These air fryer sweet potato wedges are a healthy and delicious side dish, that is ready in no time at all. They are easy to prepare, and only take around 15 minutes to cook in your air fryer, making them perfect for busy weeknights, or any time you need a quick snack.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Sweet potato wedges are a delicious and healthy side dish. They are packed full of nutrients, and despite the sweet taste, have fewer calories than regular potatoes.
- Cooking sweet potato wedges in the air fryer is healthier than regular frying because you don’t need much oil to get them crispy.
- Air frying gets sweet potato wedges crispier than baking them in the oven.
You might also like to try my recipes for air fryer sweet potato fries or air fryer potato wedges. If you are looking for directions to air fry frozen sweet potato wedges, follow the instructions in this post: air fryer frozen potato wedges.
What do you need?
Quantities for all ingredients are given in the recipe card below.
Sweet potatoes
Choose any variety of sweet potato. Elongated sweet potatoes will cut better into traditional wedge shapes than round-shaped ones.
Oil
I use light olive oil for this recipe, but you can substitute any cooking oil you normally use with your air fryer. Vegetable oil, corn oil, or avocado oil are all good options.
For a healthier version of this recipe, you can use an olive oil spray and just give the wedges a couple of spritzes of oil, or you can add more oil if you want to give the wedges a really crispy exterior.
When choosing an olive oil spray for your air fryer, look for the type that spritzes rather than an aerosol. The propellant in aerosol oil sprays can damage the non-stick coating of your air fryer.
Cornstarch (optional)
This helps to absorb any remaining surface moisture and will help the wedges to get really crispy. You can skip it if you don’t have any on hand.
Seasoning
The recipe below uses a blend of paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper. You can use smoked paprika for a richer smoky flavor, or cayenne pepper for some heat if you like.
Alternatively, use a store-bought seasoning. You need around 3 teaspoons of seasoning in total.
Kosher salt
Use kosher salt or flaked salt to season the wedges after cooking. Salt will draw the water out of the wedges
Let’s cook sweet potato wedges in the air fryer!
1
Preheat.
Preheat the air fryer to 180°C/ 360°F. Preheating is important for this recipe because the air frying time is relatively short, and so you want it to be up to temperature when you put the thighs in.
If your air fryer doesn’t have a preheat mode, just set it to air fry for 3-4 minutes.
2
Prepare.
Wash and scrub the sweet potatoes, but don’t peel them. The skin is the crispiest part, so it is important to keep it. Cut the wedges thin – the thinner the wedges, the crisper they will become. Pat the wedges dry, then drizzle with oil and seasoning (but not the salt yet), and toss to coat.
3
Pop them in the air fryer.
Put the sweet potato wedges in the air fryer basket in a single layer if possible.
4
Air fry!
Air fry the sweet potato wedges at 360°F/ 180°C. If you have stacked the wedges in the air fryer basket, then flip them halfway through the cooking time, and at least once more before the cooking time ends.
Tips for getting them really crispy
- Pat the wedges dry after cutting, but there is no need to soak them. I’ve tested this several times, and soaking made no difference to crispiness.
- To get really crispy sweet potato wedges, give them a light dusting of cornstarch, and leave them for around 15 minutes. Cornstarch helps to absorb any moisture remaining on the surface of the wedges, and will crisp up nicely as they cook. You can skip this step if you don’t have cornstarch at home, or are pushed for time, but it really will help with crispiness.
- Don’t add salt till after they are cooked. Adding salt before cooking will draw water to the surface of the wedges during cooking making them soggy.
- Don’t overcrowd! If there are too many wedges in the air fryer they will steam each other and never get crispy.
Variations and serving ideas
- Toss wedges in Cajun seasoning before baking for a kick of spice. Serve with a cooling ranch or blue cheese dip.
- Top cooked wedges with Parmesan cheese, and fresh herbs.
- Season with chili powder, cumin, garlic powder before cooking for Tex-Mex style wedges. Serve with avocado dip or sour cream.
- Drizzle with maple syrup and add a dash of cinnamon for a sweet touch.
- Spice it up with curry powder, coriander and ginger. Serve with raita.
- Pile with chili or pulled pork, sour cream, salsa, or other toppings for loaded sweet potato nachos.
Storage and reheating
Store any leftover sweet potato wedges in an airtight container in the refrigerator and use within three days.
You can reheat these sweet potato wedges in the air fryer – place them in the air fryer basket in a single layer, and air fry at 360°F/ 180°C until warmed through.
Air Fryer Sweet Potato Wedges
Ingredients
- 1 lb / 450 g sweet potatoes (approx. 2 medium)
- 1 tablespoon light olive oil
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch (optional)
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine ground black pepper
- Kosher salt (to taste)
Directions
- Wash and scrub the sweet potatoes (but don’t peel them). Cut into thin wedges [Note 1].
- Pat the wedges dry.
- Optional: dust wedges with cornstarch, and leave them for 15 minutes to absorb the remaining surface moisture.
- Mix the oil and seasoning in a large bowl, add the wedges and toss to coat.
- Preheat the air fryer to 360°F/ 180°C.
- Place wedges in the air fryer basket [Note 2].
- Air fry the sweet potato wedges for 15-20 minutes at 360°F/ 180°C. Flip them halfway through cooking time if necessary [Note 3].
- Once the wedges are cooked to your liking, salt them to taste, and enjoy!
Notes
- I halve them lengthwise, quarter them, then cut each quarter into 2-3 wedges.
- If possible, place them in the air fryer basket in a single layer so that they are not touching. If you want to cook more than will fit in a single layer you can stack them up a little in the air fryer basket, but arrange them carefully so that the minimum amount of each wedge is touching the one below it.
- If you have stacked the wedges in the air fryer basket, then check them halfway through cooking and if there are any parts that are not crisping up properly then flip them so that all sides have been exposed to the hot air.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate and provided for informational purposes only.