Love vegetables in the air fryer? Try my air fryer carrots, air fryer French fries, and air fryer cauliflower. You may already be familiar with my air fryer sweet potato fries, but have you tried using it to bake a whole sweet potato? It tastes like classic oven-baked sweet potatoes but cooks in a fraction of the time!
Why I love this recipe
Quick and easy. Flip, wait, flip, and that’s it! In less than twenty minutes, the potatoes are cooked to golden perfection. Healthier. Compared to oil and butter roasted potatoes, these have a fraction of the calories! Also, sweet potatoes are packed with fiber, vitamins, minerals, slow releasing carbohydrates, and tons of potassium (source). Versatile. Like air fryer baked potato, these make a fabulous side dish Perfect texture. Crispy skin with a soft and creamy inside.
Ingredients needed
No need to go to the grocery store with a lengthy ingredient list, with just some basics, probably already available in your pantry. Here is what you’ll need:
Sweet potatoes. When choosing sweet potatoes, look for ones with firm skin and very few, if any, wrinkles. In terms of types, I’ve successfully made these with orange garnet potatoes, Japanese sweet potatoes, and even Beauregard. Olive oil or avocado oil. I tested these with some butter rubbed on them and preferred the oil. Use the butter as a topping! Salt and pepper. To taste. Toppings. Anything and everything. Keep things sweet with cinnamon, maple syrup, and butter, or go the savory route with some sour cream, cheese, black beans, salsa, and chives. Of course, nothing beats a sprinkle of pecans, mini marshmallows, and brown sugar.
How to make baked sweet potatoes in the air fryer
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Step 1- Prep work. Start by poking holes in sweet potatoes with a fork. Then, toss them in olive oil, salt, and pepper before air frying. Step 2- Air fry. Next, put them in the air fryer basket and cook for 18-20 minutes or until they are fork-tender. Step 3- Slice and serve. Finally, cut in the middle to release some steam. Add some butter and/or your favorite toppings.
Recipe tips and variations
Shake the air fryer several times during the cooking process so all sides of the sweet potato are evenly cooked. Don’t overcrowd the air fryer. If needed, I suggest air-frying the potatoes in batches. You must poke holes in the sweet potatoes to prevent them from bursting in the air fryer (trust me, it isn’t fun!). Wrapping sweet potatoes in tin foil is a fabulous idea when oven-baking, but they actually don’t work well for the air fryer. It softens the skin, which in turn yields soggy sweet potatoes.
Storage instructions
To store: Put the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. The ideal temperature to bake the sweet potatoes is 200C/400F. Cooking time may vary, though, based on how big or small the sweet potatoes are. Also, take into consideration if you choose to dice or cube them, too. Here is a rundown for them depending on how you cut them:
Diced sweet potatoes – 7 to 12 minutes Cubed sweet potatoes – 12 to 15 minutes Whole sweet potatoes – 20 to 50 minutes
To freeze: Place the cooked and cooled potatoes in a ziplock bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheating: Ideally, reheat the sweet potatoes in the air fryer, but they are fine in the microwave too.
More air fryer recipes to try
Air fryer brussels sprouts Air fryer broccoli Air fryer frozen green beans Air fryer asparagus Air fryer buffalo cauliflower Air fryer zucchini
Originally published September 2022, updated and republished March 2024 I often air fryer sweet potatoes to use in many of my desserts. Cool the sweet potatoes, remove the skins, then mash them. From there, you can use them in tons of my sweet potato recipes, like healthy sweet potato casserole, vegan sweet potato pie, sweet potato pancakes, or sweet potato brownies.
