Air fryer sweet potatoes are so easy to make! And they're even more delicious paired with a brown butter sage sauce. These potatoes are perfectly seasoned and so decadent.
Do you have an air fryer yet? If you do, you know how EASY it is to make veggies in them! If you don't have an air fryer yet, get one, and make these sweet potatoes!
All you have to do is peel them, cube them, toss them in a bit of oil and seasonings, and then cook them up in your air fryer. It's so easy, and they are so incredibly flavorful. And that brown butter sage sauce. SO decadent and delicious.
But you might ask... can't you do the same thing in the oven and cook the sweet potatoes in there? Why not just do that? Well, for a lot of reasons.
First of all, the air fryer cooks them more quickly than the oven, saving you time. And I also use less oil with my air fryer than I would if I roasted these sweet potatoes in my oven. And on those hot summer months, you may not want to turn on your oven, heating up your house. The air fryer is a perfect alternative!
How to cook in your oven:
If you do choose to cook these in your oven, use 1 Tbsp of olive oil instead of 2 tsps, and cook for 25-30 minutes on 400 degrees F, checking for doneness around the 25 minute point and making sure that you toss here and there so the bottoms don't get burned.
How to make French Fries instead:
This recipe can easily be made into a French Fry version! You'll just want to cut the potatoes pretty thinly (about ¼ in strips) and then cook them in a single layer on 380 degrees F for about 12-14 minutes, flipping halfway through the cooking time.
The downside to this method (with the air fryer I have), is that I had to cook these in multiple batches since I wanted the fries in a single layer. However, they were still tasty! With the cubes, I was able to cook them all at one time!
What is brown butter?
Brown butter is simply butter that is cooked and browned in a skillet. It cooks, and you swirl and cook the butter until it turns brown and nutty. You have to keep a close eye on it while cooking so it doesn't burn.
The brown butter imparts a sophisticated and slightly nutty flavor into dishes.
Where do you find sage?
Sage is easy to find in the grocery store! Find it in the refrigerated produce section. They usually have leaves packaged up. You can also keep a sage plant. We have sage in our garden, so I always have fresh leaves on hand!
How to make the air fryer sweet potatoes:
First, wash and peel your sweet potato. You can also leave the skin on, if you prefer. Cut up your sweet potatoes into ½ inch chunks. Try to make all the chunks a similar size. If you cut larger than ½ inch pieces, just know that it may take more time in the air fryer to cook and get tender.
Place the cut sweet potatoes into a bowl and season with the garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika. Toss to combine. Then add the oil and toss to combine.
Add to your air fryer and cook for 13-15 minutes at 400 degrees F.
Shake around the 6 minute mark. Test your sweet potatoes for doneness starting at the 13 minute mark, and cook longer if needed. They should be tender in the middle and not hard at all.
How to make the sage brown butter:
Make the brown butter sauce by heating 4 Tbsp of butter in a skillet over medium heat and cook until it melts.
Add the sliced sage leaves to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes until butter starts separating, smelling nutty, and turning brown. Turn off the heat.
Plate the potatoes and then spoon the brown butter sage sauce over the top. Season with salt and pepper.
Tips and tricks
- Every air fryer cooks differently. Check the cooking times, pierce your sweet potatoes with a fork and make sure they are tender. If they aren't yet, keep cooking for another couple of minutes, checking frequently, until they are done.
- It's important to shake the potatoes halfway-ish through cooking (and I usually shake 1-2 more times, as I check the potatoes for doneness), as this helps them cook evenly.
- This recipe serves 2 if it's your only side dish, or 4 if you're serving with an additional side dish.
Other delicious air fryer recipes:
- Air fryer chicken fajitas
- Air fryer jammy eggs
- Air fryer cinnamon sugar french toast sticks
- Air fryer kale chips
- Air fryer frozen shrimp
- Air fryer teriyaki salmon
Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes with Sage Brown Butter
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 2 medium sweet potatoes
- 2 tsp oil
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp paprika
- 4 Tbsp butter
- 10 sage leaves
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Wash and peel the sweet potatoes. Cut into ½ inch cubes and place into a bowl.
- Add the onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika to the bowl. Toss the sweet potatoes in the seasonings, trying to coat as evenly as possible.
- Add the oil and toss to combine.
- Place the seasoned sweet potatoes into your air fryer. Cook at 400 degrees F for 13-15 minutes, shaking halfway and checking for doneness around 13 minutes.
- Around the 10 minute mark, start making the brown butter sage sauce. Cut the sage leaves into strips. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat, swirling around as it melts.
- Once the butter is almost melted, add the sage leaves and cook for 2-3 minutes, swirling frequently, until sage is turning darker and butter starts getting brown and smelling nutty. Turn of the heat.
- Plate the sweet potatoes and spoon the brown butter sauce over the top. Season with salt and pepper if desired.
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