Crispy Air Fryer Smashed Potatoes

What Are Smashed Potatoes?

Smashed potatoes are a crispy creamy potato snack that’s perfect for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or just about anytime. Baby potatoes are boiled, smashed, smothered with flavored, spiced butter, topped with cheese, and air-fried to perfection. They’re crispy on the outside, fluffy, and creamy on the inside. Paired with my spicy mayo dipping sauce everyone will love this flavorful, easy smashed potato recipe!

Air fryers are perfect for cooking potatoes in many ways with less oil. We love Air Fryer Crispy Roast Potatoes, Air Fryer Baby Potatoes, and Air Fryer Baked Potatoes.

If you’re looking for more Air fryer vegetable or snack dishes, check our Air Fryer Recipe collection.

Why We Love Air Fryer Smashed Potatoes:

• Crispy, spicy, cheesy on the outside; fluffy, creamy, on the inside and so delicious
• Perfectly seasoned and so flavorful
• Ready in about 15 minutes
• Healthy snack with less oil than deep-frying. They’re naturally gluten-free too.

Ingredients

• Potatoes – I recommend baby potatoes, the smaller the better. You can use white or red potatoes.
• Butter – butter is so good with potatoes. You can substitute with olive oil or avocado oil or your favorite. You won’t need much oil anyways to make it crispy and crunchy in the air fryer.
• Garlic powder – or use fresh garlic minced if you prefer.
• Smoked paprika
• Kosher Salt, Ground black pepper
• Parmesan cheese – freshly grated or powdered from a can. You can substitute with some mozzarella cheese too. Omit the butter and cheese for dairy-free version.
• Red pepper flakes

Rinse baby potatoes and add them to a saucepan with 4 cups of water or enough to cover them completely. Add a teaspoon of salt and bring to boil under high heat. Boil potatoes for about 15 to 20 minutes until fork-tender. Drain the potatoes, put them back in the pan and let them sit on the stove for all the moisture to evaporate with the residual heat.

Place the potatoes on a lined baking sheet, and using the bottom of a glass smash the potatoes flat.

In a small bowl, whisk the melted butter with garlic powder, paprika, salt and black pepper. Brush the melted butter on the smashed potatoes.

Preheat Air fryerat 390F for 3 to 5 minutes. Top the smashed potatoes with parmesan cheese and red chili flakes. Brush the air fryer with oil. Use a spatula and place the potatoes in the Air fryer basket in a single layer.

Air fry at 390F for 12 to15 minutes until the potatoes are golden brown and crispy. Use a spatula to lift them up from the air fryer. Sprinkle chopped parsley and more cheese on top. Serve hot with spicy mayo dipping sauce.

You’ll need to do two batches with this recipe. Once the second batch is done you can warm all the potatoes in the air fryer for a minute or two.

Tips To Make Crispy Smashed Potatoes

• Preheat Air fryer – or add extra cooking time.
• Cook off extra moisture – after draining the potatoes, leave them in the pan on the stove to let the moisture evaporate with the residual heat. This prevents mushy watery potatoes and makes them more crispy and crunchy.
• Skin on – leave the skin on for more flavor and crunch.
• Space them out -Place the potatoes in a single layer in the air fryer and don’t overcrowd them.
• Cook in batches – this ties in with the earlier tip. For 1 pound of baby potatoes, I need to do two batches in my Cosori 5.8qrt Air fryer. This ensures I have enough space for the hot air to circulate cooking them evenly.

What To Serve With Air Fryer Smashed Potatoes

These flavorful crispy garlic smashed potatoes make the perfect side dish or snack. Here are some serving ideas:

• Pair it with any protein like Air fryer Chicken Legs, Chicken Breast, Air Fryer Shrimp, Air Fryer Salmon and Steak Bites.
• They’re an irresistable snack with spicy mayo made with sriracha or your favorite dipping sauce.
• They’re delicious on their own anytime!

Topping Ideas

Here are some topping ideas for you to try with these potatoes.

• Top with parmesan cheese or mozzarella cheese. Use vegan cheese or omit the cheese altogether to make it dairy-free.
• Add your favorite seasoning or spice mix to the melted butter in this recipe. Try adding cajun seasoning, taco seasoning or lemon pepper seasoning for more variety.
• Instead of red pepper flakes, use Everything bagel seasoning.

How To Store/Reheat Smashed Potatoes

These crispy crushed potatoes taste best when they’re fresh and warm. However, if you have any leftovers, they’ll keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.

Reheat them in the air fryer at 375F for a few minutes until warm and crisp. You can top them with more butter, cheese before crisping them up.