MenuTome Get the app

Recipes · Side dishes

Sweet Potato Fries from the Air Fryer

AI-written · not yet kitchen-tested

Sweet potatoes hold a lot of sugar and water, so they turn soft or dark rather than crisp. A dusting of cornstarch on dry sticks and a basket of about 4 liters filled no more than halfway help a lot. The inside still stays softer than that of regular potato fries.

  • Serves 3
  • Prep 15 min
  • Cook 30 min
  • Total 45 min
  • easy
No photo yet

This recipe was written with AI assistance and has not yet been kitchen-tested. Check quantities and times as you cook, and follow safe core temperatures for meat, poultry, fish and eggs.

Ingredients

Convert cups to grams →

  • 600 g (1.3 lb) sweet potatoes 2 medium, peeled, cut into sticks about 3/8 inch (1 cm) thick
  • 1.5 tbsp canola oil
  • 1.5 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp sweet paprika
  • 0.5 tsp garlic powder
  • salt to taste, added after cooking

Method

  1. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into sticks 3/8 inch (1 cm) thick and about 3 inches (7 cm) long, as evenly as you can. Pat the sticks dry with a kitchen towel; wet sticks will not take the starch.
  2. Toss the sticks with the oil in a large bowl until all of them have a light sheen.
  3. Sift the cornstarch, paprika and garlic powder over them and turn everything until the sticks carry a paper-thin, matte film. Avoid clumps of starch; they stay white and pasty in the basket.
  4. If the instructions for your air fryer call for preheating, preheat it for 3 minutes at 400 °F (200 °C). Put half of the sticks (about 10 oz / 300 g) into the basket in a single layer without overlapping; it should be no more than half full.
  5. Cook at 400 °F (200 °C) for 15 minutes. Halfway through (after about 8 minutes), shake the basket and pull apart sticks that cling together with tongs.
  6. Check from minute 12: the edges should be brown but not black, the center soft. The sugar in sweet potatoes burns fast. Slide the fries onto a plate; they firm up a little as they cool for 1 to 2 minutes.
  7. Cook the second batch the same way, salt both batches and serve right away.

Tip: For a crunchier result, cut the sticks thinner (about 1/4 inch / 7 mm) and cook for only 12 to 13 minutes; thin sticks do burn faster, though.

Tip: Do not cover them: steam under a lid softens sweet potato fries right away.