A whole baked sweet potato in the air fryer is one of the most rewarding things you can make for lunch. The potato bakes in its skin, pricked and rubbed with olive oil and coarse salt, until it is soft all the way through. Then you cut a cross in the top, press it open and fill the opening with garlic butter and grated cheddar, which melts briefly in the basket.
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Finally, crispy bacon, a cold dollop of crème fraîche and freshly chopped chives go on top. This is not a kumpir, where the flesh is mashed together with the filling – here the potato stays in whole, soft pieces, and the butter seeps down between them. The result is a filling dish with sweetness, salt and acidity in every mouthful.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Table of Contents
Why I love baked sweet potato in the air fryer
I love this dish because it asks so little of me. Four sweet potatoes, a little oil and salt – then the air fryer takes care of the rest while I stir together the garlic butter and grate the cheese. The circulating hot air dries the skin, so it turns lightly crisp, while the flesh becomes soft and sweet inside.
At the same time, everything happens in the same basket. First the potatoes, then the bacon while the potatoes rest on the cutting board, and finally a short round where the cheese melts and the butter seeps down into the potato. You do not need to heat up the big oven for four potatoes.
The difference between a stuffed sweet potato and kumpir
Kumpir is the Turkish baked potato, where the flesh is mashed with butter and cheese into a creamy mass before the toppings go on. Here I do the opposite: the potato is only opened with a cross cut and pushed up, so the flesh stays in whole, soft pieces. The garlic butter melts down between them, and the cheddar settles on top like a lid. It gives you more to chew on and a clearer taste of the sweet potato itself.
My kitchen test of baked sweet potato
I tested the dish in my Cosori Dual Blaze at 200 °C with four sweet potatoes of about 250 g each. After 40 minutes – with a turn after the first 20 – the knife slid through the thickest part without resistance. The heating elements in both the top and the bottom gave an evenly baked skin all the way around, but I still turn the potatoes halfway through with tongs.
In my Philips XXL there is room for all four in a single layer with a little air between them, and that is crucial for them to finish at the same time. Large potatoes of 300-350 g typically need 5-10 minutes more. The bacon gets 7 minutes at 200 °C while the potatoes rest, and the cheese melts in 3 minutes. Allow 60 minutes in total, of which 10 are preparation.
Dry the skin completely before you rub the potatoes with oil. A damp skin turns chewy, while a dry skin turns lightly crisp and is good to eat along with the potato.
Tips and tricks from the author: Morten Jensen
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
The first mistake is skipping the pricking. The steam needs to be able to escape, so prick each potato 6-8 times all the way around with the tip of a knife. The second mistake is taking the potatoes out too early because the skin looks done. Push a knife into the thickest part – if it meets resistance, the potatoes need 5 more minutes at 200 °C. Also choose potatoes of roughly the same size, so they are ready at the same time. The third mistake happens right at the very end: loosely sprinkled cheese can be blown off by the airflow. Press the grated cheddar lightly down onto the garlic butter, so it stays put and melts where it should.
How to serve baked sweet potato
The potato is a meal in itself, but something fresh and tangy on the side lifts it. Here are my best suggestions for serving and variations:
- A green salad with a sharp vinaigrette
- A tangy slaw that goes well with the sweet potato
- Grated mozzarella or an aged gouda instead of cheddar
- Spring onions instead of chives on top
- Toasted pumpkin seeds instead of bacon for a vegetarian version
Storage and reheating
Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 1-2 days. Reheat the whole potatoes in the air fryer at 170 °C for 10-12 minutes, until they are hot all the way through, and only add the cold topping afterwards. The dish is not suitable for freezing, because both texture and colour deteriorate.
A whole baked sweet potato in the air fryer is everyday food that feels like a little something extra. Once the potatoes are in the basket, the rest is just small details, and the reward is a soft potato with melted cheese, crispy bacon and a cold dollop of crème fraîche. You will find the recipe below.
FAQ
Yes. Prick each potato 6-8 times all the way around with the tip of a knife, so the steam can escape during baking.
It is done when a knife slides through the thickest part without resistance. Otherwise, give it 5 more minutes at 200 °C. Large potatoes of 300-350 g typically need 5-10 minutes more.
Yes. For a vegetarian version, you can replace the bacon with toasted pumpkin seeds, which add crunch on top.
Recipe
Baked Sweet Potato in the Air Fryer
Cooking Guide
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Cost of the dish
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Our estimate is based on average food prices for the current year 2026.
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Airfryer size
All our recipes are tested in a Philips Airfryer 2000 Series NA230/00 – 6.2 L
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Recommended equipment
- 1 Air fryer
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Garlic press
- 1 Grater
- 1 Small bowl
- 1 Spoon
- 1 Tongs
- 1 Paper towel
Shopping list
Ingredients
- 4 pcs sweet potatoes (About 250 g each, uniform in size)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp coarse salt
Garlic butter
Filling and topping
- 100 g cheddar (Grated)
- 8 slices bacon
- 8 tbsp crème fraîche (18 %, cold straight from the fridge)
- 2 tbsp chives (Fresh, finely chopped)
- 1 pinch black pepper (Freshly ground)
How to make it
Preparation
- Preheat the air fryer to 200 °C fan.
- Wash 4 pcs sweet potatoes thoroughly under cold water and dry them completely with paper towel. The skin should stay on.
- Prick each potato 6-8 times all the way around with the tip of a knife, so the steam can escape during baking.
- Rub the potatoes all over with 1 tbsp olive oil, and sprinkle them with 1 tsp coarse salt.
Cooking in the air fryer
- Place the potatoes in the basket in a single layer with a little space between them, and bake at 200 °C for 40 minutes. Turn them with tongs after 20 minutes.
- Coarsely grate 100 g cheddar on a grater.
- Check that the potatoes are completely soft: a knife should slide through the thickest part without resistance. If not, give them 5 more minutes at 200 °C. Lift them out with the tongs and let them rest on the cutting board.
- Place 8 slices bacon in the basket in a single layer and bake at 200 °C for 7 minutes, until crispy. The slices can overlap slightly, as they shrink.
- Let the bacon drain on paper towel, and crumble it into smaller pieces.
Filling and serving
- Cut a deep cross in the top of each potato without cutting all the way through. Hold the ends with a piece of paper towel and push them in towards the middle, so the potato opens up. The flesh should not be mashed.
- Fill the four openings with the garlic butter, and put the grated cheddar on top. Press the cheese down lightly so it does not blow off in the air fryer.
- Put the potatoes back in the basket with the openings facing up, and let the cheese melt at 200 °C for 3 minutes, until the butter has soaked down into the potato.
- Divide the crispy bacon and 8 tbsp crème fraîche between the four potatoes, so there is a cold dollop on each. Sprinkle with 2 tbsp chives and 1 pinch black pepper, and serve immediately.
Our notes for the recipe
Choose sweet potatoes that are roughly the same size and long rather than short and thick, so they finish cooking at the same time. The potato is only ready when a knife slides through the thickest part without resistance – large potatoes of 300-350 g typically need 5-10 minutes more. Dry the skin completely before you rub it with oil, so it turns lightly crisp instead of chewy. How it differs from kumpir:
The flesh should not be mashed or stirred together with the filling. The potato is opened with just a cross, so the garlic butter melts down between the soft pieces and the cheese settles on top like a lid. Variation:
Swap the cheddar for grated mozzarella or an aged gouda, and use spring onions instead of chives. For a vegetarian version, you can replace the bacon with toasted pumpkin seeds. Serving:
Serve the potato as a filling lunch with a green salad or a tangy slaw on the side. The crème fraîche should come straight from the fridge, so it contrasts with the hot potato. Portion size:
If your air fryer is smaller, you can make the dish in two batches. The potatoes should lie in a single layer with a little space between them.
Your notes for the recipe
Nutrition per serving (Guideline)
Important about shelf life and nutrition
Nutrition per serving (guideline): Calculations are based on data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Shelf life (guideline): Shelf life data is provided, as far as possible, by public institutions, including national food authorities. Our information is therefore only indicative, and it is your responsibility to obtain and calculate accurate information about shelf life and nutrition for all recipes on airfryerkogebogen.dk
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