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Listen, I love sweet potato fries. SO much. And while of course, there's going to be a recipe for those here, this is actually an ode to another thing I love: dipping sauce for sweet potato fries. The most common is definitely the tried and true (and delicious) smoky chipotle dipping sauce. It's amazing, but there are many, many other combinations of interesting flavour to experiment with. So we're going to walk through (with video) how to create
your basic (base) sauce, and then talk about the flavor combinations you can use to build each different sauce. I'm so excited.
Jump to:
- Make the Aioli for your Sweet Potato Fries
- How to Make Aioli for Your Dipping Sauce
- Best Dipping Sauce Combos:
- How to Make Multiple Sauces from One Aioli Recipe
- The Hack for any Sweet Potato Dipping Sauce
- Can the Sweet Potato Dipping Sauce be Made Ahead?
- How to Make Sweet Potato Fries
- What to Serve
- 📖 Recipe
Make the Aioli for your Sweet Potato Fries
The aioli is going to serve as your base for *most* of these dipping sauces. And by the way, it's totally delicious and easy to make - you may never go back to mayo again.
What is Aioli?
Aioli can mean different things to different people, but I'm hear to tell you: it's the fancy gourmet word mayonnaise. For me, aioli is always a homemade version of mayo, but it doesn't necessarily have to be (see the shortcut versions below for making quick aioli). The other thing that has to be happening for me in aioli is different flavors - even if it's just garlic. Let's make it a little fancier than your traditional mayo no? Otherwise, what's the point?
Aioli is made by emulsifying egg, oil, and a little Dijon to help with that emulsification process. Basically, the trickiest part about making your own is making sure you add the oil incredibly slowly so the mixture thickens, rather than having all the ingredients sit on top of each other separately. It's the same idea of what happens with salad dressing.
We're using a neutral flavored oil here, but you can definitely use olive oil. Just keep in mind it will leave a distinct flavor behind, so make sure whatever you're combining it with is going to work. Also - aioli almost always contains raw garlic as flavoring. Again, we're not doing that here so we can have a blank slate for whatever other flavors we want. If you're looking for another great flavor idea, check out this recipe for curry mayo.
What makes it the Best Dipping Sauce for Sweet Potato Fries?
Two things: the incredibly delicious base flavor, and versatility. This aioli is going to create the best base for your sweet potato dipping sauce, and I've provided lots of suggestions below. BUT you're going to then know how to create any kind of dip that your heart desires. If you can dream up the flavor combo, then you can do it here!
How to Make Aioli for Your Dipping Sauce
Let's do this together. I'm going to use my immersion blender. It literally takes 3.5 seconds to make your homemade aioli this way. You could also work with stand mixer, or hand beaters (although I haven't tried this yet). I do know you can whisk it by hand - it works, but it takes an incredibly long time (and arm strength, which lolz in my case).
If you're using a whisk in any fashion you absolutely have to add the oil super slowly. Almost a couple of drops at a time. If you add it too quickly, there's no going back. It won't all of a sudden thicken up for you. STAY STRONG.
Best Dipping Sauce Combos:
Here we go - these are some of my favourite combinations. They all start with the basic aioli we just made, and then we build from there. I've separated them into three categories: gourmet (this is The Gourmet Bon Vivant, after all), sweet and spicy. In my ideal world, if we were having sweet potato fries as an appetizer, at least three of these sides would be an option for variety. If it's serving as a side dish, one would be totally fine.
Gourmet Sauces
- Roasted Garlic & Parmesan: 1 cup of basic aioli + 1 bulb roasted garlic + ½ C grated parmesan
- Truffle & Black Pepper: 1 cup basic aioli + 2 teaspoon truffle oil + 2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- Lemon and Dill: 1 cup basic aioli + juice of half a lemon + zest of one lemon + ¼ cup fresh dill
- Rosemary: 1 cup basic aioli + 3 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh rosemary + 1 teaspoon black pepper
Sweet Sauces
- Cranberry: 1 cup basic aioli + ½ cup burst cranberries (or ¼ cup cranberry sauce)
- Toasted Marshmallow: The only one that doesn't start with aioli! ¼ cup heavy whipping cream + 10 toasted marshmallows + a blow torch for the top at the end (note, this one MUST be eaten warm. The marshmallows start to firm up as they cool. *I'm going to put the recipe for this in the actual recipe card, along with the aioli.*
- Maple Cinnamon: 1 cup basic aioli + 3 tbsp. maple syrup + 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Spicy Sauces
- Smoky Chipotle: 1 cup basic aioli + 1 chili pepper in adobo sauce (finely chopped), + 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder + juice of half a lime
- Wasabi: 1 cup basic aioli + 1 tablespoon wasabi paste + 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
And that's it! Other than the toasted marshmallow sauce, all you need to do is mix these ingredients together, and best dipping sauces ever are made!
FYI - in all of these sauces, feel free to experiment with the ratios. If you like a sweeter dip, then add more maple syrup. Craving spice? Throw another chipotle in there. These are really just guidelines to serve as inspiration to get you started.
How to Make Multiple Sauces from One Aioli Recipe
Ok, this may seem obvious, but I'm going to put it in here anyway. For the amount of aioli this basic recipe makes, I'm going to recommend you not try and split into more than three different sauces. That should leave about ⅓ cup for each of them. After that, you just need to roughly divide the other ingredients by three and you should be good to go.
The Hack for any Sweet Potato Dipping Sauce
The shortcut version (again, everything except the toasted marshmallow) is to replace the cup of aioli with a cup of your favourite mayo - and keep everything else the same. That's it! You're done!
Can the Sweet Potato Dipping Sauce be Made Ahead?
Yes, absolutely. In fact, the longer the flavors hang out together, the better it will be. You can definitely also make the aioli ahead of time, just make sure you store it in the fridge. It'll keep for about a week.
How to Make Sweet Potato Fries
Ok, now you have all these fabulous sweet potato fry dipping sauces, let's move on to the fries themselves. Baking sweet potato fries luckily isn't too difficult, but there's a couple things you can do to up your chances of crispy, crunchy exteriors with soft and creamy interiors. Looking for an air fryer recipe? Try these air fryer sweet potato fries!
Cutting the Sweet Potatoes
This is really important. We're going to cut the sweet potato fries as thin and skinny as we possibly can. This is going to allow us to cook them quickly and at a high heat - which is exactly what we need to get them crispy. No low and slow here.
Soaking
This is a really important part of any fry making process, sweet potato or not. Soaking the raw potatoes in cold water for at least an hour before they go in the oven draws out the starch, which is what causes them to go soggy in the middle and on the edges. Soaking helps the fries stay light and creamy on the inside, and crispy crunchy on the outsides. Don't skip this step, even if you're tempted (I am always temped to cut corners. And I am always burned for it).
Important: Once the fries are done soaking they also need to be as dry as humanly possible. I would suggest getting most of the excess water out with a dish towel, spreading them in an even layer on a cooling rack, and letting them air dry for at least 30 minutes (but the longer, the better).
Coating
If you've done the above steps right, we don't need much in terms of coating. We're going to use olive oil for the fat content, and cornstarch to give them a little bit of a crust. Oh, and salt, obviously. And that's it, we're not going to do anything else.
Baking
Like I mentioned before, we're going for high heat and a fast cooking time. 450F for 15 minutes should be perfect. If you've cut your fries to thick, this is not going to work. The insides will be raw and the outsides burnt.
Spread the fries evenly in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Use two if you have to. If we crowd the fries to much, they will start to steam, and they will never be crispy.
What to Serve
Sweet potato fries can be a great side to so many foods, or an awesome appetizer all on their own. Here's what I love pairing them with:
Simple and Flavorful Cilantro Chicken Soup with Lime
Classic Fish Sandwiches with Tartar Sauce
Cast Iron Rib-Eye Steak with Blistered Grapes
Ok are we ready? Let's do this.
📖 Recipe
Dipping Sauces for Sweet Potato Fries (and Fry Recipe)
Equipment
- Immersion Blender
Ingredients
For the Fries
- 2 sweet potatoes peeled and cut into thin fries
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ tablespoon kosher salt
- ¼ C cornstarch
For the Aioli
- 1+1 egg +egg yolk room temperature
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 C neutral flavored oil such as canola or vegetable
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the Toasted Marshmallow Dip
- 10 marshmallows
- ¼ C heavy cream
Instructions
Make the Sweet Potato Fries
- Place your potatoes in a bowl of cold water. Allow to soak for at least an hour.
- Drain the potatoes and dry them using clean tea towels. Spread them on a cooling rack for another hour until fully dry.
- Preheat your oven to 450°F.
- In a large bowl, combine potatoes, olive oil, salt and cornstarch. Mix thoroughly with your hands, making sure each fry is coated in cornstarch and oil.
- Spread the fries evenly on a large baking sheet, making sure to not overcrowd them.
- Bake for 15 minutes, toss, and then back for another 15 minutes, until the edges are just starting to turn brown.
For the Aioli
- Add all the ingredients, starting with the eggs at the bottom, to a high sided, deep bowl, glass, or measuring cup (tall and skinny is best).
- Submerge the immersion blender, and turn on, slowly moving it up and down through the ingredients for about 20 seconds.
- Cover, and keep in the refrigerator until ready to make your dipping sauces.
For the Toasted Marshmallow Dip
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Place marshmallows in a shallow baking dish lined with parchment paper. Roast in the oven until swollen and golden brown. Keep a close eye on these, they go from perfect to on fire very quickly.
- Meanwhile, heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium high heat.
- Once the marshmallows are done, carefully add them to the cream in the saucepan. Stir until dissolved.
- Serve in a heatproof bowl. Add a half a marshmallow to the top and torch it for garnish if desired.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Jump to:
- Make the Aioli for your Sweet Potato Fries
- How to Make Aioli for Your Dipping Sauce
- Best Dipping Sauce Combos:
- How to Make Multiple Sauces from One Aioli Recipe
- The Hack for any Sweet Potato Dipping Sauce
- Can the Sweet Potato Dipping Sauce be Made Ahead?
- How to Make Sweet Potato Fries
- What to Serve
- 📖 Recipe
Hi, I'm Cara! I'm a food writer, journalist, and recipe developer. I'm obsessed good food, good wine, good cocktails and entertaining. I've picked up a few tips over the years, and love sharing them with others.
Jess says
Love love love all these options!!
Cara says
Thank you! So do I, it's hard to pick a favourite!
Hailey says
There are so many good ideas here! I love toasted marshmallows with sweet potatoes, so that option sounds incredible.
Cara says
That's 100% where the inspo came from 🙂
Anjali says
Love all of these ideas for dipping sauces!! The toasted marshmallow one is calling my name - can't wait to make that this weekend with some fresh sweet potato fries!
Cara says
Definitely the perfect weekend snack - and the toasted marshmallow is so fun!
Liz says
I love sweet potato fries and these dip ideas will be a great way to switch up our staple!
Cara says
100%! Thanks so much Liz!
Amanda says
This dipping sauce really takes sweet potatoes to the next level! It's so wonderfully creamy, and I love the flavor of the Dijon with the bright lemon. Delicious!
Cara says
Thank you so much Amanda - the aioli on it's own is definitely amazing!
Dionne says
Oh wow, so many great sauces to try! I love that you've got everything in one place!
Cara says
Thanks so much Dionne, that was the goal! Much appreciated
Sharon says
All of these dips sound so good for dipping sweet potato fries, but that marshmallow dip is genius!
Cara says
Thanks so much Sharon! I really appreciate it!
Casey says
I did the aioli and it was amazing!! Trying the marshmallow one next! My kids will love it!!
Cara says
They totally will!
Jessica says
I have to have them all because I can't even begin to pick a favorite!
Cara says
That was my problem too...lol.
Tara says
I cannot wait to try these dipping sauces - especially the marshmallow one! The pairing of sweet potatoes with these sweet and savory dips is genius!
Cara says
Thanks so much Tara - and the marshmallow one is to die for!
Amanda Wren-Grimwood says
These all look so good! I can't wait to make to make the aioli.
Cara says
It's so good and so easy! Thanks Amanda!
Karly Campbell says
Delicious all around!
Cara says
Thank you Karly! I'm glad you enjoyed!
Sharon says
This is an awesome recipe!
Cara says
Thanks Sharon, so glad you liked it!
Krista says
I am all for a dynamite aioli, and yours is fantastic!
I haven't had the bravery to try the marshmallow one yet - but I will soon!
Cara says
Thank you so much Krista, you won't regret it, it's glorious!
dan campbell says
These are fantastic. The fries are even better than the photography.
Cara says
Thank you Dan, I really appreciate that!
dan says
Great for snacking or a meal.
Cara says
Thanks so much Dan, glad you liked it!
Susmit Bhagat says
Tried it. Loved it!
Cara says
Thanks Susmit, I'm so glad!
Jacqueline Meldrum says
Oh yum! This would be perfect with sweet potato fries which I always think go better with a creamy dip.
Cara says
Definitely agree with you Jacqueline!
Anjali says
All of these dipping sauces look so delicious!! We are making burgers tonight so I think I’ll try one of these for the fries we serve alongside!
Cara says
Thanks Anjali!
Katia says
We had a dinner party the other night and we decided to do all of these and everyone loved them! Our personal fav was the truffle and black pepper.
Cara says
Thanks so much Katia! That's amazing!
Heather Johnson says
i made the maple cinnamon - so yummy! perfect for the fries!
Cara says
So glad you liked it Heather! Thank you!
Wanda says
What an awesome post! I can never have enough dipping sauces in my house and home made are the best!
Cara says
Totally agree with you Wanda! Thank you!
kushigalu says
I love all the sauce options here. Thanks for sharing.
Cara says
Thank you so much!
Liza says
What a wonderfully creative collection of sauces to go with your delectable homemade sweet potato fries. Your toasted marshmallow dip is positively brilliant!
Cara says
Thank you so much Liza! I'm so happy you liked the blog!
Tara says
Such a wonderful variety of options to pair with sweet potato fries! They all sound so good and I love how easily everything comes together.
Cara says
Thank you Tara!
Nathan says
So many great options for dipping! I need to try the lemon dill, and the roasted marshmallow seems like it might be dangerously good. Can't wait to make some of these sauces for myself!
Cara says
Thanks so much Nathan - and yes, it's dangerously good 🙂
Tayler says
I usually opt for a cinnamon butter, but that gets boring. So glad to have found these amazing sauces!
Cara says
You have to try them all! Let me know which one is your fav!
Susan says
I made the Chipotle and Garlic Parm one's for part of dinner last night and they were fabulous!
Cara says
YAY! Thank you so much Susan - so glad you got to check out the site, and glad you approve 😉