Once you try them, you'll be hooked on these delicious Air Fryer Baked Sweet Potatoes! Whole sweet potatoes are cooked until they're crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. They're the perfect nutritious side dish or snack.
What are air fryer sweet potatoes?
You may think the concept of frying sweet potatoes is a bit odd. Well, I'll let you in on a little secret. Air fried sweet potatoes are pretty much the same thing as baked sweet potatoes except that they're made in an air fryer instead of an oven.
An air fryer is basically a small convection oven that sits on your countertop. So although air fryers have a catchy name with the word "fryer" in them, there's no actual frying involved at all!
Unlike frying, which is a cooking method that uses oil, with air frying, you use minimal or no oil. Rather, the air fryer has a fan that circulates hot air around the food. This transfers more heat to the surface of the food so that it crisps up nicely.
One benefit of baking sweet potatoes in the air fryer instead of the oven is that you can cook them much faster. Ovens take a long time to heat up while air fryers, on the other hand, heat up quickly. And because the air fryer is small, the food also cooks faster.
Cooking the potatoes in the air fryer also gets them extra crispy on the outside while still retaining moisture on the inside. The result is a nice crackly skin with a soft, creamy interior.
Sweet potatoes are superfoods
Sweet potatoes are true superfoods and are packed with several vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants! These include vitamin A, vitamin C, B vitamins, potassium and manganese. Sweet potatoes are also a rich source of fiber, which is important for digestive health and helps keep you feeling full for a long time.
What you Need to Make This Dish
- Sweet potatoes
- Olive oil
- Salt
How to make them
- Clean the Sweet Potatoes- Thoroughly wash the sweet potatoes and dry them well. You may want to make sure they're dry so that they skin gets nice and crispy.
- Prep the Sweet Potatoes- Pierce the sweet potatoes several times all over with a fork or small knife. Rub them with olive oil and sprinkle them with salt.
- Preheat the Air Fryer- Turn the air fryer on to 390°F and let it heat up for a few minutes before putting the potatoes in.
- Cook the Sweet Potatoes- Place the potatoes in a single layer in the air fryer. Don't overcrowd the basket. Cook the potatoes at 390°F for 40-45 minutes, turning them halfway through to ensure even browning.
FAQs
The sweet potatoes are done when the skins are browned and crispy and the inside is soft. To test them, pierce the flesh with a fork or skewer and it should slide in easily.
Yes, definitely! The skins get nice and crispy in the air fryer so they're very tasty. Plus you'll get an extra boost of nutrients.
You can eat your sweet potatoes plain or top them with butter and a sprinkling of spices like salt, cinnamon, or even chili powder. If you have a sweet tooth, drizzle them with a little maple syrup or honey. You can also top them with savory ingredients like queso, chili, pulled chicken or pork or lentils.
You can store the cooked potatoes in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days. That way, if you're using them in a dish like sweet potato casserole, you can do this step ahead of time. You can also freeze the sweet potatoes for up to 3 months.
How to serve them
I love to keep my sweet potatoes simple and top them with a little bit of salted butter and a dusting of cinnamon. You can also add a drizzle of maple syrup or honey. However, the baked sweet potatoes are so naturally sweet, I find that they don't need any additional sweetness.
These potatoes are the perfect side dish for dinner to accompany meat, poultry or seafood. They would even be a great addition to your Thanksgiving menu. You can also use these baked sweet potatoes to make a variety of other dishes like mashed sweet potatoes, shepherd's pie or sweet potato casserole.
If you want to make these sweet potatoes into a hearty main dish, you can top them with various toppings. You'll love my delicious Barbecue Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes or Curried Coconut Lentil Stuffed Sweet Potato Bowls. Or you can top the potatoes with my Butternut Squash and Turkey Chili.
More tasty air fryer recipes
- Air Fryer Quesadillas
- Frozen Chicken Tenders or Nuggets
- Air Fryer General Tso's Chicken
- Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp
- Perfect Air Fryer Asparagus
- Spice-Rubbed Salmon
Learn how to adapt any recipe to cook in your air fryer! Read my Easy Oven to Air Fryer Conversion Guide and get my helpful conversion chart!
More tasty sweet potato recipes
- Cheesy Sweet Potato Coins with Chipotle Crema
- Sweet Potato and Kale Quesadillas
- Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole
- Ultimate Make-Ahead Breakfast Burritos
- Hasselback Sweet Potatoes
- Southwest Shepherd's Pie
- Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
- Chipotle Sweet Potato Soup
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Air Fryer Baked Sweet Potatoes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 medium sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds)
- 3 teaspoons olive oil
- Kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 390°F.
- Wash and dry the sweet potatoes. Rub the sweet potatoes all over with oil and sprinkle them with salt.
- Place them in the air fryer basket and cook 40-45 minutes until done. Turn potatoes over halfway through cooking.
- Let potatoes cool slightly. Then cut them open and serve with desired toppings like butter, cinnamon and/or maple syrup.
url says
Yummy! We love sweet potatoes, especially for Thanksgiving. I have never cooked it in my air fryer. I can't wait to try it in my fryer.
Thanks Sonali.