Easy Air Fryer Smashed Potatoes Recipe

Name: Air Fryer Smashed Potatoes
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Ingredients: 2 lbs. golden petite potatoes (washed and chopped); 1 Tbsp. olive oil; 1/2 Tbsp. salt; 1/2 Tbsp. Italian seasoning; 1/2 Tbsp. garlic powder; fresh cracked pepper; 1 cup fresh parsley (finely chopped); 1 cup fresh cilantro (finely chopped); 1/2 shallot (finely chopped); 1/2 lime (juiced); 3 garlic cloves (minced); 6 Tbsp. olive oil; 3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar; salt and pepper (to taste)

Danielle Lima Posted onAugust 29, 2022July 24, 2024 Updated onJuly 24, 2024

These easy Air Fryer Smashed Potatoes are crispy, crunchy and perfectly seasoned. The homemade chimichurri sauce is filled with fresh ingredients and is the perfect addition to the potatoes. Pair with your favorite protein to make a complete meal or eat as a snack on its own. You'll never need another potato recipe again after your try these!

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Plate of smashed potatoes and chimichurri sauce.

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Why you’ll love this recipe

The whole family will love these crispy potatoes.
From breakfast to dinner to daytime snack they are the perfect side dish.
These air fryer smashed potatoes use simple ingredients, fresh herbs and pantry staples.
Top with homemade chimichurri or your favorite dipping sauce.

What are air fryer smashed potatoes, anyway?

Simply put: potatoes, air fried and then smashed! This easy recipe is a great alternative to most time consuming smash potatoes that require boiling, baking, smashing, and baking again.

The idea behind smashed potatoes is to remove the potatoes halfway through cooking to “smash” them and expose the soft and fluffy inside. The key is to smash them before they’re overcooked and too soft (we want SMASHED potatoes not mashed potatoes) but still tender enough to be smashed. They’re ready to be smashed when a fork can easily slide through the potato. Once smashed, continue to air fry until you have perfectly crispy smashed potatoes. Pair with the super flavorful chimichurri sauce and enjoy as a finger food or as a side with a main protein for a complete meal.

Air fryer info

I have the COSORI Air Fryer Oven Combo 5.8QT Max XL Large Cooker, linked here. It’s the best air fryer I’ve found and have had it for years and still going strong.

Can you roast the potatoes in the oven instead?

No air fryer is no biggie. With a pot of water and an oven you can make the same great potatoes.

Bring a pot of water to boil.
Boil potatoes until soft – around 20 to 25 minutes. Alternatively, steam or microwave them.
Drain and transfer to a paper towel to dry.
Place on a baking sheet and smash, add oil and seasonings, bake at 390 degrees Fahrenheit for 40-45 minutes until crispy.

Smashed potatoes on a lined baking sheet.

Ingredients and Substitutes:

These are the main ingredients and substitutions. See recipe card below for full ingredients list and instructions for Air Fryer Smashed Potatoes.

Petite Golden Potatoes: you can use any variety of small potatoes. The cooking time will vary depending on size of potatoes.

Olive Oil: use regular, light, extra virgin, coconut oil, avocado oil or any oil you prefer. Nutrition facts are for regular olive oil.

Seasonings: salt, pepper, garlic powder and Italian seasoning. Fresh rosemary, onion powder, and thyme are other options.

How to make these air fryer air fryer smashed potatoes:

Step 1: Wash and Prep

Preheat your air fryer. While the air fryer is pre-heating wash and dry potatoes leaving the skin on.

Step 2: Air Fry

Add the whole potatoes to the air fryer basket in a single layer and cook at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes. Once done cooking, remove and check that the potatoes are fork tender to be smashed. You do not want to over cook the potatoes or they will turn into mashed potatoes if too soft.

Step 3: Smash

Place the potatoes on a baking sheet and smash with bottom of a glass, cup or mason jar. Whatever you have on hand will work. Lightly press down on the potato until they’re smashed to at least 1/2 inch thick.

Jar being used to smash potatoes on a lined baking sheet.

Step 4: Season and Air Fry

While the potatoes are on the baking sheet drizzle the olive oil and seasonings over the tops. Place potatoes back in the air fryer pan. Try not to overlap, you may need to work in two batches if you have large potatoes and cannot fit them all.

Once returned to the air fryer, cook at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes until crispy and golden brown.

Step 5: Chimichurri

Finely chop all ingredients and add to a small bowl with oil and vinegar. Mix together well and serve with potatoes, on steak or chicken and enjoy.

Makes approximately 10 servings of chimichurri sauce. 81 calories: 8 F / 0 C / 8 F. Weigh your total and divide by 10.

Notes: Chimichurri

For best tracking of the chimichurri sauce, I suggest making the recipe in your tracking app and setting the total servings to the TOTAL grams of sauce you end up with. This way you can use as many grams as desired and it will log accordingly.

Smashed potatoes drizzled with chimichurri sauce.

Serving and storing info

These air fryer smashed potatoes are a great side dish with protein. The sauce pairs great with grilled steak and chicken.

This air fryer smashed potatoes recipe makes approximately 6 servings of 81 grams each. If you want to be 100% accurate in your serving size I highly suggest you weigh your final dish and divide by 6.

Store any leftover smashed potatoes in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge. When you’re ready to reheat, use the oven or air fryer to crisp them back up, as the microwave tends to make them soggy.

If you like this recipe be sure to check out some of our other easy air fryer recipes!

5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)