Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries
These crispy air fryer sweet potato fries are the best side dish ever! Cooking fries in the air fryer makes them perfectly crispy without the need for lots of oil. Make them from scratch from fresh sweet potatoes — they’re even better than frozen or restaurant-fried. Serve them with your favorite dipping sauce for a delicious snack, side or treat.
Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries Recipe
I’m not going to lie: I love French fries. I always have. But my life changed when I first tried sweet potato fries. These sweet-and-salty, crispy yet soft, orange fries are just incredible.
Learn how to cook anything in your air fryer with our free cook time chart!
But the bad news is that restaurant sweet potato fries are usually cooked in a deep-fryer. At home, you can buy frozen ones and cook them in the oven, but they’re just not the same. Enter the air fryer. The air fryer is my bestie. I mean, did you know you could make air fryer chocolate chip cookies in this thing?!
Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries are so much crispier than oven-baked, and they are just the best ever side dish! They go perfectly with just about any meal, so you can enjoy them with breakfast, lunch, or dinner. And you know what? They’re perfect all on their own, too.
Serve them with your favorite dipping sauce. (For me, the best dip for sweet potato fries is my quick & easy Avocado Aioli.)
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
You’ll love this recipe, for a few reasons:
- Quick & Easy: Since these sweet potato fries are made in the air fryer, they cook more quickly and evenly than they would in the oven!
- Super Crispy: The air fryer cooks sweet potatoes perfectly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
- Simple Ingredients: This recipe is made with whole, fresh sweet potatoes, oil, and seasoned with salt and pepper.
- Healthy: This recipe is Whole30, Paleo, and Gluten Free friendly. The fries are vegan, but for the aioli you’ll need to use vegan mayo.
Here I serve the fries with a quick and easy homemade Avocado Aioli, which I think adds so much bright, creamy flavor to the fries. If you prefer sugar-free ketchup or copycat Chick-Fil-A sauce, you can serve that, too!
Ingredients
You only need four ingredients to make homemade sweet potato fries in the air fryer:
- sweet potatoes
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper
If you're planning to make my Avocado Aioli, you'll also need these ingredients: avocado, garlic, mayonnaise, lime, and salt and pepper.
Substitutions & Variations
There are a million ways to enjoy sweet potato fries! Here are some of my favorite ways to change them up a bit! Change things up based on your preferences or what you have in your kitchen:
- Oil: Use olive oil or avocado oil, or any other neutral-tasting oil that you like.
- Seasonings: Season the potatoes with 2 tablespoons of ranch seasoning or any seasoning blend you enjoy for extra flavor.
- Other dipping sauces: These are great with ranch, honey mustard, barbecue sauce, ketchup and more.
- Low Carb: Sweet potatoes aren't the best choice for low carb/keto. Instead, substitute radishes, parsnips or turnips.
- Mexi-Fries: Season the fries with a 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/2 teaspoon cumin before cooking, then sprinkle with fresh cilantro before serving.
Instructions
Ready to make sweet potato fries from scratch? Here's how to do it in the air fryer.
Scroll down to the recipe card for the full step by step instructions! ⬇️
- Preheat the air fryer. Meanwhile, wash your sweet potatoes well. Peeling the potatoes is optional! Sweet potato skins are good for you so I don't peel them, but you can if you'd like.
- Use a sharp knife to slice the potatoes into into 1/4 inch fries, then toss the fries in a bowl with a little oil and lightly season with salt and pepper.
- Being careful not to overcrowd the air fryer, add the sweet potato fries and cook for 25 minutes, turning the fries every 7-10 minutes to ensure they cook evenly.
Near the end, watch closely and remove any that are well done before they burn. Season to taste and serve!
Make the Avocado Aioli (Optional)
This avocado aioli can be whipped up in just about 2 minutes flat, and it's a recipe you'll make time and time again. It's great on sandwiches, tacos, and more, too!
Get two ripe avocados, 1/4 cup mayo, the juice of a lime, 1-2 cloves of garlic, salt and pepper and add everything to a blender cup.
Use an immersion blender or mini food processor to blend it until smooth. Blend in a little more lime juice or oil until it reaches your desired consistency. I like mine on the thicker and creamier side, but it's totally up to you!
Want to try a different dip next time? Make my horseradish aioli!
Baked Sweet Potato Fries
To cook in the oven: Follow the same method, but lay the potatoes flat on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast for 25 minutes, turning once halfway through, until crispy and cooked through.
Expert Tips
You want them to be perfectly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, and cooking them in the air fryer makes that possible without the use of a lot of oil. Follow these tips for perfect air fryer fries:
- Always preheat the air fryer. If you don't have a preheat setting on your machine, just set it to temperature and wait about 5 minutes to start cooking.
- Spray a little oil on the basket or rack to prevent the potatoes from sticking.
- Don't overcrowd the air fryer. You want those puppies to be able to breathe a little!
- Check the fries close to the end of cook time. Carefully open the basket and remove any fries that may be getting a little too dark before they burn.
- Lightly season the fries again after cooking because the air fryer convection can blow some of the seasoning off.
Don't forget to clean your air fryer properly at the end!
I'd love to hear about your experience making this recipe!
Please leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram @cookathomemom.
Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries with Avocado Aioli
Equipment
Ingredients
Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries
- 3 medium sweet potatoes
- 2 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoons pepper
- 1 Tablespoon cilantro leaves optional
Avocado Aioli
- 2 avocados
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/4 cup mayo
- 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1/8 teaspoons pepper
- 1 lime juiced, about 2 tbsp
Instructions
Make the Sweet Potato Fries
- Preheat your air fryer to 350°F (176°C).
- Meanwhile, wash your sweet potatoes well. Use a sharp knife to slice the potatoes into into 1/4 inch fries.
- Toss the fries in a large bowl with the oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Transfer the fries to the air fryer, being careful not to overcrowd it, and cook for 25 minutes. Turn the fries or shake the basket every 7-10 minutes. Near the end, watch closely and remove any that are well done before they burn.
- Season the fries again lightly to taste and serve with avocado aioli and a sprinkle of cilantro leaves.
Make the Avocado Aioli
- While the potatoes are cooking, add the avocado flesh, lime juice, mayo, garlic, and salt and pepper to a tall cup or bowl.
- Use an immersion blender or hand blender to blend until smooth. Add more lime juice or a little oil if needed, to get to the desired consistency.
Notes
- Follow the same method as above, but lay the potatoes flat on a parchment lined baking sheet. Roast for 25 minutes, turning once halfway through.
- Spoon the aioli to a container and use the back of the spoon to flatten the top as much as possible.
- Drizzle lime juice over the entire top of the aioli and don’t stir it.
- Just before serving, stir the entire container with a spoon.
