Peanut Butter Crusted Sweet Potato Fries! An easy, healthy side dish recipe made with only 4 ingredients! A light crusting of peanut butter adds protein and makes these sweet potato fries irresistible! Gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free and vegan!
Peanut Butter Crusted Sweet Potato fries. Yep I went there and I yes did that.
Two of my favorite foods on the planet join forces to create one, beautiful, french fry love-fest.
In this recipe, sweet potatoes are ever-so-lightly coated with creamy, nutty peanut butter and rich flavorful olive oil, then roasted to utter perfection. Sprinkle them with a bit of salt and my goodness you have yourself a side dish that is what dreams are made of.
Really, it only takes 4 ingredients to make these Peanut Butter Crusted Sweet Potato Fries, and they are gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan and have NO sugar!
Is the Peanut Butter Sweet Potato Combination good?!
YES!!! You might think this combination sounds weird, but let me assure you that it is not {or it is and I just like weird things…the verdict is still out}! The nuttiness of the peanut butter combined with the slight sweetness of the potatoes is truly a flavor combination made in heaven.
These fries make a great side dish or….if you have a serious sweet potato craving…go ahead and eat a giant plate of them for lunch! I highly recommend topping these fries with some chopped up avocados, because the healthy fats and creaminess really compliment them beautifully.
How to make Peanut Butter Crusted Sweet Potato Fries:
Making these is really simple with one thing to note:
Precook the sweet potatoes.
Microwave the (cut) sweet potatoes before proceeding with the recipe. I find that microwaving the potatoes not only cuts down the baking time in the oven {which is always a good thing}, but it also prevents the peanut butter from burning before the sweet potatoes are fully cooked!
If you don’t love the microwave, feel free to bake the sweet potatoes in the oven a little longer before adding the peanut butter!
Peanut Butter Crusted Sweet Potato Fries: Substitutions
There are only four ingredients in this recipe people! But if you must tinker with it, here are a couple suggestions.
- Peanut butter. To make these paleo sub almond or cashew butter! For nut allergies you could try sunflower seed butter!
Olive oil. coconut and avocado oil also tastes amazing when used in this recipe!
IF YOU MAKE SOMETHING FROM JOYFOODSUNSHINE I WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOUR CREATIONS! DON’T FORGET TO RATE THIS RECIPE AND LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW! ALSO, FOLLOW ALONG WITH ME ON INSTAGRAM, PINTEREST, FACEBOOK AND TWITTER FOR MORE RECIPE INSPIRATION AND A GLIMPSE INTO OUR EVERYDAY LIFE!
Peanut Butter Crusted Sweet Potato Fries
Ingredients
- 1 lb sweet potatoes 16 oz, about 6 cups, cut into long, thin fries
- 2 TBS olive oil
- 2 TBS natural creamy peanut butter*
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Wash and dry sweet potatoes.
- Cut sweet potatoes into very thin fries, or “matchsticks.”
- Place cut sweet potatoes into a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 5 minutes. (If you do not have a microwave....toss the potatoes with olive oil and sea salt and bake for 10-15 minutes or until they become slightly soft. THEN toss with creamy peanut butter and continue baking according to the directions).
- Remove from microwave and drain any excess water that may have been released (be careful it will be very hot).
- Add 2 TBS olive oil to the potatoes and stir to coat.
- Add 2 TBS peanut butter to the sweet potatoes and stir until evenly coated.
- Add ½ tsp salt and mix until well combined.
- Grease a large baking sheet with olive oil and spread fries evenly on the baking sheet.
- Bake at 425 degrees F for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, stir/flip the fries and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes until the fries are browned.
- Transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel and serve immediately.
- You can easily taste test and sprinkle a touch more salt on your fries right after they come out of the oven if you need to!
Notes
Nutrition
If you follow me on Instagram you or read the end of this post you know that we had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week last week. I’m happy to report that things are looking up! All of us are over the stomach bug and now I’m just praying {seriously, it keeps me up at night} that Gabe’s two front teeth heal up and don’t fall out! #hesonly3 #lovehistoothygrin. Here’s to a totally awesome way fun sickness and injury-free week this week! <3
#Eat Seasonal January
This recipe for Peanut Butter Crusted Sweet Potato Fries comes to you as part of one of my favorite times of the month…our Eat Seasonal recipe group! Every month an amazing group of bloggers joins together to encourage all of our wonderful readers to eat seasonally!
My sweet friend Becky over at The Vintage Mixer posts seasonal produce guides every month to showcase the beautiful fruits and vegetables that are fresh and available to cook and bake with! Check out her January Seasonal Recipe Guide to learn what’s in season {hello sweet potatoes}!
So here it is…a treasure trove of beautiful recipes that are perfect to make in January from some seriously talented bloggers! Click on the links below for some winter cooking inspiration! Join in the fun by tagging your photos with #eatseasonal!
Question: What do you think about the combination of peanut butter and sweet potatoes?
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Kat D.
I must have cut these too thin. They were McDonald’s fry thickness. A lot of them burned. I did precook in the microwave as directed. I will try them again but cut them thicker. The flavor was awesome. I made a dipping sauce with 1 part Annie’s organic mustard to two parts real maple syrup. Mmmm.
Sandy
While I was making these, I thought, “hmmm I wonder how this will turn out…” But since I trust Laura so much with flavors, I persisted and I was very glad I did! My husband had a verrrrry strong positive reaction to them. Every time he ate another one he would spend the next 30 seconds expressing his thorough enjoyment of the flavor bomb that was exploding in his mouth. I also loved them. Such a surprisingly delicious new flavor. Definitely will become a regular recipe in our home!
Laura
Thank you kind madame. I am so grateful you enjoyed these! I know what to make when I see your face in ONE WEEK.
Wendy
Hey, tried to make these today and my fries broke into pieces after microwaving them, while I was adding the oil and then peanut butter. Maybe 5 minutes of precook time was too long for my potatoes…? Will try again with 4 minutes in the microwave… Also, a few ended up a burnt while baking but I should have watched more carefully, especially since there were bits in there! Still love the flavor!
Laura
Hey Wendy! I’ms orly they broke after the precooking phase! Maybe you cut them thinner/smaller than I did or your microwave is more powerful! One option is to skip the microwaving. Simply cut your sweet potatoes and toss them with olive oil and sea salt {hold off on the PB}! Bake them for 15ish minutes until they are soft, THEN add the peanut butter and continue baking. My sister did this because she doesn’t own a microwave and it totally worked for her!
GiGi Eats
Well THIS is a new one – never even thought about this combo before. Can’t say I would be a fan, but hey… YOU NEVER KNOW!
Laura
It’s an AMAZING combo!
Bethany @ athletic avocado
I LOVe peanut butter and sweet potatoes together! These fries are beyond genius! I’m glad you had the guts to create this recipe to prove to people that this strange-by-good combo is intact amazing!
Laura
I’m just taking a cue from you guys…and your recipe creativity! 🙂
Jess @ Scones & Patron
Two of my favorite things!! I’ll definitely be trying these out this week!
Jen
I LOVE peanut butter and sweet potatoes – together and separately 🙂 Can’t wait to try this recipe out!
Emily Weir
I was drooling over these when I saw them on Instagram! I’m sure they’re a great combo of salty sweet.
Letty / Letty's Kitchen
What a beautiful creative recipe. Pinning and looking forward to making these fries–so easy!
Laura
Thank you Letty! I love the added protein the peanut butter gives!
Katie | Healthy Seasonal Recipes
I am s glad you went there! My mouth is watering!
Laura
LOL peanut butter has that effect on me too!
Becky
Love the creativity of this recipe and yet its simplicity!! Brilliant my friend and so glad to have you in the group.
Laura
Thank you Becky! you know if there’s a way to put peanut butter on something I will find it! 😉
Laurel
This is literally genius. I have no words. LOVE!!!
Laura
LOL Thank you Laurel! <3
Kelli McGrane
Genius combining peanut butter and sweet potato fries! Can’t wait to try this 🙂
Laura
They are SO yummy! you will love them!
Liz @ Floating Kitchen
OMG WHAT! My mind is blown. PB and sweet potatoes are probably two of the foods that I eat the most. So making them into one delicious batch of fries is pure genius. These would be dangerous. I’d eat the whole tray and then some!
Laura
LOL I’m totally with you! I’m surprised I haven’t turned into an orange peanut after all these years!
Izzy @ She Likes Food
I’m so happy and excited that you went there because these just might be my new favorite snack, ever! Sweet potatoes and peanut butter are two of my favorite foods too and I would have never even thought to combine them. These are just amazing!
Laura
I hope you love them Izzy!!! <3
Mary @BrightonYourHealth
Omg…. Great combo! Going to try this one !
Laura
Thank you Mary! You’ll have to let me know how it goes !
Emily @Sinful Nutrition
Girl, these are genius! I put pb on my sweet potatoes all the time! I would probably still dip these in some too. NEVER ENOUGH PB.
Laura
LOL! So so true! never enough!
Liren
How incredibly unique, Laura! I ca’t wait to try it using peanut butter on sweet potatoes. It makes complete sense to me!
(Hope your week gets better! xo)
Laura
Thanks Liren! Let’s just say 2017 hasn’t been very kind to my family (starting at 12:30 AM on January 1st, for real lol)! Even through yesterday it has been a doozy! However, today my oldest baby turns 6 and we’re having a blast! So here’s to hoping we got all the junk out of the way and the rest of it will be AMAZING! 😉
marcie
I made a thai peanut dish with sweet potatoes and it was delicious, so this works for me! I love sweet potato fries — these are the perfect healthier snack!
Laura
Yes! It’s amazing how well peanut and sweet potatoes go together! 🙂 The perfect snack or side dish!
Emily
OOh wow; peanut butter on the outside of sweet potatoes? That sounds amazing! I love the tip about microwaving sweet potatoes. I should try that.
Laura
I’m just way too impatient (read: I start cooking dinner way too close to dinner time) to wait for them to bake for too long in the oven! 😉
Tara | Treble in the Kitchen
Oh!!! Peanut butter crusted?! I bet they are so flavorful!
Laura
They really are! Just enough peanut butter to add a light flavor without being too much!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
That sounds delicious! Potatoes are never potatoes without some nut butter!
Laura
SO glad I’m not the only strange one out there… 😉