Sweet potato fries

How to serve sweet potato fries by age

6 months+

Soft oven-baked wedges

Make them at home: peel the sweet potato, cut it into thick wedges, toss them in a little oil and bake until soft all the way through and golden yellow, not brown. Don't add salt or sugar. Trim off any crisp or dark edges.

Size

Thick wedges about the size of an adult finger, roughly 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in).

Check before serving

Squash a wedge between your thumb and finger. It should flatten easily all the way through. If the outside is crunchy, it's not ready for your baby.

US and UK advice differ here. The AAP suggests mashed food or soft pieces no larger than ½ inch; the NHS suggests soft finger-sized pieces your baby can hold in their fist. Both agree the food must squash easily.

9 months+

Small soft pieces

Cut soft oven fries into small pieces for pincer-grasp practice, or keep offering thick soft wedges to hold.

Size

Pieces no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).

Check before serving

Each piece should squash flat between your thumb and finger, with no crunchy ends.

12 months+

Thick, soft fries

Serve homemade thick-cut sweet potato fries, soft inside and golden. Restaurant sweet potato fries are usually fried and salted, so keep them occasional, pick the softer, thicker ones, and skip very thin, crunchy fries.

Size

Thick fingers, or pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).

Check before serving

Check there are no hard, crunchy ends.

18 months+

Family fries

Offer oven fries with the family meal, alongside a protein and other vegetables. Keep sugar, syrup and sweet dips off your child's portion: US and UK advice is to avoid added sugar up to age 4.

Size

Thick fingers to bite, or pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).

Check before serving

Still check for hard, crunchy pieces, especially on thin fries.

Always have your child sit upright in a high chair or at the table, and stay with them the whole time they eat. Keep to the size and texture for their stage. Every baby develops on their own timeline.

How to prepare sweet potato fries

1. 1

   Scrub the sweet potatoes with a clean vegetable brush under running water, then peel them.

2. 2

   Cut them into thick wedges or fingers, toss them in a little oil, and spread them out on a baking tray without overlapping.

3. 3

   Bake at about 400°F (200°C) for 25 to 30 minutes, turning halfway, until a knife slides through easily. Go for gold: aim for golden yellow, or lighter, not brown. Don't add salt or sugar. Our sweet potato wedges recipe works the same way.

4. 4

   Let them cool, trim any crisp or dark edges, and do the squash test before serving.

How much to offer

Start with one or two wedges. Your baby decides how much to eat: stop when they turn away or close their mouth. Lots of licking, squashing and dropping is normal at first.

Common mistakes

Questions parents ask

If your baby refuses sweet potato fries

• Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
• Try another form: soft wedges, mashed sweet potato, or sweet potato cooked into a dish.
• Eat some yourself at the same meal. Babies copy what they see.
• Funny faces don't mean they dislike it. They're getting used to a new taste and texture.

Never force or pressure your baby to eat. Some days they'll eat more, some days less, and that's normal.

Buying and storing sweet potato fries

• Store whole raw sweet potatoes somewhere cool and dry. Keep frozen fries frozen and cook them as the pack says.
• Cooked fries keep for 3 to 4 days in a covered container in the fridge, or 3 to 4 months in the freezer.
• Thaw frozen cooked fries in the fridge and use them within 24 hours of thawing. Reheat only once, to 165°F (74°C), until steaming hot, then let them cool and check they're still soft before serving.
• Throw away any food left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours (1 hour if it's hotter than 90°F / 32°C).