Since I got my air fryer, I rarely turn on my big oven anymore. Especially in the summer when my kitchen is super hot, even with the AC on. When you cook with an air fryer, you can cook a dish really fast and the air fryer doesn’t heat up the room too much. Today I want to introduce another one of my favorite recipes – air fryer sweet potato fries. When cooked in the air fryer, these sweet potato fries will crisp up nicely on the outside and the inside will be tender and sweet. The oil required is much less than for deep-frying, and the cooking process is less messy. I like to spice up my sweet potato fries with a mixture of Chinese chili flakes and a pinch of five spice powder. They balance with the sweetness of the sweet potato and make the dish extra appetizing!
The best sweet potato for air fryer sweet potatoes fries
The Beauregard sweet potato, the most common sweet potato in the US, is the best one for air fryer sweet potato fries. It has a reddish skin and its flesh is orange. When you visit a grocery store in the US, you might also come across Jewel sweet potatoes. They look similar to the Beauregard type, but with a copper colored skin and pale orange flesh. Even though I like the taste of this sweet potato, I found their texture a bit too dry for air fryer sweet potato fries. Also, I do not recommend using Asian sweet potatoes. Even though I love Japanese sweet potatoes (the ones with red skin and white-ish flesh) when it’s baked, the mouth feel is way too dry when air fried.
How to make air fryer sweet potato fries
Making sweet potato fries is super easy.
Cooking tips
Leave the skin on
Leaving the skin on will help the sweet potatoes keep their shape and make the texture even crispier. Not to mention that the skin part of the sweet potato contains even more nutrients than the flesh does.
How to cut the sweet potatoes
My favorite way to cut perfect evenly sized fries is to slice off the pointed ends of the sweet potatoes. Then slice them into 1/2” (1 cm) thick pieces, and then into sticks. Sweet potatoes shrink quite a bit, so I usually keep my fries on the slightly thicker end so they keep their shape once cooked. You can cut them thinner too if you like skinnier fries. But remember, sweet potato fries will always be a bit softer than potato fries. When you cut them too thin, the fries might be floppy once they’re cooked.
Use generous amounts of oil
By a generous amount, I mean that 1 tablespoon of oil is plenty for 1 big sweet potato. Halfway through the cooking, you should check on them and spray a bit more oil onto them if needed. Sweet potato fries require a bit more oil to crisp up properly and the inside to remain moist during cooking.
Adjust cooking time accordingly
Depending on the type of air fryer you use, you might find that the cooking time varies slightly. I use a Cuisinart Air Fryer Toaster Oven currently. It is quite powerful and sometimes it needs less time. When you’re using an air fryer recipe, always check on your food a few times during cooking, and slightly adjust the cooking time according to the best results in your situation.
Afterthoughts
I’ve cooked a lot of air fryer sweet potato fries and I’ve tried out all kinds of temperature settings. I found that higher temperatures like 400°F (200°C) are too high. The sweet potato fries will char too quickly and the inside will be a bit dry. Low temperatures such as 300°F (148°C) are too low for the fries to crisp up. I found that 350°F (176°C) is a sweet spot, where there is enough time for the inside to cook to develop the sweet taste, and the outside to crisp up. Again, when you’re cooking with an air fryer, always observe and see what cooking temperature and time works best for you.
More air fryer recipes
Air Fryer Salt and Pepper ChickenAir Fryer Garlic Ribs (蒜香排骨)Air Fryer Fries with Spice MixAir Fryer Tofu with Broccoli and Carrot
