Spicy Sweet Potato Chips Recipe: Air Fryer - Vegan In The Freezer (2024)

FAQs

Why are my frozen sweet potato fries soggy in the air fryer? ›

Why are my frozen sweet potato fries soggy in the air fryer? This can be caused by either overcrowding the air fryer basket or adding too much oil to the fries.

Tips for Crispy Sweet Potato Fries in Air Fryer

Cooking food in a single layer is really important — the hot air needs to circulate all the way around! Additionally, don't forget to turn the fries halfway through and do your best to slice each fry evenly.

The science behind using frozen sweet potatoes

“Freezing sweet potatoes before baking them results in a nice and charred exterior and the most fluffy inside, because freezing the potatoes allows their interior flesh to macerate from the inside out,” says Chin. (FYI, “macerate” is the chef word for soften.)

To ensure your chips are crispy, be sure to completely dry your potatoes before you start cooking. Also, make sure you rinse them long enough for crispy air fryer potato chips.

The secret to crispy (instead of soggy) sweet potato fries is to spread them out in an even layer with enough room so that they don't touch. This is especially important if you're making a big batch of fries. Instead of just piling more onto one baking pan, spread them out over two baking pans or cook them in batches.

If you slice the potatoes too thickly, they won't crisp up. You want them to be roughly 1/16th” thick, which is hard to achieve using a knife alone. Be sure to hold the potato at an angle when slicing the potato, to make the slices as large as possible.

Why do my air fryer sweet potato fries turn black? Sweet potatoes contain a higher concentration of sugar than standard potatoes, and caramelize as they cook in the air fryer. If you find the fries are darkening too quickly or deeply, cook at a lower temperature, or for a shorter period of time.

Blanching. Another restaurant trick is to blanch the fries in water, then freeze them, which allows more of the potato's moisture to escape, thus producing a crispier fry.

RAW sweet potato fries can be frozen but they need to be blanched in boiling water for 5 minutes, then cooled in ice water for 2-3 minutes more. Pat them dry, then freeze them spread out on a cookie sheet for an hour before adding them to a freezer bag for longterm freezer storage.

Can you freeze raw sweet potatoes? It's not recommended to freeze raw sweet potato fries or cubes. They won't hold up well in the freezer and they won't cook correctly in recipes. Blanching or cooking sweet potatoes fully is the way to go.

Should you freeze sweet potatoes cooked or raw? ›

Storing raw sweet potatoes in the freezer will actually make them spoil faster, however it's best to keep baked sweet potatoes or cooked yams in the freezer. Because sweet potatoes are so popular in many recipes around Thanksgiving, it's recommended to store your cooked sweet potato leftovers in the freezer.

While we wish it were possible to fry without any oil, air fryers do need a little oil to make your food crispy (but you'll use a lot less than a traditional fryer). Toss your food with a small amount of oil (around a tablespoon or less) to coat it evenly, then add it to the air fryer basket.

More than likely the chips either defrosted, were not cooked at a high enough temperature or there were too many in the basket. Be sure to air fry oven chips in a preheated air fryer, at 190 (375) or higher, and only cook one layer of chips at a time without overlapping or stacking the chips.

Hairy Bikers Air Fryer Chips Recipe

To get that added crispiness, in this recipe Dave soaks the potato in salted water before drying and frying. This helps to remove the starch from the potato which will add to the crispiness once cooked.

Simply set your air fryer to 350 degrees, then place your leftover fries in a single layer in the fryer basket. Heat them for three to five minutes or until they reach your desired crispiness. Just like with the oven method, make sure you don't crowd the air fryer basket so the fries get nice and crispy.

Preheat for Perfection: Preheat your air fryer for a few minutes before adding your frozen goodies. This ensures they start cooking immediately and develop that coveted crispy exterior. Don't Overcrowd: Give your frozen items some space. Overcrowding can hinder proper air circulation and result in uneven cooking.

When the fries cook in direct contact with the tray, the heat can cause the frozen fries to steam which ultimately turns them soggy.

If your fries are not crispy, air fry them a little longer. Once all batches are finished, toss them all back into the air fryer (no need to place in a single layer this time) for 1 to 2 minutes to warm and re-crisp any that got cold from the first few batches.