These loaded sweet potato fries have all the toppings to make you feel like you’re eating a pepperoni pizza! An easy dairy free cheese sauce, marinara, peppers and onions, and zesty pepperoni make this a fun meal that’s just as healthy as it is delicious! Paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free, family friendly.
“Fun food” always has a special place in my heart. And stuff like nachos, loaded fries, wings, and ALL the dips (my buffalo chicken dip is my fave!) doesn’t have to be “junk” at all.
Even better, you can make these things taste JUST as good (if not tastier!) than the original junky versions – seriously.
Like these sweet potato fries loaded up with your favorite pepperoni pizza ingredients. We are not messing around here, people! These loaded sweet potato fries are the real deal – savory, spicy, cheesy (but with no actual cheese!) and filling in the best way.
What Do I Need to Make Dairy-Free Cheese Sauce?
You might be wondering about this dairy-free cheese sauce. Trust me – it actually tastes like cheese. Weird – yes. Legit – also yes. Here is what you need to make it:
Lemon Juice
Warm Water
Olive Oil or Avocado Oil
Garlic Powder
Sea Salt
That’s it! I use a NutriBullet to make my cashew cheese sauces and they always turn out perfectly creamy. It’s amazing what cashews + some key seasonings can create.
What Toppings Are We Loading Up These Sweet Potato Fries With?
Once you have the cheese sauce done, it’s time to think about the other toppings. We want this tasting like a pepperoni pizza, so all the best pizza ingredients are included! We have:
Uncured Pepperoni (I used Applegate)
Peppers
Onions
Garlic
Crushed Red Pepper
Any other pizza toppings I left out that you can’t do without, like mushrooms or olives.
The Cheese Sauce!
Additionally, the sweet potato fries themselves are seasoned with sea salt, black pepper, and Italian seasoning (I used the Amore Seasoning from Primal Palate) so you get even more flavor right from the start.
It’s totally up to you how much cheese sauce you use on your fries – I used just about half of the recipe for the photos. You’ll have enough to use more if you want, though, and you can always save the rest for another delicious use.
What Can I Use the Leftover Cheese Sauce For?
If you have a good amount of leftover cheese sauce, there are SO many yummy ways to use it!
Top a pizza (here’s my crust recipe) or make chicken parmesan, or simply use it as a dip or topping for veggies over the next few days. The cheese sauce will keep well in the refrigerator for up to four days.
I hope you’re ready for a seeeeriously delicious and FUN meal/appetizer/snack that also happens to be good for you! Grab your sweet potatoes and let’s get cooking – it’s time to start!
Paleo Pepperoni Pizza Loaded Sweet Potato Fries
Pepperoni Pizza Loaded Sweet Potato Fries {Paleo, GF, DF}
Ingredients
Cheese Sauce:
- 1 cup raw cashews no need to soak
- 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice 2 lemons
- 6 Tbsp warm water
- 3 Tbsp olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 3/4 tsp sea salt
- 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
Sweet Potato Fries:
- 2 large sweet potatoes or 3 smaller ones, peeled and cut into fry shapes, about 1/2” thick
- 2 Tbsp olive or avocado oil divided
- Sea salt and black pepper
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 small red bell pepper diced
- 1/2 small onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1-2 tsp avocado oil or olive oil
- 1/2 marinara sauce heated
- 1/2 of the cheese sauce
- 1/2 cup uncured pepperoni Such as Applegate
- Minced parsley for garnish
- Crushed red pepper for garnish
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 425° F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
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Place cut sweet potatoes in a bowl, toss with the oil and sprinkle all over with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Arrange on the baking sheets in a single layer with no two fries touching - this will help them roast up crispy!
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Place baking sheets on racks in the upper portion of your oven, and roast for 20-25 minutes until bottoms are browning (fries on the bottom rack will brown first), flip the fries using a spatula and return to a single layer. Rotate baking sheets 180 degrees AND switch oven racks (bottom sheet moves to top, top to bottoto promote even browning.
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Continue to bake another 15-20 minutes, watching closely to avoid burning.
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Meanwhile, make the cheese sauce. In a small blender (I used a NutriBulleblend together all the cheese ingredients until very smooth. Depending on your blender, this might take several minutes. Once smooth, taste and adjust any seasonings to taste.
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Heat a large skillet over medium heat to cook the pepperoni. Once heated, spread pepperoni in a single layer and cook about 45 seconds on each side, or until cooked to preference. Remove to a plate and set aside. Keeping the heat over medium, add a tsp or 2 of oil to the skillet and cook peppers and onions for 1 minute to soften, then add the garlic and cook another 30 seconds. Remove from heat.
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When the fries are done, it’s time to load them up! Arrange them on a platter and top with the marinara sauce, veggie mixture, pepperoni, cheese sauce (use a spoon, or pipe it through a plastic bag cut at the corner). Garnish with minced parsley and crushed red pepper, if desired. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Note: Save any leftover cheese sauce covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Shop Products and Ingredients:
Want More Paleo Sweet Potato Recipes? Try One of These!
Chicken Pesto Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Sausage Pizza Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
Sloppy Joe Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Sweet Potato Hash with Sausage and Eggs
Baked Sweet Potato Fries with BBQ Ranch Dipping Sauce
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This looks delish! I’ve made many of your creamy dishes lately and have found them to be pretty darn tasty even though I can’t have nutritional yeast right now. Do you think the cheese sauce would be tasty in this recipe without the nutritional yeast? Also, have you ever tried making the sweet potato fries on a Pizza stone? Thanks for your awesome recipes!
I’d love to make the cheese sauce but we have a cashew allergy in the family. Any suggestions for other nuts that could work in the sauce? Macadamias?
My guys ate the whole sheet up; no leftovers here!
This is such a great concept. I had debated making paleo ranch instead of the cheese sauce but decided to go ahead and make it since you called it legit cheese sauce and it was a big disappointment. I’ll make this again but with ranch.
10/10! My houseful of guys devoured this tripled recipe! I didn’t use cookie sheets, so missed the crispiness of the potatoes, but it was so delish that no one cared about that! I just used a huge casserole dish. Only about 30 minutes of prep, too, so definitely a keeper!