Air fryer baby potatoes are one of the easiest and tastiest side dishes, ready in 20 minutes from start to finish, these are going to become you favorite new recipe to make!
Small potatoes in the air fryer are perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner and are so simple to make, all you need are potatoes, olive oil and your favorite spices!
Why you will love this recipe
- Much faster than oven potatoes – making potatoes in the oven can take 45 minutes or more, where cooking baby potatoes in the air fryer takes just 20 minutes from start to finish (including prep time). The potatoes are soft on the inside and slightly crisp on the outside and are so scrumptious!
- Easy to make, great for beginner cooks – the air fryer does most of the work with these mini potatoes, making this the perfect recipe for beginner cooks or if you are new to using the air fryer.
- Versatile – baby potatoes in the air fryer are the perfect side dish for any meal and can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Change up the spices (see ideas below) to ensure you never get bored of these potatoes!
- Simple ingredients – these air fryer mini potatoes just use potatoes, olive oil and spices which are all pantry ingredients that are easy to keep on hand. This recipe is vegan, gluten free, Whole30, paleo and plant based!
- Healthier than oven potatoes – because the air fryer does such a great job with circulating the air around the potatoes, they are able to get crispier with less oil, making them healthier than traditional roasted potatoes.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Baby potatoes (small potatoes or mini potatoes) – baby potatoes are typically yellow, red or purple potatoes that are harvested earlier in their growing season. If you can’t find baby potatoes, you can use larger potatoes cut down to 1-1.5 inch cubes.
- Extra virgin olive oil (or avocado oil) – the olive oil helps to ensure the potatoes get crisp when air frying and also helps the spices stick to the potatoes well. You could also use melted coconut oil or melted ghee in place of the olive oil.
- Spices: Salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder, dried thyme – these spices help to create a smoky, savory coating on the potatoes that makes them incredibly satisfying. The spices can be changed though based on what you are serving the potatoes with as a side dish. Check out more ideas below!
How to make air fryer baby potatoes
Start by washing the outside of the potatoes. This is important since you will not be peeling the potatoes. Run the potatoes under water and scrub them if needed. Get as much water off the baby potatoes as possible before going to the next step.
Cut the mini potatoes down in half or in quarters depending on how large they are. You want uniform thickness so that they will all be cooked through at the same time.
Add the potatoes to a large bowl, then add the olive oil and spices. Stir well until all the potatoes are well coated.
Add the baby potatoes to the air fryer basket. It’s ok if they overlap, just be sure to shake the basket 1-2 times during cooking.
Turn the air fryer on 400F for 16 minutes. When the air fryer has 5 minutes left, shake the basket. You can shake it again around 2 minutes if you find they are not cooking evenly.
After 16 minutes, check the thickest potato you can find with a fork or paring knife to ensure they are cooked through. If so, you can stop the air fryer or you can add 1-4 minutes to get the outside even crispier depending on your preference.
Serve immediately. The crispy texture doesn’t last long and the baby potatoes will get soft the longer they sit out after cooking.
Top tips
- Cut the potatoes down in half or quarters depending on the size, this helps to ensure that the potatoes can get slightly crispy on the outside.
- If you want to make whole baby potatoes in the air fryer, you will need to increase the cooking time from 16 minutes to closer to 20 minutes.
- To make even crispier potatoes, use canned potatoes. Because the canned potatoes are precooked, they are able to get even crispier when cooked in the air fryer.
- Be sure to drain them first and cut them in half before adding olive oil and spices. Check them after 10 minutes in the air fryer as they will not need as much cooking time.
- How to check to see if potatoes are done cooking – after cooking baby potatoes in the air fryer, insert a paring knife or a fork into the thickest one you can find. If the knife easily pierces through the center, they are fully cooked. Then you just have to decide if the outside of the potatoes is crisp enough.
- The potatoes lose crispiness as they sit out. They are the crispiest right out of the air fryer (don’t burn your tongue) and will start to get soggy as they sit out. Reheat the baby potatoes in the air fryer to get that crispy coating back (400F for 4-6 minutes).
- If you want to double the recipe, you will need to make the potatoes in batches or they will steam and not get crispy on the outside. You can keep the cooked potatoes in a 300F oven to stay warm while the second batch cooks. Right before serving, transfer the small potatoes that were in the oven back to the air fryer and cook at 400F for 3-4 minutes to crisp the outside again.
- Cooking time will depend on your air fryer – each model/brand is slightly different in how strong the motors are and how large the baskets are which can impact cooking times. This recipe is very forgiving though, so start checking with a fork/knife around 14 minutes. Once you make this recipe once in your air fryer you will have a better idea of the cooking time for in the future.
Other flavor combinations to try
- Ranch – omit the smoked paprika and dried thyme and add 1 tbsp. dried chives, 1 tsp. dried parsley and ½ tsp. dried dill to the salt and garlic powder mixture.
- Cajun – omit the smoked paprika and the dried thyme and add ½ tbsp. cajun seasoning.
- Italian – omit the smoked paprika and dried thyme and add 1 tbsp. Italian seasoning.
- Greek – omit the smoked paprika and dried thyme and add 1 tsp. Italian seasoning and ½ tsp. dried oregano.
- Mexican – omit the dried thyme and add 1 tsp. chili powder, ½ tsp. ground cumin and ¼ tsp. dried oregano
- Curry – omit the smoked paprika and dried thyme and add 1 tsp. curry powder and ½ tsp. ground cumin. You can also add ½ tsp. garam masala if you have it on hand.
What to serve with air fryer small potatoes
- Breakfast: Eggs, bacon, sausage, peppers and onions
- Lunch: On top of salads, as a side for sandwiches, wraps, burgers or veggie burgers
- Dinner: On the side of turkey meatloaf, 10 minute ranch chicken, buffalo chicken or cajun salmon
- Snack: serve with your favorite dip for a fun snack! Some great options include: cilantro tahini dressing, chimichurri, homemade ketchup or spicy chipotle mayo!
Common questions
What if you don’t have baby potatoes?
Baby potatoes are typically red, gold or purple potatoes that are cultivated earlier, giving them the smaller size. Because these potatoes are cultivated earlier in the season and have more natural sugar in them, making them even more crispy when roasted in the air fryer or oven.
If you don’t have baby potatoes, you can use red potatoes or gold potatoes that are cut down into 1 to 1.5 inch pieces. You may need to add 1-2 more minutes to the cooking time to ensure the potatoes get crispy.
Do you need to boil the potatoes first?
No, you can make mini potatoes in the air fryer using raw potatoes, no need to cook them ahead.
Can you make this with leftover potatoes?
Yes! You can make this recipe with leftover potatoes. Simply coat them in olive oil and spices and add them to the air fryer basket. Cook at 400F for 10-12 minutes until crispy. These don’t need to cook as long since they are already cooked through.
Storing leftovers
Fridge: these healthy air fried potatoes will last 5 days in the fridge. Reheat in air fryer 400F for 6 minutes for crispy crust on potatoes
Freezer: Store leftovers in a freezer safe bag and freeze for up to 6 months. Defrost in the fridge and reheat in air fryer 6 minutes at 400F.
If you love this recipe, you should try
- Air Fryer Sweet Potato Wedges
- Air Fryer Sweet Potato Cubes
- Air Fryer Diced Potatoes
- Air Fryer Frozen Broccoli
- Air Fryer Carrots
- Air Fryer Parsnip Fries
- Roasted Broccoli and Potatoes
Air Fryer Baby Potatoes
$3.46 Recipe/$0.87 ServingIngredients
- 1.5 pounds baby potatoes, cut in half or quarters - $2.99
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (or avocado oil) - $0.22
- 1 tsp salt - $0.05
- 1 tsp smoked paprika - $0.10
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder - $0.05
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme - $0.05
Instructions
- Wash the potatoes under warm water, scrubbing them if needed. Dry the potatoes as best as possible.
- Cut the potatoes in half or in quarters depending on the size.
- Add the potatoes to a large bowl. Drizzle the potatoes with olive oil, salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder and dried thyme. Stir well.
- Add the potatoes to the air fryer basket and cook on high for 16 minutes at 400F.
- After cooking for 10 minutes, pause the air fryer and shake the basket. Continue to cook for the next 6 minutes.
- After 16 minutes of cooking, check the potatoes with a paring knife or fork to see if they are fully cooked. You may need to add 1-2 minutes of cooking time to get the crispy exterior depending on your air fryer.
Equipment
Notes
- Cut the potatoes down in half or quarters depending on the size, this helps to ensure that the potatoes can get slightly crispy on the outside.
- If you want to make whole baby potatoes in the air fryer, you will need to increase the cooking time from 16 minutes to closer to 20 minutes.
- To make even crispier potatoes, use canned potatoes. Be sure to drain them first and cut them in half before adding olive oil and spices. Check them after 10 minutes in the air fryer as they will not need as much cooking time.
- How to check to see if potatoes are done cooking – insert a paring knife or a fork into the thickest potato you can find.
- The potatoes lose crispiness as they sit out. You can reheat the baby potatoes in the air fryer to get that crispy coating back though (400F for 4-6 minutes).
- If you want to double the recipe, you will need to make the potatoes in batches. You can keep the cooked potatoes in a 300F oven to stay warm while the second batch cooks. Right before serving, transfer the potatoes that were in the oven back to the air fryer and cook at 400F for 3-4 minutes to crisp the outside again.
- Cooking time will depend on your air fryer – each model/brand is slightly different in how strong the motors are and how large the baskets are which can impact cooking times. Air fryer baby potatoes are very forgiving though, so start checking them around 14 minutes.
- Ranch – omit the smoked paprika and dried thyme and add 1 tbsp. dried chives, 1 tsp. dried parsley and ½ tsp. dried dill to the salt and garlic powder mixture.
- Cajun – omit the smoked paprika and the dried thyme and add ½ tbsp. cajun seasoning.
- Italian – omit the smoked paprika and dried thyme and add 1 tbsp. Italian seasoning.
- Greek – omit the smoked paprika and dried thyme and add 1 tsp. Italian seasoning and ½ tsp. dried oregano.
- Mexican – omit the dried thyme and add 1 tsp. chili powder, ½ tsp. ground cumin and ¼ tsp. dried oregano
- Curry – omit the smoked paprika and dried thyme and add 1 tsp. curry powder and ½ tsp. ground cumin. You can also add ½ tsp. garam masala if you have it on hand.
- Fridge: leftover will last 5 days in the fridge. Reheat in air fryer 400F for 6 minutes for crispy crust on potatoes
- Freezer: Store leftovers in a freezer safe bag and freeze for up to 6 months. Defrost in the fridge and reheat in air fryer 6 minutes at 400F.
