Air Fryer Sweet Potato Cubes
Air fryer sweet potato chunks are the perfect side dish for any meal – breakfast, lunch or dinner! Ready in 13 minutes, these air fried sweet potato cubes are so easy to make and can be seasoned so many ways, making them incredibly versatile! Vegan, gluten free, Whole30 and paleo friendly!
Why you will love this recipe
- Easy to make – simply cut the sweet potatoes into cubes, drizzle with oil and salt and cook in the air fryer in 13 minutes, shaking the basket once or twice. That’s it!
- Great for quick meals – if you are anything like me, waiting 40+ minutes for sweet potatoes to roast in the oven when I’m hungry isn’t going to happen. This recipe makes about 1 pound of sweet potatoes at a time, enough for 2-4 servings, depending on how big those servings are!
- Super versatile – You can serve these air fryer roasted sweet potatoes for breakfast, lunch or dinner. You can also change the seasonings to go well with any dish! Some of my favorites include everything bagel seasoning and honey cinnamon.
Ingredients
- Sweet potatoes – I typically use orange (Jewel or Garnet) sweet potatoes for this, but you can also make this same recipe with purple or Japanese (white flesh) sweet potatoes. Note, I like to use narrow sweet potatoes (vs super wide potatoes) as I find these are easier to cut.
- Extra virgin olive oil – just a bit of oil is added to really help the sweet potatoes carmalize when roasting in the air fryer. The potatoes never get “crispy’ but they do get a crust on the outside and they are incredibly fluffy and tender in the center. I find that olive oil helps the potatoes cook a bit faster and does help them get crispier than without any oil.
- Salt – I like to add salt but it’s 100% optional. Even when making these sweet (with cinnamon and honey) a small pinch of salt helps the potatoes taste even sweeter!
How to make air fryer sweet potato cubes
Start by washing the sweet potatoes (I leave the skin on so you want to be sure it’s clean). Lay the sweet potato down on the cutting board and cut off the top and bottom. Then cut the sweet potato into ½ inch disks.
Next cut these disks down into ½ inch cubes. Depending on how wide your potato is you will get between 4 and 9 cubes or up to 12-16 for wider potatoes.
Add the sweet potato cubes to a bowl and add the olive oil and salt. Stir well. You can do this in the air fryer basket but I find it easiest to manage the potatoes in a bowl.
Add the sweet potatoes to the air fryer basket. You want to try to get a single layer (although some overlapping is ok as long as the basket it not too crowded).
Cook at 390F for 13 minutes. Shake the basket every 5 or so minutes (around minute 5 and minute 10) to ensure the potatoes are cooking evenly (especially if you have more than one layer).
After cooking, check to see if the potatoes are done. Take the largest cube you can find and carefully remove it with a spoon or fork. Place it on a cutting board or plate and gently press down with the back of a spoon or fork. The potato should be soft and easy to smush (there shouldn’t be any resistance or feel hard in the center).
Serve immediately, as the potatoes tend to get soft as they cool.
Top tips
- Cut the potatoes into even cubes – the larger the sweet potato chunks, the longer they will take to cook through.
- You can sometimes find sweet potato cubes already cut up in the grocery store. Typically they are more expensive but a great time saving option! These may need a few more minutes since they can sometimes be a bit larger than 1/2 inch cubes.
- If you want even crispier sweet potatoes, cook 3-4 more minutes in the air fryer, especially if you had a very crowded basket.
- Be sure to shake the basket 2-3 times during cooking to ensure they don’t burn and have a chance to cook evenly. This is not as much of a problem in the oven style air fryers.
- No need to peel them unless you prefer to have peeled potatoes. The skins are actually a great source of fiber! Be sure to rinse your sweet potatoes especially if you plan on leaving the skin on!
- Want a really sharp knife to cut through potatoes, especially when you have super wide sweet potatoes. When you have a dull knife, you have press harder, which is more dangerous than a sharp knife.
- I like to choose narrow potatoes (vs super wide), as they are easier to slice through and I think make it quicker to cut the potatoes up into cubes.
Other spices you can try
- Taco: Add 1 tablespoon chili powder + 1 teaspoon ground cumin along with the salt.
- Savory: Reduce salt down to ¼ teaspoon and add 1 tablespoon everything but the bagel seasoning.
- Curry: Add 1 tablespoon curry powder + 1 tsp. ground cumin or garam masala along with the salt.
- Spicy: Add 1 teaspoon smoked paprika + 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder.
- Sweet: reduce the salt down to ¼ teaspoon Add 1-2 tsp. ground cinnamon (depending on how much you love cinnamon). When potatoes are done, drizzle immediately with 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup.
Ways to serve air fryer sweet potato chunks
- As a side dish for pretty much any meal – sweet or savory (see some ways to change up the flavors above).
- As a base for breakfast – add 1-2 fried eggs over top and serve with sauteed spinach or kale for a quick and easy breakfast.
- Add to tacos or burrito bowls with homemade cilantro lime dressing.
- As a part of grain bowls or buddha bowls.
- On salads – the little sweet potato cubes act like croutons and are delicious with almost any salad dressing.
- As part of frittatas – leftover sweet potato cubes are great to throw in frittatas.
Common questions
What to look for when buying sweet potatoes?
When looking over the sweet potatoes, you want to look for dark spots or places where the potatoes look like they are bruised or starting to rot. Also press the sweet potatoes with your thumbs to ensure there are not any soft spots where the potatoes are starting to rot.
When you get home, store your sweet potatoes in a cool, dry, dark place, but make sure there is some ventilation or the sweet potatoes will start to rot (I keep mine in a basket with holes in the basket weaving). I’ve always heard not to store potatoes with onions so I keep them apart as well.
Do you have to peel sweet potatoes?
No you do not have to peel sweet potatoes before cubing them. I actually prefer to leave the skin on. If you decide you do want to peel the sweet potatoes, do it while they are whole and work in small sections vs. trying to peel the entire length of the potato at once.
Do you need to soak sweet potatoes to get them crispy?
There is not need to soak sweet potatoes before cooking. Regular potatoes benefit from soaking in cool water before cooking, as removing the excess starch from the potatoes with the water can help them get crispier in the air fryer. This is not the case with sweet potatoes, so that step is not necessary.
Storing leftovers
Fridge: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freezer: You can freeze cooked sweet potato cubes but they texture may not be the same when defrosted. Be sure to reheat in the air fryer or oven once defrosted for best texture. To freeze leftovers, allow them to first cool completely in the fridge then place them on a wax paper or parchment paper lined baking sheet and put the baking sheet in the freezer. Freeze until solid then transfer sweet potato cubes to a freezer safe bag or container for up to 3 months.
If you happen to have leftover sweet potato cubes, you can either eat them cold from the fridge or reheat them. The sweet potatoes tend to get soft as they cool, so if you want the sweet potato chunks to get crispy again, I recommend using the air fryer or oven.
Reheat in the air fryer at 390F for 4-5 minutes. You can also reheat in the oven at 425F for 10 minutes or so.
Substitutions
- Sweet potatoes: If you don’t have sweet potatoes, you can make air fryer butternut squash or air fryer carrots instead. Be sure to check out those posts to get specific instructions.
- Extra virgin olive oil: You can also use avocado oil, melted ghee or butter or melted coconut oil in place of the olive oil. If you don’t want to use any oil, you can simply omit it and wait to add salt until the potatoes are done cooking. Salt the sweet potatoes immediately after cooking instead.
- Salt: If you do not want to use salt, you can simply omit it.
If you love this recipe, you should try
- Air Fryer Sweet Potato Wedges
- Air Fryer Delicata Squash
- Air Fryer Taquitos (Vegan)
- Air Fryer Frozen Broccoli
- Air Fryer Tomatoes
- Air Fryer Spaghetti Squash
Air Fryer Sweet Potato Cubes
$1.24 Recipe/$0.31 ServingIngredients
- 1 pound sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes - $0.99
- 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil - $0.22
- 1/2 tsp sea salt - $0.03
Instructions
- Rinse the sweet potatoes. Lay the potatoes flat on their side and cut them carefully into 1/2 inch disks.
- Lay the sweet potato disks flat on the cutting board and cut into 1/2 inch cubes.
- Add all the sweet potato cubes to a large bowl. Add the olive oil and salt, stir well to ensure the potatoes are well coated with the oil.
- Add the sweet potatoes to the air fryer basket and try to get into as much of a single layer as possible (though some can overlap).
- Cook on 390F for 13 minutes, shake the basket every 5 minutes (at minute 5 and minute 10 of cooking).
- Check the sweet potatoes after cooking by removing one of the larger cubes of sweet potato with a spoon or fork. Gently press down on the sweet potato, it should easily smash without much effort. If you notice the center is still hard, cook 2-4 more minutes.
- Serve immediately, as the potatoes tend to get soft as they cool.
Equipment
Notes
- Cut the potatoes into even cubes – the larger the sweet potato chunks, the longer they will take to cook through.
- If you want even crispier sweet potatoes, cook 3-4 more minutes in the air fryer, especially if you had a very crowded basket.
- Be sure to shake the basket 2-3 times during cooking to ensure they don’t burn and have a chance to cook evenly. This is not as much of a problem in the oven style air fryers.
- No need to peel them unless you prefer to have peeled potatoes. The skins are actually a great source of fiber! Be sure to rinse your sweet potatoes especially if you plan on leaving the skin on!
- Want a really sharp knife to cut through potatoes, especially when you have super wide sweet potatoes. When you have a dull knife, you have press harder, which is more dangerous than a sharp knife.
- I like to choose narrow potatoes (vs super wide), as they are easier to slice through and I think make it quicker to cut the potatoes up into cubes.
- Taco: Add 1 tablespoon chili powder + 1 teaspoon ground cumin along with the salt.
- Sweet: reduce the salt down to ¼ teaspoon Add 1-2 tsp. ground cinnamon (depending on how much you love cinnamon). When potatoes are done, drizzle immediately with 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup.
- Savory: Reduce salt down to ¼ teaspoon and add 1 tablespoon everything but the bagel seasoning.
- Curry: Add 1 tablespoon curry powder + 1 tsp. ground cumin or garam masala along with the salt.
- Spicy: Add 1 teaspoon smoked paprika + 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder.
- Fridge: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: You can freeze cooked sweet potato cubes but they texture may not be the same when defrosted. Be sure to reheat in the air fryer or oven once defrosted for best texture. To freeze leftovers, allow them to first cool completely in the fridge then place them on a wax paper or parchment paper lined baking sheet and put the baking sheet in the freezer. Freeze until solid then transfer sweet potato cubes to a freezer safe bag or container for up to 3 months.
- If you happen to have leftover sweet potato cubes, you can either eat them cold from the fridge or reheat them. The sweet potatoes tend to get soft as they cool, so if you want the sweet potato chunks to get crispy again, I recommend using the air fryer or oven.
- Reheat in the air fryer at 390F for 4-5 minutes. You can also reheat in the oven at 425F for 10 minutes or so.
