Crispy sweet potato fries made in the air-fryer, with just a small amount of oil! An easy sweet potato recipe you’re going to love!
Crispy Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries
Making sweet potato fries in the air fryer is so much healthier than frying, and reduces the fat and calories, without sacrificing taste.
Since buying my air-fryer (affiliate link), I’ve been keeping it on my counter and using it everyday. You may have seen my air fryer french frie recipe a few weeks ago, well so many of you have asked for sweet potato fries so I finally got around to it. I tested them out a few different temperatures to see which gave me perfect, crispy fries and here’s what I found. You can also bake them in the oven, see my oven baked sweet potatoes recipe.
How to make Crispy Sweet Potato Fries in the Air Fryer:
- Start by making sure you cut them all the same size. This way, everything cooks at the same time, without burning, overcooking or under-cooking some.
- Don’t overcrowd the basket. One small sweet potato will fit perfect but if it’s slightly larger, do them in batches. To make sure they are all hot at the same time, you can add the batches that are cooked back in the air fryer and heat them up 1 minute so everything is hot.
- Don’t forget to turn them halfway. This is a must, the heat on the bottom is stronger than the top so turning is a must.
- Open to test for doneness. Don’t be afraid to open the air fryer to check to see if they are done. If your fries are cut a little thicker, they will take longer to cook.
- Bake at 400F. I found this gave me the crispest fry.
What is an air fryer?
An air fryer is a kitchen appliance that cooks by circulating hot air around food at high speed, which produces crispy food in a fraction of the time it would take in a conventional oven.
Is using an air fryer healthy?
- Yes, it’s healthier that deep frying because you use less oil.
- An air fryer is an excellent way to reduce a massive amount of fat and calories without sacrificing taste.
- Since air fryers use air to cook food, it doesn’t require the extra calories that submerging food in oil would add.
A few more dishes I’ve made with the air fryer that I loved: Air Fryer Empanadas, Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan and Air Fryer Crispy Breaded Pork Chops. More recipes coming soon!
Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries
Ingredients
- 2 medium peeled sweet potatoes, 12 oz total
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
- fresh black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 400°F 8 minutes.
- Lightly spray the fryer basket with oil.
- Slice each potato into even 1/4 inch thick fries.
- Toss with oil, salt, garlic powder, black pepper and paprika.
- Cook in 2 or 3 batches, without overcrowding the pan 8 minutes, turning half way.
Limp not crispy. I followed all the tips for crispy sweet potato fries and they never did crisp up. Cooked them 5 minutes longer and all they did was start to burn on he outside. I have been using my air fryer for two years and this the first thing that failed. I may try again by cooking at a lower temp then turning up to crisp. If that doesn’t work I give up.
I followed the recipe…exactly…mine never got crispy… finally started to burn. Don’t know what to do about it.
I used this recipe to test out my air fryer that I just bought today — I am a complete newbie to this. They came out wonderful! I followed all the helpful pointers in the recipe, which I am very thankful for as I suspect they were a game-changer. The fries were not soggy, nor crunchy, but a firm to slightly crispy outer portion of the fry while the inside was soft, yet thoroughly cooked.
Make sure you preheat the air fryer for 8 minutes it makes all the difference
I couldnt get mine crispy! They had a nice flavor. Not crispy
I don’t know if it is because these folks are hungry or what- but man- some of you are grouchy. These are amazing free recipes. You can tell a lot of work went into them. The fries are great and so are most things Skinny Taste. Thanks Gina!
These fries are crispy and delish! The tip of not overcrowding the pan is a game-changer for me. My air fryer fries were always limp and soggy until this recipe.
Thanks, Gina!
This made a nice quick side dish for dinner. Thanks!
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WE do not use OIL
how do y’all cut the sweet potatoes, they are so hard to cut.
Same here I was exhausted from cutting one…😊
New Star Foodservice 42306 Commercial Grade French Fry Cutter with Suction Feet, 3/8″, Green https://a.co/d/azeOvnI
It’s a little pricey but you will never need another. I love french fries and use it all the time. It is sturdy and easy to use. I can cut 5 potatoes in less than two minutes (this is an estimate as I have never actually timed myself)
I used a huge chef’s knife. Serrated knives don’t work well
This was great and the hubby liked them, too! I accidentally used two TABLEspoons and luckily, only needed one sweet potato as we had great big salmon steaks to go with them. Thank you so much for sharing this!
Delicious! The crispiest, best tasting sweet potato fries I’ve ever made! I made them in my Ninja
Foodi. If yours come out soggy or limp, as mine always do when I put them in the oven, I think these are the two keys: first, cut them in small sticks, not too thick and most importantly- leave space between each fry in the basket. I used 2 medium potatoes and it took about 5 batches, then I popped them all in together for a minute to heat up before serving. They were great!
Are you going to code the color codes for WW people. See you have the blue code but not the other colors with points.
I used my 7 in one- Power Air Fryer oven . I sprayed basket lightly with Pam Spray. I dunked a basting brush into less than a teaspoon of lite olive oil and lightly brushed the cut sweet potatoes. I applied sea salt /garlic to half and cinnamon to the other half. Put them in and tapped the preset ‘French fry’ button. Crispy and delicious. I don’t know which one I liked better. Both were yummy! Crisp too. I am delighted.
Do I need to soak the potato, once sliced, before putting into the air fryer? Thanks!
No
i TRIED MAKING THE SWEET POTATOES ONCE, THEY WERE SO GOOD NOW I MAKE THEM OFTEN. EASY AND VERY TASTY
Thank you for the recipe! My fries were great!
Like most reviewers said, these did not come out crispy at all. The only thing I changed were the spices. I used apple spice for a sweet treat.. but that shouldn’t have affected the overall crispiness.
Mine didn’t come out crispy at all.. Wondering what I did wrong? I used the Vremi air fryer and they really were just like roasted
If they are not crispy, cook them longer. Until they are cooked to your liking. Do not overcrowd the pam
These came out absolutely perfect! So simple. I have an oven type air fryer. So, I didn’t need the extra spray. Having 3 racks, I was able to cook them in batches. It’s incredible how crispy and “fried@ they came out.
Can I ask what recipe did you use? I followed the one above and have 3 racks too, but they didn’t come crispy at all. Tasty but not crispy.
I have an Power Air Fryer Oven Plus with a rotisserie basket. I’m sensitive to nightshades and seed spices , so I don’t use the paprika nor the black pepper.
I preheated my air fryer oven for 8 minutes at 400F, and baked the sweet potato fries in a small batch in the rotisserie basket for 8 minutes. They were tasty, but not at all crispy. So I baked them two minutes longer. Then five more minutes. Still soft. Any suggestions?? I’d appreciate any help you could offer!
I followed this to a T and they did not come out crispy at all. They did get the black blotches here and there. I’ll keep tweaking. As an aside, the sugar in sweet potato can only “bloom” in temperatures up to 350 degrees according to Cook’s Illustrated. I always wondered why my baked sweet potatoes tasted bland, then I tried this and it’s true. So I’m wondering if it isn’t better to start them in the cold air fryer. Non the less, not crispy!
A-MA-ZING!!! THANK YOU GINA!!
Do you prebake your sweet potatoes at all? I bake mine a but and have good results in the fryer. But if I wouldn’t need to do that it would nice 🙂
Can potato pancakes be made in an air fryer? How would you do it?
Hands down, the best sweet potato fries recipe I’ve ever tried. I didn’t change anything, and it took 3 batches to cook 1 large sweet potato. Thanks for the tip on warming it all up after the final batch was done!
Would you recommend any air fryer in particular, or are they mostly all the same?
Well to be honest, I am coming out with my own! More details coming soon!
Mine came out crispy and delicious. I sprayed potatoes with Avocado oil and lots of seasonings. I shook the basket a lot and in 15 min. They were done.
Phillips Turbo Star Air Fryer was used.
I thought the question of SWYPO mentality was a good one, so I looked it up, the answer in Whole30 101 states:
Am I trying to exactly duplicate or recreate the poor food choice with “approved” ingredients, or am I merely looking for a healthier, more nutritious substitution for that food?
In the case of Paleo desserts, it’s a straight swap. You’re desperately trying to duplicate the sweet treats you know and love in a way that’s still technically Paleo. But if you’re looking for a sandwich substitute, and you decide to use a lettuce leaf or a slice of roasted sweet potato, well, that’s a different story. Spaghetti squash for pasta, a portobello mushroom cap for a burger bun, or egg and spinach “muffins” for traditional muffins are all examples of perfectly healthy and appropriate substitutions during your Whole30. (Another tip: If you’re subbing something unhealthy with vegetables or high-quality meat, that’s almost certainly a thumbs-up.)
Based on that thought, I think air frying sweet potato fries is a completely acceptable alternative to add to a healthier lifestyle.