If you love sweet potato then you will get addicted to these air fried vegan fries. While regular fries are tasty, there’s something about sweet potato fries dipped in vegan ranch sauce that I cannot get enough of. I love that sweet potato fries are somewhat healthier as well, and I can feel even less guilty when I use the air fryer to cook up a batch. This is a basic recipe that outlines how you can cook vegan sweet potato fries without the need for a deep fryer or an oven.
If you aren’t a fan of fries, you can include sweet potato in your diet in a number of different ways:
Homemade Vegan Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries Video
Air Fryer
We recently purchased the Philips XXL air fryer to use for all our vegan frying needs. We have found while using our fryer that the size allows us to cook for four people at a time. The air frying basket is spacious and easy to clean while the unit is compact enough to sit on a kitchen counter. This air fryer is budget-friendly and easy to use following the guide that comes with it. We opted for the manual Philips air fryer although there is now a digital option on the market that achieves the same results yet takes an ultra-modern approach.
The Philips XXL air fryer has an easy to use turn dial to control the timer and another dial to control temperature. What we loved the most about the air fryer was the fact that it does not need to be preheated like a traditional deep fryer. Once you set the temperature and turn the dial, within seconds the fryer will reach the expected temperature. Using an air fryer is almost preparation free cooking!
If you are interested in finding out more about the Philips air fryer, take a look at the manual or digital systems below.
Air Frying vs Oven Baking
Air frying is the newest craze in the cooking industry and there is no surprise why. This method of cooking allows you to achieve the same results without needing to use excessive amounts of oil. The hot air that circulates the inside of the fryer means that the cooking time is also cut down compared to oven baking. In comparison to using a deep fryer, using an air fryer is significantly healthier. There is no need to soak foods such as potato in oil to achieve that nice crunchy texture anymore. Air fryers are small enough to store on a countertop or pack away in the cupboard.
Once you try an air fryer, you are unlikely to use a deep fryer again!
Should I Soak my Potato in Water Prior to Frying?
While many other recipes suggest soaking the potatoes in water prior to cooking, we found that either method works just fine when using our Philips air fryer. While soaking the potatoes and removing excess starch may allow you to achieve crispier chips, if you are time poor like us, there is no need to soak your potatoes as you will still achieve nice crisp sweet potato fries. If you have additional time up your sleeve, allow your sweet potatoes to soak for ten minutes in water prior to cooking.
Pair Your Sweet Potato Fries with Some Sauce
Whether you love tzatziki or ranch further takes your fancy, if you want to serve a sauce alongside your sweet potato fries (that is vegan-friendly), take a look at our simple animal product free sauces below:
Air Fryer Vegan Sweet Potato Fries
You will need to start by peeling and cutting up your sweet potatoes. When you cut your sweet potatoes into fries, ensure they are relatively even in size to ensure for the best cooking results. You shouldn’t need to use a lot of oil as this is the beauty of using an air fryer opposed to a deep fryer.
We seasoned our sweet potato fries with some mixed herbs, paprika, salt, and pepper. Adding a sprinkle of chili can make for some spicy chips.
Ensure you check your fries regularly when they are cooking as sweet potato can easily burn. If you love crispy chips like us you’ll have no worries although, for those who prefer softer chips, you may like to alter the cooking time. You will want to serve your fries shortly after they are removed from the air fryer as allowing any fries to sit for too long will cause them to go soggy.
Ingredients Required for Vegan Sweet Potato Fries (Chips)
Ingredients Required for Vegan Sweet Potato Fries (Chips)
Air Fryer Vegan Potato Fries
Equipment
- Air Fryer
- Tongs
- Sharp Cutting Knife
- Chopping Board
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 2 Large Sweet Potatoes (Variety of Sweet Potato is Up to Your Discretion)
- 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil (Olive Oil Will Also do the Trick)
Seasonings
- 1 pinch Paprika
- 1 pinch Salt and Pepper
- 1 pinch Mixed Herbs
Instructions
- Peel your sweet potatoes and wash them thoroughly.
- Pat the sweet potatoes dry and place them on a chopping board.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the sweet potatoes long ways and then into long fries. Each of the fries should be no more than half an inch in width. Ensuring the fries are even will allow them to cook at the same pace and prevent burning or undercooking.
- Now that you have even fries cut, place them in a bowl and add the oil and seasonings.
- Toss the fries to ensure the oil and seasonings are spread throughout.
- Switch on your air fryer and set it to 360ºF (approximately 180ºC). This may need to be altered depending on the brand of air fryer you are using.
- Place the sweet potato fries in the air fryer basket ensuring that no chips are placed on top of another.
- Turn the timer to 20 minutes. After 10 minutes you will need to toss and turn the chips.
- Check the fries after 15 minutes and either remove them if they are ready or allow them to cook for a further 5 minutes.
- Place the chips on a piece of paper towel once they are ready to cool down somewhat.
- Serve your vegan sweet potato fries with one of our vegan sauces.
Recipe Notes
- While adding a sprinkle of salt will definitely add flavor to your fries, be mindful that a little salt goes a long way. Start with a small sprinkle and add more afterward if needed. Adding too much salt will ruin your fries and you’ll end up needing to start from scratch.
- Sweet potato has a tendency to burn easily so it is important to regularly check your fries. Each air fryer is different, meaning some brands are stronger than others.
- Some people choose to leave the skin on their fries to enjoy the full benefits of the vegetable. Leaving the skin on will create thicker chips that may need to be cooked for that little bit longer.
If you tried out this recipe at home, we’d love to hear what you thought in the comments section below. Feel free to suggest your favorite vegan dipping sauce as we are always on the lookout for new and exciting recipes to try ourselves.
