Free Up Your Oven Space This Thanksgiving with Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes
Even better than the air fryer recipe are the many toppings you can experiement with.
Serves2
Prep5 minutes
Cook35 minutes to 40 minutes
There was a time when the only way to cook a whole sweet potato with pillowy flesh and crisped skin was to fire up the oven for upwards of an hour. Not anymore. Now when you’re looking for a simple sweet potato side (or one you can stuff with beans and veggies or leftover chicken and call it dinner), simply turn to the air fryer. It’s the secret to making tender, fluffy sweet potatoes with lightly crisped skin in just about 35 minutes — no oven required.
The air fryer is basically a countertop convection oven, meaning the high fan speed and concentrated heat makes baked potatoes that are fluffy and tender on the inside and shatteringly crisp on the outside.
3 Tips for Making the Best Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes
Cooking sweet potatoes in the air fryer is a simple, mostly hands-off process. But there are a few tips that will help ensure the best results every time.
- Start with similarly-sized potatoes. To guarantee that the potatoes are all evenly cooked, it’s essential to start with sweet potatoes that are all about the same size.
- Prick the potatoes with a fork. Use a fork to prick a few holes all around the potato. This small-but-important step allows steam to escape during cooking.
- Rub the potatoes with oil. Rubbing a thin layer of cooking oil all over the sweet potatoes helps to leave the skins with a delicate crisp.
Do You Need to Soak Sweet Potatoes Before Air Frying?
There’s no need to soak whole sweet potatoes before air frying. Some recipes for homemade fries call for soaking the potatoes before cooking in an effort to make extra-crispy fries by removing some of the vegetable’s starch, but that’s not necessary here.
Do You Need to Pierce a Sweet Potato Before Air Frying?
Yes, you’ll want to pierce the potato all over in several spots before cooking. This allows any built-up steam to escape during cooking.
How Do I Know When a Sweet Potato Is Done?
Sweet potatoes offer several telltale signs that they’re done cooking. You just need to know what to look for. When sweet potatoes are done, you’ll notice that the skin looks a little wrinkly and that caramelized juice has seeped out of the holes where the potato was pricked with a fork. The best way to tell when a sweet potato is done is by inserting a sharp knife into the flesh. There should be no resistance and the knife should slide in easily.
All the Ways to Eat Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes
More Ways to Cook a Sweet Potato
Air Fryer Sweet Potato
Even better than the air fryer recipe are the many toppings you can experiement with.
Prep time 5 minutes
Cook time 35 minutes to 40 minutes
Serves 2
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 2
medium sweet potatoes (8 to 10 ounces each)
- 1 teaspoon
neutral oil, such as peanut or vegetable
- 1/2 teaspoon
kosher salt, plus more for serving
Serving suggestions:
Butter and freshly ground black pepper
Butter, brown sugar, cinnamon
Maple, butter, and toasted pecans
Sour cream and chives
Yogurt, granola, berries
Nut butter, sliced banana, honey, ground cinnamon
Instructions
Heat an air fryer to 400°F. Meanwhile, rinse, scrub, and dry 2 medium sweet potatoes. Use a fork to prick the potatoes in a few places. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon neutral oil and rub with your hands to coat the potatoes. Season the potatoes all over with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt.
Place the potatoes in the air fryer. Air fry until tender and easily pierced with a paring knife, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the air fryer with tongs. Use a knife to halve the potatoes lengthwise, then fluff the flesh with a fork. Serve with butter, salt, and pepper, or with desired toppings.
Recipe Notes
Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat in the air fryer at 350°F until heated through, about 10 minutes.
This post originally ran on Kitchn. See it there: Air Fryer Sweet Potato