Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes

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!

Sweet potatoes are an easy and nutritious side dish to eat during meal time. They go well with almost any entrée. Sweet potatoes are also very easy to meal prep. They hold up well for multiple days in the refrigerator and reheat quickly in the microwave at meal times.

Ingredients Needed

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.

Let’s Make Some Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes

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. Push down with the fork about 1 cm deep. This allows steam to escape while cooking the potatoes.

Preheat the air fryer. Brush olive oil on the outside of the sweet potatoes using a pastry brush. Add the prepared sweet potatoes to the basket. The sweet potatoes should be spaced out so that they are not overlapping.

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

How Long to Cook Sweet Potatoes in the Air Fryer

Sweet potatoes 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 the sweet potatoes. Any higher temperature has made the skins too crispy.

The cooking time will vary based on the size of 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

Sweet Potato Toppings

My favorite part about sweet potatoes are the toppings! There’s 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

Sweet Potato Nutrition Information

Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of Vitamin A. According to the USDA, 1 medium sweet potato contains 368% of Daily Value of Vitamin A.

Sweet potatoes are a nutrient dense food. Providing only 120 calories per small potato, they are low in calories, yet high in nutrients. Sweet potatoes are a great source of fiber, especially if you eat the skin. They have 4 grams of fiber per serving.

Why Cook Sweet Potatoes in the Air Fryer?

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.

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.

Tips & Tricks

• 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.

Leftovers

Store the sweet potatoes in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. I like to cut the sweet potatoes in half before storing them in the refrigerator. This helps the steam escape and makes them cool down faster. Never store a hot sweet potato wrapped in foil in the refrigerator. This can cause the growth of harmful bacteria.

Reheat the sweet potatoes in the microwave or the oven. Cut the sweet potato in half length wise and sprinkle a teaspoon of water over the insides of the sweet potato to prevent it from drying out. Heat in the microwave for about 2 minutes or until steaming hot. This can also be reheated in the oven at 350F until hot.

More Vegetable Dishes

• Sweet Potato Fries
• Air Fryer Vegetable Squash
• Hawaiian Vegetables
• Sweet Potato and Ground Turkey Skillet