This Air Fryer Baked Sweet Potato comes out perfectly fluffy on the inside with crispy skin every time! With minimal prep and no fuss, it’s a foolproof side dish or transform into loaded sweet potatoes with your favorite toppings.
Air fryer whole sweet potatoes come out perfectly fluffy with naturally sweet flavor and crispy, seasoned skin. Faster than oven baking, it’s ideal for making a few sweet potatoes without heating the whole kitchen.
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How long does it take to air fry whole sweet potatoes?
Whole sweet potatoes typically take 35–45 minutes to cook in the air fryer at 375°F (190°C), depending on their size.
For best results, choose medium-sized sweet potatoes (about 6–8 oz each), poke a few holes with a fork, and air fry until they're fork-tender inside with crispy skin on the outside. Larger sweet potatoes may need a few extra minutes, while smaller ones will cook faster.
Reasons to love
- Cooks quickly in about 40 minutes.
- They come out with a perfectly creamy, soft, and fluffy interior and crackly, crispy skin.
- Serve as a side dish or scoop out the flesh and to make your favorite sweet potato recipe.
How to cook whole sweet potatoes in air fryer?
You can find full printable recipe below, but here is a quick overview of the procedure along with step-by-step photos.
1.Wash and dry sweet potatoes and poke holes all over with a fork.
2. Brush the outside lightly with olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.
3 & 4. Preheat air fryer to 375°F. When hot, place prepared sweet potatoes in the basket and cook for 40 - 50 minutes or until soft.
Recipe tips
- Cooking time - It depends on the size of the sweet potatoes. Medium sized potatoes cook in about 45 minutes. Adjust cooking time if using smaller or larger ones.
- Poke holes - It helps the steam to escape and cook evenly.
- Use evenly sized sweet potatoes - So they all cook evenly in the recommended cooking time. Otherwise, you'll have smaller ones cooked before larger ones are done.
- Don’t wrap in foil - Although this is the chosen method for oven roasting, it is not recommended for air frying as it will not make the skin crispy.
- How many sweet potatoes can you cook? You can cook as many as will comfortably fit in a single layer in the basket. I was able to cook 3 medium ones in a 6 quart air fryer.
Air Fryer Baked Sweet Potato
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 medium sweet potatoes about 2 pounds
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Toppings (optional)
- Butter room temperature
- Golden Brown Sugar
- Chopped Pecans toasted
- One pinch salt if using unsalted butter
Instructions
- Wash and dry sweet potatoes and poke holes all over with a fork.
- Brush the outside lightly with olive oil and season with some salt and pepper.
- Preheat air fryer to 375°F. When hot, place prepared sweet potatoes in the basket and cook for 40 - 50 minutes or until soft.
- Let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Using a knife, carefully slit open the cooked sweet potatoes.
- Fluff the inside with a fork, then serve it however you prefer.
Serving suggestion
- Season to taste with salt, softened butter, brown sugar and toasted pecans.Tip: If your sweet potatoes have cooled down, pop them back into the air fryer after adding the toppings at 375°F for 2 to 5 minutes, until the butter and brown sugar melts.(Calculated calories are without toppings)
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information, based on third-party calculations, should be seen as estimates, not guarantees, as various factors like product types, brands, processing methods, and more can alter the nutritional content in recipes.
How to serve?
One of my favorite ways to serve whole roasted sweet potatoes is to carefully slit them open, fluff the inside with a fork and top with a sprinkling of salt, softened butter, brown sugar and toasted pecans. If your sweet potatoes have cooled down, pop them back into the air fryer after adding the toppings at 375°F for 2 to 5 minutes, until the butter and brown sugar melts.
Here are more suggestions:
- Mash them - When baked, sweet potatoes yield a moist and creamy texture, making them perfect to making mashed sweet potatoes.
- Top with marshmallows - Split one, add marshmallows on top, pop them back into the air fryer and cook for a minute to melt the marshmallows.
- Sour cream and chives - Serve with a dollop of sour cream and fresh chives.
- Bacon and cheese - Crumble crispy bacon and some shredded cheese and air fryer for a minute or two to melt the cheese.
- Yogurt - Top with Greek yogurt and a drizzle of honey for a healthy and satisfying snack.
- Southwest - Top with with black beans, salsa, and a dollop of guacamole or sour cream, for a Southwest kick.
- Chili - Top with chilli for a light meal.
- Meat - Add pulled pork or bbq chicken.
- Add quinoa - Stuff them with cooked quinoa, black beans and roasted Fall vegetables.
- Breakfast - Top with a fried egg and sliced avocado for a healthy breakfast.
Storage
If you are storing air fryer baked sweet potatoes for later, it is best to keep them whole along with the skin.
- Fridge - Wrap the air fryer baked sweet potatoes tightly with foil and refrigerate for 3 to 4 days.
- Freezer - Place them freezer safe bags and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat them in the air fryer or microwave.
- To reheat - Remove any foil and air fry at 350 for 3 to 7 minutes or microwave until warmed through.
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Recipe FAQs
No, you don't need to soak sweet potatoes before air-frying them. Soaking can be helpful when making fries from regular potatoes to remove excess starch; sweet potatoes do not require soaking before cooking.
Indeed, the skin of a sweet potato is not only entirely edible but also rich in dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals, making it a nutritious and flavorful part of the vegetable. When air-fried, the skin crisps up, resulting in a delightful textural contrast alongside the tender, fluffy flesh. However, if the skin's texture isn't to your liking, it's easy to peel it away to suit your preference.
It's best to cook them without foil because wrapping them in foil would trap moisture and can inhibit this circulation, preventing the outer skin from crisping up.
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