Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries

This air fryer sweet potato fries recipe requires a small amount of oil. The skin was crispy as if it was deep-fried! These fries are packed with nutrients and vitamins. The perfect guilt-free snacks to satisfy your cravings!

Today, I want to share another appetizer recipe you can cook in an air fryer. These air fryer sweet potato fries 🍟 are healthier alternatives to regular potato french fries. They are so tasty and crispy without deep-frying. You will end up consuming less fat and fewer calories!

Also check out these ROASTED SWEET POTATOES and INSTANT POT MASHED SWEET POTATOES recipes.

About This Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries recipe:

Ok, so I’m going to be honest with you that I went through hours and hours (more like days and days) to figure out the best way to make these sweet potato fries in the air fryer.  

After throwing out many batches of burnt fries I finally got the right crisp and consistency.

These air fryer sweet potatoes fries are deliciously seasoned and cooked at the right temperature and time. They are crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

The Best Seasoning for Fries:

I give the sweet potato fries an extra kick with a homemade seasoning spice mix made of:

• ground paprika
• garlic powder
• black pepper
• kosher salt

How to Make Crispy Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries

Step 1. Clean and cut sweet potatoes

Remove any dirt from potatoes, wash then cut the sweet potatoes into thin sticks, about ¼ inch thickness. You can peel or leave the skin on.

Step 2. Soak

Soak potatoes in cold water to remove the excess starch, from anywhere between 30 minutes to overnight.

If you are short on time, you can still cook the sweet potato fries without soaking.

Step 3. Dry

After soaking the potatoes, you need to dry them off as best you can. This extra step prevents fries from sticking together and helps achieve maximum crispness.

Step 4. Season the sweet potatoes

Place the fries in a large mixing bowl. Add spices and oil, toss to coat.

Step 5. Preheat the air fryer to 360°F.

Place the sweet potato sticks on a basket in a single layer, a maximum of 5 oz per each batch or less if you are cooking with a smaller air fryer.

Step 6. Cook

Cook for about 10-12 minutes. Shake and toss the fries every 4-5 minutes.

What Temperature Do I Need to Cook Sweet Potato Fries At?

Many of you already knew that I own two types of air fryers: The Gourmia 8 qt air fryer and the Ninja Foodi Digital Fry, Convection Oven. Both of my air fryers performed differently and cooked these fries at different times and rates.

My brand new Gourmia air fryer user manual recommends cooking fresh fries at 400°F for 8-12 minutes. I followed this recommendation many times with different thicknesses and cooking time. The result? I always ended up with burnt fries in the end.

For that reason, I highly recommend checking the product user manual for temperature and cooking setting chart as a starting point.

However, If you've followed all the directions according the user manual and still ended up with burnt and/or soggy fries as your result, don't give up! Try cooking 🍳 the fries at low temperature (360°F) as you can always increase the cooking time if necessary.

Tips for The Perfect Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries

• Cut them into thin sticks.

In order to get the perfect sweet potato fries, you first have to cut them thin enough, about ¼ inch then time it right so they’re consistently cooked with the perfect crispness. 

• Use neutral oils also tend to have higher smoke points

Such as avocado oil (refined), canola oil, peanut oil, corn oil, grapeseed oil, almond oil, and sunflower oil. These oils are better suited for cooking at higher temperatures.

• Do not overcrowd the basket.

If you want your food to cook evenly, cook it in batches!

• Always preheat the air fryer

On average, an air fryer takes less than 2 minutes to preheat. Preheating the air fryer will ensure that the food in your basket starts cooking immediately at the temperature you select.

• Shake it!

Don't forget to shake the basket or turn the sweet potatoes half-way through cooking. This extra step allows the hot air to circulate to every surface of each piece of food.

This recipe works well with fresh or frozen sweet potato fries. Just cook the frozen fries at the same temperature and increase the cooking time by 5 minutes or longer.

How to Freeze Leftover Sweet Potatoes Fries:

Store leftover sweet potato fries in a freezer bag or an airtight container. It can be frozen for up to 4 months.

I hope you will love this air fryer sweet potato fries recipe as much as I do!

CHECK OUT MORE AIR FRYER RECIPES:

• BACON WRAPPED ASPARAGUS
• OKRA (CRISPY AND NOT SLIMY)
• ZUCCHINI FRIES
• CHICKEN NUGGETS (CRISPY AND FLAVORFUL)
• CRISPY CHICKEN THIGHS
• AIR FRYER WHOLE CHICKEN (NO OIL OR BUTTER IS ADDED)