Baked sweet potatoes are an easy, satisfying, affordable, and nutrient-dense dish. And baking sweet potatoes in an air fryer allows for faster cooking. Especially if you don't mind the simple step of cutting them in half first. Season the potatoes with butter, salt, and cinnamon. Or top them with olive oil and herbs, chopped nuts, granola, or even spicy wasabi mayonnaise.
A note on air fryers. If you don't own an air fryer but your oven has a convection setting, the two are one and the same. Cooking times may vary (and that's true among all ovens and air fryers). But an air fryer is simply a small, standalone convection oven, where a fan circulates the hot air which speeds up cooking times. Convection cooking has been a standard in restaurants for decades. Retail air fryers now offer the same technology with a small footprint for the home kitchen (and I say it's about time!).
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The Story
Tender, fluffy sweet potatoes baked until the skin caramelizes and becomes crispy are downright delicious (if you dig potatoes). And larger spuds can even become a meal on their own when topped with chopped nuts, granola, or more vegetables.
Chockful of Vitamins A and B6 and offering plenty of fiber, a reasonable portion of sweet potatoes is a great way to nourish your body while sticking to your grocery budget. And popping sweet potatoes in an air fryer can be a sanity saver. Especially when kids are whining for dinner and grown-ups are hangry (near daily occurrence in my house).
The Method
Unless you're partial to eating a whole potato and nothing but a whole potato, I recommend cutting yours in half first (we chefs are constantly searching for ways to make food even faster). This takes the cooking time down to around 40 minutes for very large potatoes, and less than half an hour for smaller ones. It also allows you to season the potatoes before cooking which allows more complex flavors to develop.
The skin provides a nice base for fluffing the flesh of each half and adding your seasonings. And the cut-side caramelizes beautifully in the convection, adding more flavor and sweetness.
If you want to cook whole sweet potatoes in the air fryer budget for at least 50 minutes of cooking. Sweet potatoes are done when a fork easily pierces all the way through the thickest part. The flesh of the deepest part of the potato should be entirely soft. Be careful not to undercook potatoes, as the raw fibers can cause digestive upset and simply don't taste good.
The Steps
- Preheat the air fryer. Even if your air fryer manual says you don't need to preheat it, I recommend doing so anyway. It can't hurt and will ensure the fryer is at the target temperature. I like 375° F for root vegetables and potatoes.
- Clean, dry, and cut the potatoes (or don't cut). Potatoes grow in the ground, so it's always a good idea to clean and dry them before cooking. No need to go crazy with scrubbing, but do pluck off any sprouts or rough areas. Cut each potato in half carefully with a sharp knife like a chef's knife. Trim a thin slice off the bottom of the halves so they rest flat in the air fryer if you like. If you like, coat the potatoes in a little oil, and sprinkle them with salt.
- Bake until very tender. Begin checking smaller halves after 25 minutes. Larger halves can take up to 40 minutes to become tender. Always rely on how soft the potato is when pricked with a fork, not how long it's been cooking. The fork should go through the skin and flesh without any resistance whatsoever.
- Season and serve. Fluff the flesh with a fork and gently mix in salt and pepper, if you like. The fibers in potatoes are like sponges, so it takes a bit more salt than you might expect to reach a nice level of seasoning. Add it a little at a time and taste as you go. I prefer to melt pastured or organic butter on my hot potatoes. But for the most heart-healthy dish, drizzle the flesh with an oil that's high in omega-3 fatty acids like olive or avocado.
Chef's Tips
- Don't rely on the clock for doneness. Many published recipes and how-tos for air-frying sweet potatoes severely misrepresent how long they take to become tender. Yes, an air fryer will cook a whole potato faster than a traditional oven. But potatoes are rock-solid, fibrous tubers. And air fryers aren't magical machines (however we may wish). Don't rely on how long the potatoes have cooked. Every potato and air fryer is different. Use a fork or knife to check for doneness.
- Skip poking holes in the potatoes. I would never serve a pot-marked potato to a client, and I never employ the practice at home. Why? In more than a decade of professional cooking, I've never noticed a difference in the result between a poked or unadulterated baked potato. It's a myth that potatoes cook faster if you poke holes in them (and no, they won't explode). Leaving the skin intact allows the potato flesh to retain its moisture during cooking. Moisture from inside the potato can leak out through the holes, burning and turning into little burnt bubbles all over the potatoes.
Seasoning Ideas
From simple to exotic, sweet potatoes take to a range of flavors. Before you add additional spices, I recommend first seasoning the cooked potato flesh with kosher salt. And always taste as you go.
- Casserole-style. Cinnamon, raw honey or maple syrup, and chopped nuts such as almonds, pecans, or walnuts.
- Simple Savory. Olive oil and chopped fresh herbs such as chives, parsley, or rosemary
- Vegan, Asian-Inspired. Sautéed spinach with tamari (soy sauce), toasted sesame seeds, and a drizzle of sesame oil. Cheat wasabi mayonnaise (a little mayonnaise mixed with wasabi paste) adds a spicy kick.
- Breakfast-style. A dollop of plain greek yogurt, ground chia or flax seeds, and nutrient-dense granola.
- Sweet and Savory Indulgence. Season the flesh well with butter and salt, then top with candied bacon.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! The skin of a sweet potato gives texture and flavor to an otherwise one-dimensional bite. It also contains a good portion of the fiber and vitamins in a potato. If you skip the skin you miss out on nutrients, a wonderfully chewy and crispy texture, and a rich, earthy flavor.
Without writing a book on the subject (which has been done), yams and sweet potatoes are not the same. Yams are native to Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean. And are different tubers entirely than what Americans eat and enjoy as sweet potatoes.
The skin of a yam is woodier and the flesh is tougher, drier, and can be a variety of colors. While there are varieties of sweet potatoes that are white-fleshed, the most common ones have that signature bright-orange flesh contained by a thin, garnet skin. And while cooking times and the technique for cleaning and peeling the two will vary, yams and sweet potatoes are traditionally cooked in similar ways. Roasting, boiling, and frying are common ways to prepare both true yams and all varieties of sweet potatoes.
📖 Recipe
Baked Sweet Potatoes [Air Fryer]
Save some time and sanity and put your air fryer or convection oven to work when it comes to baking sweet potatoes. Especially if you cut the potatoes in half, smaller ones can cook in less than 30 minutes.Â
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 3 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 3 whole sweet potatoes, any variety, cleaned and dried
- avocado or olive oil
- kosher salt
- ground black pepper
- pastured or organic butter or olive oil or avocado oil, for drizzling and garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 375° F. Even if your air fryer manual says you don't need to preheat, I recommend doing so. It can't hurt and will ensure the fryer is at the target temperature.
- Clean, dry, and cut the potatoes (or don't cut). Potatoes grow in the ground, so it's always a good idea to clean and dry them before cooking. No need to go crazy with scrubbing, but do pluck off any sprouts or rough areas. Cut each potato in half carefully with a sharp knife like a chef's knife. If you like, coat the potatoes in a little avocado or olive oil, and sprinkle them with salt. Trim a thin slice off the bottoms to steady the potatoes in the fryer basket.Â
- Bake until very tender. Begin checking smaller halved sweet potatoes after 25 minutes. Larger halves can take up to 35 minutes to become tender. Always rely on how soft the potato is when pricked with a fork, not how long it's been cooking. The fork should go through the skin and flesh without any resistance. Whole sweet potatoes can take up to 50 or 55 minutes to become tender in an air fryer (still quicker than well over an hour in the oven).
- Season and serve. Fluff the flesh with a fork and gently mix in salt and pepper, if you like. The fibers in potatoes are like sponges, so it takes a bit more salt than you might expect to reach a nice level of seasoning. Add it a little at a time and taste as you go. I prefer to melt pastured or organic butter on my hot potatoes. But for the most heart-healthy dish, drizzle the flesh with an oil that's high in omega-3 fatty acids like olive or avocado.
Notes
On Butter
Butter is not a dietary villain, but research hasn't exactly exonerated it as harmless. So when I buy butter for clients and my family, I choose an organic, European, or pastured brand. European brands like Kerrygold are made from the milk of cows that eat their natural diet of grass. So I feel no guilt in enjoying it melted on vegetables. Do what's best for your family and your health. If heart health is a concern, olive oil is perhaps the best choice.
Chef's Tips
- Don't rely on the clock for doneness. Don't rely only on how long the potatoes have cooked. Every potato and air fryer is different. Use a fork or knife to check for doneness. The times included are according to my air fryer, an Instant Pot Vortex Plus. Other brands and models will cook differently.
- Skip poking holes in the potatoes. Leaving the skin intact allows the potato flesh to retain its moisture during cooking. If you want a potato to cook faster, wrap it in foil, sprinkle in a little water, and seal it up before baking.
On the Nutrition Information
The amounts below are based on sweet potatoes seasoned with a small sprinkling (one-quarter teaspoon) of kosher salt and a half tablespoon of olive oil. How you season yours will determine the exact nutritional profile.Â
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Plant-Based
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
- Diet: Vegetarian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 whole baked sweet potato (or two halves)
- Calories: 135
- Sugar: 5.6 g
- Sodium: 124.9 mg
- Fat: 2.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 26.8 g
- Protein: 2.1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Keywords: sweet potato in air fryer, baked sweet potato in air fryer
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About Chef Christina
Chef Christina is a classically trained private chef who's worked at award-winning restaurants. She loves sharing recipes and simple techniques to help home cooks and families nourish their bodies without breaking the bank.
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Katie
Delicious and Easy!
Doug
Very detailed instructions! Thanks for the tips!
Chef Christina
Thanks, Doug. Sometimes I feel like I write too much on some topics, glad you found it useful.
Justin
The only things you need from this recipe are temperature and approximate cook time. The recipe never gives a temperature in the preheat instructions.
Chef Christina
Hi Justin,
I’m sorry you couldn't see the air fryer temperature in the recipe. It's also above in the written content. I’ve cleared the cache for the page, hopefully, it’s showing up for you now. In case it isn’t, I recommend an air fryer temp of 375°F for sweet potatoes.
Jessica M
Tried this recipe. Easy and delicious!
Chef Christina
Yes, so simple! Thanks for reading. 😀
Dawn
We got an air fryer for Christmas so this was timely. I think sweet potatoes are one of if not my favorite thing to air fry so far.
Chef Christina
Same! And so much faster.