This is a simple recipe for sweet potato fries made in the air fryer. It uses only little oil which makes it a healthy snack option and reduces the fat and calorie intake.
A batch of these air fryer sweet potato fries is ready in 10 minutes so why not make it an afternoon snack!
How to make sweet potato fries in an air fryer
Cut peeled sweet potatoes into thin sticks. I like these sweet potato fries thin, so mine are about ¼ inch (0.5 centimeters). You can cut them thicker, but you might need to increase the cooking time.
Transfer them into a bowl and add olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Toss around until they are evenly coated in oil and seasoning.
FAQ
I recommend doing so. It is like a little oven and if you want to speed up the cooking process, then yes. Now that being said, because it is a small machine, it also heats up pretty quickly (in about 4 minutes) so you don’t have to do it.
If you decide not to preheat it, add a few more minutes to the overall cooking time when making these sweet potato fries (or any other food).
For some recipes, you spray the bottom of the air fryer with cooking oil, but for this recipe, you don’t need to add any oil in. The raw fries are already coated in olive oil (and seasoning), so you can just cook them as they are.
Yes and no. You should know that some foods will come out of your air fryer crispier than others, but no food will ever come out as crispy as it comes from a deep fryer.
When making sweet potato fries in air fryer instead of frying them in a pot of oil, you won’t get that super crispy result. What you get are healthier sweet potato fries because you are using significantly less oil to make them.
That is the reason why air fryers were invented. The air circulating around the food allows for little (or no) oil, meaning that if you like to stay healthy and avoid frying or reduce fat intake, air fryers are a great option. It’s more like a little oven, rather than a fryer.
I love making orange chicken wings in there or ham and jalapeno pinwheels, but there are so many options and you can experiment and see for yourself what foods you like made in an air fryer and what not.
Expert tips
- I’ve read that soaking raw fries in water prior to cooking will turn them crispy. I did test this and I did not notice any difference. In fact, I’d say the soaked batch was softer/soggier than the no-soak batch.
- Sweet potato fries don’t turn as crispy as classic potato fries because of their low starch content. There is a whole science behind this so no matter what you do your sweet potato fries will not crisp up well.
- This recipe is very simple. With 5 basic ingredients you get a tasty appetizer or side or snack (we like to snack on these). You can simplify the recipe even more and omit garlic powder, if you like. You will lose some flavor, but they will still taste good. And, if you serve these quick air fryer fries with a flavorful dip, you will not even miss the garlic. My favorite is a combination of sour cream, ketchup and garlic. It’s one of the easiest dips and tastes so good. Sour cream and chives dip is also a tasty option!
- Old sweet potatoes (the flesh inside is soft – almost like the inside of an eggplant) will stay very soft so try avoiding those.
- Don’t over-fill the air fryer! Divide this recipe into 2 batches so that these fries cook evenly. Cooking all of them at once will prolong the cooking time. Plus, they will not cook evenly in an overcrowded space.
More air fryer appetizers you might like:
Or, if you are a fan of fried appetizers, what about polenta fries? They are my new favorite fries to make!
Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries
Ingredients
- 1.5 pound sweet potatoes (650 grams, see note 1)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 Fahrenheit (200 Celsius) for 4-5 minutes.
- Wash, peel and cut the sweet potatoes into thin sticks.
- Transfer them into a mixing bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Toss everything around until you can see that the seasoning and oil are evenly distributed.
- Pour half of the fries into the air fryer basket and spread them around. Set a timer to 10 minutes. After 5 minutes, stir/shake the fries so that they cook evenly.
- When ready, take them out and repeat with the other half.
- Best served warm!
Notes
- For this recipe, large sweet potatoes work best as you want to cut them into similar-looking sticks (preferably ¼ inch thick). This is easier with the long large ones rather than the smaller ones (less scraps and less peeling). Also, you can see in my photos, that some have tips while others don’t. The tips will cook faster so they might get burnt. If you don’t want this, cut the tips off.
- Cooking these sweet potato fries only takes about 10 minutes in the air fryer. However, you might need to cook them in 2 batches, especially if you own a small air fryer. Also, the cooking time may vary slightly. This is due to different air fryer brands as well as the thickness of your fries.
- Note that the portion size is only a guide. You can end up with more/less fries. This will depend on how much skin you cut off and also whether you try to use up all the fries or throw the tips away.
- For more tips or if in doubt, please check the full post above this recipe card.
Leave a Comment