Craving something crispy and delicious? Skip the greasy french fries and try these Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries instead. With just 6 ingredients, they turn out crisp and golden brown and are perfect for serving with your favorite dipping sauce!
These air fryer sweet potato fries make the perfect side dish or healthy snack. With a crispy exterior and tender on the inside, air fryer fries only require a minimal amount of oil.
The natural sweetness of the sweet potatoes pairs perfectly with the seasonings, making these crispy air fryer fries absolutely irresistible.
Making sweet potato fries in the air fryer is one of my favorite ways to cook them because they come out perfectly crispy every time. I love any time saving trick, and this easy air fryer recipe delivers every time!
Recipe Ingredients
- Sweet potatoes: Wash and scrub them well, and you can peel them or leave them unpeeled depending on what you prefer. The peels are a good source of fiber and contain additional nutrients.
- Olive oil: This enhances the other flavors, and helps crisp the sweet potatoes.
- Onion powder: Giving a concentrated savory and sweet onion flavor, this powder is versatile and more convenient than fresh onion.
- Sweet paprika: This spice gives a sweet and mild taste with hints of earthy flavor. It also adds a beautiful red color without the heat found in hot paprika varieties.
- Salt: The ultimate flavor booster, it also helps draw out the moisture to make the sweet potato fries more crispy.
- Black pepper: Gives a subtle heat and a mildly spicy flavor.
How to Make Crispy Sweet Potato Fries
Scroll down to the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Prepare. Preheat the air fryer to 375° F according to manufacturer instructions. (I used a Cosori 5.8 quart air fryer, and instructions said to preheat at 375° Fahrenheit for 5 minutes.)
- Chop. Wash and dry the potatoes with a paper towel. Grab a cutting board and a sharp knife and cut the potatoes in ¼ inch-wide strips and then cut each strip into ¼-inch-wide strips.
- Mix. In a large bowl, combine potato strips, oil, and spices (or you can use a zip-lock bag for this). Massage the potatoes to ensure they are coated entirely. However, you can add more seasonings once the fries are cooked.
- Cook. Once the air fryer is preheated, transfer the fries to the bottom of the air fryer basket and air fry for 15-20 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through a couple of times to ensure even frying.
- Check. The fries should be crispy and cooked through. If the fries are not crispy, cook for a few more minutes.
- Finish. The end result: the exterior of the fries are slightly browned and crispy, with a softer potato texture on the inside. Once fried, sprinkle with more salt. Enjoy!
Recipe FAQ's
Soaking your sweet potato wedges in water for 30 minutes (or up to 2 hours) is completely optional. I found that it didn't make much of a difference in the final outcome of the fries.
Spreading sweet potato fries out evenly in the air fryer and giving them enough space is the key to making crispy fries. This is essential, especially if you're cooking a large number of fries. Also, cook them in batches instead of overcrowding your air fryer.
Sweet potatoes have a high sugar content, so they can be more challenging to cook and tend to burn at the tips. Take care to cut the fries uniformly to help them cook evenly. Stay close to your air fryer and keep an eye on them and cook them until they are just crispy.
Top Tips
Here's how to make sure your homemade sweet potato fries turn out perfectly!
- Use fresh sweet potatoes that are firm to the touch. Avoid using sweet potatoes that are soft, shriveled, or have bruises.
- Cut the sweet potato wedges in uniform sizes, so they cook evenly. If fries are cut too thin or the ends are too narrow, they will get charred rather quickly.
- Some cooks recommend soaking the sweet potato wedges in cold water for at least 30 minutes (up to 2 hours) before cooking. This helps to remove some of the starch from the potatoes and results in crispier fries. I did not notice much of a difference in doing this, however.
- You can use as little as 1 tablespoon of oil or use a little more. I find the fries slightly crispier and flavorful when using oil but you can use even less in an air fryer.
- Season the fries with salt before air frying but add more salt (preferably sea salt) after frying. This gives more overall flavor, plus fries soak up the salty flavor better after frying.
- Cook the sweet potato wedges in small batches and in a single layer, so they have enough space to cook evenly and become crispy on all sides.
- Shake the air-fryer basket a few times during cooking to ensure even frying.
Recipe Variations
- Add a bit of cayenne pepper or chili powder to make your homemade fries spicy.
- Use a different high smoke point oil such as avocado oil or vegetable oil if you prefer.
- As the fries finish cooking, sprinkle them with chopped cilantro.
- Serve the homemade sweet potato fries with your favorite dipping sauce. We love them with ketchup, BBQ sauce, or ranch dressing.
Storage & Reheating
To store: Sweet potato fries are best enjoyed fresh but will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat leftovers in the air fryer.
To reheat: Preheat the air fryer to 375° F and cook for 3-5 minutes or until heated through. You can also reheat sweet potato fries in the oven. Preheat the oven to 400° F and place the fries on a baking sheet. Bake for 5-7 minutes or until heated through.
To freeze: Sweet potato fries can be frozen for up to 3 months. Place the cooked and cooled sweet potato fries in a single layer on a baking sheet and transfer them to the freezer. Once frozen, transfer the fries to an airtight container or freezer bag. When ready to eat, preheat the air fryer to 375° F and cook the frozen sweet potato fries for 3-5 minutes or until heated through.
Main Dishes to Pair With Sweet Potato Fries
More Side Dish Recipes
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Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries
Ingredients
- 2 large sweet potatoes, washed and scrubbed (peeled or unpeeled)
- 1-2 Tablespoons olive oil or more as needed
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 375°F.
- Wash and dry the potatoes. Cut them in ¼ inch wide strips and then cut each strip into ¼ inch wide strips. (You can soak the potatoes in water for 30 minutes or up to 2 hours, but I didn’t find much of a difference in soaking sweet potato fries at all).
- In a large bowl combine potato strips, oil, and spices (or you can use a zip lock bag for this). Massage the potatoes to ensure they are coated entirely. However, you can add more seasonings once fries are cooked.
- Once the air fryer is preheated, transfer the fries into the basket and air fry for 15-20 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through a couple of times to ensure even frying.
- The fries should be crispy and cooked through. If by this time the fries are not crispy, cook for a few more minutes. The end result: the exterior of fries are slightly browned and crispy, softer potato texture on the inside.
- Once fried, sprinkle the fries with more salt. Enjoy with dipping sauces.
Notes
- To store: Sweet potato fries are best enjoyed fresh but will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat leftovers in the air fryer.
- To reheat: Preheat the air fryer to 375° F and cook for 3-5 minutes or until heated through. You can also reheat sweet potato fries in the oven. Preheat to 400° F and place the fries on a baking sheet. Bake for 5-7 minutes or until heated through.
- To freeze: Sweet potato fries can be frozen for up to 3 months. Place the cooked and cooled sweet potato fries in a single layer on a baking sheet and transfer them to the freezer. Once frozen, transfer the fries to an airtight container or freezer bag. When ready to eat, preheat the air fryer to 375° F and cook the frozen sweet potato fries for 3-5 minutes or until heated through.
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