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These oven-baked sweet potato wedges are crispy on the outside, tender in the middle, and served with a roasted garlic mayo that makes them genuinely hard to stop eating. They’ve become one of the most loved side dishes on the site, and once you make them you’ll understand why.
save this recipe!After testing (and eating) countless batches, I finally cracked the code for achieving restaurant-level crispiness, without frying. The trick? A simple cornstarch coating + high-heat bake + a brief oven “cool-crisp” that lets the edges dry out and snap just right.
These aren’t your average soggy wedges. They’re next-level, science-backed, and reader-approved with dozens of five-star reviews to prove it.
- Crispy without frying: Cornstarch creates a thin, shatter-crisp coating that traps steam and keeps the interior soft.
- Roasted garlic mayo: You’ll want to put this dip on everything. It’s mellow, rich, and sooo good.
Reader rating
“So simple, so perfect. And that dipping sauce? I’d eat that by itself! These are perfect for our next burger night!” —Karly
Ingredients Sweet Potato Wedges
- Cornstarch: The single most important ingredient for crispy oven sweet potato wedges. It creates a thin, dry coating that crisps under high heat in a way that oil alone never achieves. Shake it onto dry wedges in a bag for the most even distribution.
- Sweet potatoes: Medium-sized potatoes cut into consistent wedge shapes cook more evenly than large ones. Larger potatoes tend to have a thicker, starchier center that takes longer to cook through.
- Smoked paprika: Adds a subtle smokiness and a deep reddish color to the crust. Regular paprika works as a substitute but produces a milder, less complex result.
- Flaky sea salt: Added after baking, not before. Salt draws moisture out of the potato during cooking, which works against crispiness. Adding it at the end means you get the flavor hit without the texture trade-off.
Why your sweet potato fries go soggy (and how to fix it)
Sweet potatoes have a higher moisture and sugar content than regular potatoes, which means they steam and caramelize instead of crisping if you don’t address both problems upfront. There are three culprits:
- Skipping the soak. Cold water draws out surface starch, which is what allows the exterior to crisp rather than steam. Even 30 minutes makes a noticeable difference.
- Skipping the cornstarch. Oil alone can’t create a crispy crust on a high-moisture vegetable. Cornstarch forms a thin, dry shell that gives the oven heat something to work with. No cornstarch, no crunch.
- Crowding the pan. Overlapping wedges trap steam between them, which keeps the surfaces wet. Single layer, every time.
Serving Suggestions for Sweet Potato Wedges
Sweet potato wedges work alongside anything you’d normally serve with fries. They’re a natural side for halloumi burgers, veggie burgers, or seitan burgers in place of regular fries. They also work alongside a simple vegetarian Caesar salad if you want to round out the plate with something fresh and green!
Storing roasted sweet potato wedges
These are best eaten fresh while the cornstarch crust is still doing its job. That said, leftovers keep well in the fridge.
Store in an airtight container for up to four days. To reheat, skip the microwave. It works, but it turns the wedges soft and slightly rubbery. A 400°F oven or air fryer for five to eight minutes is the move. The crust comes back to life almost completely.
Store the roasted garlic mayo separately in a sealed container. It keeps for up to a week and honestly gets better after a day as the roasted garlic flavor settles in.
Sweet potato wedge variations
The base recipe is a blueprint, not a rulebook. Here’s how to take it in a different direction without changing the method.
Change the spice blend. The smoked paprika and garlic powder combination is the one we come back to most, but this works equally well with a taco seasoning blend for a Mexican-inspired wedge, or cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne for a sweet-heat variation that’s especially good alongside a smoky black bean dish.
Swap the dipping sauce. The roasted garlic mayo is the star, but these wedges also work with my vegan ranch dressing for a lighter option, or a simple sriracha mayo if you want heat. Even just a good quality ketchup with a squeeze of lime is better than it sounds.
Try the air fryer version. Prep exactly the same way: soak, dry, cornstarch coat, season. Then air fry at 400°F for 12 to 15 minutes, shaking halfway through. The result is comparable to the oven version with less time and no oven crisp step required.
Make them into sweet potato fries. Same method, just cut the wedges thinner. Watch the bake time since thinner cuts will crisp faster and need a few minutes less in the oven.
Sweet Potato Wedges (Oven)
Ingredients
Wedges
- 3 medium sweet potatoes
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 2 Tbsp oil, 30 mL
- flaky sea salt
Sauce
- 1 head garlic
- 1 Tbsp oil, 15 mL
- ½ cup mayonnaise, 120 g
- 1 tsp lemon juice, 5 mL
Instructions
- Soak: Wash 3 medium sweet potatoes and cut them into wedges (cut in half, then cut each half into 4 pieces, lengthwise). Place the wedges in a large bowl of cold water for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Shake: Drain and pat wedges dry. Place in a large plastic baggie. Add 1 Tbsp cornstarch to the bag, seal it shut, and shake, shake, shake. The potatoes should be lightly and evenly coated in cornstarch (add more cornstarch as necessary). Add 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp onion powder, and ¼ tsp ground black pepper and shake again to coat.
- Roasted Garlic: Preheat oven to 450°F (232°C). Remove excess paper from 1 head garlic, leaving the cloves intact. Cut just the top off the garlic head to expose the tops of the cloves. Place the head of garlic on a sheet of aluminum foil, then drizzle 1 Tbsp oil into the exposed cloves. Wrap the head in foil, then throw it on the racks of your preheating oven.
- Bake: Place wedges in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 Tbsp oil. Bake for 15 minutes, flip each wedge over, and bake for another 15 minutes until crispy. The garlic should be roasting in the oven this whole time.
- Cool: Turn off the oven and slightly prop open the door. Allow the fries to crisp for 10 more minutes.
- Sauce: While fries crisp up, combine cloves of the roasted garlic with ½ cup mayonnaise and 1 tsp lemon juice (I usually start with half of the head then taste and adjust).
- Serve: Remove fries, sprinkle with flaky sea salt, and serve with roasted garlic mayo.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!
Can you freeze these as well?
Yes, these should freeze well!