How long to cook sweet potato in air fryer recipe is here! Whole and cubed sweet potatoes are the best healthy side dish for the holidays or year round. Crispy skin on the outside but tender and fluffy on the inside.
Last night we made these for a side dish. It was so good I made them again loaded with butter and cinnamon and sugar mixture for dessert. My kids said it was one of the best potatoes recipe ideas out there. Are you obsessed with easy air fryer recipes too? I am!
These are a must for any holiday if you ask me. We love them so much though that they’re cooked year round. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar with some melted butter and OH MY they’re heavenly.
Sweet Potato in Ninja Foodi Air Fryer
You can make them in a Cosori, Instant Pot air fryer, or Ninja Foodi. For the latter machine you will use the lid that is attached with the air crisp button. The larger the basket the more you can make at once as you don’t want them to overlap at all.
Tips: My Favorite models are the Cosori or making Ninja Foodi recipes with the lid that is attached.
It is best practice to put food into a hot basket. This is how to preheat air fryer first before adding your food so it becomes as crispy as possible. For best results, here’s a printable free air fryer cooking time chart here for your fridge.
I think this vegetable is totally overlooked. Sweet potatoes are naturally sweet, a yummy side dish, and healthy too! It’s one of our favorite Ninja Foodi air fryer recipes because air frying these babies create a crispy skin on the outside but tender and fluffy on the inside.
You just can’t get them like this when you’re baking sweet potatoes in the oven. Get ready to air fry everything this year y’all! Our easy air fryer recipes Facebook page (link above) will help get you going with new ideas for meals and snack ideas daily!
This is what ours looked like. Honestly we hadn’t really made sweet potatoes in a long time, and never in the air fryer. Before, the best way to make baked potatoes without foil was in the oven. Not. Anymore!
Ingredient Notes
You will want to start with a few medium sized sweet potatoes. Look at the signs in the produce section because yams look similar but are different. Timing for large varieties would take longer. Just use a knife near the end to test. If it slides in easily it is done, tough to push thru means it needs more time.
Olive oil or avocado oil should coat the outsides of the skin liberally. Like so much that it dripping off just a bit. This will keep it from burning and also crisp to a golden brown as well.
Coarse sea salt is needed if you want to add some to the skins to make them salty/sweet in flavor. Keep in mind that the skins are thicker than russets but they are edible.
How Long to Cook Whole Sweet Potatoes in Air Fryer
It really is no different than if you want to make air fryer baked potatoes, depending on the size. Both have the same type of skin, this is a bit thicker but doesn’t make a huge difference in cook time. Typically you aren’t going to want to eat the outsides of these, that is the main difference. Set aside 35 minutes in general to get it done.
With that said I wouldn’t bother salting the skins like I do with russets to give it flavor. The inside is where it’s at with these, fluffy and tender ready for some butter, cinnamon and sugar.
FAQ
The skin of a yam looks kind of like tree bark, while a sweet potato is more of a red brown color. Real yams are entirely different root vegetables that are more like yucca.
They have a bumpy, tough, brown skin. They’re more starchy without a sweet flesh. Honestly, look at the labels in your produce department or you’ll just be confused!
When done you should stuff with; Butter, Cinnamon and sugar mixture, Maple syrup or honey (real / pure is always better) or you can use agave nectar instead to drizzle inside. For a healthier savory choice, some love our 5 ingredient chili inside!
Yes, you can eat sweet potato skin and it’s actually good for you. The skin is packed with fiber, along with extra nutrients like antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that you don’t get as much of from just the flesh. As long as you wash the sweet potato well to remove dirt or residue, the skin is completely safe to eat whether the potato is baked, roasted, or even mashed. Some people prefer the texture more when it’s cooked until slightly crispy, but it’s really just a matter of taste.
You need to coat the outside liberally with olive oil at the beginning so it doesn’t dry out. To go further, you can spray more on midway thru to ensure that they do get crispy but don’t dry out.
Yes you do. Make sure they are cooled to room temperature and store in a freezer bag free from air or wrapped in tinfoil. It is best to reheat within 24 hours but can be kept up to 3 days.
Sweet Potato in Air Fryer Recipe
Equipment
- 1 air fryer or ninja foodi with the lid attached
Ingredients
Instructions
- Wash your sweet potatoes. Use a fork to poke all around each one, top and bottom.
- Rub olive oil on the outside of each sweet potato. Using your hands works best.
- If you want to add salt to the outside to create a salty/sweet taste then sprinkle salt on the outside of each one at this time.
- Put on the air fryer rack inside your air fryer. If you have the Ninja Foodi turn the metal rack upside down and set your potatoes on top.
- Set temp to 390 degrees for 35 minutes. (timing will vary slightly depending on how big your potatoes are, it is suggested to put 4 of the same size in at a time)
- Remove immediately, slice, fluff the middle and add toppings such as butter and/or mixture of cinnamon and sugar.Can also use this recipe to make homemade sweet potato casserole. Scoop out middle if doing that.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What is the Best Way to Cook Whole Sweet Potatoes Crispy?
This is it my friends!! You have got to air fry them to get the best results. The texture is like no other, very similar to what you would get at a restaurant. Using hot air, in a single layer with some olive oil on the outside you will achieve the same crispy outcome as Ninja foodi french fries or our popular Sweet Potato Latkes but in a larger form.
What can you make with leftovers?
Of course if it is around the holidays you can use this as a starter to a batch of sweet potato casserole with canned yams but use the insides mashed instead. Load it up with butter, candied pecans and mini marshmallows melted on top for a tasty side dish.
Other air fryer recipes you’ll love
You could try a batch of homemade air fryer sweet potato chips too! Here are a few questions you might have before you get started.
Now you could make these into air fryer breakfast potatoes instead if you wanted it to be bite sized with seasonings all around. Remove the skins first before dicing in this case. We have a lot of air fryer dinner recipes to try are below too below so give a few more a whirl this week and let us know what you think like; Air fryer vegetables are great Try our tasty air fryer fried shrimp.
Smoked baked potatoes are similar but making them in your Ninja Foodi means a quick cook time. They are super fluffy when they’re done as you can see here. We also love roasted potatoes quartered or potato cubes when we want a different side dish. All are great with just about any protein.
Can I use the air fryer plate or do I have to use the rack? I have both just curious
I havent seen a plate but would want it to sit on something that has holes on bottom so hot air can get skin all the way around crispy