Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries
Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries are a delicious and easy way to make sweet potato fries with very little oil. They are the best healthy side dish or snack! Cook from fresh or use frozen sweet potato fries.
We have been cooking in our air fryer so much lately, and these air fryer sweet potato fries are one of our favorite air fryer recipes! They’re healthy, the ends are irresistibly crispy, and they are so quick and easy to make. I still love my baked Sweet Potato Fries recipe, but on a hot day the air fryer won’t heat up the kitchen the way that the oven does. Don’t forget to try my delicious Air Fryer Zucchini Fries or Air Fryer French Fries too!
These air fryer sweet potato fries are an easy side dish, perfect for serving alongside Air Fryer Chicken Thighs, Instant Pot BBQ Chicken or Turkey Burgers. Or serve these sweet potato fries as a snack or appetizer, with your favorite dipping sauce. I recommend ketchup, honey mustard, ranch dressing, spicy mayo or garlic aioli.
Ingredients
- Sweet Potatoes: I typically make these fries with orange sweet potatoes, but you can use any type of sweet potato: orange, purple, white or Japanese sweet potatoes will all work here. You may have to adjust the cook time slightly, depending on which sweet potatoes you use.
- Olive Oil: Just 2 teaspoons of olive oil per two medium sweet potatoes helps the seasonings to stick to the fries.
- Seasonings: Chili powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. You can add more or less seasoning, to your tastes. If you want some heat, add a pinch of cayenne pepper to the seasoning mix.
How to Make Sweet Potato Fries in the Air Fryer
Making sweet potato fries in the air fryer couldn’t be easier! Here is an overview of how to make this recipe. Find the full recipe with ingredient amounts and instructions in the recipe card below.
- Cut the sweet potatoes into 1/4-inch thick sticks. You do not need to peel the sweet potatoes. The skins make the fries more crispy.
- Preheat air fryer to 380° F for 5 minutes. Preheating the air fryer helps the fries to begin crisping on the edges as soon as they hit the hot basket.
- Place sweet potatoes in a large bowl and toss with a little olive oil.
- Stir together the seasonings and sprinkle them over the sweet potatoes. Mix so that the fries are evenly coated.
- Place fries in the air fryer in a single layer, with a bit of space in between each fry. I recommend spacing them out a bit more than this photo for maximum crispiness. If you don’t mind your fries less crispy, you can space them like this.
- Air fry until fries are lightly browned and crispy on the edges and soft on the inside.
How Long to Cook Sweet Potato Fries in the Air Fryer
Air fry for 8 minutes, then shake/toss the basket to flip the fries, and then air fry for 3-6 more minutes until fries are cooked the way you like them. I usually set the timer for 14 minutes and then check on the fries every minute or two near the end of the cook time. The exact cook time will depend on the size of your fries, what kind of potatoes you use, and can vary between air fryer models.
Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries Recipe Tips
- Be sure to put the sweet potato fries in a single layer in the air fryer basket, with a little room in between each fry. This helps the air to circulate around the fries as they cook so that the edges can crisp. Cook in batches, as needed.
- Slice the fries thinly. They should be about 1/4-inch thick. Do your best to cut all of the fries to a similar thickness, so that they will all be done at the same time.
- Flip the fries partway through the cook time. This ensures that all sides will cook evenly.
- Different air fryers may cook differently, so adjust the cook time to cook the fries to your liking.
- When cooking in batches, you can put all the fries back in the air fryer once all of the batches are cooked. Cook for 1-2 minutes so that you can serve all of the fries hot at once.
- Air fryer sweet potato fries are addictively delicious, but expect that they won’t be as crispy as a fried French fry would be. The ends will be crispy and the centers will be softer. They are comparable to oven baked sweet potato fries, but the edges dry out a bit more in the air fryer, which I love – no soggy fries here!
Should I soak the fries in water?
Some recipes call for soaking the cut fries in water before cooking. The thought is that this will remove some of the potato starch and thus give you crispier fries. I tried soaking before cooking and did not notice a difference in the crispiness of the sweet potato fries. So for convenience and time’s sake, I’ve skipped the soaking step in this recipe.
How to Cook Frozen Sweet Potato Fries in the Air Fryer
You can also cook store bought frozen sweet potato fries in the air fryer. The method is very similar to cooking homemade sweet potato fries:
- Preheat the air fryer to 380° F for 5 minutes.
- Arrange frozen fries in a single layer with a bit of space in between each fry.
- Air fry at 380° F for 10-14 minutes total, flipping after 8 minutes. Fries are done when they are browned on the edges, crispy and cooked through.
- The exact cook time may vary between brands of frozen fries and different air fryer models.
Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries
Ingredients
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, about 1 ½ pounds
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, use a little less if you want less garlic flavor
- ¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
Instructions
- Scrub sweet potatoes and dry well. You do not need to peel them. Cut sweet potatoes into ¼-inch thick matchsticks and place in a large bowl.
- Preheat air fryer at 380° F for 5 minutes.
- Toss sweet potatoes with the olive oil.
- In a small bowl, mix together the chili powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Sprinkle the seasonings over the sweet potatoes and toss to evenly coat all of the fries. If you like your fries lightly seasoned you do not have to use all of the seasoning.
- Place fries in air fryer in a single layer, do not stack. (Cook in 2-3 batches.) Set air fryer to 380°F for 14 minutes. (Fries may be done early.) After 8 minutes of cook time, pause your air fryer and shake/toss fries in fryer pan. Shake them back into a single layer as best you can. Cook an additional 3-6 more minutes to desired crispness/doneness.
- Serve immediately, or wait until all batches are done and then put all of the fries in the air fryer and cook for 1-2 more minutes so that you can serve all of the fries hot.
Notes
- To cook store bought frozen sweet potato fries: Preheat air fryer at 380° F for 5 minutes. Place frozen fries in a single layer in the air fryer basket with a little space between each fry. Air fry at 380° F for 10-14 minutes total, flipping after 8 minutes of cook time.
- Different air fryers may cook differently, so adjust the cook time to cook the fries to your liking.
