These air fryer sweet potato fries are perfectly seasoned, quick to cook, and delicious as an easy side dish or appetizer. This recipe uses a simple pre-soaking technique for the crispiest fries ever. You’ll want to make them all the time!
Sweet and creamy inside, crispy and seasoned outside, these air fryer sweet potatoes are the only side I want with my burgers this summer. Tossed with olive oil, salt, and simple seasonings, they’re uncomplicated and delicious. I even love these as a quick homemade snack or appetizer, dipped in everything from ketchup to spicy mayo. You can adapt the seasoning any way you like, and the air fryer method makes it super easy to get the perfect crunch!
Why You Should Cook Sweet Potato Fries in Your Air Fryer
Extra crispy. Soaking the cut sweet potatoes in salt water is the secret to the best homemade sweet potato fries. It’s a hands-free extra step that makes the finished fries crisper and more flavorful.
Quick. After the soaking step, these sweet potato fries take all of 13 minutes to cook in the air fryer. It’s a quicker, lighter, and mess-free alternative to deep frying. Not to mention, there’s a LOT less oil involved.
Freeze them for later. Once the fries have cooled, you can stash them in the freezer and reheat them in the air fryer for easy sides down the road. You’ll never buy frozen fries again!
What You’ll Need
You really only need one main ingredient to make sweet potato fries, and that’s sweet potatoes! I include some quick recipe notes below. Scroll down to the recipe card for a printable ingredients list with amounts and recipe instructions.
Sweet Potatoes – Choose medium to large-sized sweet potatoes that are similar in length. Peeling the potatoes is optional. I peel them for this recipe, but if you prefer a more rustic sweet potato fry, go ahead and leave the skins on.
Olive Oil – You can also use another cooking oil, like avocado oil or canola.
Seasoning – Garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. You’ll need additional salt for soaking the cut fries, too. More on this in a minute.
How to Make Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries
I highly recommend that you plan to soak the potatoes before you fry them (more on this in a minute). It’s the difference between really good sweet potato fries and GREAT sweet potato fries in the air fryer. Follow the easy steps below and scroll to the recipe card for the printable instructions.
Cut the sweet potatoes into fries.Soak the fries for 30 minutes.
Prepare the sweet potatoes. Start by peeling the sweet potatoes and trimming the ends. Then, slice each potato into ¼” fries. I find it’s easiest to slice the potato in half first, to make a flat surface.
Soak the fries. Next, dissolve 1 ½ teaspoons of salt into a bowl of cold water. Add the fries, and leave them to soak in the brine for 30 minutes. Afterward, drain the potatoes and pat them dry.
Toss with seasonings.Air fry.
Add seasoning. Toss the dried fries first with olive oil, then with a combination of garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper.
Air fry. Preheat the air fryer to 380ºF. Afterward, arrange the sweet potato fries in a single layer inside the basket. Cook for 13 minutes, flipping the fries halfway through. Then, serve your crispy fries right away with your favorite dipping sauce. See below for ideas and serving suggestions.
Why Do You Soak Fries Before Air Frying?
Technically, the soaking step is optional, and your air fryer sweet potato fries will still turn out delicious without it. However, the fries tend to be more limp and not quite as crispy when they aren’t soaked before cooking. If you have the time, soak ‘em!
Recipe Tips
Use potatoes that are the same size. Try to use sweet potatoes about the same size and length so you end up with even-sized sweet potato fries.
Don’t overcrowd the air fryer basket. Depending on your air fryer model and how many fries you’re making, you may need to cook in batches to avoid overcrowding the fries. The hot air needs room to move around the fries to crisp them up.
Different seasonings. I share a simple seasoning blend here, but you can change things up with your favorite spices and herbs. Try Italian seasoning or Cajun seasoning. Or, toss the fries with taco seasoning for Tex-Mex sweet potato fries!
Dipping Sauce Ideas
Besides ketchup, I love serving these air fryer sweet potato fries with more tasty dipping sauces, homemade or store-bought. Especially if we’re eating them as an appetizer! They taste delicious dunked into any of the following:
Serving Suggestions
The best thing about these air fryer sweet potato fries is that I can make them in the summer without turning on the oven! They’re the perfect side dish for a juicy burger or kid-friendly chicken tenders. Add a Southwestern quinoa salad on the side, or fresh greens tossed with Greek dressing and an easy appetizer, like bruschetta. After dinner, enjoy a slice of old-fashioned buttermilk pie for dessert.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Refrigerate. Allow the sweet potato fries to cool completely before storing them in an airtight container. Leftovers can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheat. To get these fries nice and crispy again, reheat them in a preheated air fryer or oven at 350ºF until heated through. After you’ve crisped them up, turn the leftover sweet potato fries into frachos (fries + nachos) or carne asada fries.
Freeze. You can freeze air fryer sweet potato fries airtight for up to 2 months. Thaw them in the fridge before reheating.
Seasoned with garlic and paprika, these crispy air fryer sweet potato fries are the perfect easy side dish or appetizer. It’s quicker and lighter than deep frying!
2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 pound)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Peel the sweet potatoes and cut off the ends. Slice the potatoes into 1/4- inch fries. It’s easiest to cut the potato in half first so you have a flat surface to lay on your cutting board.
Fill a large bowl with cold water and add 1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt. Stir to dissolve.
Add the sliced potatoes to the bowl of water and let them soak for 30 minutes.
Remove the soaked potatoes and pat them dry with a clean dish towel.
Put the potatoes into a clean bowl and pour the olive oil over the potatoes. Stir around to coat.
Combine the remaining salt, garlic powder, paprika, and black pepper in a small bowl. Sprinkle the seasoning over the potatoes. Stir again until they are evenly coated.
Preheat the air fryer to 380°F.
Once the air fryer is hot, add the fries in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Make sure they don’t overlap. You may need to cook in batches.
Air fry for 13 minutes, turning once halfway through. The fries should be a little bit browned and crispy when they are done.
Serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauce.
Notes
Use potatoes that are approximately the same length to get equal-sized fries.
The soaking step is optional, but the fries come out a little more limp when they are not soaked before cooking.
