You can make these Air Fryer Smashed Potatoes with regular potatoes or baby potatoes, and save both time and calories without compromising on flavor. All you need is a bit of oil and garlic, then salt to taste!
If you love crispy potato dishes, try my easy parmentier potatoes or air fryer potatoes & carrots.
Jump to:
✔️ Why This Recipe is Great
Use Up Extra Potatoes: This recipe will quickly use up any extra potatoes (of any type), it freezes great, and you’ll want to make them week after week.
Season as Desired: These smashed potatoes are simply flavored so that they can be paired with any dish, but you can also add a smattering of fresh herbs, minced garlic, or even a touch of flavored salt to totally change the flavor.
Super Simple: If you need an easy & quick low histamine side dish for dinner, this should stay at the top of your list. You can make it year-round, and it goes from fridge to table with just 5 minutes of work! They're a particularly great addition to a low histamine breakfast or brunch.
🧄 Ingredients
Potatoes: you can theoretically use any type of potato for this recipe, but I highly recommend a creamier type, like baby potatoes or the gold potatoes I used here.
Oil of Choice: I used ghee for this recipe, but you can use any high-heat oil you tolerate. Coconut oil is another good option, but check out my post on low histamine oils for more ideas.
Garlic: using garlic powder or raw garlic adds an umami element to the potatoes that really rounds out the overall flavor and complements meats and root vegetables as a side dish.
See recipe card for exact ingredients and quantities.
🥔 How to Make Air Fryer Smashed Potatoes (Step-by-Step)
Step 1) Preheat your air fryer to 400°F (205°C).
Step 2) Wash & cut your potatoes, then rinse them off & dry them completely.
Step 3) Lightly coat each piece in some of the oil and put them in the preheated air fryer, flat sides down (images 1 & 2), for 18-20 minutes.
Step 4) Then take out the pieces and smash them flat with the bottom of a heavy mug (images 3-5), and lay them back into the air fryer in a single layer. If some of the potatoes start to come apart, that's fine; just gently layer any stray bits on top of the more intact pieces.
Step 5) Then sprinkle on the salt, minced garlic, and rest of the oil until evenly-coated but not dripping. Return everything to the air fryer for 15 minutes on 380°F (195°C), then take out & enjoy (images 6 & 7).
🍋 Variations
- Herb Garlic Smashed Potatoes: Add 1–2 teaspoons dried rosemary, thyme, or oregano before air frying for a more aromatic flavor.
- Lemon Zest Potatoes: Stir in a small pinch of fresh lemon zest after cooking for a bright, fresh finish.
- Turmeric Garlic Potatoes: Mix in ¼–½ teaspoon turmeric powder with the oil for an earthy flavor and anti-inflammatory boost.
- Sumac Smashed Potatoes: Sprinkle ½ teaspoon ground sumac over the potatoes after cooking for a lightly tangy flavor.
- Sesame Garlic Potatoes: Finish with a light sprinkle of sesame seeds for added texture and a subtle nutty taste.
🥘 Freezing and Reheating
These ingredients do/don't stand up well to freezing for X days/weeks/months.
Low histamine readers generally need to freeze uneaten foods right after eating, though some dishes are fine at room temp for a certain amount of time, so indicate how to reheat the dish (if necessary).
👨🏻🍳 Expert Notes & Tips
Make it Loaded: when making these smashed potatoes with large potatoes, you can also bake them whole (rather than in 3-4 pieces) for about 30-35 minutes rather than 20 minutes, checking them with a fork every 5 minutes.
You'll need to use a large heavy pan to smash them, and you may only be able to fit two large smashed potatoes in the air fryer, but these are even better for adding a lot of toppings. Much like my blooming potato recipe, these can handle a fair amount of baked potato toppings.
Adding Flavor: to mix up the flavors, I like to add chopped garlic and dried rosemary to the potatoes after I've smashed them. Try ½ teaspoon dried rosemary + 1 clove of garlic per potato, chopped and minced very thoroughly. Alternative seasonings include za'atar, fajita seasoning, or steak seasoning (if tolerated).
Freezing Smashed Potatoes: this air fryer smashed potato recipe freezes very well, and is super versatile for pairing. It can also be made with yams or sweet potatoes, but the recipe is meant more for plain potatoes that you plan to eat with a dipping sauce.
🍗 What to Serve With Smashed Potatoes
🙋 Frequently Asked Questions
No—this recipe cooks the potatoes in the air fryer first, which softens them enough to smash before the final crisping step.
Smashing increases the surface area of the potatoes, which helps them crisp up more in the air fryer and creates those crunchy edges.
Yes. Follow the same steps but roast them on a parchment-lined sheet pan at 425°F (220°C) until crispy, usually about 30–35 minutes total.
Make sure the potatoes are coated lightly with oil and arranged in a single layer so the hot air can circulate and crisp them properly.
Have you tried this recipe?
If you like the recipe, please leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on the recipe card, or even a comment! I love to hear how your recipes turned out, and your feedback can help other readers! Also join us on Instagram, Facebook & Pinterest.
📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Smashed Potatoes (With Large Potatoes)
Equipment
- air fryer
Ingredients
- 1 pound regular potatoes cut into 6-8 even pieces
- 2 Tablespoons oil of choice
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400°F (205°C).
- Wash & cut your potatoes, then rinse them off & dry them completely.
- Lightly coat each piece in some of the oil and put them in the preheated air fryer, flat sides down, for 18-20 minutes.
- Then take out the pieces and smash them flat with the bottom of a heavy mug, and lay them back into the air fryer in a single layer. If some of the potatoes start to come apart, that's fine; just gently layer any stray bits on top of the more intact pieces.
- Then sprinkle on the salt, minced garlic, and rest of the oil until evenly-coated but not dripping. Return everything to the air fryer for 15 minutes on 380°F (195°C), then take out & enjoy.
Comments
No Comments