If you love sweet potatoes, you’ll love these crispy sweet potato fries. In fact, even if you don’t love sweet potatoes, I bet you’ll love air fryer sweet potato fries. They’re veggie candy! Orange, sweet, crunchy bits of deliciousness — how can you resist them? How long it takes: 20 minutes to soak, 20 minutes to fry Equipment you’ll need: sharp knife, bowl, air fryer Servings: 3 Sweet potato fries are great just plain but why not make them really special? Offer a couple of your favorite dips: French fry sauce, BBQ sauce, cherry chipotle BBQ sauce, jalapeño ranch dip, or be a little daring, and dip them in healthy Green Goddess dressing. Wow!
About these air fryer Fries
A plain sweet potato is inexpensive. Why buy expensive frozen sweet potato fries when you can easily make them from scratch in your air fryer? All you need are just a few ingredients and an air fryer. Homemade sweet potato fries are healthier. A bag of a popular brand of sweet potato fries has stuff in it that will have you scratching your head in puzzlement. Why all the additives? Sweet Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (Contains One or More of the Following: High Oleic Canola, Canola, Sunflower), Rice Flour, Cane Sugar, Tapioca Starch, Corn Starch, Dextrin, Sea Salt, Spice, Salad Mustard Powder (Distilled Vinegar, Mustard Seed, Salt, Turmeric, Paprika), Gluconic Acid, Xanthan Gum. I’ll choose wholesome (and cheap!) sweet potatoes, healthy olive oil, salt and pepper any day!
Ingredient Notes
The ingredient list is very simple. You’ll also need an air fryer.
Sweet Potatoes: You can peel them, or just give them a good scrub. Cut into quarter-inch strips (like French fries). A sharp knife is helpful for cutting the fries because the thinner you cut them, the more surface area there is for maximum crispiness. A mandolin works great, too. Just watch the fingers! Olive Oil: You only need half tablespoon! You can also use avocado oil, melted coconut oil, or cooking spray. Salt and Pepper: For the basic fries, just grab salt and pepper. Check out the “make it your own” section for other seasoning tips.
Ways to Change Up Sweet Potato Fries
Make sweet potato chips, chunks, or wedges. Keep in mind that thinner cuts will cook more quickly, and thicker cuts will take longer. Prefer no oil? Just omit the olive oil and spray the air fryer rack lightly with cooking spray so the fries don’t stick. Season the fries: Add garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, chili powder, or smoked paprika, to taste. Grated Parmesan cheese is good, too. Try Cajun seasoning or southwest spice blend. Looking for a different way to cook sweet potatoes? Air fryer sweet potato hash with candied bacon is super tasty. We love oven roasted sweet potatoes, too. If you like sweet potatoes, be sure to take a look at my list of 25 easy sweet potato recipes. Rather have regular potatoes? Try air fryer French Fries or air fryer potatoes. You can also make “fries” with carrots. Try air fryer carrots cut into thin sticks.
Make-Ahead Ideas
To get a head start on things, cut sweet potatoes ahead of time and soak in water overnight. Drain and dry well before air frying. Or prepare sweet potato fries completely and freeze in storage containers or freezer bags until ready to use. Reheat as directed.
Storage & Reheating Tips
Refrigerate/Freeze: Air fryer sweet potato fries can be stored in the fridge, wrapped well, for three to four days. You can also freeze fries for up to one month. Reheating: For best results, reheat sweet potato fries, whether frozen or refrigerated, in your air fryer. Preheat the air fryer to 350°F, and place the fries on the rack in a single layer. Reheat three to six minutes until hot and crispy. The cooking time will vary depending on whether the fries are frozen, and how thick the fries are.
