These easy air fryer smashed potatoes are ready in only 25 minutes total, thanks to using the microwave to steam the potatoes first. And by making smashed potatoes in the air fryer, you know they are guaranteed to be super crispy and nicely browned!
You know when you're looking to get your food super crispy and browned, the air fryer is the way to go! And these air fryer smashed potatoes are the perfect example. They are so crispy, crunchy, and a satisfyingly deep golden brown, with a lovely flavor from herb-seasoned oil drizzled overtop before air frying.
And, by making smashed potatoes in the air fryer, you are also guaranteed to save yourself a ton of time since the air fryer preheats and cooks super fast. But, what if we can save EVEN MORE time? By using the microwave to steam the potatoes before mashing, we can do just that! In fact, you can make this entire smashed potatoes recipe in only 25 minutes total.
So, if you want super quick, super flavorful, and super crispy smashed potatoes, these smashed air fryer potatoes are just what you need!
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Recipe ingredients
Ingredient notes
- New potatoes: these are also known as baby potatoes. Any variety of new potato will work, and the best size are potatoes from 1 ½ - 2 inches in length.
- Oil: I used olive oil because I like the flavor. But, you can use your favorite type of cooking oil (avocado oil, vegetable oil, etc.).
Step by step photos
Here is a step by step breakdown on how to make crispy smashed potatoes in the air fryer. For full instructions and ingredient amounts, please see the recipe card down below!
1. The first step is to steam the potatoes using the microwave. Start by adding them to a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl. Pierce each potato with a fork, and drizzle in about 3 tablespoons water.
Cover the bowl with microwave-safe plastic wrap, leaving a small gap open to serve as a vent, and making sure the potatoes don't touch the plastic. Or, use a microwave-safe lid with vents. Microwave the potatoes on high for 5 - 8 minutes, depending on size, until the potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork.
2. While the potatoes are in the microwave, add the dried herbs and onion powder to the oil and mix together to combine.
3. After the potatoes have been steamed, let them sit for a minute or two with the lid removed until cool enough to handle. (Be careful to avoid the steam and hot water droplets when removing the lid!) Then move the potatoes to a clean work surface, and dry them off well with a paper towel.
Smash each potato to a thickness of about ½ inch. I like to use a slotted spatula, but you can smash the potatoes with a glass, fork, or potato masher. I actually have a whole post on the best way to smash a potato you can check out!
4. Next, use a pastry brush to gently dab the herb oil overtop each smashed potato. If you don't have a brush, just drizzle the oil on with a spoon. Then, sprinkle salt over each potato, to taste.
5. With a spatula, move the seasoned smashed potatoes to the 400 degree F preheated air fryer. Air fry the smashed potatoes for 10 - 12 minutes, or until the potatoes are browned to your liking!
Tips and tricks
- After steaming the potatoes in the microwave, be extra careful when removing the lid because steam and very hot droplets of water will be trapped underneath.
- If you don't want to steam the potatoes in the microwave before smashing, you can also boil them on the stovetop until fork-tender.
- You can also pre-cook the potatoes using the air fryer! First, pierce them with a fork. Then, place them into a preheated 325 degree F air fryer to cook for 18 - 22 minutes, or until fork-tender. (The amount of time will depend on the potato size and your air fryer.) Shake the basket halfway through the cook time.
- This smashed air fryer potatoes recipe calls for dried rosemary. I like to use crushed dried rosemary; it's perfect for sprinkling! If you have whole leaf dried rosemary, crush the pieces in your hand before adding to the oil.
Storage and reheating
- The air fryer smashed potatoes will keep well in a covered container in the fridge for 3 - 4 days.
- Or, you can freeze the smashed potatoes for up to 3 months!
- To reheat the potatoes from the fridge, you can air fry them in a 350 degree F preheated air fryer for 3 - 4 minutes, or until heated through.
- Also, you can reheat the frozen smashed potatoes straight from the freezer! Air fry them in a 350 degree F preheated air fryer for 5 - 6 minutes, or until heated through.
Serving suggestions
- To garnish the air fryer smashed potatoes, try adding a sprinkling of fresh herbs and/or flaky sea salt. For a spicy note, you can also add a sprinkling of red chili flakes!
- The smashed potatoes also taste great with a dipping sauce served alongside. I like serving them with sour cream that has been seasoned with salt and pepper. You can also try serving them with ranch dressing, honey mustard, or my recipe for creamy dill dressing!
- These smashed potatoes are a great side dish that would work so well with many entrees. Try them served alongside my recipes for air fryer homemade chicken nuggets, baked cod with panko, or lemon butter chicken breast.
Recipe variations
You can easily customize these air fryer smashed potatoes to suit your own tastes, or just to mix things up a bit!
- Instead of using the dried rosemary and dried thyme, you can add or substitute other dried herbs you like. Try dried dill, dried basil, dried sage, and/or dried oregano.
- And, you can also add or substitute in other seasonings in addition to the herbs! Instead of (or in addition to) the onion powder, you can try garlic powder, smoked paprika, coriander, black pepper, or cayenne pepper.
- If you don't have new potatoes, you can also use larger potatoes that have been cut into quarters (or in half, if the potatoes are medium-sized). Cut the larger potatoes first before steaming them, as instructed in the recipe. Then, when you're ready to smash, do so with the flesh side facing up.
Recipe FAQs
In my opinion, the best type of potatoes for smashed potatoes are new (aka "baby") potatoes, that are around 1 ½ - 2 inches in length. You can use any variety of baby potatoes, such as yellow, red, or blue potatoes.
I would avoid using the very tiny baby potatoes (under 1 inch in length), because in my experience they can get kind of tough after air frying since there isn't much creamy interior to these itty bitty potatoes.
There are many different techniques you can use to actually do the smashing, spanning from using a potato masher, flat-bottomed glass, spatula, or even your hand! I made an entire post comparing potato smashing techniques.
After doing the testing on the various potato smashing techniques, I found that my favorite technique is using a slotted spatula! It gives nice crispy edges and a good surface texture, and it's easy to execute.
In order to actually create the "smash" in the smashed potato, you need to pre-cook the potatoes so they are soft. You can do this in a variety of ways, including steaming, boiling, or even air-frying. In this recipe, I chose to steam the potatoes in the microwave, because it's very quick and super easy!
Entrees to serve with smashed potatoes:
If you’ve tried this recipe, please leave a star rating and/or review in the comments section below, I would love to hear from you! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. And sign up for my weekly newsletter to get recipes delivered straight to you!
PrintAir Fryer Smashed Potatoes
Use your air fryer to make the most perfectly crispy and brown smashed potatoes! By steaming the potatoes in the microwave first, you can make these smashed potatoes in only about 25 minutes.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: side dish
- Method: microwave, air fry
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 1 pound new (aka "baby") potatoes (see note 1)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (or other cooking oil)
- ½ teaspoon dried crushed rosemary (see note 2)
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- kosher or table salt, to taste
Instructions
- If needed, scrub the potatoes with water. Place the potatoes in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Pierce each potato with a fork. Add about 3 - 4 tablespoons of water to the bowl.
- Cover the bowl with microwave-safe plastic wrap, leaving at least a 1 inch (2.5 cm) gap between the top of the potatoes and the plastic. Also leave a 1 inch (2.5 cm) space uncovered to serve as a vent. (Or, cover the bowl with a vented lid designed for microwave use.)
- Microwave the potatoes on high for 5 - 8 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender. Then remove the lid (be careful of trapped steam and hot water clinging to the lid!) and let the potatoes sit for a minute or two, until they are cool enough to handle.
- Meanwhile, stir together the oil, dried rosemary, dried thyme, and onion powder.
- Right before you are ready to smash the potatoes, pre-heat the air fryer to 400 degrees F.
- Place the potatoes onto a clean work surface. Dry each potato with a paper towel. Using either a spatula, potato masher, or glass with flat bottom, smash each potato to about ½ inch (1.3 cm) in thickness.
- Gently brush or drizzle the seasoned oil onto the surface of each potato. Sprinkle the potatoes with salt to taste.
- Using a spatula, place the smashed potatoes into the pre-heated air fryer, evenly spaced and in a single layer (see note 3). Air fry for 10 - 12 minutes, or until the potatoes are crispy and browned to your liking!
Notes
(1) You can use any type of new (aka "baby") potato. For best results, look for baby potatoes that are on the medium to large size (for baby potatoes!) - about 1 ½ - 2 inches in length.
(2) If you have whole leaf dried rosemary, crush it in your hands before adding to the oil.
(3) If the smashed potatoes don't all fit in a single layer, you can air fry them in two batches.
(4) Cook times are given in ranges; the exact times needed will vary based on your own appliances (microwave and air fryer), and how large the potatoes are. Adjust the cook times as needed.
(5) You can use the air fryer to pre-cook the potatoes instead of the microwave. Pierce the potatoes with a fork and cook them in a pre-heated 325 degree F air fryer for 18 - 22 minutes, or until fork-tender. Shake the air fryer basket halfway through the cook time.
The nutrition information below includes ½ teaspoon salt. This nutrition information is only an estimate by an online nutrition calculator; the nutrition counts of your dish may vary. This estimate should not be considered a substitute for professional medical, health, or nutritional advice. See full disclosure policy.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ¼ recipe
- Calories: 126
- Sugar: 0 g
- Sodium: 302 mg
- Fat: 6.9 f
- Saturated Fat: 0.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 14.1 g
- Fiber: 2.8 g
- Protein: 2.9 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
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