Super Crispy Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries (Masala)

Air fryer Sweet Potato Fries are a delicious crispy treat, wonderfully cooked in the air fryer with little oil. A generous sprinkling of Indian masala takes these sweet potato fries to another level! And they're super crispy ... what more can you ask for?!

Included are 5 handy tips for the CRISPIEST sweet potato fries EVER!

In this recipe, sweet potato is cut into fries, air fried until gorgeously crispy then sprinkled with a tangy Indian masala spice powder.

I love sweet potato in all forms but undoubtedly, the best is sweet potato fries! They go great as a side for so many different meals or delicious as a treat served with a selection of dips. 

These sweet potato fries have an Indian seasoning of various ground spices, mint and lemon juice to create a hot and sour flavour that you will want to try again and again!

Better yet, with just a few ingredients you can make this recipe just like I made these Air fryer Parsnips

You have been loving these air fryer masala mogo chips so I thought I'd share this crispy masala sweet potato version too. Note that the masala used in the mogo recipe is different to this masala!

Other masala recipes you may like are these Masala Chips which are oven baked.

Ingredients

Full ingredients with measurements are available in the recipe card below at the end of this post

Sweet potatoes - they are an excellent source of beta carotene, potassium and fibre. Try to choose sweet potatoes that are longer and narrow rather than short and fat for a better looking "fry". You can also use purple sweet potatoes for this recipe.

Spices - red chilli powder, black pepper powder, and chaat masala powder. All are avalible in supermarkets in the world food aisle or pop into a South Asian Grocery store. You can alternatively leave out the chaat masala and use extra lemon juice

Herbs - dried mint

Flours - corn starch for an extra crispy coating

Lemon juice - use fresh or bottled lemon or lime juice

Oil - we used olive oil but you can use sunflower, avocado or vegetable oil too. Spray oil is useful as you can control exactly how much you add.

How to make sweet potato fries in the air fryer

This recipe made in two steps, first step to cut the sweet potato into uniformly into fries/chips then in second step to season them and air fry them.

How to cut sweet potato for fries

Wash and clean sweet potato to get rid of the soil, if any. Lightly scrub the sweet potatoes when washing. If the sweet potatoes are organic no need to peel. 

You'll need a large and sharp knife. Take off the end bits from both sides. 

If the sweet potato is small in length cut across lengthwise otherwise cut right through to the thickest part of the potato in the middle.

Then carefully sit one-half side on the board and start cutting slices. I did two slices. Try to keep the thickness same sizes.

Now cut into ½" thick chips or into thickness of your choice.

How to air fryer sweet potato fries

Note - If you want to use any cooking spray, spray before seasoning the fries, otherwise add oil later.

Place all the cut sweet potato chips in a large bowl and sprinkle it with salt, red chilli powder, chaat masala powder, black pepper powder, lemon juice and dried mint. 

Nowadays dry mint is my go-to herb for many dishes including my instant pot Cypriot stuffed peppers

Then sprinkle some cornflour/starch and mix well, now add oil and give it a good stir using a spoon or hands.

Let it sit while you preheat the air fryer. 

Our air fryer manual recommends preheating the fryer before baking anything. Some air fryers have the preheat function built in, so get the air fryer going and then tip in the fries.

I  preheated the fryer for 5 minutes to 195C or 380F, once it's preheated carefully remove the basket as it will be very HOT.

Using a tong arrange all the fries in the basket, make sure fries are not overlapping each other in the air fryer basket.  

Then select same temperature fry for 12 minutes, when air fryer beeps for SHAKE remove the basket from the unit and shake it for even cooking.

I did shake the basket at 6 minutes and 10 minutes.

Once done remove from the basket and serve. 

Tips to get the crispiest sweet potato fries in the air fryer

The air fryer is such a handy way to get a crispy texture without the unhealthy oil that's needed for deep frying. Here are some tips to get your fries extra crispy.

Be consistent with the size of your fries - we want them to cook evenly for the same time so sticking approximately to a single size is best. You may have to adjust the timings depending on the size of the fries.

The trick here is to use a bit of cornflour in the seasoning which will crisp up the outside of the fries and still keep them soft in the middle. 

Don't add too much seasoning and masala, if you want you can sprinkle once cooked.

Do not overcrowd the basket, try to keep portion sizes small and make sure the fries are laid in the basket in a single layer. Overcrowding leads to steaming which will cause soggy fries but a single layer allows the heat to circulate evenly.

Keep a watch around the end of cooking as the fries can burn easily.

Oil free sweet potato fries

Although air-fried sweet potatoes do not need a lot of oil, if you prefer totally zero oil fries, skip the oil and cornflour.

They'll still taste great but the texture may come out a little different.

Serving Suggestions

They taste delicious with tahini, mayo or even green mint and coriander chutney

If serving as an appetizer or snack, pair it with virgin cardamom mojito or non-alcoholic green apple martini

Or for a full meal serve it with a fresh colourful salad and sun-dried tomato chickpea cakes with cashew and oats 

Storage

These fries are best eaten immediately as this is when they are at their crispiest.

Fridge - You can however store them in the fridge in an air tight container for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven or air fryer.

Freezer - Freeze the fries on a baking tray in a single layer. Once frozen, you can transfer into a freezer-proof container or bag. They will need reheating directly from frozen.

Other sweet potato recipes

Air fryer Baked Sweet Potato

Thai sweet potato, chickpea and mushroom curry

Low-fat black bean and sweet potato quesadilla 

Goji berries, mushroom and sweet potato soup

Thai style squash and sweet potato soup

Vegan sweet potato and tofu kofta curry

Sweet potato and coconut jamun

As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!

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