Do Sweet Potatoes Need to Be Soaked in Water?
If you’ve tried my classic Air Fryer French Fries, you may already be aware that soaking potatoes in water is thought to draw out some of their starches, resulting in a crispier result when they are cooked. Sweet potatoes don’t get as crispy as white potatoes, so I think it’s important to set your expectations accordingly. In my experience, soaking sweet potatoes doesn’t make a huge difference in how crispy they turn out, so I personally skip this step to save myself the extra time and effort.
To make crispier sweet potatoes, you can try my Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries, which have a light coating that help them crisp up. Cutting the potatoes into thin shapes also helps with crispiness. The thinner you cut them, the crispier they will be.
It’s also important to serve them right away, as most foods will soften as they cool.
Cubed Sweet Potatoes in the Air Fryer
Cutting sweet potatoes into 1- or 2-inch cubes is the fastest way to cook them in the air fryer. The small size means they will cook quickly, and I like to toss them in seasonings for a savory “home fries” result. These are my favorite seasonings to pair with sweet potatoes:
Garlic Powder Onion Powder Chili Powder Fresh rosemary Salt
You can see my go-to spice blend in the printable recipe below. What I love about this cubed method is that there’s very little prep work to do, and they are ready to eat in just about 20 minutes. It’s faster than cooking them in the oven!
Air Fryer Baked Sweet Potatoes
I love cooking baked sweet potatoes in the air fryer, because the skin gets nice and crispy, while the interior cooks to tender perfection. When it comes to baked sweet potatoes, choosing the right shape will ensure your success. Look for potatoes that are narrow, rather than super-wide or awkwardly shaped, to get potatoes that will cook evenly. I prefer to cut wider sweet potatoes into cubes, for more guaranteed results.
Just like baking a potato in the oven, to cook sweet potatoes in the air fryer you’ll pierce them to vent, then rub the skins with olive oil and salt. That’s all you need to do before they start cooking!
Air Fryer Cooking Time and Temperature for Sweet Potatoes
Since cubed sweet potatoes cook quickly, I like to cook them at 360ºF for 20 minutes. If you cut them into smaller pieces, they could cook in as little as 15 minutes, so I always like to check on them at the 15-minute mark to remove any that could be done. Then I shake the basket to turn the potatoes, and return them to cook for 5 more minutes.
To cook baked sweet potatoes in the air fryer, I go by these guidelines:
6 ounces or less: 30 minutes at 400ºF 7 to 12 ounces: 45 minutes at 400ºF 12 ounces or more: 1 hour at 400ºF
The cooking times above are general guidelines based on my experience, but the most fool-proof system I’ve found to make sure a potato is done in the middle (without cutting it open) is to take its internal temperature with a meat thermometer. If the potato has reached 207ºF or higher, the potato should be perfectly tender in the center.
Sweet Potato Recipes
If you cook more sweet potato than you can eat in one sitting, I have several recipes to help you use up your leftovers!
Sweet Potato Brownies Sweet Potato Smoothie Sweet Potato Muffins Sweet Potato Casserole
If you try this cooking method, please leave a comment below letting me know how you like it! And if you make any modifications, I’d love to hear about those, too. We can all benefit from your experience! – Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite way to serve sweet potatoes?
