How To Cook Sweet Potato Cubes in the Air Fryer So They’re Crispy and Tender in Just 8 Minutes
Flavor up these air fryer sweet potato cubes with your favorite seasonings before cooking them
The air fryer is unmatched when it comes to producing crispy and fork tender spuds. And if you’re preparing a sweet potato in this appliance, slash the cook time by cutting it into cubes. Air fryer sweet potato cubes are a hearty side that cook in as little as eight minutes. On top of this, the cubes are perfect for dressing up with your favorite sweet or savory seasonings before air frying them to caramelized and tender perfection. Read on for pointers and a simple method to whip up this sweet potato dish at home!
Why are sweet potatoes so hard to get crispy?
If you’re ever tried making any sweet potato dish, like fries, wedges or cubes, you’ve probably noticed they don’t crisp as easily as russet potatoes. The reason: Heating the sweet suds causes their starch granules to release a sticky substance called amylopectin. This creates a soft texture in the potatoes, however, a tool like the air fryer can guarantee a crispy and golden born exterior.
How the air fryer helps create crunchy sweet potato cubes
This appliance’s heat function circulates hot air around the spuds so a browned crust forms. Coating the potatoes in a little bit of olive oil beforehand helps this process as well. When arranging the cubes on the air fryer basket, place them in a single even layer to ensure they’re perfectly crunchy and tender once cooked.
Do you need to soak sweet potatoes in water before air frying them?
While sweet potato recipes vary in preparation, many recipes don’t involve soaking them prior to air frying. This saves you a step so you can get those sweet spuds on the table in no time!
How to cook sweet potato cubes in the air fryer
This recipe for Air Sweet Potato Cubes comes from the Everyday Family Cooking YouTube channel. You only need four core ingredients, the potatoes, olive oil, salt and dried parsley, to prepare this dish. But, also tossing them brown sugar enhances the sweetness and dried parsley is a vibrant garnish for the cooked spuds. Other seasonings like chili powder, maple syrup and cinnamon are great to use as well.
Peeling the sweet potatoes allows the oil and seasonings to stick to the flesh. Though, feel free to leave the skin on for quicker prep and to savor all of the nutrients in the peel. Just be sure to wash the spuds thoroughly before drying and chopping them into cubes. Enjoy your cooked sweet potato cubes alongside a beef, chicken or pork main for dinner. Or, eat them for lunch by topping them with sliced avocado, salad greens and dressing to make a sweet potato bowl. (For all things sweet potato, read our stories discussing the health benefits of sweet potatoes and tips for buying sweet potatoes.)
Air Fryer Sweet Potato Cubes
Ingredients:
- 1 large sweet potato, or 2 medium spuds
- 1 Tbs. olive oil
- 1 tsp. brown sugar (optional)
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. dried parsley
- Fresh parsley for garnish (optional)
Directions:
- Yield: 3 servings
- Preheat air fryer to 400F.
- Peel and slice sweet potato into ½ inch cubes. (Note: You should have approximately 2 to 2½ cups of sweet potato cubes.)
- Place sweet potato cubes into large mixing bowl. Add seasonings and oil to spuds then toss to coat. Add coated potatoes to greased or lined air fryer basket in single layer.
- Cook 8 to 10 minutes, shaking basket halfway through. Remove potatoes from air fryer. Repeat process with any remaining potatoes.
- Sprinkle cubes with parsley (if desired) and serve warm.
- Note: Store leftover sweet potato cubes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
