Home » Recipes » Air Fryer

How to Make Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Read my disclosure policy.

These tasty air fryer sweet potato fries are a fun and healthy alternative to french fries. Plus they just taste delicious! Making them in an air fryer allows you to enjoy sweet potato fry taste at home with fewer calories and less guilt.

Homemade sweet potato fries are delicious! They are crispy outside and tender on the inside.

Save This Recipe Form

Want To Save This Recipe?

Enter your email below & I will send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get great new recipes each week!

They are also much healthier than making standard french fries, since sweet potatoes have more fiber and more vitamin A and C.

Love sweet potatoes? Check out my recipes for air fryer sweet potatoes and air fryer twice baked sweet potatoes!

The high heat of the air fryer means you can cook these sweet potato fries without the mess, hassle and calories of deep frying.

three metal bins with air fryer sweet potato fries and dipping sauce

Air Fried vs Deep Fried

These homemade sweet potato fries are tasty, but they aren’t going to taste like they were deep fried. It is just not possible to get the same level of crispiness with an air fryer.

Deep fried sweet potato fries also absorb a lot of oil, so they will have a lot more fat and calories than these air fryer ones. So you sacrifice a small amount of taste for a huge health benefit.

Plus realistically not many people are going to deep fry at home anyway – I certainly never have. Big pots of hot oil are messy and dangerous. A better comparison is air frying or baking the fries in the oven.

top view of sweet potato fries with sauce

Air Fried vs Oven Baked

Air fryer sweet potato fries do taste better than oven baked sweet potato fries. The hot air blowing around the fries cooks them more quickly, which makes the crispier.

The nutrition of the two will be very similar. You could take this recipe and bake the fries in a regular oven if you wanted to.

Find More Air Fryer Recipes!

Ingredients

To make air fryer sweet potato fries you need:

ingredients for sweet potato fries - sweet potates, oil and seasoning
  • Sweet Potatoes – Pick sweet potatoes which are about 3-4 inches long since the length of the sweet potato determines the length of the fries.
  • Olive Oil – The air fryer allows you to use less oil than deep frying, but not no oil. If you want crispy fries you need some oil.
  • Seasoning – Salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder are the seasonings used here. I give some seasoning variation ideas at the end of this post.

Step by Step Directions

1. Prepare the Sweet Potatoes

Wash and dry the sweet potatoes and cut them into french fry sized pieces. The thinner the sweet potato fries are the crispier they will get. There is no need to peel the sweet potatoes.

slicing the sweet potatoes

I like to cut them into pieces that are 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch thick. Try to make the pieces uniform so they all cook at about the same rate.

2. Season the Sweet Potatoes

Preheat the air fryer to 400 F. Some air fryer recipes don’t need preheat, but you will get more predictable and consistent results if you preheat it for this recipe.

adding seasoning to fries in a bowl

Put the sweet potato fries in a bowl and drizzle them with the olive oil. Then add the salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder. Toss everything together to coat the fries with the seasoning.

3. Cook the Sweet Potato Fries

Spray the air fryer basket with a little bit of olive oil so the fries won’t stick to the bottom. Then add the fries to the basket, being careful to allow space for the air to circulate.

The air fryer works by blowing air, so if you cover all the holes in the basket with fries they won’t cook well and won’t get crispy. Over crowding the basket is the most common mistake when making fries in the air fryer!

sweet potato fries in air fryer before cooking

So cook the sweet potato fries in batches if you need to. Add just enough to the basket so they cover most of the bottom but don’t overlap and don’t stack them.

Cook them at 400 F for 10 minutes. After 5 minutes pull the basket out and shake it to redistribute the fries or flip them over with tongs. This will help them cook evenly.

4. Check the Fries

After the 10 minutes are up check the fries. When they are done they will look a little wrinkled and be starting to get dark brown at the edges. You can always taste one if you aren’t sure!

cooked sweet potato fries in air fryer

The cooking time will vary based on your specific air fryer and how thick the fries were cut. If they aren’t done put them back in the air fryer at 400 F for another 1-5 minutes, until they are done.

Watch them carefully because they can go from not done to burnt quickly. Once you have made these fries once you will have a better idea of exactly how long they will take to cook in your air fryer.

Keep the Fries Warm

If you are making the fries in batches you can store them in the oven at 220 F while you finish making a second batch. That will keep them warm without over cooking them.

close up of sweet potato fries with dipping sauce

Serving

These sweet potato fries will taste like crispy sweet potatoes and are amazing for dipping. They go well with a burger for a quick and easy dinner that is easier than getting take out!

Seasoning Variations

Sweet potato fries are delicious with a number of different spicing variations. This recipe has a very basic seasoning mixture, but you can do something sweet or spicy if you prefer. Here are some suggestions:

  • Cajun – Season the fries with 2 teaspoons of Cajun seasoning.
  • Southwestern – Combine 1 teaspoon each of chili powder, garlic powder and cumin.
  • Sweet – Mix together 1 teaspoon of brown sugar with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg.
  • Old Bay – Use 2 teaspoons of Old Bay seasoning on the fries. This is my son’s favorite!
sweet potato fries ready to be dipped into sauces

Dips for Sweet Potato Fries

I usually eat my sweet potato fries plain, but I know for some people dips are an essential part of any french fry! These fries are perfect for dipping into ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise or fry sauce.

Spicy chipolte ketchup makes a quick and easy alternative to boring ketchup. And if I am going to be decadent these fries are delicious topped off with cheese sauce and jalapenos for tasty cheese fries!

Find More Air Fryer Recipes

sweet potato fries ready to be dipped into sauces
4.56 from 84 votes

Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries

Published By Anne
These tasty air fryer sweet potato fries are a fun and healthy alternative to french fries.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Servings: 6
Print Save Rate Pin

Ingredients
 

  • 2-3 Sweet Potatoes
  • 2-3 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

  • Clean the sweet potatoes and pat them dry. Slice them into long and skinny french fry pieces about 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch wide. Thinner fries will be crispier.
  • Preheat the air fryer to 400 F.
  • Spray a little bit of olive oil on the air fryer basket to coat the bottom. This is separate from the 2-3 Tablespoons called for in the recipe.
  • Put the sweet potato pieces in a bowl. Drizzle them with the oil, then add the salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder.
  • Toss everything so the fries are coated with the oil and seasonings.
  • Put the sweet potato fries in the air fryer basket, leaving room for the air to circulate. You might need to cook these in batches, depending on the size of your air fryer.
  • Cook at 400 F for 10 minutes. Halfway through take the basket out and shake it or flip the fries over.
  • After 10 minutes check the fries. They are done when they are wrinkled and just starting to get dark brown on the edges.
  • If they need more time put them back in for another 1-5 minutes. The cooking time will depend on how thick the fries are and your air fryer’s wattage.
  • Continue to cook another batch of fries. You can store the fries in a 220 F oven to keep them warm while you make more batches.

Video

Notes

Switch up the seasoning for different flavors. Use 2 teaspoons of cinnamon for sweet fries or 2 teaspoons of chili powder for spicy fries.

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Recommended Products

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1g | Calories: 169kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Sodium: 296mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g

Nutrition facts are estimates.

Enjoy this recipe?Follow Family Friendly Foods on Facebook
air fryer sweet potato fries in baskets
These tasty air fryer sweet potato fries are a fun and healthy alternative to french fries. Plus they just taste delicious! Making them in an air fryer allows you to enjoy sweet potato fry taste at home with fewer calories and less guilt.
anne

Hi, I’m Anne!

I love to cook and I want to share my recipes with you. I believe cooking should be approachable and fun, not a chore. I want to make simple recipes using everyday ingredients that you can make again and again, whether it is for a busy weeknight, a summer cookout or a special dessert. Read more...

6 thoughts on “How to Make Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries”

  1. Just made for the first time and these are awesome ! We did the Southwestern and I would love to try the Old Bay next ! Easy so anyone can do these. I will probably try some of my own seasoning too and use less oil.
    Has anyone tried another kind of oil?

    Reply
    • Coconut oil. If you like both white and sweet potato fries, cook white potatoes 2-3 min then add sweet potatoes, they cook faster. Hubby likes white, I prefer sweet potato I season right after I dump them out for serving.

      Reply
  2. 5 stars
    Made the sweet potato fries and followed the ingredients and instructions as written. I also made your fry sauce. We loved it especially with the fries. I’ll be checking out your other recipes.

    Thanks

    Reply

Leave a Comment

Recipe Rating