These ultra-crispy sweet potato fries are extra crispy on the outside and tender and flavorful on the inside. These fries are incredibly easy to make and turn out perfectly cooked, not greasy, and finger-licking good. Plus, they are much healthier than the deep-fried version and only use a tiny amount of olive oil. This delicious crispness only takes 10 minutes in the air fryer. I will warn you though, they are addicting!
To see the step-by-step process for how to make crispy air fryer sweet potato fries, check out my web story.
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I LOVE sweet potato fries. Anytime we go out to a restaurant, I would order these instead of regular french fries. I have been making them at home in the oven, but they always turned out more mushy than crispy. Then...I bought an air fryer.
Wow! This new appliance is so awesome! I bought a large 6 qt air fryer to make a larger amount of food with fewer batches. The first thing I made in my new air fryer was these ultra-crispy sweet potato fries. They turned out so crispy! No mush! I'm embarrassed to say I ate the first batch myself while waiting for the next batch to cook. 😉 But, seriously, they are that good.
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🍠 Ingredients
You only need a few ingredients to make these awesome fries.
- Sweet potatoes: I buy organic sweet potatoes
- Olive oil: I use organic olive oil, but avocado oil would be another great choice.
- Cornstarch: This really helps the fries to be crispy on the outside
- Seasonings: I use garlic powder, paprika, and pepper. I sprinkle some sea salt on them after they are fully cooked.
🔪 Instructions
The first thing to do is wash and peel your sweet potatoes. I used 4 medium-sized potatoes, about 1.5 pounds, to feed my family of 4. To cut the potatoes, slice them in half lengthwise with a sharp knife on a cutting board. Then cut each half in half again lengthwise. You will have 4 sections of sweet potato. Cut each section into fries. We want them to be quite small, about ¼ inch wide.
Place sweet potato fries into a large bowl, and cover with water. The water helps to draw the starch out of the potatoes. This helps the fries cook better to be ultra-crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Let them soak for a minimum of 1 hour or as long as overnight. I don't recommend skipping this step. I skipped this step to see what would happen, and they are definitely not as crispy.
Next, drain the water out and place the sweet potatoes on a towel on the counter. Pat dry with a towel. You want them to be as dry as possible.
Place sweet potatoes in a large bowl. Add about 3 teaspoon of cornstarch, ¾ teaspoon of garlic powder, ¾ teaspoon paprika, and ⅛ teaspoon of black pepper.
Use a large spoon and mix up the cornstarch and seasonings into the sweet potatoes. The white cornstarch will disappear. Next, add 3 tablespoon of olive oil, and mix it up again.
Next, preheat your air fryer. I set the temperature at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Add sweet potatoes to the basket of the air fryer. Do not overcrowd the basket. Cook in small batches so that they cook evenly and get really crispy.
Finally, set the cooking time for 10 minutes, and be sure to shake the basket halfway through, at about 5 minutes. I tried cooking these for 8 minutes, and I didn't cook them enough. I tried for 12 minutes, and they had started to burn. So, 10 minutes was the perfect cook time for me.
Please note that all air fryers do not cook the same, so the cooking time may have to be adjusted for your own air fryer.
That's it! I hope you enjoy these fries as much as we do!
💭 Top tips
- Cut the sweet potato fries into evenly sized fries, so they cook evenly.
- Next, it is important to soak the potatoes in water if you want really crispy fries.
- Make sure you dry the sweet potatoes really well after they soak in the water.
- Most importantly, do not overcrowd the basket of the air fryer. There needs to be space around the potatoes so that the fries become crispy.
- Another equally important tip is always to add the oil. The oil causes the fries to be ultra-crispy.
- Finally, make sure to shake the basket halfway through the cooking time.
- Consequently, all air fryers are not equal. If your fries are not crispy enough, put them back in for another minute or two.
📋 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Absolutely! Sweet potato fries are cooked with just a tiny bit of olive oil. Naturally, therefore, they are much lower in calories and fat than deep-fried sweet potato fries.
They are also rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. They’re also high in antioxidants and beta-carotene.
Sweet potatoes also promote good gut bacteria, contribute to a healthy gut, protect against certain cancers, and prevent vision loss and improve eye health.
Additionally, they can improve brain health by reducing inflammation and preventing mental decline.
Soaking the potatoes does something magical with the starches; the water helps to draw the starch out. This helps the fries cook better to be ultra-crispy on the outside and tender inside and prevents the fries from sticking together.
It is not necessary to peel sweet potatoes. I recommend buying organic sweet potatoes if you don't want to peel them. If you don't have organic sweet potatoes, make sure you scrub the outside of the potato really well before cutting it into fries.
Though both potatoes are part of a healthy diet, sweet potatoes are generally healthier because of their incredibly high vitamin A content. Sweet potatoes are also lower on the glycemic index than regular potatoes, meaning they are less likely to make your blood sugar spike.
📖 Variations
Change up the flavor of these sweet potato fries simply by changing the seasonings you put on. Here are some tasty ideas to try!
- Use cayenne pepper for a spicier kick.
- Try ½ teaspoon oregano
- Chili powder
- Thyme
- Smoked paprika
- Italiano seasoning
- Dill weed
🍔 What goes well with these fries?
I could eat these delicious fries for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Even as a snack! Anytime, actually. Try them with:
- Super yummy dill dip
- Air Fryer Keto Tuna Patties - Quick and Healthy
- Tender BBQ Pork Ribs in Instant Pot - From Frozen
- Insanely Good Maple-Soy Glazed Salmon
- Seriously Easy Spinach And Mushroom Omelet
- The Best Smoked Burgers
- BBQ pulled pork
⭐ More Side Dishes
If you’ve tried these Ultimate Crispy Air fryer Sweet Potato Fries or any other recipe, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. I love hearing from you!
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⭐ More Air Fryer Recipes
📋 Recipe
Ultimate Crispy Air fryer Sweet Potato Fries
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 medium sweet potatoes
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 teaspoon cornstarch
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Wash and peel your sweet potatoes. Cut the potatoes, slice them in half lengthwise with a sharp knife on a cutting board. Then cut each half in half again lengthwise. You will have 4 sections of sweet potato. Cut each section into fries. We want them to be quite small, about ¼-inch wide.
- Place sweet potato fries into a large bowl, and cover with water. Let them soak for a minimum of 1 hour or as long as overnight.
- Drain the water out and place the sweet potatoes on a towel on the counter. Pat dry with a towel. You want them to be as dry as possible.
- Place sweet potatoes in a large bowl. Add about 3 teaspoon of cornstarch, ¾ teaspoon of garlic powder, ¾ teaspoon paprika, and ⅛ teaspoon of black pepper. Use a large spoon and mix up the cornstarch and seasonings into the sweet potatoes. The white cornstarch will disappear. Add 3 tablespoon of olive oil, and mix it up again.
- Preheat your air fryer. I set the temperature at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Add sweet potatoes to the basket of the air fryer. Do not overcrowd the basket. Cook in small batches so that they cook evenly and get really crispy.
- Set the cooking time for 10 minutes, and be sure to shake the basket halfway through, at about 5 minutes.
- That's it! Serve hot and enjoy!
Notes
- Cut the sweet potato fries into evenly sized fries, so they cook evenly.
- Make sure to soak the potatoes in water if you want really crispy fries.
- Make sure you dry the sweet potatoes really well after they soak in the water.
- Do not overcrowd the basket of the air fryer. There needs to be space around the potatoes so that the fries become crispy.
- Always add the oil. The oil causes the fries to be ultra-crispy.
- Make sure to shake the basket halfway through the cooking time.
- All air fryers are not equal. If your fries are not crispy enough, put them back in for another minute or two.
Nutrition
Toni Okamoto
This is the next thing I'll be making in my airfryer!
Jeri
It's so easy to make, enjoy!
Anaiah
These sweet potato fries look amazing! Mine always turn out terrible. I never preheat my air fryer and I probably overcrowd the basket too, haha. Thanks for the tips. I'll try your way and hope it comes out better!
Jeri
Good luck, Anaiah, I have no doubt it will turn out for you! 😊
Jere Cassidy
We are sweet potato lovers in my family and always glad to have another way to make these, and now that I have an AF I need to use it.
Agnieszka | Wholly Tasteful
I loved the trick with soaking the potatoes and adding corn starch. The fries turned out absolutely perfect! Thanks for the recipe.
Kay
I love sweet potato fries! The mix of herbs you have used for seasoning them is fabulous!
Oscar
I love using the air fryer to make these sweet potatoes. Great idea, they turned out amazing.
Addie
These are my favorite! So crispy and delicious!