Almost three years ago I wrote an article about air frying. As I mentioned in the article, I was first introduced to air-fried sweet potato fries by a former neighbor. Since then, I purchased air fryers for both home and work, and I had much fun experimenting with them while at home during the pandemic. While I have tried a variety of recipes, sweet potato fries remain one of my favorite!
Sweet potatoes are a healthy vegetable full of fiber, potassium, and vitamins A and C. Air-fried sweet potato fries are healthier than traditional fries for a variety of reasons:
1) If you wash them well and prepare them with skin on, you preserve the nutrients contained in the skin.
2) By air frying, you don’t need to add much fat or oil to your food as the fryer uses convection to crisp the fries.
3) You can control or limit how much salt you add to your fries, AND sweet potatoes are a good source of potassium. While about 90% of Americans consume too much sodium, only about 3% get enough potassium. This essential nutrient is an electrolyte that helps with blood pressure control and can help offset the effects of sodium.
The below video demonstrates how to use an air fryer to make sweet potatoes into a crunchy, healthy snack or side that both kids and adults can enjoy. If you don’t have an air fryer and want to enjoy sweet potato fries, oven-roasted sweet potato wedges are a healthier alternative to traditional fries that can be prepared in the oven. In either preparation method, sweet potatoes are cut into fry-size strips, seasoned with salt, pepper, paprika, garlic power and onion powder, and cooked at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until done.
Written by: Jenny Lobb, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension Franklin County
Reviewed by: Jami Dellifield, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension Hardin County
Sources:
Brinkman, P. (2017). Potassium. OhioLine. https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/hyg-5588
Lobb, J. (2018). Fried Food without the Fat? Live Healthy, Live Well. https://livehealthyosu.com/2018/11/01/fried-food-without-the-fat/
McDermott, T. (2021). Healthy Sweet Potato Fries. Growing Franklin. https://u.osu.edu/growingfranklin/2021/02/24/healthy-sweet-potato-fries/
Live Healthy Live Well 
Leave a Reply