices you like for these sweet potato wedges.
What other spices to use;
Chinese Five Spice is a good choice as is any of the Thai seasonings or good old curry powder (here’s how to make your own homemade curry spice mix), Harissa spice mix, any herbs you fancy or just good old salt and pepper.
The complete list of ingredients and full instructions for making this recipe can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to cut sweet potato wedges
Now, this may all sound a bit basic but it is very important. Rule 1. Use a sharp knife to cut your sweet potato wedges. A blunt knife is the most dangerous item in the kitchen.
You want to keep the skin on your sweet potato wedges, it is full of vitamins and tastes great when crisped up.
Scrub the sweet potatoes under cold water and pat dry.
Cut the sweet potato in half then into long fingers then cut these in half. It all depends on the size of the sweet potato you are using of course.
You want to keep your sweet potato wedges about the same size if possible so that they all cook at the same rate.
The thinner the wedges the crispier your sweet potato wedges will be.
How to prepare sweet potatoes wedges
Soak them first!
Why do you soak your sweet potato wedges in water? This is a really important step. When you soak the sweet potato wedges in water you are removing the starch from them and it is that starch that would make your sweet potato wedges soggy and floppy. So if you want a really nice crisp sweet potato wedge then soak those sweet potatoes first.
I soak my sweet potato wedges for at least half an hour. In fact I have left them overnight before with no problems at all.
After you have soaked your sweet potato wedges to remove the starch you must pat them dry thoroughly on kitchen paper or with a clean tea towel.
Your sweet potato wedges must be DRY before you bake them in the oven as otherwise they will not bake but steam and that would be disastrous.
Mix your spices together and toss the sweet potato wedges in the spice mix so that each and every sweet potato wedge has a good coating of those lovely flavour-packed spices.
DO NOT ADD SALT!
Lay the spiced sweet potato wedges on an oven tray so that they are in a single layer and none of the wedges are on top of each other. Making sure that they are in a single layer ensures that you’ll get nice crispy sweet potato wedges.
Drizzle the sweet potato wedges with olive oil.
Now bake them in the oven for about 45 minutes turning them over halfway through the baking time.
Finally, remove your spiced baked sweet potato wedges from the oven and NOW sprinkle them with sea salt.
Why do you salt sweet potato wedges after baking?
There is a reason for salting your sweet potato wedges AFTER you’ve baked them and not putting any salt in with the spice mix.
If you add salt before you bake the sweet potatoes they will go all wrinkly and shrink a bit. Add the salt when you have finished baking the sweet potato wedges and you will get lovely crispy sweet potato wedges and bags more flavour.
How to serve sweet potato wedges
I love to serve these homemade spicy sweet potato wedges with homemade dips like homemade tzatziki, my foolproof homemade mayonnaise or lovely garlicy French style aioli. A good salsa is also a great choice as a dip for your homemade sweet potato wedges.
Serve your sweet potato wedges as a side with any BBQ, with sausages, pork chops, steak or even a humble fried egg to dip them into.
My favourite is with my pork chops with apple and sage with sweet potato wedges. That combo of flavours is just perfect.
Can you freeze these?
Yes, you can freeze your sweet potato wedges in a freezer-proof container for up to 3 months. Just defrost and reheat in the oven. Make sure that they are piping hot before serving.
Looking for more super sides ideas? Then check these out before you go;
Gigantes Plaka (Greek giant beans in tomato sauce)
Honey roasted courgettes/zucchini with feta
Finally, if you do try this recipe don’t forget to leave a comment/star rating below as I just love to hear from readers. Want more Larder Love? Then follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter and sign up for my newsletter too of course.
Easy Spiced Baked Sweet Potato Wedges
Ingredients
- 900 g sweet potatoes
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp chilli powder
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- salt to serve
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200C
- Scrub the sweet potatoes to remove dirt – DO NOT peel as the skin is great and good for you too. Pat dry and cut into even-sized wedges by cutting the sweet potato in half then into strips then half these.
- Soak the sweet potato wedges in cold water for 30 minutes or even overnight. This is to remove the starch and makes your sweet potato wedges crispier
- Pat them dry and mix with your spice mix and lay out on a baking sheet set apart in one layer so that they all get a chance to bake evenly. Sprinkle with olive oil
- Bake for 45 minutes turning them over halfway through the cooking time
- Remove from oven and sprinkle with sea salt to serve
Thanks for the tip on soaking to get rid of the starch. I’ve made plenty of soggy oven fries over the years and finally have an explanation.
I cut these into fries using a mandoline rather than the wedges. This resulted in sticks that burned before they were done while others remained somewhat wet/limp. I wouldn’t try that shape again. I watched them closely and took them out 5 minutes before the recommended baking time but a few had already burned at the halfway point. Your tip about uniform size really matters.
Based on my experience with other recipes I had doubled the seasoning for this amount of potatoes and they still seemed a trifle bland–not at all spicy. I keep my spices fresh so I don’t think it was that. Those who like things on the hot side may want to oomph it up a bit more.
Hi Barb
Glad you liked my recipe.
K
For “chili powder”, do you mean the mixture of cumin, hot chili, etc. as is used in making Mexican chili, or do you mean hot red chili powder by itself as is used in Indian cooking?
Hi Rebecca
For chilli powder I mean the stuff you buy in jars that has the cumin etc in it. When I use straight chilli in a recipe I always say to use chilli flakes.
Hope this helps.
K