You will love this air fryer baked sweet potato recipe. These whole sweet potatoes are so easy to make and turn our perfectly cooked with a nice crispy skin and a tender sweet potato filling. It's so much faster to cook sweet potatoes in an air fryer than in the oven. You'll never want to bake a sweet potato any other way again.

Why you will love this recipe:
- Sweet potatoes turn out perfectly when baked in the air fryer!
- With a nice crispy skin and light and fluffy inside, air fryer baked sweet potatoes are the perfect side dish.
- Cooking a whole sweet potato in the air fryer is so quick and easy. You will love how much faster it is compared to baking sweet potatoes in the oven.
- Sweet potatoes are full of flavour and are also a nice alternative to white potatoes if you are looking to change up your regular vegetable or side dish routine.
- They can be dressed up or topped however you want. Whether you want a classic baked sweet potato topped with butter, or a sweeter version with cinnamon and brown sugar, there are so many options.
- You can bake a sweet potato in any type of air fryer or air fryer oven including Ninja Foodi, Ninja Air Fryer, Ninja Foodi Grill, Instant Vortex, Cosori, Pampered Chef, Vortex, Breville, Phillips, Emeril, Cuisinart, and Chefman Air Fryers.
- This cooking method works for all types of sweet potatoes including Japanese sweet potatoes, purple sweet potatoes, Korean sweet potatoes and yams.
- Do you prefer sweet potato fries? Make these air fryer sweet potato fries instead!
Taste and texture:
When you air fry whole sweet potatoes they get the perfect roasted, crispy skin, yet soft and tender filling. You can add whatever seasonings you like to change up the flavour and make it your own.
Key ingredients and substitutions:
- 3-4 whole sweet potatoes - if you just want a single serving you could easily just use one whole sweet potato instead. You can use any type of sweet potato that you like including Japanese sweet potatoes and yams.
- Avocado oil or olive oil - to help get that perfectly crispy potato skin.
- Toppings of your choice - I love to keep it simple with a little butter, salt and pepper but you can top these baked potatoes with whatever you like.
How to make:
Step one:
First, wash and dry the sweet potatoes and then poke holes in them with a knife or fork (this ensure they won't explode in the air fryer).
Step two:
Next, place the whole sweet potatoes in a bowl and coat them with the oil, salt and pepper.
Step three:
Finally, place the sweet potatoes on the trays of your air fryer or in the basket, and bake at 390 degrees Fahrenheit for 35-40 minutes (the cooking time will depend on your air fryer and the size of your sweet potatoes).
Chef's tips:
- Use long and narrow sweet potatoes rather than shorter, fatter ones as they cook better in the air fryer.
- Don't forget to poke holes in the sweet potatoes! If you don't they will explode when you cook them.
- Every model of air fryer is different, so you may have to adjust the cooking times for this recipe.
- Depending on the size of the sweet potatoes you have you may need to adjust the cooking time slightly.
- This method of air fryer cooking would also work for cooking yams in your air fryer.
- This method of baking sweet potatoes also works if you have a basket style air fryer.
Variations and add ins:
- You can use either avocado oil or olive oil for baking these sweet potatoes.
- Feel free to top these potatoes with anything you like. I've included a list of topping ideas below.
Topping ideas for baked sweet potatoes:
- Butter, vegan butter, or coconut oil
- Spices such as salt, pepper, cinnamon, chili spice or ground nutmeg
- Brown sugar or coconut sugar
- Sour cream or vegan sour cream
- Bacon bits or chopped, cooked bacon
How to serve:
- These sweet potatoes can be eaten on their own as a snack.
- Turn them into a complete meal by turning them into a potato bun and serving them as Sloppy Joes.
- Pair them with any cooked meat such as steak, chicken or sausages.
- Pair them with cooked tofu or a veggie burger if you are vegan.
How to store:
If you have any leftover baked sweet potatoes, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
How to reheat:
To reheat a baked sweet potato in an air fryer, cook them for 3-5 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Nutrition info:
Assuming you eat a whole sweet potato, this recipe has approximately 236 calories per serving with 46 grams of total carbohydrates, 7 grams of fiber, 39 grams net carbs, 4 grams of protein and 5 grams of fat.
Frequently asked questions:
Absolutely! Compared to frying sweet potatoes in oil like they are often done, baking them in the air fryer uses less oil making them lower in fat and calories. Sweet potatoes are also full of vitamins and minerals including vitamin A, beta carotene, vitamin C, and potassium.
After a few tries I found that cooking sweet potatoes at 390 degrees Fahrenheit leads to perfectly cooked sweet potatoes with a nice crispy skin and nice and tender inside. Just don't forget to poke holes in the sweet potato skin or they can explode all over your air fryer!
There is no need to soak sweet potatoes before baking them in an air fryer.Â
It takes 35-40 minutes to cook a sweet potato in an air fryer at 390 degrees Fahrenheit.
For this air fryer recipe you do not need to preheat your air fryer. If you do choose to preheat it, decrease the cooking time by a few minutes.
I do not recommend trying to make these baked potatoes with no oil. The skin doesn't turn out nearly as nice and crispy if you do.
Other air fryer recipes you will love:
- Onion Rings in Air Fryer
- Air Fryer Potato Wedges
- Air Fryer Turkey Burgers
- Broccoli in Air FryerÂ
- Air Fryer Popcorn
- Air Fryer French FriesÂ
- Air Fryer Bananas
Since you made it this far we are basically best friends so be sure to follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok and Facebook where I share even more recipes and healthy living tips! And don’t forget to leave this recipe a star review before you go!
Air Fryer Baked Sweet Potato
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 medium sweet potatoes
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt (or more to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper (or more to taste)
Instructions
- Wash and dry the sweet potatoes and then poke holes in them with a knife or fork.
- Place the sweet potatoes in a bowl and coat them with the oil, salt and pepper.
- Place the sweet potatoes on the trays of your air fryer and bake at 390F for 35-40 minutes (the cooking time will depend on your air fryer and the size of your sweet potatoes).
Notes
- Use long and narrow sweet potatoes rather than shorter, fatter ones as they cook better in the air fryer.
- Don't forget to poke holes in the sweet potatoes! If you don't they can explode in your air fryer.
- This recipe would also work for yams.
Leave a Reply