I’ve made lots of air fryer fries, but these cajun style Ninja Foodi sweet potato fries might be my favorite. They are crispy and have a perfect balance of salty, spicy, and herby with the homemade cajun seasoning. And thanks to the Foodi, you get to cut back on the oil required to make crispy fries, saving calories and creating room for more fries!
How to Make Sweet Potato Fries in the Ninja Foodi
There’s a full recipe card at the bottom of the post but if you’d like to see a visual walkthrough of the recipe, check out the post between here and there. You’ll get an idea of what the sweet potato fries should look like at each step of air frying and pick up a few tips and ingredient notes along the way. Let’s go!
Quick Foodi Note: I use a 6.5-quart model. If you’re using a larger model, you may need to reduce the cook times by a few minutes since you’ll have more surface area for the sweet potato fries. Likewise, if you’re using another type of air fryer, you may need to make small adjustments to cook time. Check on your fries a couple times during your first trial run.
Cut a large sweet potato into 1/4″ strips and toss with a tablespoon of olive oil.
If you have trouble finding a large sweet potato, go with 2-3 smaller, longer sweet potatoes instead. Do your best to cut the 1/4″ strips as evenly as possible so the fries cook evenly. You could also use a crinkle cutter like in my crinkle cut fries recipe.
I used a beauregard sweet potato, but a jewel or garnet would work fine as well. If you’d like to learn more about the different types of sweet potatoes, check out Serious Eats’ guide to sweet potatoes.
You may also want to check out my air fryer delicata squash fries for an idea on how to cut the carbs and calories in half.
As for the olive oil, you can use any oil you have on hand. Avocado oil is quite neutral or if you wanted to spice things up even more, you could use some chili oil like in my spicy air fryer sweet potato fries recipe.
Use the Foodi’s air crisp function for 16-18 minutes at 400ºF until the sweet potato fries start to brown in spots.
The photo above gives an example of what you’re looking for. The sweet potato fries should be browning around the edges, especially on the fries with the potato skin. If you notice more browning at this phase, reduce the cook time in the second air fry after adding the seasoning. On the other hand, if you notice a lack of color, you might cook your fries a few extra minutes before adding the seasoning.
Mix cajun seasoning ingredients together while the sweet potato fries cook.
While the sweet potato fries are in the Foodi, you’ll have plenty of time to make your own cajun seasoning. This is the same seasoning I used for my copycat recipes for the cajun fries from Five Guys. Here’s everything you’ll need:
- smoked paprika
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- dried oregano
- ground thyme
- crushed red pepper
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- sugar
That may seem like a lot, but I bet you have everything in your spice cabinet already! You could also make it in bulk and use it in recipes like my air fryer butternut squash, Instant Pot red beans and rice, low carb jambalaya, or Ninja Foodi cajun chicken and vegetables.
If you wanted to use a pre-made cajun seasoning instead, start with a small amount since those tend to be very salty.
Toss the sweet potato fries in the cajun seasoning.
Be gentle and toss the fries just a few times to avoid breaking and curling all the fries before you air fryer a second time.
Transfer the fries back to the Foodi and air crisp for an additional 4-6 minutes at 400ºF until crispy.
Doing a double air fry with your sweet potato fries allows them to get extra crispy and lets the spices bloom in any remaining oil left in the original mixing bowl.
And once you air fry the second time, that’s a wrap. I like to keep it simple and serve with ketchup, but you could get creative with your dipping sauce. I’m a fan of fat free Greek yogurt, light mayo, garlic powder or minced garlic, and a little lemon juice.
If you have any additional recipe questions, feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of this post. Otherwise, enjoy your Ninja Foodi sweet potato fries!
Cajun Seasoned Ninja Foodi Sweet Potato Fries
Ingredients
- 1 large, 12 oz Sweet Potato*, cut into 1/4" fries
- 1 Tbsp 16g Olive Oil
- 1/2 Tbsp 6g Sugar
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
- 1/2 tsp Dried Oregano
- 1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/4 tsp Ground Thyme
Instructions
- Wash and dry the potato before cutting it into 1/4" strips. Add to a large bowl with the olive oil and toss to evenly coat.
- Place the sweet potato fries in an air fryer basket and air fry for 16-18 minutes at 400ºF or until the fries start to crisp and are slightly browning around the edges.
- Mix the remaining cajun seasoning ingredients together while the fries cook.
- Transfer the fries back to the bowl and toss with the spices. Return to the basket and air fry for an additional 4-6 minutes at 400ºF.
If we want to make the seasoning in bulk what do you recommend for ratios?
Good question. If you multiplied everything by 4, you would have 7 Tbsp and 1 tsp of seasoning. So you’d use just shy of 2 Tbsp (5 1/2 tsp) for these fries. Would be the same ratios if you wanted to make an even bigger batch, too. Hope that helps!
Made this for dinner tonite, husband loved it! Not too spicy, easy, quick and delicious. I drizzled a Tony bit of honey on top! 👌🏻
This will be on repeat at our house for sure!
I made these exactly as the recipe says and they were the 💣. Even my fiancé who is the pickiest eater I know loved them. I will never buy frozen sweet potato fries again. These have so much flavor!
I made these fries a couple nights ago. They do have some kick to them which is what we like though they were not terribly spicey. The whole family even the kids said the recipe was a keeper.
The first time I made these I messed up somehow and the fries weren’t crispy at all. But the second batch turned out great. Just make sure that you follow the temperatures and each step. I use reduced fat Dukes Mayo, sugar free bbq sauce (hickory/brown sugar), and chipotle powder to make dipping sauce similar to the campfire sauce at Red Robin’s.
So idk what I did wrong… but my fries turned out super burnt on the ends and not crispy at all. I followed all the instructions and cut them pretty thin. I used a ninja foodi too
Hmm maybe they were a little too thin? Or they could use another shake or two during cooking? It’s hard to say. Sorry they gave you trouble!
Can you do steps 1 and 2 ahead of time and just do steps 3 and 4 before serving? Trying to make it for a gathering.
Good question. I want to say yes, but I’m honestly not sure. You’ll want to toss the fries in the spice blend while they’re hot so it sticks to them. I’m thinking the final 5 minutes in the air fryer would bring them back to life. Let me know if you try it before I get around to it.
This is my FAV way to make sweet potato fries! I’m not sure what exactly is done differently but my fries used to either burn or come out soggy….since following this recipe they have been perfectly crisp (7+ times!). With the seasoning addition these have now become my favourite side dish for burger or wing nights!
So the unit you used is 1400 watts. The one I have is 1460 watts.
I found that the fries came out super mushy and slightly burnt on the outside.
Do you think I would be be better off lowering the temp and cooking longer?
Yes, that would be my approach along with trying to avoid crowding. I’ve found if I cook too large a batch at once they never get crispy.