Korean Sweet Potato Fries – A Recipe You’ll Love!

These simple yet delicious baked Korean sweet potato fries are perfect for a side dish, a snack, or any time!

They are made with Korean sweet potatoes, not Korean seasoning. I just used a simple Cajun inspired seasoning, but they would be great with just salt as well.

These are spicy enough to clear out your sinuses, so if that does not sound like something you would like, consider omitting the cayenne pepper or substituting chili powder instead.

What is a Korean sweet potato and where can I buy some?

If you’re not familiar with Korean sweet potatoes, they are sweeter and less watery than the kind of orange sweet potato you may be accustomed to.

Cutting them reminded me more of cutting a butternut squash than a potato, so use a good knife and be careful!

They have purple skin and white insides, and they are quite dense and starchy.

This consistency lends itself well to crispy fries, which hold their shape even as leftovers.

Most Asian markets, particularly Korean or Japanese markets, carry them.

In addition, you can sometimes find them at specialty stores like Sprouts.

Are Korean Sweet Potatoes and Japanese Sweet Potatoes the Same Thing?

As far as I can tell, yes.

Like many of our common foods, including the tomato and the potato, sweet potatoes originated in Central or South America.

People have domesticated them for at least 5,000 years.

The Portuguese introduced them to Japan in the early 1600s.

Sweet potatoes became an important staple food during poor rice harvests to prevent famine.

For this reason, the military government of Japan put out a book in vernacular Japanese encouraging the growth of sweet potatoes more broadly.

Korea began cultivating sweet potatoes in 1764, using knowledge learned from the Japanese.

While there are many varieties of sweet potatoes, similar kinds appear to be commonly used in both Korea and Japan.

Can you air fry Korean sweet potato fries?

Yes, you absolutely can!

If you are just making one or two potatoes for one or two servings, I would recommend making them in the air fryer since it is smaller and you don’t need to preheat it.

I baked four potatoes at once, which perfectly filled a cookie sheet, so baking in the oven was perfect for the size of this batch.

Can you eat the skins?

Yes, just be sure to scrub all the dirt off the sweet potatoes before chopping them.

In fact, as with many plants, many of the nutrients lie just under the skin, so it can be easy to get overzealous when peeling and remove too much of the good stuff.

For this reason, it’s more nutritious to eat them with the skin intact.

If you’d like to read more about why this is, here’s an article from healthline on this topic.

What dip goes with Korean Sweet Potato Fries?

I blended some Greek yogurt with lemon juice and garlic powder for a quick and easy dip. I tried a few fries with ketchup, but the creamy dip was a better pairing, in my opinion. In addition, here are some other options:

• Aioli (here is my recipe for harissa aioli)

• Mayonnaise with lemon and garlic

• A yogurt dip with fresh herbs (here is my recipe for haydari, a Turkish yogurt dip)

• Ketchup

• Honey

• Maple syrup

• Whipped cream cheese with cinnamon or herbs

How do you store leftover fries?

These will maintain the most crispiness when you serve them right away.

That being said, since Korean sweet potatoes have less moisture than orange sweet potatoes, they won’t get as soggy as traditional sweet potato fries, and will still retain a bit of crunch later on.

For best results, eat within a few days, and store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Korean Sweet Potato Fries Ingredients

Before you begin, you will need:

Edible Ingredients

• 4 Korean sweet potatoes (you can find them at Asian markets or stores like Sprouts)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp Cajun seasoning, or seasoning of your choice

For the Cajun seasoning

Equal parts (1/2 tsp each) of:

• Cayenne pepper (or chili powder for a less spicy recipe)
• Paprika
• Cumin
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Celery seed (optional – you could use oregano or thyme instead)
• Salt
• Pepper

Tools and Equipment

• Baking sheet
• Large mixing bowl(s), the wider the better for tossing – or use a Ziploc bag
• Measuring spoons
• Knife and cutting board
• Foil or parchment paper to line the pan (optional but makes for easier clean up and less sticking)

How to Make Baked Korean Sweet Potato Fries

1. First, wash and scrub your Korean sweet potatoes. Then, cut them into whatever size fries you’d like. Smaller pieces will get crispier, while bigger pieces or wedges will end up more like tender steak fries.
2. After that, preheat your oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper if desired for easier clean up.
3. If you are not using a preblended seasoning, measure out your spices into a large measuring bowl and combine.
4. Next, measure out your tablespoon of olive oil into a different large mixing bowl. Add in handfuls of the potato wedges and toss as you go until all the fries have a light coating of oil.
5. Once that is done, sprinkle some of the seasoning blend over the potatoes, and feel free to use both bowls so you have plenty of room to toss the potato wedges until all the fries have a similar coating of seasoning.
6. After that, arrange the fries into a single layer on the baking sheet, and bake for 15 minutes.
7. At this point, the smaller fries will be ready, and technically all of the fries will be done. However, for crispier fries, turn them and bake for another 5-7 minutes or until they are done to your preference. Serve and enjoy!

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Variations on this recipe

Of course, you can use whatever seasoning you would like. Garlic rosemary or cinnamon brown sugar would be excellent choices, as would just salt and oil.

Many people add oregano and/or thyme to their Cajun seasoning.

For a less spicy recipe, you can use chili powder in place of the cayenne pepper.

As mentioned earlier, you can air fry these as well for a bit more crispiness.

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I hope you enjoyed this recipe for baked Korean sweet potato fries!