A great source of fiber, minerals, and antioxidants, sweet potatoes can change the way you approach your healthy eating lifestyle. Too often we think we need to stick to tossed salads, and green juice smoothies and avoid all forms of carbs, but everything in moderation is better than sacrificing foods you love and substituting them for dry, flavorless options.
These sweet potato air fryer recipes for meals packed with nutrition that are budget-friendly are a great place to start when making positive changes to your eating habits. Try a few, see how simple they are to pull together, and enjoy all-natural health benefits with each meal.
#1. Air Fryer Sweet Potato cubes
A gluten-free and paleo-friendly option, these little cubes of goodness will be your new favorite go-to snack. Healthy air fryer sweet potato recipes are taking the world by storm, not only are they a delicious source of minimal carbs, but they add sweetness to the meal without being overbearing.
Depending on the size of the cubes you cut and the strength of your fryer these are done in under 15 minutes, simply toss in the oil and seasoning (I like to add in a tablespoon of honey for added sweetness and to help caramelize them a little for that tinged char look) and pop in the fryer.
What I loved discovering was that these orange or purple spuds improve not only brain functioning but promote healthy vision, and why they are now a staple on my grocery list.
Great mixed into salads, filling but don’t leave you feeling bloated, and add gorgeous pops of color to the dining table. A winning recipe all around.
I love baked potatoes because they are so versatile and can be customized to your liking, according to friends or family members’ allergies or preferences, and are filling without costing an arm and a leg.
Top with your favorite fillings and you have the easiest meal for dinner or lunch.
A tasty vegetable that aids in a healthy heart is one thing, but finding easy convection oven sweet potato recipes that require minimal effort is right up my alley.
Ideally, when making this dish you want to choose potatoes that are longer and thinner, and roughly all the same size to ensure an even cooking time throughout. You also want to give them a generous dose of poking, and if you are having friends over for dinner, get them involved. The more pokes and slits the better, the potato can cook hot and to the middle, and won’t explode in the fryer.
And once they are happily frying away for the 40 to 50 minutes set on the timer, you can get the rest of the meal prep on the plate or put together. Great with a dollop of butter, a small touch of honey, and a sprinkle of cinnamon for an autumn feel-good moment, or with a big spoonful of ground beef and grated cheese. There are endless meal options so you could opt for this recipe more than once a week.
Who doesn’t love to devour a huge bag of crisps when they can get their hands on it, am I right? Well now you can, but without the calories, and better tasting too.
There are a few pointers you need to keep in mind, which I quickly found while on the hunt for easy sweet potato air fryer recipes, but nothing out of the ordinary that would make this dish an effort to prepare.
Many people peel the skin from the potatoes when there are so many natural minerals and nutrients in the skin. A simple wash and scrub to remove dirt is all you need, but keep the skin on. Then you need to slice the potatoes as thinly and as evenly as possible (I find this quicker and easiest with the mandolin or you could use a slicer machine with the hand guard).
Then lay them in a single layer in the basket and fry in batches, it may take a little longer than your usual recipe depending on how much you intend to make, but I prefer making one huge batch and portioning them into air-tight zip lock bags to pop in my handbag on my way to work or for a grab-and-go snack in the car while driving.
These are the perfect snack treat to have a huge bowl of, to sit on the sofa and binge-watch your favorite series with, and are done in no time while you get out of your work clothes to unwind for the evening.
The magic is in the seasoning and I only wished I had found these sweet potato air fryer recipes sooner, but am thankful it was sooner rather than later, and once you try these you will be glad too. Cut the potatoes into wedges as standardized as possible, and oil generously. I like to use avocado oil if I have it on hand because it adds flavor but also has a high smoking point so you won’t burn the wedges if they cook for a little longer, and then sprinkle the spices all over.
You can use tongs to coat them but I like to pop on some disposable gloves quickly and immerse the wedges into the flavor, it makes all the difference. Fry and turn out onto a paper towel when done.
Put on a plate with a big bowl of dipping sauce and settle in under the covers. Many combinations of sauces go great with sweet potato but my usual options include sweet chili may, gorgonzola may, or even baconnaise (which I always have in the fridge lately because it is amazing).
Is there anyone in the world that doesn’t love fries in some version, I doubt it, and these simple and healthy sweet potato convection oven recipes show us you can have your meal favorites without the grease and messy clean-up and is a breeze to make.
Usually, I would make these in the oven but they take so long and in the summer the oven makes the kitchen unbearable to be in, so the air fryer saved the day in more ways than I would have thought.
Layering as many fries as you can in the fryer basket, but not touching or overlapping so the rapid air circulation can cook the fries evenly, these tasty sticks are ready in just 15 minutes. Soft and tender on the inside and with a crispy, charred exterior there is nothing tastier.
Eat on the side of your steak or burger, with a dipping ketchup bowl, or as an appetizer to serve when you have people over. Sprinkle them with fresh chopped parsley for a perfect color pop of green against the vibrant orange flesh.
#6. Cinnamon Honey Glazed Air Fryer Sweet Potato Bites
I always thought I was the only person who enjoyed cinnamon with sweet potato (this is all I knew growing up) but since finding these air fryer sweet potato recipes I see I am not alone in my love for this flavor combination.
There is a trick to using this spice that not many people may know, but to get the full extent of its essence you need to add it at the last stage of seasoning or marinating. So, in this case, you will oil and season the bite pieces thoroughly making sure every piece is evenly saturated, and then sprinkle with the cinnamon to essentially stick to the outside.
The bites become crispier on the outside while still fork-tender inside, the cinnamon taste is prominent, and is a great addition to the Sunday lunch table with all the other trimmings.
I like to give the basket a good shake halfway through the cooking process to rough up the edges which then get crispier (divine does not describe it well enough) and to make sure the blowing hot air reaches all sides of the bites.
A winning dish that is made once a week in my house whether eaten as is or part of a bigger meal, it never disappoints.
We all know how many carbs are in slices of bread unless they are specific grains or made using almond or coconut flours, but a good slice of toast in the morning is a great way to fuel you for the day ahead. Well, I have the perfect solution.
These convection oven sweet potato recipes have changed the way I look at breakfast options, and since trying this dish I have not looked back.
You may find these ready sliced and prepped in the frozen section of the supermarket but they are easily made from whole and are more cost-effective doing it yourself. Simply slice the potatoes into a 0.5 cm thick slice, ideally with a slicing machine if you have one (I happen to have one so I know it works seamlessly), or carefully use a sharp knife so as not to use too much pressure which inevitably causes the knives to slip.
Spray them with oil, season generously, and lay them in the fryer to cook till soft.
Now comes the fun part. You can top these with everything your heart desires and you won’t be left feeling bloated by the carbs like with normal bread. Egg and avocado with grated cheese have been this week’s favorite for me, but I have even tried Bolognese meat with grated cheese and it was the ultimate feel-good supper dish.
These are two ingredients I didn’t ever think I would be pairing together, but here we are, and they taste wonderful combined into a meal.
Sweet potato air fryer recipes have sparked a newfound love for cooking, albeit in half the time and not too much skill is required, but with the air fryer, you don’t have the greasy mess to clean up afterward which is why I decided to give it a go.
This dish was so simple when I read it that I didn’t think it would be anything special, but the taste surprised me, and my family, and am a frequent visitor at family BBQs and gatherings. The contrasting colors add something delicious-looking to the buffet table, and the best part is everything cooks together at the same time so no need to make separate batches.
Everything is seasoned in one bowl and popped into the fryer for 15 minutes. The Brussel sprouts are soft and tender, the sweet potato has absorbed the flavors beautifully, and overall this recipe is a well-balanced side serving.
Simple and elegant and a true crowd-pleaser to even the most skeptical of Brussel sprout haters, this dish will change their minds.
Mini discs of tender orange flesh tinged with charred bits are heaven in a bite for me. These effortless sweet potato convection oven recipes are just what I need in my collection to make snack treats and meals when time is of the essence after a long day at the office.
These treat discs are so easy to make, and if you make a large batch (I like to buy a lot of vegetables if I see them on promotion at the store and then freeze them down) you can freeze them portioned up (unseasoned and no flavoring) and cook from frozen as needed allowing for a few added minutes.
I particularly enjoyed this recipe because it used coconut oil which I had not considered but added so much depth to the meal and otherwise humble veggie. I make them in batches flipping halfway through the cooking process so they are crispy all over, and in most cases eat on the go and finally have the last portion to add to my dinner.
And this may sound odd, but tasting these you will see how tricky it is to stop yourself till the whole lot is cooked. A must-have recipe in your culinary collection.
You could opt to make these with a mashed sweet potato if you have time and patience, but the store-bought ones are much simpler to use. And they are not that expensive either so a cheap side dish to add to the main course for a filling addition.
These take around 15 minutes to heat through from frozen, and giving them a shake every 5 minutes or so helps to promote rapid air circulation which is crucial for an even cooking method.
Toss the tots in the preheated air fryer basket and let the fryer work its magic. When you take them out, let them sit for a couple of minutes, not only will they be piping hot so more than likely too hot to eat right away, but as they cool slightly they will crisp up that little bit more which makes picking them up easier too.
As adults, we should set the example of using a knife and fork for eating, but for some reason, these taste so much better when using your fingers to hold and dip these into a homemade sauce, so I go with it. And why not, if life is not being lived how you want to live it then what is the point right? Great tasting food is eaten how you want to.
Hold onto your hats because this is one of those unconventional recipes that you would never normally try in a million years, but hoping you will have a little faith and try it, you may just end up loving it, as I did.
This looks and tastes like so many delicious recipes rolled into one and is the best holiday food version you could serve to your friends or guests for an impressive meal.
It has the perfect balance between sweet and savory, soft and crunch, and subtle pops of color throughout. Seeing this dish I immediately thought of thanksgiving, and when you taste the sprinkles of brown sugar (demerara sugar is an option too if you want a hint of bitterness) and pinches of cinnamon you will understand why.
Pre-frying the potatoes for around 40 minutes till soft, scoop out the insides to a bowl, add the ingredients and spoon back into the skins. Top with your nuts of choice and mini marshmallows (yes you read that right), and fry for a few minutes more till the marshmallows change color.
Serve immediately and get ready for the rave reviews. Win-win.
We all know that bacon is the best-invented ingredient on the planet, combined with a low-calorie veggie that tastes nothing like vegetables, you have perfect harmony.
With the natural sweetness of the potato combined with the saltiness of the bacon, and topped with Smoky paprika spice and others, there is no better lunch box treat.
I always double, sometimes triple, this recipe so I have extra to enjoy throughout the week at work. They taste delicious cold or hot, and dip seamlessly in the sauce of the day I add to my bag.
Season the potatoes, roll in the bacon, and place in the fryer for 10 to 12 minutes, so quick, you just about have time to whisk the sauce ingredients together. Game days have me glued to the sofa, sometimes standing to cheer them on, but snacks and nibble foods are always a must and this has topped the list for many occasions.
Quick and easy, but gorgeously tasty, served as the main meal with creamy mashed potatoes and steamed green veg, or eaten on its own with a sauce, it works beautifully every time.
Loaded skins are everyone’s favorite and are perfectly customized to individual preferences which makes them so sought after, and take no time at all to build with your favorite ingredients.
Cut soft-cooked potatoes in half lengthwise and brush with oil and a generous sprinkle of salt and pop in the fryer basket to crisp up while you cook the eggs and other ingredients.
Fill the crisped skins with the egg mixture. I like to add all sorts from spring onions to mushrooms and bell peppers, top with diced cooked bacon and grated cheese, and fry for the last few minutes till the cheese has smothered the potato and all its glorious fillings and is golden.
Serve with a fresh salad for lunch, or enjoy as is with a slice of toast for breakfast to fuel you for the adventures ahead. My go-to dish when I want something filling but is quick to make.
Sweet potato is one of those vegetables that we know about but hardly use to its full potential, and that’s a shame. Trying some of these curated sweet potato air fryer recipes for meals packed with nutrition that are budget-friendly is a good place to experiment with something new while still keeping the meal cost-effective. You may enjoy some, others not as much, but there is certainly something for all taste buds. And if those were a great find, head to our blog for even more delicious recipe options to fill your weekly meals with great flavors and filling dishes.
Born and raised in South Africa and being immersed in the rich culture, Candace soon found a passion for all things food related. Exploring and experiencing new flavors and taste profiles she pursued her career as a qualified chef in silver service specialized in fine dining.
