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Have you ever noticed that most crispy sweet potato fries are coated in batter when you get them at a restaurant? That’s because sweet potato fries don’t become crispy easily.
I’ve spent the past few weeks trying to figure out how to make crispy sweet potato fries in the air fryer, without relying on a batter or bunches of oil.
The resulting recipe yields flavorful fries with minimal effort. (And a lot less grease!)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Featured Review
“Perfect recipe…. and the seasoning on point…. I use my Instant Vortex plus.” – Rebecca
How to Cut Sweet Potatoes for Fries
One of the keys to getting crispy sweet potato fries is to cut them as thin as possible. With a knife and a cutting board, you should be able to cut your sweet potato into French fry pieces that are roughly 1/4 inch thick.
It’s okay if the fries are slightly uneven, as the shape of all sweet potatoes is different, but the more consistently you cut the fries, the more evenly they will cook.
Super-small pieces will cook faster, and could burn in the air fryer, so you may want to check on those a few minutes before the cooking cycle is complete.
Sweet Potato Cutting Tip
I think sweet potatoes are the easiest to cut thin when they are standing up vertically. Watch my Sweet Potato Toast video for an example of this.
The Air Fryer You Use Makes a Difference
I own two different air fryers, and tested these fries in both models, because the difference is HUGE. Knowing the wattage of your machine can help you choose the appropriate cooking time.
- 900 watt oven: Cook the fries for 18 to 20 minutes at 350ºF, turning after 12 minutes.
- 1500 watt oven: Cook the fries for 10 to 12 minutes at 350ºF, turning after 8 minutes.
- 1700 watt oven: Cook the fries for 10 minutes at 350ºF, turning after 7 minutes.
I tested this recipe with my NuWave Air Fryer (which cooks at 900w, 1500w, or 1800w) and my Instant Vortex Air Fryer (which cooks at 1700w).
How to Make Sweet Potatoes in Air Fryer
It’s essential to note that sweet potato fries will never be as crispy as those made with white potatoes. You could coat them in a batter, similar to an onion ring, to make them crispier, but if you want to keep the sweet potato fries relatively healthy (which is why I assume you’re using an air fryer), I think you should lower your expectations regarding crispiness.
Instead, expect to get sweet potato fries that are sturdy (not soggy!), with crisp edges.
Here’s what you can do to get the best sweet potato fries:
- Cut the fries as thin as possible. We covered this above, but it bears repeating. If you cut your sweet potato fries into 1/2-inch shapes instead of 1/4-inch shapes, the thicker fries will be softer. (But still tasty!)
- Add a coating. You can also make your sweet potato fries crispier by coating them in a bit of starch first. This gives the fries a slight coating that can crisp up, while also preventing them from burning too quickly. I use arrowroot starch in this recipe, but I imagine that corn starch and tapioca starch would provide a similar effect.
- Don’t use too high a temperature. I originally tested these fries at 400°F, but found that they burned too fast. Cooking them at 350°F, with a coating of arrowroot starch, gives them a nice golden color that crisps up without burning the fries.
- Serve them right away. You need to serve the fries as soon as they are done cooking, because they will start to soften up as they sit on the plate. Within 5 to 10 minutes, then will be significantly softer. (Note: I noticed that the darker I cooked my fries, the sturdier they stay, so err on the side of almost-burning your fries if you want them to stay crispier, longer.)
Sweet potatoes, in general, are more difficult to create crispy fries when compared to white potatoes, so you’ll notice that the crispiest sweet potato fries are the ones that get very brown on the outside and almost burnt.
You’ll want to watch your fries closely towards the end of the cooking cycle to ensure they don’t cross over into burnt territory.
Ingredients
- 1 sweet potato (about 12 ounces by weight)
- 2 teaspoons arrowroot starch (corn or tapioca starch should work, too)
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
- ½ teaspoon paprika (optional)
- ½ teaspoon onion powder (optional)
Instructions
- Peel the sweet potato and cut it into fry shapes, about 1/4-inch thick. The thinner you slice the fries, the faster and crispier they will cook.
- Place the fries in a large bowl, then toss well with the arrowroot starch. This will help the fries become a little sturdier and crispier.
- Preheat the air fryer to 350ºF. While it's preheating (it takes mine about 3 minutes), toss the fries with the olive oil, coating well, then add in the remaining seasoning and toss again, to make sure all of the fries are well seasoned.
- You'll most likely need to cook the fries in batches so that they can be in a single layer in your air fryer basket, so arrange half of the fries into a single layer, then cook them at 350ºF for 10 minutes. I like to stop at 8 minutes and shake the basket, to turn the fries and make sure they cook evenly. (These directions are for a 1700 watt air fryer. If you're using a 1500 watt air fryer, you may need to add 2 minutes to the cooking time, and a 900 watt air fryer will need nearly double the cooking time, so make sure to check your machine.)
- When the fries are golden on the outside and feel tender on the inside, they are ready to serve. Set the cooked fries aside, and cook the remaining batch as directed above.
- When all of the fries are cooked, you can reheat the fries you made previously by cooking them all together for 1 more minute at 350ºF. This ensures you serve a whole batch of piping hot sweet potato fries. Serve warm right away, since they will become softer as they cool.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
If you try this recipe, please leave a comment and a star rating below to let me know how it turns out for you.
We used Bay seasoning because we ran out of time.. And they were tasty, except they weren’t crispy, like we expected them to be using corn starch. I think the only way to get crispy fries is if they are deep fried, which I’ve never done, nor ever will. These were good, and will do this from now on.
Came out great because of two things: you suggested the weight of the sweet potato so there was no confusion over what size a Large one is. Second, Clear instructions about the watts level and timing. Thank you for your thoroughness.
Perfect recipe…. and the seasoning on point…. I use a my Instant Vortex plus
These were delicious! Especially with a side of chipotle yogurt dip.
Would love if you shared an air fryer recipe for panisse (chickpea fries) sometime 🙂