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These Air Fryer Baked Sweet Potatoes are ready in less time than oven-baked. Simple and fuss-free, these perfectly cooked whole sweet potatoes are great for a fast dinner or a weeknight side dish.

A baked sweet potato split with a pat of butter and green onions and on a grey plate with a fork
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Everyone loves a fast meal without a lot of fuss, and these crispy baked sweet potatoes in the air fryer won’t disappoint!

Just like my Crispy Baked Potatoes (aka the world’s second-best baked potatoes) this baked sweet potato recipe is simple, hearty, and a great base for a healthy dinner.

Infinitely adaptable to your preferences – sweet, savory, or even mashed, you’re about to add a new staple to your “crushing dinner” side dishes recipe rotation.

How to Make an Air Fryer Baked Sweet Potato

*You’ll find a detailed and printable recipe card at the bottom of the post with measurements and cooking times/temps.

Scrub the sweet potatoes and dry them with a clean dry towel (or air dry). Gently poke each spud ~10 times with the tines of a fork.

Add olive oil, kosher salt, and minced garlic to a bowl (I used my beloved glass mixing bowl) and drop the spuds in. Swirl the bowl, making sure you coat all of the skin with the olive oil garlic mixture.

2 sweet potatoe in a glass bowl with olive oil and garlic

Lightly brush the air fryer basket with olive oil (or use air fryer parchment) and add the sweet potatoes. Bake for 37 minutes.

2 photos of sweet potatoes cooking in an air fryer

How Long Does it Take to Cook a Sweet Potato in the Air Fryer?

I have a 5.8-quart Cosori air fryer and on average it takes 37 minutes at 370 degrees F to air fry sweet potatoes. This method is so much faster than making oven baked sweet potatoes.

Each model/brand might cook the potatoes a bit differently, so test your spuds at 30 minutes by sticking a sharp knife into the center. 

The skin should be crispy and browned and the inside should be perfectly soft and fluffy.

If you need something that is ready faster, check out our Air Fryer Sweet Potato Cubes. They’re ready in under 16 minutes.

How to Flavor an Air Fryer Baked Sweet Potato

Top your potato with your favorite toppings – butter, cinnamon, and sugar, Crispy Fried Onions, Sweet Potatoes Fries Dipping Sauce, Chipotle Sauce, Gluten-Free Cheese Sauce, shredded chicken (mixed with Sugar-Free Barbeque Sauce), Air Fryer Bacon, or a big ol’ scoop of white beans and shredded cabbage.

Are Sweet Potatoes Healthier than Other Potatoes?

Orange sweet potatoes are high in beta-carotene, potassium, vitamin C, vitamin B6, and dietary fiber. One sweet potato can provide 400% of your daily intake of vitamin A.

For people who cannot tolerate the glycemic index of white potatoes, the fiber in sweet potatoes can slow the pace of digestion, which can regulate and even out glucose absorption.

The beta carotene in sweet potatoes converts to vitamin A that can help boost your immune system and support your vision.

If you’re looking for a shelf-stable way to preserve them, check out our tutorial on Canning Sweet Potatoes.

Pro Tips/Recipe Notes:

  • Poke each sweet potato ~10 tines with the size of the fork. This is important to ensure that the potato can vent heat while it bakes.
  • Each model/brand might cook the potatoes a bit differently, so test your spuds at 30 minutes by sticking a sharp knife into the center. 
  • Sweet potatoes make a great meal prep item. Fully bake ahead of time and reheat in the microwave or air fryer.
  • If you have a larger family or need to cook more at once, invest in an air fryer that is 5 quarts or more.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Do You Need to Preheat the Air Fryer When Baking Sweet Potatoes?

Preheating is not necessary but may cut 1-3 minutes of total cooking time. Optional: preheat at 370F for 3 minutes.

How Do You Know When Baked Sweet Potatoes Are Ready?

Baked sweet potatoes are ready when the tip of a sharp knife pierces easily into the skin.

How to Buy Sweet Potatoes

Choose firm sweet potatoes with smooth skin without dents, blemishes, cracks, or visible damage. Avoid any sweet potatoes that show sprouting on the skin.

Most grocery stores sell orange skin/flesh or red skin/orange flesh varieties of sweet potatoes. Both will work in this recipe.

If baking multiple sweet potatoes at a time, select ones that are similar in size for even baking time.

roasted sweet potato topped with butter on a plate

WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS

One serving has 1 WW Freestyle SmartPoints.

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Air Fryer Baked Sweet Potato Recipe

Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 37 minutes
Total: 42 minutes
A sweet potato on a tan plate topped with butter and green onions
These air fryer baked sweet potatoes are ready in less time than oven-baked. Simple and fuss-free, these perfectly cooked whole sweet potatoes are great for a fast dinner or a weeknight side dish.

Ingredients 

Instructions 

  • Scrub the sweet potatoes and blot with a clean dry towel.
    2 sweet potatoes
  • Gently poke each spud ~10 times with the tines of a fork.
  • Add olive oil, kosher salt, and minced garlic to a bowl and drop the sweet potatoes in. Swirl the bowl, making sure you coat all of the skin with the olive oil garlic mixture.
    1 tsp olive oil, 1 clove garlic, 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • Lightly brush the air fryer basket with olive oil and add the potatoes. Bake at 370 F for 37 minutes.

Notes

  1. Preheating is not necessary but may cut 1-3 minutes of total cooking time. Optional: preheat at 370F for 3 minutes.
  2. Each air fryer model is different. Check potatoes at 30 minutes. The sweet potatoes are ready when a sharp knife pierces easily into the skin.
  3. There is no need to flip the potatoes during cooking unless your air fryer creates “hot spots”.
  4. These make great meal prep items. Fully bake ahead of time and reheat in the microwave or air fryer.
Oven instructions:
  1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Follow steps 2-3 above.
  3. Put a piece of foil or a baking sheeting on the bottom rack of your oven. Place the potatoes directly on the rack above the foil/baking sheet.
  4. Bake for 60-90 minutes depending on how many spuds you have. Four potatoes will need 60 minutes, and any more than that will need 90 ish.

Nutrition

Serving: 1sweet potatoCalories: 132kcalCarbohydrates: 27gProtein: 2gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 362mgPotassium: 438mgFiber: 4gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 18443IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 39mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @sustainablecooks or tag #sustainablecooks!

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About Sarah

Helping you serve up budget-friendly sustainable recipes with a side of balanced living.
Come for the food. Stay for the snark.

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