These Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes beat out all the other ways to cook a sweet potato! They come out perfectly tender on the inside and have an incredible savory and sweet flavor. It’s one of the easiest side dishes you’ll ever make!
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The Best Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes
We love any method for cooking sweet potatoes that’s quick, easy, and mess-free. Lately, this recipe for baked sweet potatoes in the air fryer has de-throned the oven and Instant Pot as the best way to cook our favorite spud! Air fryer sweet potatoes are soft, fluffy, melt-in-you-mouth tender and full of sweet and savory flavor. Just like an air fryer baked potato, this method does an amazing job of crisping up the outsides while cooking the insides perfectly. You’re going to LOVE serving these sweet potatoes as a side dish or using them in your favorite sweet potato recipes.
Looking for more easy ways to cook sweet potatoes? Try roasted sweet potatoes or boiled sweet potatoes!
Why This Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes Recipe Works
- Quick and easy. All you need is one ingredient, sweet potatoes! This recipe only takes a few minutes to prep and then it’s mostly hands-free. We’re all about keeping it simple and delicious.
- Versatile. When these sweet potatoes are done, you can peel them for mashing, or keep them whole to enjoy as is. Air fryer sweet potatoes are such a versatile recipe!
- Topping-friendly. Perfectly cooked sweet potatoes are delicious on their own, but the kids LOVE adding toppings so we usually go that route. Top them with sour cream, chives, bacon, or any of your favorite baked potato toppings.
Is Sweet Potato Healthier Than Regular Potato?
Both sweet potatoes and regular white potatoes are healthy root veggies that we love to have on our table! In terms of nutrition, sweet potatoes are often viewed as the healthier option. However, you’d be surprised to know that it’s actually a pretty tight race. Potatoes and sweet potatoes share similar amounts of carbs, fiber, protein, and vitamins B6 and C. While white potatoes are higher in potassium, sweet potatoes are higher in vitamin A (Healthline).
How to Make Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes
The steps to make a perfect baked sweet potato in the air fryer are super simple. Here’s what you need to do:
- Prep the potatoes. While the air fryer preheats, rinse and dry the sweet potatoes and poke a few holes in the skins with a fork. These holes give the hot steam somewhere to escape.
- Cook. Add the sweet potatoes to the air fryer and cook them at 375ºF for 45 minutes. The sweet potatoes are done when they are easily pierced with a fork. We recommend letting the sweet potatoes rest for about 5 minutes before serving.
How Long Does It Take to Air Fry a Sweet Potato?
Air frying sweet potatoes is faster than baking them in the oven. It takes approximately 40-50 minutes to cook sweet potatoes in the air fryer at 375ºF, compared to an hour or longer in the oven (see our post on baked sweet potatoes).
Tips for Success
Follow these tips and your sweet potatoes will turn out perfectly every single time.
- Preheat the air fryer. Preheating and optimal cooking time is important for the best baked sweet potatoes.
- Rinse and dry the potatoes. Make sure to dry them off well, as the skin will get nice and crispy when it’s dry going into the air fryer.
- Pierce the skins with a fork. Poking the sweet potatoes a few times makes the skin lift away from the flesh of the potato, and makes them easier to serve and peel if needed.
- Don’t overcrowd the air fryer basket. I can easily cook 4 to 5 medium-sized sweet potatoes in my 8 quart air fryer. Be mindful that you adjust the number of potatoes depending on the size of your fryer. Overcrowding causes the potatoes to steam, and the skins won’t get as crispy.
- Time the potatoes based on their size. We used small to medium-sized potatoes and in 45 minutes they were perfect. If the potatoes are not ready after 45 minutes, add another 5 minutes and check again.
- Don’t worry about wrapping them in foil. There’s no need to wrap your potatoes with foil when cooking them in the air fryer. They don’t tend to leak like they sometimes do in the oven. All of the flavor and sweetness stays right inside the potatoes!
- Use another type of potato. Yams also work great, but you can also play around with white and yellow potatoes, too.
Ways to Serve Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes
Perfectly cooked sweet potatoes are the best healthy side dish. Here is what we like to serve them with.
- Chicken. Some of our favorite chicken dishes to serve with sweet potatoes are baked chicken legs, lemon pepper chicken, and juicy roasted citrus chicken.
- Pork. Air fryer pork chops or pan-fried pork chops are quick and delicious mains. Pulled pork also makes a great topping for sweet potatoes!
- Beef. Crockpot shredded beef is great to serve on the side or on top of sweet potatoes. We also love serving Instant Pot beef tips on the side for a hearty, but healthy, dinner.
- Toppings. In addition to butter and sour cream, add fresh herbs like thyme or rosemary, green onions, crushed pecans, or crisp up some bacon to sprinkle over top. We also recommend giving your sweet potatoes a Tex-Mex twist with our best ever taco meat.
- Marshmallows. We love to stuff our sweet potatoes with marshmallows and pop them back in the air fryer to get the topping toasted and melty. Like a mini sweet potato casserole!
- Mashed. Turn your freshly air fried sweet potatoes into creamy mashed sweet potatoes for another take on this easy side dish.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- To store. Store leftover sweet potatoes in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for up to 5 days.
- Reheat. Reheat these sweet potatoes in the air fryer for the best-tasting results. They only take about 5 minutes at 375ºF. Alternatively, you can use the microwave.
- To freeze. You can freeze cooked sweet potatoes in a plastic freezer-friendly bag for up to 3 months. We suggest thawing them in the refrigerator overnight before reheating them in the air fryer.
More Easy Sweet Potato Recipes
- Sweet Potato Soufflé
- Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows
- Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
- Candied Sweet Potatoes with Pecans
Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 medium sweet potatoes
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 375°F.
- While the air fryer is preheating, rinse and dry the sweet potatoes. Use a fork to a few holes on all sides of the potatoes.
- Place the potatoes into the air fryer basket and cook on 375°F for 45 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. If your potatoes are large, you will need an additional 10 to 15 minutes of cooking time.
- Let the potatoes rest for 5 minutes before serving.
