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Healthy, Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries are completely possible! Dip them in this smoky, sweet, easy homemade BBQ sauce with just a bit of spice for a fun and healthy side dish, appetizer, or snack. Paleo, vegan, refined sugar free, soy free, gluten free.
I started craving BBQ sauce and it was all over from there – I couldn’t get it out of my head. Now, I’ve never been a BBQ sauce fan, in fact, when I was a kid it just plain horrified me! Too smoky perhaps?
I’m not sure – it’s entirely possible that some traumatic BBQ sauce incident occurred that I can’t remember, but, whatever it was, it’s all in the past now and I think my craving means I’m over it.
The thing that stumped me though, was that since I’ve never been into this particular sauce, I didn’t know how to go about making it, let alone making it healthy and really delicious.
Looking at the ingredients in one supposedly healthy “natural” brand at the store was no help – it was full of sugar, soy, and other additives that I can’t even remember. From my limited knowledge on the sauce subject though, it seems like store bought BBQ sauce has some of the worst ingredients as far as store bought condiments though.
(Don’t quote me on that since I’m definitely NOT spending my time browsing labels in the salad dressing aisle. I’d much rather spend the time making my homemade mayo, ranch, chipotle aioli and ketchup!)
Anyway, the other thing that’s been nagging me lately is the fact that I made baked sweet potato fries probably 3 times per week and don’t actually have an “official recipe” for them on the blog. Literally, I make these the same way 3 times per week and have been doing so for two years I think, at least with my current method.
I’ve used orange ones, white ones, Japanese ones, and though the texture is different, they always come out caramelized and crispy, and my whole family can’t get enough. So, I decided to combine the two nagging forces and make some damn-good healthy homemade BBQ sauce for my beloved crispy baked sweet potato fries.
The “secret” to my baked fries seems so simple but it’s made a huge difference in helping them roast with that perfect crisp caramelized outside. Well, I guess it’s not just one thing, but the combination of the right heat, the right amount of oil, parchment paper, and lots of space. I’ve actually crowded them up for the picture above, but in order to make my fries their very best, I spread them way out on baking sheets and always use two sheets.
As for the sauce, it also has a “secret” ingredient that I personally think made it awesome! Ready for this? Tart cherry juice! (Are you excited?!) Maybe it’s not quite that exciting, but I’d been drinking tart cherry juice with water and lemon to get myself to drink more water, and thought it would make a fun addition to the BBQ sauce. I personally think it did, I mean can you really go wrong with tart cherry? I think not!
But let’s move along to the recipe – it’s incredibly easy and besides a bit of cooking on the stove, it’s really a mix and go sort of sauce. My favorite kind, of course!
Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries with Homemade BBQ Sauce {Paleo & Vegan}
Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries & Homemade BBQ Sauce {Paleo & Vegan}
Crispy baked sweet potato fries with a smoky and sweet healthy homemade BBQ sauce that’s super easy to put together – just stir the ingredients together and cook! Paleo, Vegan, refined sugar free, soy free, gluten free Prep Time: 10 minutesCook Time: 50 minutesTotal Time: 1 hourCourse:Appetizer, Side Dish, SnackCuisine:Paleo &, VeganServings: 4 servings
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Ingredients
For the Fries
1very large sweet potato or 2 medium ones {any variety}2tbsprefined coconut oilmeltedsea salt and black pepper to taste
For the BBQ Sauce
6ozorganic tomato paste3/4cuptart cherry juice1tbspblackstrap molasses2tbsporganic raw apple cider vinegar1and 1/2 tsp* liquid smoke1/2tsponion powder1/2tspsmoked paprika1/8-1/4tspchipotle pepper*for optional spicedash sea salt
Instructions
For the BBQ Sauce:
In a small saucepan, whisk together all ingredients and cook over medium heat on the stove until it begins to bubble. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes while stirring occasionally, then remove from heat and allow to cool.
For the Sweet Potato Fries
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees and line two large baking sheets (preferably dark, not shiny) with parchment paper
Peel your sweet potato (or potatoes) and cut them evenly into “fry shape” which for me is about 1/2 inch thickness.Put the cut sweet potatoes into a large bowl and toss with the 2 tbsp melted coconut oil to fully coat each fry on all sides** Then, sprinkle fine grain sea salt and pepper to tasted toss again to evenly coat the fries.Arrange the sweet potatoes on both baking sheets in a single layer giving each one as much space as possible. This will help them bake to their absolute crispiest! The further from one another they bake, the crispier the result.
Bake in the preheated oven as close to the middle racks as possible (just not right at the top or bottom) for 20-25 minutes, turn over as many as you can, and continue to bake for about another 15 minutes, checking on them often to prevent burning.
Once nicely browned on all sides, remove from oven and serve right away as a side dish, appetizer, or snack along with the BBQ sauce (or your favorite dip!)Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*The chipotle pepper provides a spicy/smoky flavor but if you want your sauce purely smoky, omit this and add another 1/4 tsp liquid smoke.
**Depending on your climate/temp in your home, the coconut oil will likely become solid again after tossing with the fries. This is fine as long as you make sure they’re fully coated before this happens.
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Have you tried tart cherry juice? I’ve been loving it lately!
Favorite homemade condiment?
Do you have a cooking “secret” that works every time?