These Air Fryer Smashed Potatoes are crispy on the outside, fluffy in the middle, and ridiculously easy to make. They’re a fun twist on basic roasties – perfect for mixing up your Sunday roast or adding something a bit different to midweek dinners.
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All of my roast potato recipes suggest to give the parboiled potatoes a bit of a shake before adding fat and roasting. This is to maximise the surface area of the potato and provide maximum crispy bits. But smashed potatoes take this one step further. Quite literally by adding one simple step to the cooking process.
So these smashed potatoes are really just a new(ish) and fun way to get extra crispy potatoes. And let’s be honest, that can only be a good thing!
How to Serve
You can serve smashed roasties in exactly the same way as any other roast spud. So of course they make an excellent addition to any roast dinner. Or a more everyday meal like with sausages and onion gravy or even a more summery simple roast chicken legs and green salad.
Ingredients
Potatoes
It is essential to peel the potato before roasting. Skin on roasties might well have a time and a place but it isn’t here!
it is also important to not keep a peeled potato out of water for any longer than possible. This is why as part of my step by step guide I tell you to peel the spuds and put them straight into cold water. And then chop them and put back into cold water.
As well as preventing the potatoes from discolouring, there is another reason for this. You will notice that when you drain the water away, it is cloudy. This is starch released by the potato. The less starch there is, the fluffier the potato will be. Which leads me to the big question…
What Variety of Potato is Best for Roast Potatoes
Potatoes largely fall into two categories; waxy and floury. Some varieties do sit on the line, but you want to use a floury potato variety for roast potatoes.King Edwards are roast potato royalty. They are my go-to variety and what I seek out for Christmas.
Other common varieties that make great roast potatoes include Maris Piper, Rooster, Vivaldi, Apache, Elfe and Russett.Potatoes don’t always come labelled with the variety. But you can look for potatoes labelled as “floury”, an “all rounder”,”suitable for baking” or “jacket potatoes”.
What you want to avoid is the waxy kind. These include Jersey Royals which are more suitable for boiling and serving with butter or air frying whole. You can roast them. But they don’t make roast potatoes!
Oil
I’ve stuck with my most basic recipe here and simply used vegetable oil. But there is nothing to stop you using olive oil if that flavour pairs with the rest of you meal. Or you can use lard, duck or goose fat. Or even bacon greasy or chicken schmaltz if you have it available. If you are using a solid fat , you may wish to melt it a little before adding to the potatoes for maximum distribution.
I wouldn’t suggest using butter as this can catch and burn at the high temp needed for roasting the potatoes. Nothing to stop you from adding a little right at the end of the cooking process however.
Seasoning
Again, sticking with the simple theme, I’ve just seasoned the potatoes with salt. This is a two step process with cheaper table/free-flowing salt in the boiling water. And then with sea salt flakes during the roasting part of the recipe. My preferred brand is Maldon sea salt. If you need to use a table salt instead, halve the quantity in the recipe.
Allergen Information
This recipe is free from egg, dairy, gluten and nuts.
Please note that this recipe may contain other allergens not referred to above and any variations suggested have not been tested unless otherwise stated. For more information regarding any dietary information provided on this website, please refer to my Nutritional Disclaimer.
How Long to Air Fry Smashed Potatoes
Before you even look at the air fryer, you will need to boil the potatoes for around 20 minutes and then allow them to steam dry for a few more minutes after draining.
The air frying is a two step process which takes around 25 minutes in total. The potatoes are first air fried for 10 minutes then taken out of the air fryer and smashed. Then they’re roasted for another 15 minutes until crisp all the way round. If you prefer an even bigger crunch and more colour on your roasties, you can air fry them for longer until you’re happy with them.
How to Air Fry Smashed Potatoes From Frozen
At the time of writing you don’t seem to be able to buy frozen smashed potatoes ready prepared here in the UK. But you can get ahead and make your own. I would suggest following the recipe right up until the end step. But instead of air frying the smashed potatoes for 15 minutes, just roast them for 5. This will allow the potato crust to start to form and prevent them falling apart. Allow them to cool and then freeze.
When it comes to cooking the frozen smashed potatoes, put them directly into the air fryer and air fry for around 15 minutes or until you’re happy with the colour and amount of crisp.
Alternatively you can air fry any regular frozen potatoes and then give them a smash and a little extra oil once they’ve thawed right the way through.
Leftovers – Storage & Reheating
Leftovers will keep in the fridge for several days or frozen for longer term storage. Reheat simply back in the air fryer.
Alternatively, you can top the leftovers with something like cheese and spring onion for a quick snack or crumble them up to make a hash. Just add some vegetables like onions and peppers, some meat like ham or corned beef if you wish and then top with a fried egg.
Common Air Fryer Questions – A Brief Guide to Air Frying
- What exactly is an air fryer?
- What are the benefits of using an air fryer?
- Are all air fryers the same?
- Is an air fryer always better to use than an oven?
- Do air fryers need to be pre-heated?
- What is the best temperature to air fry at?
- What setting is best to use? Air fry, bake, dehydrate, etc…
- Can food be cooked from frozen in an air fryer?
- Can I reheat food in an air fryer?
- Are air fryer liners a good idea?
The Air Fried Feast Community
Come on over to Facebook and join my community discussing all things air fryer. Get involved in sharing your experiences and trials, help out others and find out what wonderful things everyone is cooking in their air fryers!
What Exactly is an Air Fryer?
Very simply, an air fryer is a small convection (fan) oven. The benefit is that the hot air is circulated all around the food being cooked which speeds up the cooking time and cooks the food more evenly.
What are the Benefits of Using an Air Fryer?
Size, time and energy usage. Air fryers are ideal for cooking smaller quantities. Heating up a space that the food just fits into requires less energy and means that the heat source is much closer to the food. Combining these two things can speed up the cooking time.
Are all air fryers the same?
Nope! The term air fryer is now used very broadly. I consider there to be 4 main types:
Basket Air Fryers
These are what I would consider to be the most common, especially in the UK. A boxy type unit has a pull out drawer/basket. Food isn’t usually visible whilst cooking.
Some larger models have two drawers so different items can be cooked at different temperatures or for different times.
This is the type that you’ll see in the images in this recipe. I mostly use a Cosori Lite 3.8L (CAF-LI401S) with a 3.8 litre capacity. The square(ish) shaped basket is 21cm x 21cm and 24cm on the diagonal. It isn’t an overly expensive or fancy model.
I’ve also recommended to several friends and family the model with a slightly larger basket. This is the Cosori 4.7L (CAF-L501) with a 4.7 litre basket. The unit is no larger than the 3.8 litre model on the outside but does have a larger internal basket capacity. I’ve since bought this version to use for some recipes where my smaller model was just too small. I’ll always note this in the recipe.
Rotary Air Fryers
Round air fryers with a paddle in the centre that rotates to move the food. This is the type I used for years – the most common is a Tefal Actifry.
Rotary types are not usually good for recipes where the food is breaded, glazed, likely to break up or in a tray/container. They do however make the best chips and roasted veg.
My 2 in 1 version like the one I’ve linked also has a rotating tray for things that could be broken up by a paddle, but the height clearance with the lid isn’t deep enough to use it to cook some items like sausage rolls. I’ve now actually retired by Actifry in favour of having my two basket type fryers.
Mini Oven Air Fryers
These usually have a glass door, shelves and overall are really quite large. You can cook quite a decent quantity of food in them so are best if regularly cooking for multiple people. They often come with extra features like a rotisserie spit or kebab skewers.
Multicookers with Air Fryer Functions
Some like Ninja 11 in 1 and some of the earlier versions with a few less functions, have an air fryer option. They mostly operate the same as a basket fryer but the basket drops in the top rather than sliding in like a drawer.
Some electric pressure cookers like Instant Pots can also air fry when used with a specific lid.
Is an air fryer always better to use than an oven?
As much as I do love air frying, the honest answer to this is no. And the more detailed answer is that it will always depend on what you’re cooking, how much of it you’re cooking and what type and size of air fryer you have.
Once you need to cook in more than 2 batches, it often makes more sense to use an oven. If you already have the oven on to cook other items, it may make more sense to throw one more item in rather than using an additional appliance.
I don’t think either method is often necessarily better than the other. The important point to note is that there is absolutely no difference in the finished product.
Do Air Fryers Need to Be Pre-Heated?
The answer to this is rather annoying – it depends. It depends entirely on your model and type of air fryer. The best advice I can offer is to check your manual and follow their guidance. My Cosori models have a preheat function. I press a button and it heats at 205c/400f for 4 minutes.
It’s also worth noting that regardless of whether you are supposed to pre-heat or not, if you are cooking in batches, it is quite likely that anything after the first batch will cook a little quicker because of the retained heat. It is best to check on them before the cooking time is completed.
What is the best temperature to Air Fry at?
It will always depend on what you are cooking and from what state. All of my air fryer recipes don’t use temperatures above 200c/390f because many of the most common fryers in the UK don’t go above this. Mine goes to 230c/450f and I use this temperature a lot but it is no help for me to share recipes which many people can’t use.
What setting is best to use? Air fry, bake, dehydrate, etc…
Not all air fryers have different settings like this. When they do it usually relates to the fan speed. The default setting to use will always be “air fry” so unless something else is specifically stated in the recipe, always use the air fry option.
There are other air fryers that have an additional heating element which cooks from underneath rather than just the top. Just as with the other settings, unless you are using a recipe which states to use a second heating element, stick with just using the top down air fry option.
Of course if and when you become more confident with air frying, using recipes and the settings of your air fryer, you can start adapting them to suit.
Can Food Be Cooked From Frozen In An Air Fryer?
Absolutely! To cook from frozen you usually will need to reduce the cooking temperature and increase the time to make sure your food is cooked right through to the middle.
It is best to check my individual recipes for cooking from frozen advice as some items are a little different. And there are occasionally exceptions to the rule.
Can I Reheat Food In An Air Fryer?
Yes. As a general rule I reheat food for roughly 1/3 of the original cooking time at the same temperature. Or at 10 degrees lower for half the time for larger items.
Are Air Fryer Liners a Good Idea?
Unless otherwise stated, I do not use liners when air frying. Basket and rotary type air fryers are designed to be used without liners. Mini oven types will generally require some kind of tray like with a regular large oven although most come with crisper racks to use.
There are many air fryer liners available including quite thick silicone ones. These will affect the cooking times and possibly temperatures of your cooking/baking. I also don’t like how cooking juices are prevented from dripping through the basket rack. This can stop food from crisping all the way around.
When I do want to collect the juices, I mostly use some foil, or occasionally a foil tray which can be washed and reused.
If you do prefer to use them, once you have got a feel for how they affect your cooking and baking, you may need to make adjustments to the recipe accordingly.
More Air Fryer Recipes
All my recipes with instructions for how to cook or bake them in the air fryer can be found in my Air Fryer Recipe Index.
Don’t forget to let me know in the comments if you try making this recipe – I want to know what you think and if you made any substitutions, how did it turn out?
Still Have Questions?
Simple! Just contact me and I will do my best to help as quickly as I am able. Head over to my Contact Me page, any of my social media channels or post a comment at the bottom of this page and I’ll see what I can do.
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The Recipe
The Best Air Fryer Smashed Potatoes Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Jam Jars or heavy bottomed glass
Ingredients
- 600 g Potatoes - Floury
- 2 tsp Fine/Table Salt
- 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 2 tsp Sea Salt Flakes
- 1 tsp Vegetable Spray Oil - or more to just drizzle
Instructions
- Put a kettle of water on to boil.
- Half fill a medium saucepan with cold water.
- Peel 600g Potatoes and put each into the pan of water as you peel it. This stops the potato discolouring. Make sure to cut off any brown or nasty spots on the potatoes.
- Cut each potato into chucks around the size of a golf ball. You can vary the number of cuts on each potato depending on its size. You also don’t have to cut everything straight. The more faces and edges to a potato chunk, the more opportunity for crispiness.
- Replace the chunks back into the cold water as you work.
- Once the kettle has boiled and everything is cut, drain the cold water out of the pan using a colander.
- Return the potatoes to the pan and cover with boiling water. Add 2 tsp Fine Salt and give it a stir.
- Boil the potatoes on a medium high heat for roughly 20 minutes. Test the potatoes with a small knife. They want to be almost cooked through. The best roast potatoes are made when you are convinced that you over boiled them!
- As the potatoes are nearly cooked, start the preheat setting on your air fryer if required.
- Drain the potatoes well and leave them to sit for a minute and steam. You want as much water to evaporate off as possible.
- Sprinkle over 2 tsp Sea Salt Flakes and 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil.
- Toss the potatoes in the oil and salt. You can be a little rough as you want to chuff up the edges of the potatoes, You don't want to be so rough that you make mash.
- Move the potatoes to the air fryer. I do this with tongs to prevent them from breaking up.
- Air fry for 10 minutes at 200℃/390℉.
- At this point they will have started to get golden and crispy.
- Take the potatoes out the air fryer and place them onto a board. You can do this one at a time if you prefer.
- Use a jar or heavy based glass to press down on each of the potatoes to "smash" them.
- At this point I like to add some more oil – around 1 tsp Vegetable Oil – a spray makes this easier.
- Put the potatoes back into the air fryer. It doesn't matter if they aren't quite in one layer any more.
- Air fry for a further 15 minutes at 200℃/390℉. Give them a couple of shakes if you feel so inclined.
- If after that time you want them to have even more colour, keep cooking until you're happy with them.
Notes
- This recipe is tested in a Cosori Lite (CAF-LI401S) with a 3.8 litre capacity. The square(ish) shaped basket is 21cm x 21cm and 24cm on the diagonal.
- Not all models advise preheating is required. Please follow the recommended instructions for your model. Mine has a specific preheat setting which is 4 minutes at 205c.
- For this recipe, I managed to fit in around 600g (20 roast) potatoes with more than enough room for air flow. I would struggle to fit more after they’re smashed.
- As all air fryer models are a little different, you may find that you can fit more or less in at a time. Some models include stacking shelves which will increase capacity.
- Required cooking times and temperatures can also vary between models and brands. If you know that your air fryer runs a little hotter than most recipes suggest, use a lower temperature. And vice versa. Equally if you find that food cooks more quickly in your machine than instructions usually state, reduce the cooking time (or check it earlier) and vice versa.
Janice says
The crispy bits are always my favourite so these smashed potatoes were right up my street, you can never have enough crisp potato. All my family enjoyed them and I think they will be replacing normal roasties on our table from now on.
Lesley says
These potatoes were so delicious, soft on the inside, perfectly crispy on the outside. I’ll be making these again.