Air fryer sweet potato fries are a delicious side dish, perfect for when you’re cooking for just 1 or 2! Follow this method to perfectly cook your fries, so they are soft and sweet on the inside, with a crunchy, browned exterior. Homemade sweet potato fries are perfect with burgers and sandwiches, or as a fun game day appetizer!
Adore sweet potatoes like we do? Learn to make the perfect baked sweet potato, or get creative with this Sweet Potato Pizza!
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The Perfect Sweet Potato Side Dish
Move over baked sweet potatoes, sweet potato fries are the new go-to in our house!
I love the new trend of restaurants offering sweet potato fries in addition to the regular white potato fries. They have so much more flavor!
They are a fav of mine, and since we eat out so rarely, I will happily order and enjoy them deep fried.
At home, I like to keep things simpler (not hot oil splatters in my kitchen, please!). I perfected Baked Sweet Potato Fries a couple weeks ago, so I used a similar method to make these Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries!
Perfect Sweet Potato Fries Tips:
- Cut sweet potatoes in similar sized fry shapes, so they bake evenly.
- There is NO need to soak sweet potatoes in water prior to cooking them. The difference between soaked and un-soaked potatoes is undetectable, and I am a picky cook/eater!
- Use a light coating of starch to pull out moisture from the outside of the fries. I use arrowroot, but tapioca or organic corn starch will work!
- Give your fries ROOM to crisp up! Over crowding your pan results in steamed sweet potatoes, not crispy fries. The potatoes need air circulating around the edges to dry out and crisp up.
What You’ll Need
- Sweet Potatoes (peeled or with the peel on, it’s your choice! I leave the peel on if the potatoes are clean and fresh. If they are starting to get old, I remove the peel.)
- Avocado Oil (olive oil is my 2nd choice! Skip processed seed oils, like canola, soy, or corn oil).
- Arrowroot Powder (tapioca or organic corn starch also work)
- Sea Salt
- Paprika
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Optional Spices: Thyme, cayenne pepper, chili powder
How to Cut Sweet Potato Fries
Step 1: Peel sweet potatoes if desired, then cut the potato in half lengthwise.
Step 2: Place the halves cut side down, then cut each lengthwise into 1/2 inch strips.
Step 3: Place each strip down, and cut into equal sized fry shapes.
How to Make Sweet Potato Fries in an Air Fryer
Step 1: Combine arrowroot (or corn starch) in a bowl with fry seasonings. Stir to mix well, and set aside.
Step 2: Drizzle cut sweet potatoes with olive oil. Use hands to rub olive oil into the fries, evenly coating each one.
Step 3: Sprinkle the seasoning mixture over the sweet potatoes, and then use hands to rub the spice blend into the potatoes until no dry seasoning is left.
Step 4: Preheat the Air Fryer to 360ºF for 5 minutes. Some other recipes call for cooking them at 400º F, but in my trials, they turned easily at this high of a temperature.
Step 5: Add the sweet potatoes to the air fryer in a single layer, allowing space around the fries (do not overcrowd the pan) for air to circulate. Sweet potatoes need space to dry out to become crispy.
Step 6: Air fry the sweet potatoes for minutes, until the fries are starting to brown and are crispy around the edges. If desired, shake the air fryer basket half way through the cooking time and check they are cooking evenly. My air fryer does not need to the fries flipped over half way through, but every air fryer is different!
Cook sweet potato fries in small batches. If you overcrowd the air fryer basket, the fries will not crisp up. Invest in a larger air fryer if you find yourself cooking for a larger group of people on a consistent basis!
FAQ and Variations
How to Store Leftover Sweet Potato Fries
Store leftover sweet potato fries in an air tight container for up to 5 days. Enjoy them cold on salads, or reheat them by preheating the air fryer to 360º F, and cooking them for about 5 minutes.
How to cook Frozen Sweet Potato Fries
If you bought a bag of frozen sweet potato fries, and want to cook them in your air fryer, you can do it that way also!
Preheat the air fryer to 390º F for 5 minutes. Add the sweet potato fries, being careful not to overcrowd the pan, and cook 6-8 minutes, until the fries have begun to brown and crisp on the edges.
Alexia sweet potato fries are delicious when you need something really quick!
What if I don’t have an Air Fryer?
Hop on over to this post on Oven Baked Sweet Potato fries for a tutorial on how to cook the same delicious fries in a regular oven!
Other Air Fryer Recipes
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Crispy Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries
Ingredients
- 1 pounds sweet potatoes cut into fry shapes (peeling is optional!)
- 1/2 tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil
- 1/2 tablespoon arrowroot starch sub tapioca or organic corn starch
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the arrowroot with the spices.
- Add half of the sliced sweet potatoes to a large baking tray lined with parchment. Drizzle the fries with avocado oil (or olive oil), and use hands to rub the oil evenly into the potatoes.
- Sprinkle the sweet potatoes with the spice mixture, then use hands to rub the spice mixture into the oil, evenly coating the potatoes.
- Preheat the air fryer to 360º F for 5 minutes.
- Arrange the sweet potatoes in the air fryer basket, leaving space in between each. Allowing space around the potatoes is what crisps them up. If the sweet potatoes are crowded, they will steam instead of dry out and crisp up around the edges. You will most likely need to cook the fries in 2 batches.
- Air fry the sweet potatoes for 10-12 minutes. Shake the basket in the middle of the cooking time to ensure even browning (this is optional).
- Repeat with remaining sweet potato fries.
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