Air Fryer Smashed Potatoes

Fried smashed potatoes on a round serving plate with a gold fork.

Crispy, flavorful air-fryer smashed potatoes! These make a delicious side dish or a fun and tasty appetizer. A quick and healthy alternative to French fries that require only a few simple steps!

Course Appetizer, potatoes, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Air Fry Time 12

Total Time 35

Servings servings

Calories 156kcal

Author Sara

Equipment

1 medium pot
1 Air Fryer

Ingredients

1 lb. baby gold potatoes
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
½ tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. fine sea salt
¼ tsp. paprika (I use smoked paprika)
⅛ tsp. ground pepper

Instructions

Start by boiling the potatoes. Place potatoes in a medium sized pot and add water until it comes to about an inch over the potatoes. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender enough to pierce with a fork (15-20 minutes depending on the size of your potatoes).
When the potatoes are done, preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees F.
Drain potatoes and allow them to dry and slightly cool. Then place in a large bowl and add olive oil, garlic powder, salt, paprika, and pepper. Mix or toss to ensure all potatoes are coated in the oil/seasoning mix.
Place potatoes on a baking sheet to smash. Using the bottom of a cup, or potato masher, smash the potatoes down to about ¼" - ½" thickness. If you have remaining olive oil in your bowl, you can brush this on the potatoes after they’ve been smashed.
Using a spatula, transfer smashed potatoes to the air fryer basket. It is okay if they are touching, but don’t overlap potatoes.
Return basket to air fryer and cook for 10-12 minutes. I let potatoes cook without flipping, but you can flip halfway through if you'd like.
Check your potatoes after about 10 minutes to make sure they don't overcook. You can continue cooking until desired crispiness is reached.
Best served straight from the air fryer. Enjoy!

Notes

Use small potatoes that are evenly sized. This ensures even cooking. I prefer baby golds, but baby reds can be used too. If you have regular sized Yukon gold potatoes, cut into quarters before boiling and smashing.

Cook potatoes until just tender. If they are undercooked or greatly overcooked, they won’t smash up nicely.

Let potatoes slightly cool before smashing. If they are too hot, they may fall apart.

Cooking time: Total time will vary pending your air fryer. Cook until browned and crispy. Oven air fryers tend to take longer.

If cooking in batches, you can return earlier batches to air fryer for 3 minutes before serving, or keep them warm in the oven.

Oven directions: Preheat oven to 425-degrees F. Follow steps 1-3 above. Next, drizzle and spread olive oil onto a large baking sheet. Transfer potatoes to greased baking sheet. Using a potato masher, or bottom of a cup, smash down to ¼"-½" thickness. Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until nice and crisp.

Nutrition