These Air Fryer Smashed Potatoes are crispy on the outside, tender on the inside and really easy to make. Serve them as a side with dinner tonight!
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Why You'll Love this recipe
- Flavorful. These air fryer smashed potatoes are so good. If you're craving crispy and crunchy potatoes, these will hit the spot.
- Easy appetizer and side dish. Smashed potatoes make an excellent and fun appetizer to share at parties with Air Fryer Chicken Sausage or Easy Tuna Cakes and the perfect side dish to pair with your main meal.
- Family favorite. They pair well with so many things and the whole family will enjoy them. They are great for weeknights, game days and even holiday gatherings.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Potatoes- this recipe calls for Yukon gold or yellow potatoes but you can also use red or purple potatoes.
- Oil or butter- I like to make these smashed potatoes with extra virgin olive oil but you can also use avocado oil or melted butter.
- Seasoning- I just used salt, black pepper and garlic powder. You can also use fresh garlic cloves if you prefer.
See the recipe card below for the remaining ingredients and quantities.
Variations
While these crispy smashed potatoes are pretty simple, there are a few things you can do to switch things up.
- Use sweet potatoes- instead of yellow potatoes, use sweet potatoes for a different flavor profile. The seasoning can stay the same for a savory variation or add some maple syrup for a sweet version. Sweet potatoes are typically larger in size than yellow potatoes so the cooking time will increase.
- Add different toppings- this recipe includes a vinaigrette made with fresh herbs. Replace this with cheddar cheese, bacon and chives for a different take on potato skins. Parmesan cheese and fresh garlic would also be a great topping for these crispy potatoes.
Instructions
- Boil the potatoes. In a large pot or Dutch oven, add the potatoes and a pinch of kosher or sea salt. Boil the potatoes until they are fork-tender.
- Smash the potatoes. Using a mug, cup or potato masher, gently smash each potato to a ½ inch thick. Season with oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder.
- Air fry the potatoes. Cook the potatoes in a single layer in your air fryer until golden and crispy.
- Make the herb vinaigrette. Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl.
- Serve the potatoes topped with the vinaigrette and enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
Smashed potatoes are twice-cooked crunchy potatoes. They are typically boiled first and then roasted after being smashed flat.
If you have leftovers, store the potatoes separately from the vinaigrette so they don't get soggy. Reheat the potatoes in the air fryer or oven if you want them to stay crispy. The smashed potatoes and vinaigrette should last in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.
Yes! If you don't have an air fryer these smashed potatoes can be made in the oven. Follow the instructions for boiling and smashing the potatoes then cook the potatoes on a baking sheet in the oven at 400 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until crispy and golden brown.
Yes, you can cook the potatoes in the air fryer before smashing them instead of boiling them. I do have to warn you that if you are using Yukon gold potatoes, they will take a long time to become tender in the air fryer. You can cook them at 400 degrees for around 25-30 minutes to start. Afterward, cook them in 5-minute increments until they are tender enough to be smashed.
If you do want to use this method, you may want to use smaller potatoes instead.
Top Tips
- If the potatoes do not smash easily, they will need to be cooked for longer.
- Potatoes are ready to be smashed when they are fork-tender.
- Make sure the potatoes are cleaned thoroughly before cooking as they will not be peeled.
- Make sure the potatoes are not too large and that they are all similar in size to allow them all to cook in the same amount of time and so you have a shorter cooking time.
- Make sure you allow enough space between potatoes in the air fryer for proper airflow. You may need to work in batches.
- Be sure the potatoes are coated in enough oil as this will give you the crispiest results.
Serving
Smashed potatoes go well with so many things because they are lightly seasoned. Here are some delicious recipes to pair with these potatoes.
More Air Fryer Recipes
🍳Recipe
Air Fryer Smashed Potatoes
Equipment
Ingredients
Potatoes
- 2 pounds yellow potatoes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Herb Vinaigrette
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro and parsley, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, add the potatoes and a pinch of sea salt. Add water until the potatoes are fully covered.
- Bring the water to a boil and boil the potatoes for 20-25 minutes until fork tender. Drain the water.
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F.
- Place the potatoes on a plate or sheet pan. Using a mug, cup or potato masher, gently smash each potato to a ½ inch thick.
- Drizzle the potatoes with olive oil, salt, black pepper and garlic powder.
- Add the potatoes to your air fryer in a single layer (you may need to cook in batches) and cook for 12 minutes.
- While the potatoes are cooking, make your herb vinaigrette by combining all of the ingredients in a small bowl.
- Flip the potatoes and cook for another 5 minutes until golden and crispy.
- Serve topped with the vinaigrette and enjoy!
Notes
- If the potatoes do not smash easily, they will need to be cooked for longer.
- Potatoes are ready to be smashed when they are fork tender.
- Make sure the potatoes are cleaned thoroughly before cooking as they will not be peeled.
- Make sure the potatoes are not too large and that they are all similar in size to allow them all to cook in the same amount of time and so you have a shorter cooking time.
- Make sure you allow enough space between potatoes in the air fryer for proper airflow. You may need to work in batches.
- Be sure the potatoes are coated in enough oil as this will give you the crispiest results.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
Rehoboth says
Excellent post.
Thanks
Julie says
This recipe is definitely a keeper and could easily be baked in a regular oven if you don't have an air fryer!
Sarah Holt says
Hi Julie, very happy you enjoyed it. Thanks for the review!