Cooking air fryer frozen sweet potato fries is one way to make restaurant-quality french fries at home. Healthy sweet potato fries finish in 12 minutes– no oil needed. Toss them in your favorite spices for crispy and delicious fries you can pair with dipping sauce like ranch dressing or chipotle lime sauce.
Why Cook Frozen Fries in the Air Fryer?
The air fryer is perfect for meals and side dishes like this one, and it makes the BEST frozen fries! Grab a bag of frozen sweet potato fries and load them into the air fryer basket. They will come out crispy on the outside and tender on the inside in the same amount of time it takes for the oven to preheat, freeing you up to focus on the rest of the meal.
Speaking of air fryer meals, pair the crispy fries with garlic butter chicken wings or grilled chicken drumsticks!
- Why Cook Frozen Fries in the Air Fryer?
- Ingredients You'll Need
- Additions and Substitutions
- Tools Used to Make This Recipe
- How to Make Air Fryer Frozen Sweet Potato Fries
- How to Cook Frozen Sweet Potato Fries in the Oven
- Expert Tips
- Dipping Sauces for Sweet Potato Fries
- Serving Suggestions
- What to do with the Leftovers
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Air Fryer Frozen Sweet Potato Fries
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Sweet Potato Fries: My favorite brand of frozen sweet potato fries is Alexia, but Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods Market also have good options. I use the regular cut fries for this recipe, but adjust the cooking time based on the thickness of the fries. You can make waffle fries, shoestring fries, steak fries, or curly fries. I usually prepare half a bag for my family of four and save the rest for later. If you’re making the side dish for a crowd, I recommend cooking the sweet potato fries in batches.
Additions and Substitutions
- If you prefer to make sweet potatoes from scratch, read my tips for how long to cook sweet potatoes in the air fryer. I share instructions for how to cook baked sweet potatoes, sweet potato fries, and roasted sweet potatoes using whole sweet potatoes.
- You can also grill sweet potatoes in foil with your favorite grilled entree.
Tools Used to Make This Recipe
Make this easy recipe for sweet potato fries in the air fryer. Air fryers are the perfect way to cook fries, regardless of model. They circulate hot air to cook perfectly crispy potatoes. I use an Instant Pot Vortex Air Fryer with a large basket. Use a mixing bowl to toss the cooked fries in your favorite seasoning. Here are some of my favorites:
Sweeten the savory fries with brown sugar, ras el hanout, or a combination of ground cinnamon and granulated sugar. Toss them with kosher salt, cayenne pepper, Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, taco seasoning, or my Slap Ya Mama Seasoning recipe.
How to Make Air Fryer Frozen Sweet Potato Fries
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Preheat the air fryer to 360°F (182°C). Then, add the sweet potato fries to the air fryer basket in a single layer.
Step 2: Set the cooking time to 12 minutes, removing the basket to shake the french fries halfway through.
Step 3: Add the cooked sweet potato fries to a mixing bowl and sprinkle with kosher salt. Toss to combine.
How to Cook Frozen Sweet Potato Fries in the Oven
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C). Then, arrange the fries onto a rimmed baking sheet.
- Bake half of the bag for 10-12 minutes, moving them around on the baking sheet halfway through.
Expert Tips
- Preheat the air fryer so the fries start cooking right away. My Instant Pot Vortex takes about 3 minutes to preheat.
- There is no need to thaw the fries beforehand – toss the frozen sweet potato fries in the air fryer and start cooking.
- Shake the basket halfway through the cooking time to prevent the potatoes from sticking and ensure they cook evenly.
- Since all air fryer models vary, I recommend checking the fries halfway through when shaking the basket to ensure they are not cooking too quickly.
If you enjoy air fryer frozen sweet potato fries, pair them with one of these air fryer recipes!
Dipping Sauces for Sweet Potato Fries
Whether you have a sweet tooth or prefer something spicier, adjust the flavor of your air fryer frozen sweet potato fries with savory and sweet dipping sauces.
- Classics: Ketchup, Honey Mustard, Ranch Dressing, McDonald’s Big Mac Sauce Recipe
- Aioli: Sriracha Mayo, Ancho Aioli, Chipotle Lime Sauce, Lemon Dill Aioli, Toum, BBQ Aioli, Cajun Aioli
- Cream Sauces: Horseradish Cream Sauce, Remoulade Sauce
Serving Suggestions
- Chicken: Peruvian Chicken, Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Tenders, Crispy Baked Chicken Wings
- Sandwiches: Air Fryer Chicken Burgers, Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Turkey Smash Burgers, Shrimp Po’ Boy Sandwiches, Air Fryer Turkey Burgers
- BBQ: Beef Ribs, BBQ Baked Chicken Legs, Brisket
- Steak: Bison Steak, Air Fryer Ribeye Steak
What to do with the Leftovers
- Refrigerate: Store leftovers in an airtight container. The air fryer frozen sweet potato fries keep for 3-4 days.
- Reheat: Warm the leftover fries in the air fryer at 400°F (204°C) for 2-3 minutes, until they are nice and crispy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I coat the air fryer basket with oil?
You can add oil to the air fryer basket if you choose. However, the fries cook perfectly without it. Using less oil is one of the main reasons I love preparing food in the air fryer.
How long to cook sweet potato fries in air fryer?
Air fry the frozen sweet potato fries for 12 minutes and shake the basket halfway through for the best results.
What if my fries stick to the bottom of the air fryer?
I have never encountered this issue with the recipe, but if you do, try using a non-stick spatula to move the fries or cook them for a bit longer to see if they release on their own. If you run into this problem often, consider lining your air fryer basket with parchment paper made for air fryers before adding the sweet potato fries.
Why are my frozen french fries soggy in the air fryer?
Eww, no one wants soggy fries! Avoid this common pitfall by arranging the frozen french fries in the air fryer basket in a single layer.
You may want to cook fries more at once, but this causes the fries to steam rather than become crispy. If you need to cook a whole bag of fries, do it in batches so the air can circulate evenly.
More Air Fryer Potato Recipes:
Air Fryer Frozen Sweet Potato Fries
- ½ bag frozen sweet potato fries
- kosher salt, to taste
- Preheat the air fryer to 360°F (182°C). Then, add the sweet potato fries to the basket in a single layer.
- Cook for 12 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through.
- Transfer the cooked sweet potato fries to a mixing bowl and sprinkle with kosher salt.
- Preheat the air fryer so the fries start cooking right away. My Instant Pot Vortex takes about 3 minutes to preheat.
- There is no need to thaw the fries beforehand – toss the frozen sweet potato fries in the air fryer and start cooking.
- Shake the basket halfway through the cooking time to prevent the potatoes from sticking and ensure they cook evenly.
- Since all air fryer models vary, I recommend checking the fries halfway through when shaking the basket to ensure they are not cooking too quickly.
- The nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for professional advice.
Anna
Sunday 2nd of October 2022
I made this for my kids with lunch and they were cooked perfectly. Even my picky daughter who doesn't like when the sweet potato fries char and turn black was happy with her plate.
Tressa Jamil
Sunday 2nd of October 2022
Making the kids happy is what we love to do; I am glad this was helpful.