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.

Roasting vegetables in the air fryer like the best air fryer broccoli and air fryer carrots has become my favourite way cook vegetables because it is so fast and easy which is why I am so excited to share this air fried baked sweet potato recipe with you!
Table of Contents
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 filling.
- 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.
- Baked sweet potatoes are a healthy side dish and are a fun alternative to baked potatoes.
- An air fryer baked sweet potato 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.
- 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 air fryer sweet potato fries instead!
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.
- Salt and pepper - to coat the sweet potatoes and help give them more flavour. If you want you can add other seasonings and spices to give them a different taste.
How to make an air fryer baked sweet potato:
Step 1
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 2
Next, place the sweet potatoes in a bowl and coat them with the oil, salt and pepper.
Step 3
Lastly, place the whole 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).
Top tips:
- Use long and narrow sweet potatoes rather than shorter, fatter ones as they cook better in the air fryer.
- Try and use sweet potatoes that are a similar size so they cook at the same rate.
- Don't forget to poke holes in the sweet potatoes! If you don't they will explode when you cook them.
- Don't wrap the sweet potatoes in foil. While this works well for baking potatoes in the oven it doesn't work well in the air fryer.
- 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 also works for cooking yams in your air fryer.
- I did not preheat my air fryer for this sweet potato recipe. If you do preheat it, decrease the cook time by a few minutes.
- If you are using a basket style air fryer be sure to shake the basket a few times during the cooking process so that the sweet potatoes cook evenly on all sides.
How to serve:
Air fryer baked sweet potatoes can be eaten on their own but you can also add toppings such as:
- 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.
You can turn these baked sweet potatoes into a complete meal by turning them into a potato bun and serving them as Sloppy Joes. You can also serve them as a side dish with other main dishes such as steak, air fryer turkey burgers, chicken, air fried salmon patties or fish.
How to store and reheat:
If you have any leftover baked sweet potatoes, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
To reheat a baked sweet potato in an air fryer, cook it for 3-5 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Air fryer baked sweet potato FAQs:
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.
There is no need to soak sweet potatoes before baking them in an air fryer.
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:
Recipe
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.
- Nutritional values are an estimate and will vary depending on the exact ingredients used.
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