Learn how to make Air Fryer Frozen Sweet Potato Fries with only 2 ingredients in less than 10 minutes from a dietitian!
I don't know about you, but I am a 'hard sell' when it comes to new and 'trendy' appliances. I prefer keeping things simple and not having a hundred different things to have to store.
Plus, I had figured out how to cook a lot of foods with minimal oil in my regular oven... But, the air fryer... it saves so much time when compared to using the oven.
So, when I learned Cuisinart came out with a 'duo' toaster oven/air fryer combo, I. was. sold. This is not a sponsored post, I just really love cooking with it!
While they can be eaten alone as a snack served with your favorite sauce, these delicious sweet potato fries actually make the perfect side dish! Let me show you how to make them!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Quick and Easy Making frozen sweet potato fries in the air fryer saves time. There's no need to preheat the air fryer and the fries cook in less time compared to when cooking them in the oven.
- Healthy Snack Sweet potato fries contain more vitamins and fiber than traditional fries. As an added bonus, air frying sweet potato fries uses less oil than deep frying.
- Kid-Approved Kids like sweet potato fries because they have some natural sweetness.
- Easy Side Dish Sweet potato fries go well with so many different dinners, just like regular fries. I personally enjoy eating these delicious fries with BBQ chicken, turkey burgers, or grilled chicken.
Dietitian Tip
Liven up your kids after school snack or dinner by serving sweet potato fries made in the air fryer! In my opinion, the best way to serve them is with a dip.
If your kids are not adventurous eaters or have never had sweet potato fries before, I recommend serving them with their favorite dipping sauce the first time you make these. Afterall, ketchup, bbq sauce, or honey mustard are usually a hit with kids!
Still, if your kids don't mind trying something new, try serving them with coconut flavored Greek yogurt and see what they think. It's my favorite dipping sauce for sweet potato fries!
Ingredient Notes
- Frozen Sweet Potato Fries Contain Vitamins A (beta-carotene), C, and E. They are also high in fiber. Try to find a brand that does not contain added sugar, like Trader Joe's or Ore-Ida.
- Salt Sea salt or regular table salt. Added for flavor. If your kids like plain sweet potato, they will likely enjoy sweet potato fries without adding salt.
- Cayenne pepper Optional. Added for flavor. Use just a little to add a hint of spice. The combination of cayenne pepper and salt with the sweetness of sweet potatoes is really delicious. Still, if your kids don't like spice, I suggest not adding any cayenne pepper at all.
Which Brand of Sweet Potato Fries to Buy?
The three most popular brands of sweet potato fries are Ore-Ida, Trader Joe's, and Alexia. Ore Ida and Trader Joe's brands have almost the same ingredients. Ore-Ida sweet potato fries, though, contain more than two times as much sodium as Trader Joe's brand per serving. Neither Ore-Ida or Trader Joe's brand of frozen sweet potato fries contain added sugar.
Alexia frozen sweet potato fries do contain added sugar. I had my kids do a blind taste test. They thought (and I agreed!) that the Alexia 'fries' tasted sweeter and most like sweet potatoes. Still, none of us voted Alexia to be our favorite in taste or texture.
In our opinions, Trader Joes has the best sweet frozen potato fries. Ore-Ida came in second, and Alexia third overall (flavor and texture).
How to Make Frozen Sweet Potato Fries in an Air Fryer
Here's a summary of the steps to make delicious sweet potato fries in an air fryer. For the full list of ingredients and instructions, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Lay frozen sweet potato fries in a single layer on the bottom of the air fryer basket.
- Sprinkle with salt. If adding cayenne pepper, lightly dust the fries with cayenne pepper. Feel free to add black pepper if you want.
- Set your air fryer to 400 degrees and air fry for at least 7 minutes.
- Carefully remove fries from air fryer, toss and serve.
Helpful Tips
- Grease the air fryer basket before placing the sweet potato fries in it.
- For quickest and best results, lay the frozen fries close together but not so close that they are touching.
- To be sure all sides are cooked evenly, you may want to toss the 'fries' after the first five minutes, even if they are in a single layer. I don't usually do this, but I'm not as particular about 'crispiness'.
- The ends of frozen sweet potato fries burn easily.
- Cooking at a higher temperature will reduce cooking time, but the ends of the sweet potato fries will be burnt.
- Never use aerosol spray cans (like traditional cooking spray) in your air fryer.
- It's best to use a good quality oil mister or simply use a silicone basting brush to brush a high heat oil (like avocado oil) on to the air fryer basket to prevent food from sticking. The same method can be used to lightly coat the sweet potato fries for an extra crispy texture.
- Stay near the air fryer while cooking because your nose might be the first to pick up if food is being overcooked.
- If you don't have an air fryer, you can bake them in the oven. Simply, follow the manufacturers instruction for time and temperature.
- I used a Cuisinart Digital AirFryer Toaster Oven. Different air fryers might require small adjustments in temperature and/or cook time.
Questions You May Have
They can be! When sweet potato fries are made without added sugar and with minimal oil, as with the air fryer or when baked in the oven, sweet potatoes fries can make a healthy snack or side.
Yes! Store leftover sweet potato fries in an airtight container and refrigerate. To reheat the leftover fries, air fry them at 400 degrees for 4-5 minutes.
Frozen sweet potato fries can be found in most traditional grocery stores in the U.S. They can be found in the frozen section, where you would also find frozen french fries.
Related Recipes
More Easy Air Fryer Recipes
Did you use this recipe to make crispy sweet potato fries in your air fryer? Please leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating to let me know! A 5-star rating is the best compliment!
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📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Frozen Sweet Potato Fries
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 ounces frozen sweet potato fries Half of a 15-20 ounce bag.
- A pinch of salt optional
- A pinch of cayenne pepper optional
Instructions
- Coat the air fryer basket with a high heat oil (like avocado oil) to prevent sticking.
- Spread frozen sweet potato fries out in a single layer.
- Sprinkle with salt (optional).
- Lightly dust half of the sweet potato fries with cayene pepper (only if your kids like spice).
- Set your air fryer to 400°. Air fry for 7 minutes.
- Check the 'fries'. If they aren't crispy enough for you, place them in the air fryer for an additional 2 minutes.
- Carefully remove the sweet potato fries from the air fryer and let cool slightly before serving.
Melanie Anders says
I don't have an air fryer but wondered what size you suggest. I have seen 5 qt. and 7 qt. I like the Cuisinart toaster oven combo you mentioned.
Kristi says
Great question! The size of the air fryer will depend on how much space you have and how many people you will be feeding. As a general rule of thumb, the 3-5qt size is suggested for a family of 3-5 people. Still, if you don't mind cooking in batches, you could go with this size even with a larger family. I love the Cuisinart/toaster/oven combo -I use it almost daily. It cooks so quick that even when I have to cook in batches, it's still much less time than when using the oven. I hope this helps!