Name: Air Fryer Crispy Smashed Potatoes
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 pound baby potatoes; 2 tablespoons butter (melted); 1 clove garlic (minced); 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper; 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes or chopped rosemary (optional)

Jevin Morris

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These Air Fryer Crispy Smashed Potatoes, slathered with butter and seasoned with garlic, salt, and pepper, make a delicious side for any meal.

This air fryer crispy smashed potato recipe is one of our favorites for an easy and quick side dish. Not only is the texture amazing, but they go well with almost any main dish. It can also make for a delicious snack when you’re out of potato chips. These fingerling potatoes have become a favorite at dinner time.

Typically, crispy smashed potatoes take a lot of steps and a decent amount of time. By making it in the air fryer, you can cut down the cooking time significantly and the clean up is super easy.

Ingredients You Need

Baby potatoes: Any potatoes could work for this recipe, but I recommend sticking with smaller-sized potatoes. They will be easier to work with and will be crispier.
Melted butter: Butter will provide more flavor than oil, but if you only have oil, you can use that instead.
Minced garlic: I prefer to use minced garlic as it has a stronger flavor than garlic powder. However, you can use garlic powder if that is what you have on hand.
Salt: Since you’ll be mixing the salt with other spices, I recommend using regular table salt. You can add some flaky salt on top of the potatoes after if you want to enhance the presentation.
Ground black pepper: Fresh ground black pepper will have a stronger taste, but using already ground pepper works just fine.
Red pepper flakes or chopped rosemary: Both of these spices are optional in the dish. The red pepper flakes will add some kick to the dish, and the rosemary brings a lemon-pine like flavor to the potatoes. I like to add them in, but they aren’t necessary.

Crispy Smashed Potatoes in the air fryer basket

Helpful Tips

If you decide to use bigger potatoes instead of baby potatoes, cut them into smaller pieces before boiling and smashing.
Try not to overcrowd the air fryer basket, and bake the potatoes in batches. Without proper space, the smashed potatoes will not crisp up as much.
Be careful to not smash the potatoes too hard. You want them to be about ¼ inch thick, otherwise the potatoes will fall apart.

How to Make Crispy Smashed Potatoes

Cook the baby potatoes in the air fryer on 400 degrees F for 10-12 minutes, until tender. You should be able to easily smash them at this point. If they’re still too firm, cook for an additional 3-5 minutes.

Transfer the potatoes from the air fryer basket to a cutting board. Gently but firmly press down on the potatoes with the bottom of a drinking glass until the potatoes are about ¼ inch thick. They should be smashed but still intact.

Mix the melted butter, garlic, salt, pepper, and (optionally) red pepper flakes or rosemary, in a small bowl. Brush the butter mixture onto the tops of the potatoes with a pastry brush.

Carefully place the potatoes in the air fryer basket. They’re a bit fragile after being smashed, so transport carefully to keep them together. Cook on 375°F for 8 minutes.

Flip the potatoes over and brush on more butter. Cook another 8 minutes or until crisp and golden brown around the edges. Serve hot.

Alternative Seasonings

Usually, I like to keep these potatoes simple and just season them with butter, salt and pepper. However, the seasoning can be adjusted to make all kinds of different varieties.

I would recommend trying these alternative seasonings:

Taco seasoning (from a packet or make your own)
Shredded parmesan cheese and rosemary
Zaatar seasoning
Buffalo hot sauce and blue cheese dressing

Questions About the Recipe

Can I use different spices?

This recipe is incredibly versatile and can be changed up in any way you like. I have seen many people who like to add turmeric to their crispy smashed potatoes, so test out whichever spices you like, and see what tastes best for you.

Which potatoes are the best for crispy smashed potatoes?

The two best potato varieties are Yukon Gold and red potatoes. They both hold up well when baking, and stay soft and fluffy when baked.

Is this recipe vegan-friendly?

With the use of butter, it is not vegan-friendly, but you can easily switch the butter for oil. When using oil, I prefer to use olive oil as it brings out the flavors of the spices.

Can I make them in the oven?

If you don’t have an air fryer, you can make these crispy smashed potatoes in the oven, or in the microwave and on the stove top.

Cook the potatoes in the microwave for 1 minute per side to get them tender or bake them in the oven for 15 minutes on 375 degrees F. Smash them, butter them, and put them on a baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees F for 10-15 minutes, until crispy.

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