Baked Sweet Potato in the Air Fryer

Forget heating up the oven, use the air fryer for baked sweet potatoes. The first time I baked sweet potatoes in the air fryer it was a game-changer for me.

Over the past couple of months, this has been my lunch at least once a week.

Air Fryer Baked Sweet Potatoes

Baked sweet potatoes with their soft fluffy insides are delightful with a simple pat of butter and a sprinkling of kosher salt. Crispy on the outside and piping hot, sweet potatoes make a hearty side dish or a light meal on their own.

The cooking time for sweet potatoes depends entirely on the size of the potatoes. The sweet potatoes pictured here were fairly small to medium size and they cooked in just over 30 minutes.

Larger sweet potatoes typically require about 45 minutes of cooking time. Don’t stress the outsides of the potatoes, as they will be deeply browned by the time the potatoes are cooked through. Just test with a fork for doneness.

I use the COSORI Air Fryer for all of my air fryer recipes. I’m partial to a square basket air fryer as I find it easier to fit more food into the basket. This is a 5.8QT air fryer, one of the largest machines I’ve found that works effectively.

My first machine (photographed in several recipes here) was a bit retro with simple knob controls and I liked it a lot. However, that machine was recalled recently and the company sent out a replacement. I like the new machine every bit as much and have linked it above.

This air fryer is surprisingly easy to clean and the two-part basket locks together (it’s literally impossible for it to detach the way some do) until you open the latch and then push the button to release it. I simply wipe down the baskets with a sudsy dish scrub brush or sponge, rinse and let them air dry on the counter.

Baked Sweet Potato in the Air Fryer

You’ll need just three ingredients to make this recipe:

• medium sweet potatoes 
• olive oil
• kosher salt

Cooking Time for Sweet Potatoes

Preheat the air fryer to 400°F. Wash and dry the sweet potatoes. Poke holes all over them with a fork.

Drizzle the sweet potatoes with oil and rub it over the potatoes with your hands.

Place the potatoes in the air fryer and sprinkle them generously with salt. Air fry for 30-45 minutes until fork tender. Serve with the toppings of your choice.

Why poke holes in potatoes?

Just a quick note here, don’t forget to poke holes in each potato. When you’re preparing any kind of potatoes, it’s a good idea to poke them with a fork or knife before baking.

As potatoes bake, the moisture inside them turns to steam, which builds up pressure inside the potato. If the pressure becomes too great, the potato can burst open in the oven.

By poking holes in the sweet potatoes before baking, you create vents that allow steam to escape. This helps to prevent the pressure from building up too much inside the potato, reducing the likelihood of an exploded sweet potato in the air fryer. Let’s just avoid that whole mess.

Sweet Potato Toppings

If I happen to have some taco beef or bbq chicken on hand, I like to pile it on top of the split sweet potato to amp up the protein in the meal. A scoop of chili also works well as a potato topping.

Burrata is an amazing sweet potato topping if you happen to have it on hand. For breakfast, a leftover sweet potato half topped with a fried egg is happiness on my plate.

As much as I love a savory sweet potato; there are a whole lot of people who go for the sweet option. A sprinkling of cinnamon and brown sugar with a handful of toasted mini marshmallows reminds me of the sweet potatoes served at Texas Roadhouse.

Air Fryer Potatoes

Let’s be honest, I bought an air fryer for making french fries, it is the closest thing I’ve found to the results you can achieve with an actual deep fryer. Fortunately, I’ve found quite a few other uses for my air fryer, especially when cooking for just one or two people.

You may not really need a recipe to cook frozen sweet potato fries in the air fryer, the seasonings here take sweet potato fries to the next level.

Slightly crisp with soft sweet insides, air fryer sweet potato wedges dipped in ketchup are impossible to resist.

Potatoes are a go-to side in my house and these air fryer potatoes make a weekly appearance on our table. When grilling or not wanting to heat up the oven these come in handy.

This crispy, cheesy, immensely snackable Air Fryer Eggplant is going to change your mind forever about this awesome vegetable.

Looking for more comfort food side dishes? Creamy, classic mashed potatoes are elevated with the sharp and tangy flavor of white cheddar cheese in these White Cheddar Mashed Potatoes.