Air Fryer Sweet Potato Hash – with candied bacon!

Name: Air Fryer Sweet Potato Hash - with candied bacon!
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 4 strips bacon, diced ((about 4 oz.)); 2 tablespoon dark brown sugar; 3 cups cubed sweet potatoes, ½ -inch cubes ((about 2 sweet potatoes)); ½ cup diced yellow onion ((1 small onion)); 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary ((or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary)); ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste; ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper, or to taste

By Rachel Gurk

5 from 2 votes

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Recipe Overview

Why you’ll love it: Air fryer sweet potato hash with candied bacon — do I need to say more? This easy hash is stunningly delicious for breakfast or brunch, on a salad, or as a side dish.

How long it takes: 15 minutes to prep, 20 minutes to air fry
Equipment you’ll need: air fryer, sharp knife
Servings: 4

Overhead view of two plates and a bowl of air fryer sweet potato hash.

Oh, my goodness! Words can hardly describe how good this air fryer sweet potato hash is: Crispy cubes of sweet potato that are creamy on the inside, crunchy bits of sugary salty bacon, caramelized sweet onion, with the floral herbal scents of rosemary …. sigh, I’ve fallen in love. I want to spend all my time with this hash. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack!

Joking aside (not really joking though), you have to try this hash as soon as possible. You’re going to fall in love, too. This is maybe the best way ever to prepare sweet potatoes, and that’s saying something.

Air fried sweet potatoes, bacon, and onions on a wooden spoon over a white bowl full of mixture.

I just counted, I have twenty-seven recipes that include sweet potatoes. Twenty-seven! I love roasted sweet potatoes and sweet potato tacos and sweet potato chips and sweet potato salad but air fryer sweet potato hash with candied bacon is just plain addictive.

Sweet potato hash in the basket of an air fryer, overhead view.

Sweet Potato and Bacon Hash

Yes! to sweet potatoes. Before I get too caught up with the bacon and brown sugar, I’d like to remind you of the benefits of cooking with sweet potatoes. According to Healthline, sweet potatoes have tons of vitamins, (769% of your RDA for Vitamin A), minerals, and antioxidants. They promote gut health, may have cancer-fighting properties, promote good vision and brain function, and support your immune system.They are also inexpensive, available year round, and store well. I always have at least a couple in my pantry, ready to use for recipes like this.

This recipe is easy! You can have this sweet potato hash ready in about a half hour, if you’re a fast chopper. There’s no need to peel the sweet potatoes unless they’re wrinkly. You can prep the potatoes ahead of time, too. I like to scrub and cube the sweet potatoes the night before and put them in a bowl of water. When you’re ready, drain the potatoes well, and dry with paper towels or a clean dish towel.

How To Make Sweet Potato Hash

Prep the bacon. The candied bacon is so flavorful and crispy. It’s just sweet, salty, smoky bits of yumminess! Simply dice 4 strips of bacon (I like thick cut), sprinkle on dark brown sugar, mix to coat the bacon with the sugar, and set aside.

Bowl of sweet potatoes, onion, and rosemary.

Prep the sweet potatoes and onions. Toss sweet potato cubes with chopped onion, olive oil, fresh rosemary, salt and pepper.

Air fry. You’ll do the air frying in three stages. First, arrange the sweet potato mixture in your air fryer; cook for 8 minutes. Then, stir the partially cooked potatoes, and sprinkle the bacon on. Just leave it on top; don’t stir it in. Air fry for 6 more minutes, stir, and then air fry another 6 minutes or so, or until everything is nice and crispy. That equals about 20 minutes of air fryer time.

Serve. This veggie hash is great for breakfast with eggs and toast. Sweet potato hash is so good on salads for a simple lunch. Just toss some greens with vinaigrette, and top it with the hash, warm or cold. You can add it to a grain bowl. It makes a delicious side dish for dinner, too.

Indescribably delicious, easy, perfectly welcome at any meal, good for you, and good-looking, too! What’s not to love?

Overhead view of breakfast comprised of sweet potato hash, eggs, strawberries and coffee.

Recipe Variations

Spice or herbs. Go in a different direction and add a teaspoon smoked paprika for smoky sweet potatoes with bacon. I’d be hard pressed to say which way I like better. If it’s more convenient, you could replace the fresh rosemary with dried rosemary (1 teaspoon).
Sub in a different vegetable. For a different twist, try using carrots instead of sweet potatoes. Try regular potatoes, like Yukon Gold or baby red potatoes.
Make it vegetarian. Skip the bacon. This hash is good either way.
Make it Whole30. Simply omit the brown sugar. The bacon won’t be candied but it will still taste great.
Easy hash browns. If you love regular hash brown potatoes, try air fryer hash browns made with shredded or cubed frozen hash browns. They’re super easy and turn out great!

Storing Leftovers

Refrigerate: Sweet potato hash is best served right away for ultimate crispiness but if you happen to have some left over, store it for 3 or 4 days in the fridge in a tightly covered bowl.

Reheat: While you can always reheat the hash in the microwave, my preferred method is to stick it back in the air fryer briefly so the hash becomes crisp again.

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