Crispy on the outside with a fork-tender interior, this air fryer baked sweet potato recipe yields the perfect fluffy sweet potato every time. Naturally vegan and gluten-free, these simple baked sweet potatoes melt up in under an hour, making the perfect weeknight side dish.
I have made my pearly share of sweet potato based sides using the air fryer. From air fryer roasted sweet potatoes to crispy sweet potato fries, the air fryer has cooked them to a well-done perfection time and time again.
After learning how to melt baked potatoes and whole sweet potatoes in the Instant Pot, I couldn’t help but wonder if the air fryer would produce similar results.
I’m happy to report that not only can you melt a whole sweet potato in the air fryer, but they moreover come out crispy on the outside and fork tender on the inside.
This easy air fryer baked sweet potato recipe takes less than an hour to make, keeps your oven off, and involves no hands-on work. Weightier of all, this naturally vegan and gluten-free recipe can be made up to 5 days in whop making it an spanking-new meal prep recipe.
Reasons to love this recipe
- Make it sweet or savory – With unlimited topping options, these baked sweet potatoes can hands be dressed up to a sweet or savory side.
- Easy weeknight side dish – Ready in under an hour, and no oven is needed.
- No oil needed!
- Quicker than oven since there is no preheating needed!
- Easier to check for doneness in an air fryer compared to Instant Pot.
Health Benefits
If you want to add a uplift of nutrition to your diet, sweet potatoes make the perfect addition. Some of the main benefits associated with consuming sweet potatoes include:
- High levels of fiber – One cup of baked sweet potato contains well-nigh 6 grams of fiber.
- Great source of vitamins – Sweet potatoes moreover have upper levels of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Manganese.
- Great source of antioxidants that can help modernize your gut health and vision.
For increasingly information well-nigh the benefits of sweet potatoes, you can trammels out this Healthline article, 6 Surprising Health Benefits of Sweet Potatoes.
How to pick and store sweet potatoes
Selecting sweet potatoes
Here are a few tips to alimony in mind when selecting a sweet potato at the store or market.
- Pick small to medium-sized potatoes – the larger the potato, the increasingly starchy and dry they tend to be.
- Check the skin – You are looking for a spud without bruising and soft spots.
- Avoid signs of sprouting as they have been on the shelf too long and are no longer good for eating.
Storing raw sweet potatoes
To stave sprouting once you select your sweet potatoes, store them in a cool, dark, and dry space. When stored properly, raw sweet potatoes can last between 3-5 weeks.
Here’s what you need to make the recipe
Ingredient notes/swaps
- Sweet potatoes – Smaller Garrett or Jewel sweet potatoes no larger than 8 ounces each will melt weightier in this recipe.
Tools
You’ll need an air fryer to make this recipe. Here are the two that I recommend
- Basket style (Phillips 7 QT, 1725W) – easier to flip supplies but cooks a smaller value (2-3 servings).
- Oven-style (Ninja Dual Heat Air Fryer – 1800W) – The oven-style ones usually take increasingly space but what’s unique well-nigh this Ninja one is that it flips vertically for easy storage on the countertop. Most importantly, it allows you to melt six yellow breasts, 2 lbs roast, or 4 lbs of fries – perfect for families of 4 or more.
TIPS
- Pick sweet potatoes the same size for plane cooking. Make sure they are firm to touch, and the skin is not wrinkly.
- Poke holes in the sweet potatoes with a fork or a sharp pocketknife before air frying to release the steam that builds up as it cooks. This is to prevent the sweet potatoes from exploding.
- No overcrowding – Unchangingly unify supplies in a single layer and melt in batches if needed.
- Cooking times may vary depending on your air fryer. Test for doneness – the sweet potatoes are cooked when a pocketknife hands goes through them.
Baked sweet potato toppings
Once you have air-fried your sweet potatoes to a fork-tender perfection, here are a few ways to dress up and serve your spuds.
- Butter salt with a soupcon of pepper – A simple philharmonic that keeps your sweet potato the star of the flavor.
- Chili powder, garlic, and paprika – Sprinkle on top of your air-fried potato to add a kick of flavor.
- Fresh herbs – Cilantro, parsley, and thyme all independently pair perfectly with this potato.
- Butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon – This philharmonic is sure to have your taste buds singing a sweet tune.
- Maple syrup pecans – A drizzle of maple syrup with a sprinkle of crushed pecans will requite a cozy sweet savor to the potatoes.
Serve it with
The eyeful of a sweet potato is that it pairs well will just well-nigh anything! Here are some unconfined main dishes to serve your air fryer baked sweet potatoes with.
How to prep ahead
Truly the weightier way to prepare in whop for this recipe would be to air fry the sweet potato up to 5 days surpassing you plan to serve.
Storing and reheating
Refrigerator: Surpassing storing your sweet potatoes, indulge them to tomfool well-nigh 20-30 minutes. Store air-fried sweet potatoes in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days without cooking.
Reheat: To reheat the sweet potatoes, put them in the air fryer and melt them at 375°F for 4-5 minutes.
Frequently asked questions
No. Simply scrub the sweet potato’s exterior to ensure it is clean. No need to soak them surpassing going into the air fryer.
Boiling sweet potatoes allows the potato to retain increasingly beta-carotene, making it a healthier option than baking.
Baked sweet potatoes are healthier considering they help lower your thoroughbred sugar and have increasingly antioxidants. Source: Why eating a sweet potato is healthier than a regular potato.
As many as your air fryer can hold without overcrowding. Make sure unchangingly to place the sweet potatoes in a single layer.
More Air Fryer Recipes
Check out this list of recipes that you make in your air fryer today. They include healthy side dishes, easy snacks, and succulent entrees!
Air Fryer Baked Sweet Potatoes Recipe
Air Fryer Baked Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 lbs sweet potatoes ~4 (Garrett or Jewel)
Instructions
- Wash and scrub the sweet potatoes thoroughly to wipe the skin.
- Use a sharp knife and make plane slits on the sweet potatoes.
- Place the sweet potatoes in the air frying basket – don't overcrowd. Depending on the topics of your air-fryer, you may need two or increasingly batches.
- Air fry for well-nigh 40 minutes [see note] at 400°F. Turn the potatoes virtually the halfway mark to ensure plane cooking.
- The sweet potatoes are washed-up when an inserted pocketknife goes hands through them. If it is not cooked through, just pop in for flipside 5-10 minutes.
- Enjoy it with the toppings of your choice.
Notes
Nutrition
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