Air Fryer Sweet Potato: A Versatile Delight

The air fryer has revolutionized cooking, offering a healthier and quicker alternative to traditional methods. Among the many dishes that benefit from this appliance, sweet potatoes stand out for their versatility and ease of preparation. Whether you're following a specific diet or simply looking for a tasty and nutritious side dish, air fryer sweet potatoes are a fantastic option.

Why Air Fry Sweet Potatoes?

Air frying sweet potatoes offers several advantages:

• Quick and Easy: Air frying significantly reduces cooking time compared to oven baking.
• Healthier: Using an air fryer requires less oil than traditional roasting or frying, resulting in a lower-calorie dish. Compared to oil and butter-roasted potatoes, these have a fraction of the calories!
• Perfect Texture: Air frying creates a crispy skin with a soft and creamy interior.
• Versatile: Sweet potatoes can be prepared whole, sliced, diced, or as fries, offering a variety of textures and presentations.

Preparing Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes: Methods and Recipes

1. Air Fryer Baked Sweet Potatoes

This method produces a result similar to oven-baked sweet potatoes but in a fraction of the time. The air fryer uses convection heat, which helps the natural sugars caramelize faster.

Ingredients:

• Sweet potatoes (choose ones with firm skin and few wrinkles)
• Olive oil or avocado oil
• Salt
• Optional toppings: cinnamon, maple syrup, butter, sour cream, cheese, black beans, salsa, chives, pecans, mini marshmallows, brown sugar

Instructions:

1. Prep work: Start by poking holes in the sweet potatoes with a fork. Be sure to poke holes in the sweet potato before placing into the air fryer. This will allow the potato to cook more evenly.
2. Air fry: Next, put them in the air fryer basket and cook for 18-20 minutes or until they are fork-tender. The ideal temperature to bake the sweet potatoes is 400°F (200°C).
3. Slice and serve: Finally, cut in the middle to release some steam.

Tips:

• Don’t overcrowd the air fryer.
• Know when it’s done: Besides using the fork test, when the skin starts to wrinkle and you notice little beads of caramelized sugar appear, that’s when you know it’s ready.
• Don’t wrap the potatoes in foil! Wrapping sweet potatoes in tin foil is a fabulous idea when oven-baking, but they actually don’t work well for the air fryer.

Cooking Time Variation:

The cooking time may vary based on the size of the sweet potatoes and the air fryer model.

• 3-4 ounces: These take around 27-30 minutes, total, to get all caramelized and soft in the middle.

2. Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries

For a healthier alternative to traditional fries, air fryer sweet potato fries are a perfect choice.

Read also: Low-Carb Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe

Ingredients:

• Sweet potatoes
• Avocado oil
• Salt
• Optional seasonings: garlic powder, cayenne pepper, onion powder, black pepper, brown sugar, cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Cut the sweet potatoes into ½-inch thick slices.
2. Cut long ways again. Turning them into fries is like strips.
3. In a large mixing bowl place the sweet potatoes, then add your avocado oil and salt.
4. Toss around to make sure everything is coated.
5. Preheat your air fryer to 375 degrees F.
6. Transfer to the air fryer basket. Doing a single layer.
7. Play around with various seasonings to get your desired result.

Tips:

• If you want to get super fancy, you can soak your sweet potato slices in cold water before air frying. This helps the skin to crisp up even more!
• If you want thicker fries, leave the slices at 1/2 inch thick, like sweet potato wedges. They may take longer to cook, but you can leave them thicker if that’s what you prefer.
• To prevent soggy fries, use the recommended amount of oil listed in the recipe and no more. Too much oil can make the fries soggy, so just try to be careful!

3. Air Fryer Sweet Potato Slices (Rounds)

Sweet potato slices are a versatile option for side dishes, snacks, or additions to bowls and salads.

Ingredients:

• Sweet potato
• Butter (or olive oil)
• Paprika
• Onion powder
• Garlic powder
• Salt
• Pepper

Instructions:

1. Wash and peel the sweet potato.
2. Slice sweet potato. I usually eyeball them; take a look at the photo below. Typically, I slice sweet potatoes for the sweet potato slice recipe into about ½ inch a round.
3. Season sweet potato slices. I used butter, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to season. First, melt and sprinkle the melted butter, then the spices. Then use a silicone spatula or hand to mix well. The seasoning ingredients created a little crust - yum!
4. Air fry sweet potato slices. Set the air fryer to 350 and set the time to 15 minutes. Lay the seasoned sweet potato slices in the air fryer basket, cook in the air fryer for the specified time, turning halfway.

Tips:

• Ensure to slice the sweet potatoes into equal slices to cook evenly.
• Cook them to crisp up as you desire; 350 degrees and 15 minutes were just perfect for achieving this doneness for me.
• Use any color of sweet potato; purple or white will looks fab as well.
• Toss sliced sweet potatoes in oil before adding the seasoning. I used melted butter; nevertheless, you can use olive oil or any oil of choice. This way, the potato slices attract the seasonings.

4. Air Fryer Sweet Potato with Curry Leaves and Garlic Yogurt

This recipe offers a more elaborate and flavorful take on air fryer sweet potatoes, incorporating aromatic curry leaves and a tangy garlic yogurt sauce.

Ingredients:

• 2 sweet potatoes
• 1 tbsp olive oil plus 2 tsp
• 1 small garlic bulb
• 150g Greek yogurt
• 3 tbsp tahini
• 1 lemon zested and juiced
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 5g fresh curry leaves
• Small handful of coriander finely chopped
• Pinch of chilli flakes

Instructions:

1. If your air fryer has a preheat option, heat it to 200C. Pierce a few holes in the sweet potatoes using a sharp knife, then rub with 1 tbsp of the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Drizzle 1 tsp of the oil over the garlic bulb, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then wrap in foil. Put both the garlic and sweet potatoes in the air-fryer and cook for 35 mins. Remove the garlic and set aside to cool slightly, then put the sweet potatoes back in for 15 mins until a cutlery knife goes through the centre with no resistance.
2. Meanwhile, put the Greek yogurt in a small bowl and mix with the tahini, lemon zest and juice, maple syrup and some salt and pepper. When the garlic has cooled, squeeze the cloves into the tahini and yogurt mixture and stir well.
3. Put the curry leaves, 1 tsp olive oil and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Massage with your hands so they’re well coated. Put the curry leaves in the air fryer and place a small, ovenproof plate on top. Make sure the plate is upside down, so air can circulate around them. Cook for 5-6 mins at 200C until crispy. Carefully remove the plate using tongs or oven gloves.
4. Split the sweet potatoes open and fluff up the flesh slightly with a fork.

Sweet Potatoes and Dietary Considerations

Incorporating Sweet Potatoes into a Carnivore-Adjacent Diet

While sweet potatoes are not strictly carnivore-friendly due to their carbohydrate content, they can be included in a modified or "carnivore-adjacent" diet. The carnivore diet primarily consists of animal products, but some individuals may choose to incorporate small amounts of certain plant-based foods for added nutrients or variety. If you are following a carnivore or carnivore-adjacent diet, consider the following:

• Moderation: Consume sweet potatoes in moderation to avoid excessive carbohydrate intake.
• Timing: Time your sweet potato consumption around periods of higher activity to utilize the carbohydrates for energy.
• Preparation: Air frying is a healthier cooking method compared to frying or roasting with added sugars.

Common Questions

• Should you soak sweet potatoes before air frying? No, there is no need to soak the sweet potatoes before air frying. Firstly, they don’t have the same amount of starch as regular white potatoes do. They are also being kept whole, so there’s no need to crisp up a thin interior. Thirdly, moisture retention matters more than crispiness. If you soak, you risk drawing out some moisture, which will result in dry potatoes.
• Do you have to boil sweet potato before slicing? No, you do not have to boil the sweet potatoes before slicing.
• Do you have to peel sweet potatoes? No, you do not necessarily have to peel sweet potatoes before air frying them for air fryer sweet potato slices recipe. Ensure to clean them properly and that they are not rough. I generally peel my sweet potatoes for most of my air fryer sweet potatoes recipes except for my air fryer whole baked sweet potato.
• Can you make air fryer sweet potatoes slices into sweet potato fries? Yes, you can make sweet potato slices into chips with a few changes. To make sweet potato chips, slice the sweet potato thinner using a mandolin or potato slicer to become crisp and crunchy when they air fry.
• How long to cook sweet potatoes in air fryer? How long you should air fry potatoes will depend on whether the potatoes are sliced, cut into rounds, cut in sticks like fries, cut in cubes, or left in whole. For instance, these sliced sweet potatoes cooked for 15 minutes, and my air fryer whole sweet potatoes, on the other hand, cooked for 30 minutes. My sweet potatoes cubes recipe cooks at a different time too.

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tags: #air #fryer #sweet #potato #carnivore #diet