Sweet potato chips in the air fryer sounds simple enough, until you realise the real battle is cornstarch versus no cornstarch, and whether your pat-dry technique will actually deliver that shatter. This recipe tests both methods side by side, so you can stop guessing and start crisping.
Source video by The Air Fryer Geek on YouTube. This recipe was adapted with strict source-fidelity rules and is marked for human review.
Sweet potato chips done in the air fryer, peeled, soaked, patted bone dry, then tossed in olive oil and air fried until crisp. The video also compares a plain version against a cornstarch-coated version, and concludes the cornstarch makes no difference. Finished with truffle salt and a smoky honey habanero rub for a sweet, spicy hit.
Ingredients
Main
2 wholesweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chips
salt
extra virgin olive oil
To finish
truffle salt (add late)
0.5 tspsmoky honey habanero rub (add late)
Method
Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into evenly sized chips, around 1cm thick.
~5 min
Soak the chips in cold salted water for about 20 minutes.
~20 min
Drain the chips and pat them very dry with a clean tea towel or kitchen paper. Do not skip this; dry chips equal crispy chips.
~3 min
Tip the chips into a large bowl, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and toss to coat evenly.
~1 min
Preheat the air fryer to 175°C (350°F) for 5 minutes.
~5 min
Lay the chips in the basket in a single layer with space between them, working in batches if needed. Cook at 195°C (380°F) for 10 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through and spritzing with a little extra oil.
~10 min
Turn the air fryer up to 200°C (400°F) and cook for a further 3 minutes to crisp the outsides. Thicker-cut chips may need closer to 5 minutes.
~3 min
Tip the hot chips into a large bowl, season with truffle salt (or regular salt) and toss through about half a teaspoon of smoky honey habanero rub per potato.
~1 min
Frequently asked
Does cornstarch make sweet potato chips crispier in the air fryer?
According to the side-by-side test in the video, no. The cornstarch-coated batch came out slightly rubbery rather than crisper, and the plain oiled version tasted better. Save the calories and skip it.
Do I need to soak sweet potato chips before air frying?
It is optional. A 20-minute soak in salted water draws out a little surface starch, but the single most important step for crispness is patting the chips bone dry before they go anywhere near oil.
Do I need to preheat my air fryer?
If your model has a preheat function, yes. 5 minutes at the cook temperature helps the outsides set quickly and crisp up. If it does not preheat, just add a minute or two to the total time.
Why are my sweet potato chips going soggy?
Almost always one of three reasons: the chips were not dried thoroughly after soaking, the basket was overcrowded so steam was trapped, or there was not enough oil to help conduct heat to the surface. Fix all three and they will crisp up.
Can I cook them from frozen?
Yes, shop-bought frozen sweet potato chips can go straight into the air fryer, typically 190 to 200°C for 12 to 15 minutes with a shake halfway. This recipe is for fresh chips, which need the drying and oiling steps above.
Extraction notes (transparency): Servings not stated in transcript; estimated 2 based on 'a couple of sweet potatoes' with one used per test. Quantity of olive oil not specified (just 'extra virgin olive oil' drizzled to coat). Quantity of truffle salt and honey habanero rub given only as 'half teaspoon each potato' for the rub. Only the plain (no cornstarch) version is extracted as the main recipe, since the creator explicitly concluded the cornstarch version was worse. Temperatures converted from Fahrenheit: 350°F≈175°C, 380°F≈195°C, 400°F≈200°C. | Second-pass critique flagged 3 fabricated and 4 quantified issues. See critique.issues for detail.
![How to make Air Fryer Sweet Potato Chips [Crispy and Delicious]](https://img.youtube.com/vi/3ft5leuT8Js/hqdefault.jpg)