We love easy air fryer recipes, like these crispy sweet potato cubes. For more delicious side dish ideas, try out these Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, drizzled with a balsamic glaze. Or these Air Fryer Roasted Broccoli, made with parmesan cheese.
Crispy Air Fryer Roasted Sweet Potatoes Recipe
With the holidays right around the corner, I am excited about eating all of the sweet potato recipes like these healthy mashed sweet potatoes made with a secret ingredient. But, even though sweet potatoes are a fall staple, I really love cooking them year round. This is the perfect recipe to eat any time of year.
Sweet potatoes are a healthy side dish or snack, healthier than eating regular potatoes. They are packed full of beta-carotene, vitamin c and fiber. Did you know they can also help with vision, improve gut health, and may enhance brain function. They are yummy and good for you…sign me up!
In this delicious recipe, whole sweet potatoes get cut into small cubes, then coated in a thin layer of oil. Herbs are added to give a little more flavor and balance out the sweetness of the sweet potatoes.
These sweet potatoes don’t end up crunchy, but with a slight crispness (about as much as you can expect from a sweet potato).
And guess what, the smaller you cut the cubes, the more crisp they will cook up. Cutting the sweet potatoes up into bigger pieces will give you a softer texture. The choice is yours but I prefer them with a little crispness.
Air frying them is the perfect way to get a crispy exterior and a soft middle on those sweet potatoes. Just make sure not to crowd your basket and keep them in a single layer. If you are making more than a pound and a half of sweet potatoes, then you will want to cook in batches.
Another great thing about this air fryer recipe is that you can switch up the flavors if you like. Add some cinnamon and maple syrup to make them a little sweeter or change up the herbs for a whole new flavor. You can even make air fryer sweet potato fries.
The air fryer is a great way to bring out the natural sweetness of the sweet potatoes. It’s also the easiest way and the cooking time is so much shorter than if you roasted them in the oven.
Why Make this Sweet Potato recipe?
- Easy side dish recipe.
- Made with pantry staples.
- Make any time of year.
- Switch up the flavors.
- Cooks quickly.
Best Way to Cube Sweet Potatoes
- Wash and dry sweet potatoes. Peel the skin off of the potatoes.
- Set the cutting board on a flat surface.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the sweet potatoes into 1/2 inch slices.
- Cut each slice into 1/2 inch strips. Then cut 1/2 inch slices across the other direction to make cubes.
Best Type of Sweet Potato to Use?
This recipe can be used for all the sweet potato colors like purple, orange, or white potatoes. I typically use the orange potatoes because it is most readily available in grocery stores.
The most common sweet potatoes I see are Jewel and Red Garnet, but others that are also great for roasting are Covington, Centennial, Beauregard, or Hernandez.
When buying sweet potatoes make sure to look them over. They should be firm, small to medium in size without any cuts or bruises and don’t get any that are going soft. I like using the ones that are long and thin because they are easier to cut through.
What to Do with Sweet Potato Cubes
Most recipes require sweet potatoes to be cooked before using them because they are hard potatoes and typically take a longer to cook than other ingredients. That’s why this recipe is so great, you can cook sweet potatoes quickly to use in a variety of recipes. It’s such a versatile side dish!
- Breakfast burritos
- Black bean and sweet potato enchiladas
- Sweet potato breakfast casserole
- Frittatas
- Burrito bowls
- Sweet potato tacos
- Buddha bowls
- Serve along side air fryer turkey burgers, chicken breast, or pork chops.
- And, of course, just eating them just as they are is a great option!
Herbs and Spices that go well with Sweet Potatoes
It is super easy to take these fall inspired sweet potato chunks in another flavor direction by changing up the herbs and spices that you add. Here are some options that taste great with sweet potatoes.
- Maple syrup
- Brown sugar
- Cinnamon
- Ginger
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Curry powder
- Cayenne pepper
- Chili powder
- Cumin
Some popular sweet potato flavor combinations
On the sweeter side: Combine some brown sugar and cinnamon with the sweet potatoes.
Mexican spice: Some cumin, chili powder, and a little cayenne will make sweet potatoes spicy.
Traditional: Add a little garlic powder and onion powder.
Recipe Ingredients
These are the main ingredients you need for this simple side dish. Check out the recipe card for full ingredient amounts.
- Sweet Potatoes: I like to use the ones that are long and thin, they are easier to cut into.
- Oil: Any vegetable oil will work. I like extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil.
- Sage: Use either dried ground sage or rubbed sage. If using ground sage you will need 1/2 teaspoon. For rubbed sage use 1 teaspoon.
- Thyme: Dried thyme, make sure it isn’t expired.
- Paprika: You definitely want to use smoked paprika, it’s an easy way to give the sweet air fryer potatoes a little bit of extra flavor.
- Salt: I like using sea salt or kosher salt.
- Pepper: Freshly ground black pepper is best.
How to Make Air Fryer Sweet Potato Cubes
Here are the basic instructions to make this sweet potato cubes recipe. For the full directions check out the recipe card at the bottom of this blog post.
- Wash and scrub the sweet potatoes.
- Cube the sweet potatoes.
- Preheat air fryer.
- Add the potatoes into a zip lock bag or a large bowl. Pour in the oil and mix around really well trying to fully coat the potatoes.
- Add sage, thyme, salt, pepper, and smoked paprika to oiled sweet potatoes, mix well.
- Pour potatoes into the air fryer basket.
- Cook sweet potatoes, shaking them about 4-5 minutes through cook time.
- Serve hot.
How to Make Cubed Sweet Potatoes in Oven
To make this sweet potato recipe in the oven instead of the air fryer. Just preheat your oven to 425 degrees f. Place cut up potatoes on a baking sheet, cooking for about 30 minutes. About halfway through cooking time
What to Serve with Sweet Potato Cubes
Sweet potato cubes make a fantastic side dish to many main dishes such as air fryer London Broil, cornish hen, honey garlic marinated chicken thighs, pork chops without breading, stuffed pork chops, best pork chops, chicken sausage, or turkey burgers.
Of course, you can always eat them served with some vegetables like air fryer squash and zucchini, roasted broccoli or roasted asparagus.
Recipe Tips
- Clean sweet potatoes. Since sweet potatoes are grown in the ground, they end up pretty dirty. Rinse and scrub them well. Then dry them well with a paper towel or a clean towel.
- Single layer. Make sure to keep the sweet potato pieces in a single layer or they won’t crisp up at all.
- Similar size pieces. Make sure to try to keep the sweet potato chunks as uniform as possible so that they cook evenly.
- Eat immediately. You want to enjoy these hot and right out of the air fryer because they start to get soft as they sit.
- Check on food. Open the air fryer at any time to check on the potatoes to make sure they are not burning.
- Different air fryers. All air fryers cook differently so this recipe may need more or less time. I use a Cosori 5.8 quart basket style air fryer.
Variations
- Different flavors. Use different herbs and spices to season the sweet potatoes the way you like them.
- Crispy sweet potatoes. For crispy air fryer sweet potatoes, cut them into 1/2 inch cubes.
- Soft sweet potatoes. For softer sweet potatoes, cut cubes a little larger.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long to cook sweet potatoes in the air fryer? These sweet potatoes will be fully cooked under 12 minutes. If your pieces are bigger then they may need a few more minutes.
Do sweet potatoes need to be soaked before air frying? No, these sweet potatoes do not need to be soaked before cooking.
Can you eat sweet potato skin? Yes, sweet potato skin is completely edible. I prefer peeling the sweet potatoes before cooking them in this recipe.
Are sweet potato cubes keto friendly? Unfortunately, sweet potatoes are not the best food to eat on a ketogenic diet because they are not low in carbohydrates.
Is this sweet potato recipe gluten free? Yes, this can be eaten on a gluten free diet.
Storage Instructions
How to refrigerate cubed sweet potatoes? Let the sweet potatoes cool and store leftovers in an airtight container. They should last about 3-4 days in the fridge.
How do you reheat leftover sweet potatoes? Pre-heat the air fryer to 350° F. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Keep a close eye on it so that it doesn’t burn.
How to freeze sweet potato cubes? Let sweet potatoes cool completely before putting into an air tight, freezer safe container. They can be frozen for 3-6 months, just be sure to label with the recipe and date.
How to thaw frozen sweet potatoes? Thaw frozen cooked sweet potatoes on a plate in the refrigerator overnight until defrosted.
Try these other air fryer recipes!
- Frozen Chicken Breasts in Air Fryer
- Air Fryer Chicken Breasts without Breading
- Air Fryer Frozen French Fries
- Chicken Sausage in Air Fryer
- Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries
If you’ve tried this air fried sweet potato cubes recipe, don’t forget to give me a star rating and leave me a comment below in the comment section. I love to hear from people who have made my recipes!
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Air Fryer Sweet Potato Cubes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon ground sage, or 1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
- 1 teaspoon thyme, dried
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
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Wash and scrub the sweet potatoes, dry them well. Cube the sweet potatoes.
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Preheat the air fryer to 400°F.
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Add the potatoes into a zip lock bag or a large bowl.
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Pour in the oil and mix around really well trying to fully coat the potatoes.
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Add sage, thyme, salt, pepper, and smoked paprika to oiled sweet potatoes, mix well.
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Pour potatoes into the preheated air fryer basket.
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Cook sweet potatoes for 10-12 minutes. Shake basket half way through cooking time. Serve hot.
Equipment
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Air Fryer
Recipe Notes
- Single layer. Make sure to keep the sweet potato pieces in a single layer or they won’t crisp up at all.
- Similar size pieces. Make sure to try to keep the sweet potato chunks as uniform as possible so that they cook evenly.
- Eat immediately. You want to enjoy these hot and right out of the air fryer because they start to get soft as they sit.
* Please note that all nutrition information are just estimates. Values will vary among brands, so we encourage you to calculate these on your own for most accurate results.
Nutrition Information
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