Crispy Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries – Vegan No Oil Recipe
When eating a whole food, plant based diet and you have a craving for crispy oven baked sweet potato fries, but don’t want to use oil or salt when roasting. Then this baked sweet potato fries recipe will make you not miss the oil and salt at all.
Since I have been eating plant based the last year, I have grown very fond of Farmer’s Markets where you can get locally-grown produce that is fresh and vibrant.
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It is also where I find new to me fruits and veggies to try.
When eating a plant based diet, I keep these 3 words in mind… Eat the Rainbow every single day.
At a Farmer’s Market last fall, I came across something that I hadn’t eaten before. They caught my eye because they were purple.
Since I don’t eat a lot of purple foods, except for red cabbage and grapes, adding the purple sweet potatoes into my diet was a good thing.
Aren’t they pretty?
What is even better… they taste amazing and can be used just as you would any potato or sweet potato.
I prepare them in a few ways. One way is to bake them whole. Once soft, cut and mash up with a drizzle of dressing.
But my favorite way to eat them is making them into crispy oven baked sweet potato fries.
I like my sweet potato fries crispy and this recipe delivers without the need of oil.
I keep the skin on the sweet potatoes as it helps to make them crispy, but you can remove it first with a potato peeler before making the recipe.
Purple sweet potatoes are high in Vitamin C and anthocyanin, the type of flavonoid that provides many plants, such as cherries, grapes, and strawberries, with their natural red, purple, and blue coloring.
You can eat them right out of the oven plain…
…or dip them in malt vinegar, ketchup or your favorite no-oil dressing.
How to Make the Sweet Potato Fries Crispy With No Oil?
What makes the sliced sweet potatoes crispy without the need of oil, is corn meal. It adds a delicious flavor and texture to each slice.
To get crispier fries, slice the sweet potato thin. If you like them a little soft, slice them into thicker wedges.
How to Make Purple Sweet Potato Baked Fries
I like using purple sweet potatoes to make these crispy oven baked fries, but you can use regular sweet potatoes, Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes.
For a dipping sauce, the recipe calls for malt vinegar, but I also like to use this ketchup that I buy at Whole Foods. It has no sugar or oil in it and tastes good.
I have made my own WFPB ketchup, but when I can find ready made items that are WFPB with no oil, I buy them as it is one less thing for me to make from scratch.
Baked Purple Sweet Potato Fries
Equipment
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper or Silicone baking mat
Ingredients
- 3 purple sweet potatoes, or any type potato
- 1/3 cup malt vinegar, plus more when serving. Can use apple cider vinegar also.
- 1/3 cup blue or yellow corn meal
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp sage, ground
- 3 shallots, sliced thin lengthwise, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Cut each sweet potato lengthwise into 1/4" – 1/2" thick slices and then place in a bowl.
- Pour the vinegar onto the cut sweet potatoes and toss to coat well.
- In a small bowl, combine the cornmeal, smoked paprika and sage. Mix well, and then sprinkle the seasoning mixture onto the sweet potatoes. Toss gently until evenly coated.
- Arrange the sweet potato slices in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet pan, then if using, sprinkle the chopped shallots evenly over the potatoes.
- Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until soft and lightly browned, turning over the sweet potatoes after 15 minutes, then continuing to bake.
- Serve immediately and serve with a small malt vinegar or ketsup filled ramekin for dipping.
Notes
- If you want to have a heavier coat of the corn meal/spice mixture on each potato, double the amount of the cornmeal and spice mixture.
- Use your favorite spices to change up the flavor. Try a herb blend, curry powder or nutritional yeast. You can also create a sweet version by tossing the cut potatoes in pure maple syrup and then sprinkling with cinnamon before baking.
Nutrition
During your next visit to the market, pay attention to all the different types of fruits, veggies, beans, lentils, grains, nuts and seeds and choose one or a few that look interesting and ones you have never eaten before.
Browse the plant based food blogs for ideas on how to prepare and cook what you have bought to come up with amazing new meal options.
So the next time you are at a farmer’s market or your supermarket, look around and see if you spot something a little different. If you are lucky enough to find purple sweet potatoes, don’t hesitate to buy a few.
Farmer’s Market Style
I enjoy going to the Farmer’s Market with the same excitement and anticipation I get when I go on “thrill of the hunt” shopping trips to antique flea markets.
I make sure I have my “shopping essentials” with me that turns shopping into a stylish event. I need my hat, tote to carry my purchases, and a cute outfit to wear to stroll the aisles.
Oh… and it is always nice to have a pretty way to display your fruits and veggies on your kitchen counter once you get home. :-)