Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and made with very little oil, Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes make an easy, healthy side dish.
Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes allows you to enjoy the flavor of roasted sweet potatoes without heating up the kitchen. They make a great side dish for Grilled BBQ Chicken Breasts, Black Bean Burgers, or Pan-Seared Tilapia.
Air Fryer Potatoes are a simple, healthy way to prepare sweet potatoes.
In less than 30 minutes, you can have crispy sweet potatoes that are so tender inside, they nearly melt in your mouth--without turning the oven on!
What You Need
- Sweet Potatoes: You can use any variety of sweet potatoes you like for this recipe--purple sweet potatoes, Japanese sweet potatoes, or regular sweet potatoes. I look for sweet potatoes that are firm without much blemish or wrinkled skin.
- Oil: Canola oil, olive oil, or avocado oil are all good choices for this recipe, and you only need a very small amount.
- Seasonings: The options for seasonings are endless for flavoring sweet potatoes. For a basic recipe, I recommend seasoning with salt pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika, or a homemade seasoned salt blend. I have shared more options for seasoning sweet potatoes below, but you also just can keep it simple and season the potatoes with salt.
- Air Fryer: There are so many brands of air fryers on the market and each is vastly different, but all will work well with this recipe. I have a basic GoWise Air Fryer that has worked well for me for several years. If you have a compact air fryer, you may need to work in batches to not overcrowd the air fryer.
How to Make Sweet Potatoes in Air Fryer
- Scrub the sweet potatoes and dry well. There is no need to peel them--the peel is where most of those nutrients live!
- Cut the sweet potatoes into ½ inch to ¾ inch cubes. Be sure the cubes are even in size so that they cook evenly.
- Toss the sweet potatoes with the oil and seasonings of your choice.
- Spread out the potatoes in the basket or tray of your air fryer. Be sure to spread the potatoes out in a single even layer. Just like when roasting potatoes, it is best to not overlap the sweet potatoes much in the air fryer. This allows them to evenly cook and to develop a crispy exterior.
- Air fry the sweet potatoes at 400 degrees F for 8 minutes. Remove the basket of the air fryer, give the sweet potatoes a good shake, and return the basket to the air fryer and continue cooking for an additional 8 minutes at 400 degrees F.
- At this point, the sweet potatoes will be fork-tender and fairly crispy. However, if desired, return the sweet potatoes to the air fryer and continue to air fry for 2 minutes to get the exterior really crispy.
Sweet Potato Seasoning Options
- Cinnamon Sugar: Toss the cubed sweet potatoes with ½ teaspoon oil, a pinch of salt, ½ tablespoon sugar, and ½ teaspoon cinnamon.
- Tex Mex: Toss sweet potatoes with ½ teaspoon oil and 2 teaspoons Taco Seasoning or Fajita Seasoning.
- Savory Onion: Toss sweet potatoes with ½ teaspoon oil and 2 teaspoons Copycat Lipton Onion Soup Mix.
- Cajun: Toss potatoes with ½ teaspoon oil and 2 teaspoons Homemade Cajun Seasoning.
- Low-Sodium/Salt-Free: Cut the salt to ¼ teaspoon OR omit completely if on a salt-free diet.
- Add Fresh Herbs: Toss the sweet potatoes with the oil, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and ½ tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves, or ½ tablespoon minced fresh rosemary.
Storage and Reheating
Once your sweet potatoes have cooled, they can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5 days or in the freezer for 3 months. They are best reheated in the air fryer at 350 degrees for 3-4 minutes for refrigerated sweet potatoes, and 15 minutes for frozen, shaking halfway.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve as a side dish for Sloppy Joes, Burgers, or Balsamic Pork Tenderloin.
- Top the air fryer sweet potatoes with a poached egg for a simple breakfast.
- Use leftover Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes to make a sweet potato hash, and skip the step requiring you to saute the sweet potatoes.
- Season the sweet potatoes with taco seasoning, and toss with black beans after roasting. Serve in flour tortillas with mashed avocado for a quick Black Bean Sweet Potato Burrito or Sweet Potato Taco.
- Use leftover Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes to make a quick Tex-Mex Chicken Skillet, and skip the step requiring you to saute the sweet potatoes.
Recipe FAQs
If you have a basket air fryer, it is best to flip the sweet potatoes halfway through cooking to ensure even browning. However, if you have an air fryer that uses trays, the air will be able to even circulate around the sweet potatoes, so there is no need to flip halfway through cooking.
Sweet potatoes need a small amount of oil to get crispy when air-fried. If you are opposed to using any oil, use a nonstick spray.
Yes! Just keep in mind you will need to work in batches, so you don't overcrowd your air fryer. Hold the first batch of air-fried sweet potatoes in a 200-degree oven while the second batch is cooking.
You will need to either cut this recipe in half or air fry your potatoes in two batches.
More Air Fryer Vegetable Recipes
- Air Fryer Potatoes
- Air Fryer Squash
- Air Fryer Brussel Sprouts
- Air Fryer Zucchini Fries
- Air Fryer Corn on the Cob
- Air Fryer Eggplant Parmesan
- Air Fryer Cauliflower
If you enjoyed this recipe for Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes, I would love for you to leave a comment and review below.
Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 cups cubed sweet potatoes cut into ¾"-1" cubes
- ½ teaspoon oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
- If needed per your air fryer model, preheat to 400 degrees F.
- Scrub and dry the sweet potatoes really well and cube them into ¾ to 1-inch cubes. There is no need to peel the sweet potatoes unless desired.
- In a large mixing bowl, toss the sweet potatoes with the oil, salt, paprika, garlic powder, pepper, and onion powder, until the spices and oil are evenly coating the potatoes.
- Spread out the potatoes in the basket or tray of your air fryer. Be sure to spread the potatoes out in a single even layer. Air fry the sweet potatoes at 400 degrees F for 8 minutes. Remove the basket of the air fryer, give the sweet potatoes a good shake, and return the basket to the air fryer and continue cooking for an additional 8 minutes at 400 degrees F. If you desire your sweet potatoes to be crispier, continue to air fry for an additional 2-3 minutes.
- Serve as desired.
Kristyn
My hubby can eat the whole bowl!! Sweet potatoes are his favorite & the air fryer makes them so easy!
Kristen Chidsey
HAHA! Tell him to save you some! So glad you all enjoyed!
Krystle
I love how crispy these were. Super easy to make too!
Kristen Chidsey
The texture is the best 🙂
Beth
I never thought sweet potatoes could taste so good in the air fryer. Just like you said crispy on the outside and tender in the middle. Just the way I like them!
Kristen Chidsey
I am so happy to hear you enjoyed Beth!