These air fryer fingerling potatoes are really easy to make, with only about 5 minutes prep time and 6 total ingredients! And, they are satisfyingly crispy and beautifully browned - the perfect side dish for any meal!
If you're looking for the perfect easy and quick way to prepare fingerling potatoes, look no further! Cooking fingerling potatoes in the air fryer is the perfect way - easy prep, no need to heat up the entire oven, and most importantly, you get the deliciously browned and crispy potatoes of your dreams!
I'll just let you know now - my trick to getting that little bit of extra crispiness around the edges is to dry all the moisture from the potatoes before tossing them in a generous amount of oil.
And how about that lovely, even brown color? Cook the potatoes at a slightly lower temperature for longer. I found this gives the potatoes a chance to brown all over, without risking burning the seasoning. Plus, adding some paprika really helps to boost the color as well!
Before we go any further, let's take a moment to talk some more about our key ingredient today, fingerling potatoes!
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What are fingerling potatoes?
Fingerling potatoes are small potatoes that have an elongated oval shape (like a stubby finger!). Popular varieties of fingerling potatoes are the Russian Banana, Ruby Crescent, and Purple Peruvian.
Fingerling potatoes have thin skins and firm flesh. They are considered "waxy," which means they are low in starch and have a higher moisture content (as opposed to starchy or "floury" potatoes, like Russets).
Check out this article discussing different kinds of fingerling potatoes!
What do fingerling potatoes taste like?
As I mentioned above, fingerling potatoes have thin skins, with firm, dense flesh. To me, when they are cooked the flesh has a creamy, almost buttery quality that contrasts nicely with the texture of the thin, papery skin.
Of course, the taste will vary based on the variety of fingerling. The exact type I'm using here is a yellow variety from the Little Potato Company, and is described as tasting earthy and nutty.
Recipe ingredients
Ingredient notes
- Oil: I used olive oil, but you can use any type of oil you like to cook with, such as avocado oil or vegetable oil.
- Paprika: this provides great color to the potatoes; if you want even more flavor, use smoked paprika!
- Kosher salt: I used Diamond Crystal kosher salt here. But, you can substitute Morton kosher or regular table salt, just use a little less than called for (or salt to taste!).
Step by step photos
1. If you need to, scrub the fingerling potatoes with water to remove any dirt on the skins, then dry them well with paper towels or a clean, lint-free kitchen towel. (You only need to do this if necessary - the ones I bought were pre-washed, yay!) Then, pre-heat the air fryer at 375 degrees F.
Next, cut the fingerlings in half length-wise, and remove any dark or soft spots.
2. Once all the potatoes are cut, blot off all the moisture from the cut sides with paper towels or a clean, lint-free kitchen towel.
This step is optional - the fingerlings will still taste great if you don't want to bother. But, in testing this recipe both ways, the ones that were blotted dry were just a little bit crispier!
3. Now that the fingerlings are nice and dry, add them to a large bowl. Then, pour in the oil. Toss the potatoes well with the oil.
I like to do this with clean hands, but you can also use tongs or a wooden spoon if you prefer.
4. Next, add in the kosher salt, paprika, dried rosemary, and black pepper. Toss the fingerling potatoes with the seasonings so every piece of potato is evenly coated.
5. Remove the basket from the pre-heated air fryer. Pour in the seasoned fingerling potatoes.
6. Now spread out the potatoes evenly in the basket, they should be able to fit in a single layer.
7. Cook for 20 - 22 minutes, or until the fingerling potatoes are fork-tender and browned to your liking.
Be sure to shake the air fryer basket halfway through cooking to help them brown evenly!
And that's a quick look at how to cook fingerling potatoes in the air fryer! For full directions and ingredient amounts, please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Serving suggestions
These air fryer fingerling potatoes are so delicious, you can easily enjoy the just as they are, either on their own, or served alongside your favorite main course. They would pair very well with baked turkey meatballs or air fryer chicken nuggets! Or, try one of these easy and fun serving suggestions:
- if you would like to garnish the potatoes, I suggest going with chopped fresh herbs, like parsley, chives, or cilantro, and/or a sprinkle of coarse flaky sea salt!
- serve the potatoes as appetizer or party snack with one or more dipping sauces, like ranch dressing, aioli, or ketchup. Try them with my homemade avocado lime ranch dressing!
- speaking of parties, these would be amazing as a dipper for cheese fondue!
- or how about switching it up and serving these for breakfast as an alternative to home fries?
- for an indulgent dinner or late night snack, use these fingerling potatoes as a base for nachos instead of tortilla chips. (Wow, I'm making myself really hungry right now!)
Substitutions and additions
This is a simple recipe, so there is a lot of room for additions or substitutions to suit your own tastes. For example:
- If you can't find fingerlings but still want to make the recipe, substitute baby potatoes instead, either cut in quarters (for larger potatoes) or halves (for smaller potatoes). Just be aware you may need to adjust the cook times up or down depending on the size.
- If you prefer, you can substitute 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary for the 1 teaspoon dried.
- You can switch up the seasonings any way you like. Try your favorite seasoning blend, such as Old Bay, Cajun seasoning, or lemon pepper seasoning. If the seasoning blend already includes salt, reduce or eliminate the salt called for in the recipe.
- If you want to use different spices, I still recommend including the paprika, because that helps give the fingerlings a lovely color. (This is not necessary if the spice blend you are using already includes paprika, although a little extra probably wouldn't hurt!)
Storage and reheating instructions
These air fryer fingerling potatoes reheat really well and make delicious leftovers! Store leftovers in the fridge for 3 - 4 days, either in an airtight container or zip top food storage bag. If you want to keep them for longer, you can store them in the freezer for 3 - 4 months.
And, to reheat the potatoes, the perfect way is, of course, to use the air fryer! Here's how:
- To reheat from the fridge: pre-heat the air fryer to 350 degrees F. Place the potatoes in the air fryer in a single layer and cook for 3 - 4 minutes, or until hot.
- To reheat from the freezer: pre-heat the air fryer to 350 degrees F. Place the potatoes, straight from the freezer, in the air fryer in a single layer. Cook for 7 - 8 minutes, or until hot. Shake the basket halfway through the cook time to ensure even heating!
Tips and tricks
- Some fingerlings are sold pre-washed in plastic bags. If the fingerling potatoes you are using are not pre-washed, you will need to scrub them with water first to remove any dirt and debris. Either way, you will still need to inspect them and cut out any bruises or brown spots.
- When tossing the cut potatoes in the oil and seasonings, make sure to separate all the pieces so they are evenly coated. I found sometimes the cut sides like to stick to each other.
- To get nice browning and even cooking, you want to make sure the potatoes can fit in a single layer. It's ok if the sides are touching, you just don't want the pieces piled high on top of each other. If you have a smaller air fryer, you may want to halve the recipe or cook the potatoes in 2 batches.
- This recipe was developed using my Instant Vortex Plus 6-in-1 6 Quart Air Fryer (affiliate link). Depending on your air fryer, cook times may vary.
Recipe FAQs
No, you don't have to peel fingerling potatoes. First of all, fingerling potatoes are small, so peeling them would be very fiddly. And, in fact, the skin is one of the best parts! It's really thin so it is easy to eat, yet provides nice texture to the potatoes when they are cooked crispy and brown in the air fryer.
Although you don't need to peel the fingerling potatoes, you do need to scrub off any dirt from the skins and remove any soft or brown spots.
Yes, it's easy to double the recipe since the techniques and ingredients are so simple. However, while you can mix the double batch with the oil and seasonings all in one bowl, you will definitely need to air fry them in batches so they cook evenly.
Yes, I recommend preheating the air fryer. You can do this right at the beginning, since prep time should only take about 5 minutes. (If you need to scrub the potatoes, you can do this first and then preheat the air fryer.)
You can also consult the manual that came with your air fryer to see if it gives specific instructions on preheating.
The air fryer itself already does a lot of the heavy lifting in crisping foods, due to the hot circulating air. In addition, you can also use these techniques to boost up the crispiness factor of your air fried fingerling potatoes:
-make sure the potatoes are dry (this is why I recommend blotting the cut sides of the potatoes);
-use a generous coating of oil;
-spread the potatoes out evenly (don't pile them on top of each other); and
-enjoy the potatoes right away! They will get softer the longer they sit out.
Related recipes
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Print📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Fingerling Potatoes
These deliciously browned air fryer fingerling potatoes are super easy to make, with only 6 ingredients. With a simple seasoning, these fingerling potatoes go well with any main course.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Total Time: 27 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: side dish
- Method: air fry
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds (680 g) fingerling potatoes
- 2 tablespoons oil (see note 1)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (Diamond Crystal; for table salt or Morton kosher use ½ teaspoon), or, salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- If your fingerling potatoes were not purchased pre-washed, scrub them with water to remove any dirt and debris from the outside, then pat them dry with paper towels or a clean lint-free kitchen towel.
- Preheat the air fryer to 375 degrees F.
- Examine the potatoes and cut off any bruises or soft spots. Then, cut the potatoes in half lengthwise. Using a paper towel or clean, lint-free kitchen towel, blot the moisture off the cut sides of the potatoes. (Drying the potatoes is optional but recommended - it will help them get a little more crispy in the air fryer!)
- Place the potatoes in a large bowl. Drizzle the oil overtop and toss to coat each potato half in the oil.
- Add the kosher salt, dried rosemary, paprika, and black pepper to the bowl. Toss the potatoes again to evenly coat each piece with the seasoning.
- Place the potatoes into the basket of the preheated air fryer. Spread the potatoes out in one even layer.
- Air fry the potatoes for 20 - 22 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through and browned to your liking. Shake the air fryer basket halfway through the cook time to ensure the potatoes cook evenly.
- Sprinkle the potatoes with a little more kosher salt, or flaky sea salt if you have it (optional). Serve immediately.
Notes
I used olive oil, but you can use any type of cooking oil you prefer, such as avocado or canola oil.
The salt amount listed here is for Diamond Crystal Kosher salt, which is lighter and flakier than Morton Kosher salt. To substitute Morton Kosher salt or regular table salt, use only ½ teaspoon, rather than the 1 teaspoon called for in the recipe (or, salt to taste). If needed, additional salt can be sprinkled on at the end.
This recipe was developed using the Instant Vortex Plus 6-in-1 6 Quart Air Fryer. Depending on your air fryer, cook times may vary.
If your air fryer is small, you may want to halve the recipe to make sure the potatoes are not too crowded. Or, you can cook them in two batches.
The nutrition information below is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator; the nutrition counts of your dish will vary based on the brand and exact amounts of ingredients used. This nutrition estimate should not be considered a substitute for professional medical, health, or nutritional advice. See our full disclosure policy.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ¼ recipe
- Calories: 196
- Sugar: 1.4 g
- Sodium: 86 mg
- Fat: 6.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 29.9 g
- Fiber: 2.9 g
- Protein: 2.7 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
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