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Air Fryer Smashed Potatoes
Air fryer smashed potatoes are crispy, crunchy and so easy to make! These healthy smashed potatoes are great for breakfast, lunch, dinner or as a snack. These smashed potatoes in the air fryer are vegan, gluten free and Whole30 friendly.
Wash the potatoes. Add the potatoes to a large pot and cover with water.
Cover the pot and bring the potatoes to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, cook for 12-15 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender.
Drain the water from the potatoes.
Add potatoes to a baking sheet or cutting board. smash the potatoes with a flat-bottomed glass or bowl.
Combine the olive oil, salt, garlic powder and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Drizzle the olive oil mixture over the potatoes.
Add the smashed potatoes to the air fryer basket. Cook at 400F in air fryer for 14 minutes. After 7 minutes, pause the air fryer and flip the potatoes (use tongs).
Repeat with the rest of the potatoes (note that the next batch will likely be done 1-2 minutes quicker since the air fryer will be preheated).
Cook the potatoes in the instant pot, on stove or in the air fryer until they are fork tender before smashing them. Check out my tips below on how to use the instant pot or the air fryer.
If you try to stir the potatoes together in a mixing bowl to coat them with oil and spices, they will start to fall apart. They are still delicious if they fall apart but won't have the same presentation.
You can fill the basket more than I did in these photos, but you will then have to shake the basket a few times during cooking, and you risk breaking up the potatoes when you shake the basket. For the best presentation, put them in a single layer where they don't overlap much and turn them with tongs (silicone tipped so they don't scratch your air fryer).
Every air fryer is different, so you may want to start checking your potatoes at around 10 minutes cooking time.
If you are making batches of smashed potatoes in the air fryer, the air fryer will be preheated so the potatoes will likely need 1-2 minutes less when baking.
Wait to add any fresh herbs to the potatoes until after cooking in the air fryer. You run the risk of burning the herbs due to the high heat.
Other flavor ideas
Ranch - add 1 tablespoon dried chives, 1 teaspoon dried parsley and 1/2 teaspoon dried dill to the salt, garlic powder and olive oil
Smoky - add 1 teaspoon smoked paprika along with the salt and garlic powder
Spicy - add up to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper. You can also add 1 tablespoon sriracha to the olive oil.
Cajun - add 1/2 tablespoon cajun seasoning along with the salt and garlic powder to the olive oil
Greek - add 1 teaspoon italian seasoning and 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano to the other spices
How to make smashed potatoes in the air fryer from start to finish?
Cook the baby potatoes whole in the air fryer at 390F for 20 minutes or until fork tender (you can start checking at 15 minutes).
Once fork tender, remove the potatoes from the air fryer basket and smash them with the bottom of a glass or heavy object.
Follow the rest of the instructions as stated from this point. Note that the air fryer will likely be preheated since you used it to cook the potatoes, so the smashed potatoes may take less time (1-2 minutes) when cooking using this method.
How to cook baby potatoes in the instant pot
To make cook the baby potatoes in the instant pot before smashing them:
Add a trivet to the bottom of the instant pot insert. Add 1 cup of water (2 cups for a 8qt).
Put the potatoes on the trivet and close the lid.
Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. Let the pressure naturally release at least 10 minutes before manually releasing it.
Remove potatoes from the instant pot and smash with a glass or bowl. Follow the rest of the instructions as written for the recipe.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition Facts
Amount per Serving
Calories
163
Fat
4
g
Carbohydrates
30
g
Fiber
4
g
Sugar
1
g
Protein
4
g
Where does nutrition info come from? Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, sourced from the USDA Food Database.
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