• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Pinch of Wellness
  • Breakfast
  • Main Entrees
  • Side Dishes
  • Snacks
  • Desserts
  • Wellness
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipe Index
  • Fall Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Recipes

    Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes

    Published: Mar 13, 2021 · Modified: Sep 9, 2023 by Ashlee Welter · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads · 4 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    These air fryer sweet potatoes are the perfect recipe for your next holiday gathering or for an easy side dish option! With only 2 ingredients, they can be made in under 40 minutes and yield a perfectly tender and delicious sweet potato!

    sweet potato on a plate topped with butter and cinnamon.

    Cooking whole sweet potatoes in the air fryer is an easy, mess-free way to cook a sweet potato. Simply pop them in the air fryer, set the timer, and come back about 40 minutes later to a tender and soft sweet potato! Pair them with some buffalo chicken thighs or air fryer tilapia for a quick and easy meal.

    After you make this recipe, be sure to check out my other sweet potato recipes! My family loves these oven-baked sweet potato slices, healthy sweet potato fries and this sweet potato and ground turkey skillet!

    Jump to:
    • Reasons to Love This Recipe
    • Ingredients Needed
    • How To Pick A Good Sweet Potato
    • Recommended Toppings
    • Step by Step Instructions
    • Cooking Times
    • Expert Tips
    • Serving Suggestions
    • More Vegetable Dishes
    • Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes

    Reasons to Love This Recipe

    Cooking a whole sweet potato in the air fryer creates a crispy skin with a soft and tender inside. This is perfect if you are only needing to cook a small batch of sweet potatoes and don’t want to turn on the oven. It is also great if you are cooking a piece of meat in the air fryer and want to throw in a sweet potato along with the meat.

    • Sweet potatoes are an easy and nutritious side dish to eat during mealtime. They are loaded with Vitamin A!
    • Sweet potatoes pair well with almost any entrée. You can serve them as a side, or top them with bbq meat, such as in this bbq chicken and sweet potato recipe!
    • Sweet potatoes are also very easy to meal prep or batch cook. They hold up well for multiple days in the refrigerator and reheat quickly in the microwave at meal times.

    Ingredients Needed

    sweet potato ingredients sitting on a counter with blue cloth.

    Sweet Potatoes- choose a medium-sized sweet potato. If using two sweet potatoes, choose an appropriate size so that the sweet potatoes can fit in the air fryer without touching each other. Yams can also be used.

    Olive Oil – used to brush on the skin of the sweet potato. Canola oil can be substituted.

    See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

    How To Pick A Good Sweet Potato

    • Choose a sweet potato that does not have any large bruises, cracks or blemishes.
    • Avoid sweet potatoes that have a wrinkled skin.
    • Look for a sweet potato that does not have long vines or strings attached.
    • Pick a sweet potato that is a red/orange color as this version is known to be more moist. The tan/purple colored sweet potatoes are a more dry potato.

    Recommended Toppings

    My favorite part about sweet potatoes is the toppings! There are so many different ingredients that can be added to the top of a sweet potato. Sweet potatoes are versatile and can be topped with either sweet toppings or savory toppings.

    • Butter
    • Honey
    • Cinnamon
    • Syrup
    • Chopped Walnuts
    • Marshmallows
    • BBQ Chicken
    • Taco Meat
    • Salt, pepper and butter

    Step by Step Instructions

    step by step process shots of how to make sweet potatoes.

    Step 1: Scrub the sweet potatoes with a vegetable brush to remove any dirt. Run under warm water. Using a fork, pierce the sweet potato about 10 different times throughout the entire potato. This allows steam to escape while cooking the potatoes.

    Step 2: Preheat the air fryer. Brush olive oil outside the sweet potatoes using a pastry brush.

    Step 3: Add the prepared sweet potatoes to the basket. The sweet potatoes should be spaced out so that they are not overlapping.

    Step 4: Cook for 40 minutes. Sweet potatoes are done when a knife can be poked through the center and they are soft.

    Cooking Times

    The sweet potato's cook time will vary based on the brand of air fryer used and depending on the cooking temperature. I have found that 375F is the best temperature to cook sweet potatoes. Any higher temperature has made the skins too crispy.

    The cooking time will vary based on the size of the sweet potato used. Below are some common cook times that I have been successful with. Check to see if the sweet potato is done by sticking a knife in the middle to check if it is tender.

    Small Sweet Potato: 35 minutes at 375F
    Medium Sized Sweet Potato: 40 minutes at 375F
    Large Sized Sweet Potato: 45-50 minutes at 375F

    Air Fryer Whole Sweet Potatoes on a plate with butter, cinnamon and honey. Spoon and brown sugar in the background.

    Expert Tips

    • Poke holes in the sweet potatoes with a fork before cooking. This helps the steam escape and the potato to cook evenly.
    • Fluff the sweet potato with a fork before adding your toppings.
    • Flip the sweet potatoes halfway through cooking to prevent them from burning.
    • Use a medium-sized sweet potato. A smaller or larger sweet potato will need an adjusted cooking time.
    • Store leftover sweet potatoes in the refridgerator for up to 4 days. Cut the sweet potatoes in half before storing them in the refrigerator. This helps the steam escape and makes them cool down faster.

    Serving Suggestions

    • Pair as a side dish to a main entrée, such as this hot honey chicken, spicy adobo chicken, chicken pancit or honey chipotle chicken.
    • Mash the sweet potato and serve it on an egg white wrap with butter and honey.
    • Use the sweet potato as a base - top with asian turkey meatballs or air fryer turkey meatballs. It would also be great under some spicy southwest chicken salad.
    • Add protein by topping with bbq chicken. Here's an easy recipe for bbq chicken stuffed sweet potatoes.
    Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes on a plate topped with  butter, honey and cinnamon.

    More Vegetable Dishes

    • Creamy Spaghetti Squash
    • Air Fryer Butternut Squash
    • Healthy Butternut Squash Casserole
    • Hawaiian Roasted Vegetables
    Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes

    Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes

    Ashlee Welter
    This recipe for air fryer sweet potatoes makes a delicious sweet potato that has a soft and tender inside and a crispy outside.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 40 minutes mins
    Total Time 45 minutes mins
    Course Side Dish
    Cuisine American
    Servings 2
    Calories 203 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 medium sweet potatoes
    • ½ tsp olive oil

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat the air fryer to 375F.
    • Scrub the sweet potatoes to remove any dirt. Pat dry with a paper towel.
    • Use a fork to pierce holes in the sweet potato in about 10 different spots.
    • Use a pastry brush to brush olive oil lightly onto the sweet potato.
    • Once the air fryer has preheated, place the sweet potatoes in the air fryer basket.
    • Cook for 40 minutes, flipping halfway through.
    • Sweet potatoes are done when they are tender in the center. Test this by sticking a knife in the center of the potato. Remove and serve warm. Enjoy!

    Notes

    Cooking times may vary based on the size of sweet potato used: 
    • small sweet potato: cook for 35 minutes
    • medium sweet potato: cook for 40 minutes
    • large sweet potato: cook for 45-50 minutes
    More Tips: 
    • Do not stack sweet potatoes or overcrowd the air fryer. 
    • Flip the sweet potatoes halfway through cooking to prevent them from burning.
    • Use a medium-sized sweet potato. A smaller or larger sweet potato will need an adjusted cooking time.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 203kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 124mg | Potassium: 762mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 9g
    Tried this recipe?Mention @pinchofwellness or tag #pinchofwellness!
    Tweet
    Pin
    Share

    More Recipes

    • Almond Flour Peanut Butter Cookies
    • Frozen Salmon In The Air Fryer
    • Mexican Chicken Marinade
    • Healthy Taco Soup

    Subscribe

    to Pinch of Wellness today!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Dylan Mcpheron

      September 17, 2022 at 4:54 pm

      Hi! I realize this is kind of off-topic however I needed to ask. Does running a well-established blog like yours take a large amount of work? I am brand new to blogging however I do write in my journal every day. I'd like to start a blog so I can easily share my personal experience and feelings online. Please let me know if you have any kind of suggestions or tips for new aspiring bloggers. Thankyou!

      Reply
      • Ashlee Welter

        September 17, 2022 at 7:07 pm

        If you are interested, definitely go for it!

        Reply
    2. Maggie

      March 14, 2021 at 1:37 pm

      5 stars
      Yummy! Great idea to use the air fryer to cook the sweet potato. I appreciate the suggestions of the various toppings. Terrific ideas! Thank you!

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    ashlee welter pinch of wellness

    Hi, I'm Ashlee! I'm a Registered Dietitian with over 10 years of experience in nutrition, cooking, and health! I am an expert in developing gluten free and healthy recipes!

    More about me!

    as featured in

    Top Healthy Recipes

    • Teriyaki Salmon Bowl
    • Healthy Philly Cheesesteak Skillet (Low Carb)
    • Air Fryer Cauliflower Bites
    • Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Tenders
    • Healthy Gluten Free Sweet and Sour Chicken
    • Healthy Spaghetti Sauce
    • Healthy Spinach Artichoke Dip
    • BBQ Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

    Thanksgiving Favorites

    • Easy Gluten Free Scalloped Potatoes
    • The Best Gluten Free Pumpkin Cookies
    • Healthy Apple Dip
    • Low Sugar Cranberry Sauce
    • Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread
    • Healthy Pumpkin Smoothie
    • Oven Baked Sweet Potato Slices
    • Soft Gluten Free Ginger Cookies

    Popular

    • Chili Flakes vs. Red Pepper Flakes
    • Chicken vs. Tofu (A Nutritional Comparison
    • Recipes with Frozen Cherries
    • Chicken Pancit

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Footer

    as featured in footer 360x200
    • About Me
    • Accessibility

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Disclosure
    • Contact
    • Work With Me

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2023 Pinch of Wellness LLC

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT