There's nothing better than a diner-style breakfast with some home fries!! I made home fries a little healthier (and dare I say more delicious??) with this Sweet Potato Home Fries recipe! It's super simple, can be prepared ahead of time, and goes so well with a plate full of eggs, pancakes, bacon, or whatever else your breakfast-loving heart desires. Of course, these sweet potato home fries also make a great dinner side dish.
This recipe is naturally vegan and gluten-free. I give you instructions for how to make sweet potato home fries in the air fryer or in the oven, and give you the pros and cons of each cooking method, so you can make them how you want to!
This recipe makes 4 small breakfast sides, or 2 more substantial side dishes. Of course, you can double or triple the recipe if you want. And I'll give you ideas for how to use leftovers if you have any.
Jump to:
- Sweet potato home fries
- What to serve with sweet potato home fries
- Ingredients
- Equipment
- Prepping the sweet potato home fries
- Air fryer cooking instructions
- Oven roasted sweet potato home fries
- Are home fries better in the oven or air fryer?
- Air fryer cooking tips
- Oven roasting tips
- Time-saving tips
- Home fries with bell peppers
- Home fries seasoning ideas
- Reheating home fries
- Leftover sweet potato home fries
- Sweet Potato Home Fries (Air Fryer and Oven Instructions)
- Reviews
Sweet potato home fries
I live in the land of diners, aka New Jersey. Good home fries are a must for a complete diner breakfast. But lately we've been cooking more at home and trying to eat less white potatoes, so I came up with this sweet potato home fries recipe!
The must-haves of really good home fries are:
- Small even-sized potatoes (no large potato pieces, otherwise you have roasted potatoes and that's sooo not the same thing!)
- Good seasonings (some salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder)
- Something in addition to potatoes (onions, peppers, or both)
- Crispy caramelized edges and soft insides
I took all those things that I love about home fries, and made home fries with sweet potatoes.... and my oh my they turned out so good! The combination of savory seasonings and sweet potatoes is absolutely perfect.
This dish is a hit every time I make it. Such a great way to get some veggies in for breakfast!
Related recipe: Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash
What to serve with sweet potato home fries
We love these home fries next to some eggs (scrambled, sunny side up—we don't discriminate!) with some buttered toast. Add some bacon or breakfast sausage for a complete diner-style breakfast.
They go well with an omelet or with pancakes.
They're great with a savory oatmeal bowl, or simply with a runny fried egg on top.
More savory breakfast ideas: Breakfast Lentils with Poached Eggs
Ingredients
- 1-1.5 lb sweet potatoes (1 very large sweet potato, or 2-3 smaller sweet potatoes), cubed into ½-inch pieces (or buy cubed sweet potatoes)
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- Optional: 1 small bell pepper
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil (you can eyeball it)
- 1-1.5 teaspoons sweet paprika (or try smoked paprika)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano (or try dried basil or Italian seasoning)
- ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste, ½ teaspoon makes for nicely seasoned salty home fries)
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper (or to taste)
- Optional: 1-2 teaspoons fresh parsley leaves, very finely minced (or try cilantro, chives, or green onions)
Related recipe: Savory French Toast
Equipment
- Large bowl
- Cutting board
- Knife
- Measuring spoon
- Air fryer (I have the Instant Pot Vortex) or
- Large baking sheet (if roasting home fries in the oven)
Prepping the sweet potato home fries
The prep for sweet potato home fries is the same whether you air fry them or roast them in the oven. Prep and season your sweet potatoes, then cook them using the instructions below. Don't forget to preheat your oven (or air fryer, if needed)!
Step 1: Scrub the sweet potatoes clean (no need to peel if you don't want to), then chop it into ½-inch pieces. If using a bell pepper, remove the seeds and pith and chop it into small squares about the same size as the sweet potato.
Step 2: Finely dice the onion.
Step 3: Combine the diced sweet potato, diced onion, and the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well to evenly distribute all the seasonings.
Air fryer cooking instructions
Step 1: If your air fryer requires preheating, preheat to 350F.
Step 2: Arrange the seasoned sweet potatoes in the air fryer tray or basket. Air fry at 350F for 10-12 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are fully cooked and easily pieces with a fork. I like to cook for 12 minutes so they're extra soft on the inside.
Step 3: Once the sweet potatoes are cooked, transfer them to a bowl, stir, and serve warm, garnishing with fresh herbs.
Please note, every air fryer cooks differently, so the cooking time will vary. Start checking on the home fries after ~8 minutes to make sure they don't burn. There is no need to rotate or flip the sweet potatoes unless you see them burning.
More savory breakfast ideas: Sausage Gravy
Oven roasted sweet potato home fries
Step 1: Preheat oven to 385F. Yes, 385F. I find that 400F is too high and the sweet potatoes and onions burn a little, but 375F takes just a little too long.
Step 2: Arrange the seasoned sweet potatoes on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake at 385F for 20-25 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are fully cooked and easily pierced with a fork (I typically need about 22 minutes, the exact time will depend on the size of your sweet potatoes).
Step 3: Once the sweet potatoes are cooked, stir them with a spatula or wooden spoon, and serve warm, garnishing with fresh herbs.
More roasted potato recipes: Za'atar Roasted Potatoes
Are home fries better in the oven or air fryer?
The main difference I see in baking sweet potato home fries in the air fryer versus the oven is that they turn out drier and a little crispier on the edges in the air fryer. They turn out creamier and not as crispy in the oven. Neither method is better, they're just a little different.
Other things to consider:
- Batch size: The oven can fit 1-2 large baking sheets, so you can make up to ~3 lb of sweet potato home fries at a time. The air fryer can fit a smaller amount, so even 1 lb of sweet potatoes might need to be cooked in 2 batches.
- Cook time: The oven needs 20-25 minutes (plus preheating time), while the air fryer is only 10-12 minutes (with a quicker preheating time), so you can make 1 lb of home fries in about the same amount of time using either method (assuming you have to cook them in 2 batches in the air fryer).
I sometimes make a large batch and use both the oven and air fryer to cook everything simultaneously, then combine them together. That way I get the perfect amount of crispy dryer home fries (from the air fryer) and softer creamier home fries (from the oven).
Air fryer cooking tips
- Try not to crowd the sweet potatoes in the air fryer. If you do want to fit more into your basket instead of doing single-layer, make sure to shake them halfway through cooking, and you might need to add a few minutes to the air frying time. I recommend cooking in 2 batches if you need to.
- If you have a tray/basket with large enough holes where the diced onions will fall through, you can line it with aluminum foil.
Oven roasting tips
- 1 lb of sweet potatoes will easily cook on 1 large baking pan (9x13-inches). If you want to cook 2-3 lbs, I recommend getting 2 baking sheets and rotating the sheets halfway through the bake time (from the top rack to the middle rack and vice versa). No need to flip the potato pieces themselves halfway though, you want the bottom to get nice and caramelized.
Time-saving tips
- You can use pre-diced sweet potatoes from the grocery store to save time, even though freshly diced is better.
- You can prep the sweet potatoes up to 1 day ahead of cooking and keep the bowl of seasoned sweet potatoes in the fridge until you are ready to bake or air fry. You might need to add a splash of olive oil and stir again if the potatoes seem dry after being refrigerated. This makes for the perfect easy breakfast, because all you have to do is take them out of the fridge and cook!
Home fries with bell peppers
If you're like me and like to add extra veggies to everything, you can definitely add 1 bell pepper to this dish! Make sure to dice the bell pepper into pieces that are a little smaller than the sweet potatoes, so they're sort of in the "background" along with the onions, adding subtle sweetness and juiciness to every bite. You can use any color bell pepper, though a red one will taste the sweetest.
If you want to add other veggies, very finely diced celery would work pretty well here too.
Home fries seasoning ideas
If you want to try a few different seasonings for home fries, try some of these seasonings:
- Bacon! Try dicing 2-3 slices of uncooked bacon and tossing it with the sweet potatoes. Reduce the oil and salt a bit, and spread the sweet potatoes and diced bacon mixture on your baking pan or air fryer pan. Bake until the sweet potatoes are cooked and the bacon is crispy.
- Smoked paprika or spicy paprika
- ¼ - ½ teaspoon ground cumin for a little smokiness
- Ground coriander
- Chili powder (also try a squeeze of lime juice once the sweet potatoes are cooked!)
- Generous pinch of cinnamon
- Splash of hot sauce
- Diced poblano pepper or jalapeño
- Melted coconut oil in place of olive oil
- Toss with maple syrup once the home fries are cooked
Reheating home fries
The best part about home fries (and yes, these sweet potato home fries), is that they keep really well in the fridge for up to 3-4 days and reheat really well!
You can reheat in the microwave, but I recommend reheating in the oven or air fryer.
- To reheat in the oven: Preheat oven to 375F. Once preheated, heat home fries in a baking pan for about 10 minutes.
- To reheat in the air fryer: Preheat the air fryer to 375. Once preheated, air fry for 2 minutes, or until heated through.
Leftover sweet potato home fries
Even though these home fries are great reheated, here are some ideas for how to use them for other dishes:
- Add them to a frittata in place of pumpkin
- Add them to a couscous salad or a roasted vegetable salad
- Make a soup and add them in at the very end after turning off the heat (like this sweet potato sausage soup)
- Add them to these mini quiches
- Put them on top of some grits for a vegetarian grits recipe
- Add them to a main dish, such as this sweet potato pulled pork hash or this sweet potato and Cajun shrimp hash
If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below. And don't forget to share it on Facebook and save it on Pinterest for later!
Sweet Potato Home Fries (Air Fryer and Oven Instructions)
Ingredients
- 1-1.5 lb sweet potatoes - (1 large or 2-3 small sweet potatoes, you can buy cubed sweet potatoes to save time)
- 1 small yellow onion
- Optional: 1 small bell pepper - (see notes)
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil - (you can eyeball it)
- 1-1.5 teaspoons sweet paprika - (or try smoked paprika)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano - (or try dried basil or Italian seasoning)
- ½ teaspoon salt - (or to taste, ½ teaspoon makes for nicely seasoned salty home fries)
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper - (or to taste)
- Optional: 1-2 teaspoons parsley leaves - very finely minced (or try cilantro, chives, or green onions)
Special equipment
- Air fryer or
Instructions
- (Preheat the oven before getting started if you'll be baking these in the oven.)Scrub the sweet potato clean (no need to peel if you don't want to), then chop it into ½-inch pieces.1-1.5 lb sweet potatoes
- Finely dice the onion.1 small yellow onion
- Combine the diced sweet potato, diced onion, and the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well to evenly distribute all the seasonings.2-3 tablespoons olive oil, 1-1.5 teaspoons sweet paprika, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- If your air fryer requires preheating, preheat to 350F.
- Arrange the seasoned sweet potatoes in the air fryer tray or basket. Air fry at 350F for 10-12 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are fully cooked and easily pieces with a fork. I like to cook for 12 minutes so they're extra soft on the inside.Every air fryer cooks differently, so the cooking time will vary. Start checking on the home fries after ~8 minutes to make sure they don't burn. There is no need to rotate or flip the sweet potatoes unless you see them burning.
- Once the sweet potatoes are cooked, transfer them to a bowl, stir, and serve warm, garnishing with fresh herbs.
- Preheat oven to 385F.
- Arrange the seasoned sweet potatoes on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake at 385F for 20-25 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are fully cooked and easily pierced with a fork (I typically need about 22 minutes, the exact time will depend on the size of your sweet potato pieces).
- Once the sweet potatoes are cooked, stir them with a spatula or wooden spoon, and serve warm, garnishing with fresh herbs.
Notes
- Try adding more veggies: Try adding a bell pepper or celery. If using a bell pepper, remove the seeds and pith and chop it into small squares about the same size as the sweet potato. Dice the celery really finely.
- Prep ahead: You can prep the home fries, season them, and leave them in a bowl for up to 1 day before cooking. When ready to bake or air fry, you might need to add an extra splash of oil and stir.
- Reheat in the oven or air fryer for best results.
- Try adding bacon! Dice 2-3 slices of uncooked bacon and toss it with the sweet potatoes. Reduce the oil and salt a bit, and spread the sweet potatoes and diced bacon mixture on your baking pan or air fryer pan.
- Try adding these seasonings (not all at the same time): Smoked paprika or spicy paprika, ¼ - ½ teaspoon ground cumin for a little smokiness, ground coriander, chili powder (also try a squeeze of lime juice once the sweet potatoes are cooked!), generous pinch of cinnamon, splash of hot sauce, diced poblano pepper or jalapeño, melted coconut oil in place of olive oil, toss with maple syrup once the home fries are cooked.
- Nutrition facts are estimated assuming 2lb of olive oil and 4 servings.
Nutrition
The nutritional information displayed is an estimate and not to be used as dietary or nutritional advice. Consult a nutritionist or dietician for nutritional info based on the exact ingredients you use.
Danielle
Wednesday 14th of June 2023
I made these into sweet potato fries, and I loved them! I’m doing whole30 and enjoyed these with eggs. So good! I love eating them on top of a taco salad, too.