Homemade Pan-Fried Sweet Potatoes Recipe

Pan-fried sweet potatoes is a side dish consisting of sliced sweet potatoes cooked in oil until golden brown and crispy. The natural sugars in sweet potatoes help the slices crisp up and brown, but this cooking technique makes them more prone to burning than regular potatoes. While yams and sweet potatoes cook similarly, their flavors differ, so avoid using the former to make this dish.

Use pan-fried sweet potatoes in soups, casseroles, or as part of an appetizer. Serve pan-fried sweet potatoes as a gluten-free carbohydrate alongside a cheeseburger, or make pan-fried candied sweet potatoes for a holiday side dish topped with marshmallows.

Adding flavor to pan-fried sweet potatoes is a straightforward process. First, peel, then cut the sweet potatoes thinly so that the seasonings can penetrate their flesh. Next, place the slices in a large bowl and sprinkle them with olive oil and your preferred seasoning combination. Standard sweet potato seasonings include black pepper, sea salt, paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, or chili powder. Set the potatoes aside until it’s time to pan-fry.

Alternatively, flavor pan-fried sweet potatoes after they cook. Mix up a custom spice blend, or use a ready-made option. Sprinkle the seasoning mix over the sweet potatoes in the skillet after they’re almost done, then toss to distribute evenly. The seasonings adhere well to the surface since the sweet potatoes are wet with oil.

Whether you’re making a side dish or an entrée for your weeknight meal plan, follow these tips to make flavorful pan-fried sweet potatoes:

1. 1. Use oil to help the seasoning stick. Coat the sweet potatoes in olive oil to help the seasoning adhere to the slices as they fry.
2. 2. Coat the slices in cornstarch. Make crispy pan-fried sweet potatoes closer in texture to regular fried potatoes by coating the slices in cornstarch after seasoning them. The starch will give them a satisfyingly crisp texture.
3. 3. Boil before frying. Cooking sweet potatoes solely on the stovetop takes a long time and risks burning the potatoes. To prevent burning, boil the sweet potato slices before cooking them. For 2-inch thick slices, boil the potatoes for about 5 minutes. Pat the slices dry with paper towels afterward to remove any moisture before frying, which will ensure a crisp result.
4. 4. Use the right oil to fry. For pan-frying, use neutral oil—like canola or vegetable oil—with a higher smoke point.
5. 5. Pan-fry in batches. Crowding the pan steams the sweet potatoes rather than frying them, resulting in soggy slices. To ensure crispiness, place each batch of sweet potatoes on the skillet in a single layer with enough space around each slice for airflow from escaping steam.
   
6. 6. Use a low oven for warming. Preheat your oven to around 200 degrees Fahrenheit to keep your first batches of the pan-fried sweet potatoes warm while the others cook. The goal is to warm the potatoes rather than cook them further. Lay the slices flat on a sheet pan, and place the pan in your low oven.