Crispy Air Fryer Red Potatoes are a delicious side dish, ideal for a busy weeknight dinner as they take about 30 minutes to prepare and most of the time is hands-off. This versatile recipe makes crispy bites of red potatoes with creamy interiors, seasoned simply with fresh herbs and garlic.
Air fryer red potatoes are one of the easiest ways to get crispy, golden edges with a creamy center, but only if you cut and cook them the right way. This method uses the ideal size, temperature, and timing to the potatoes roast evenly instead of burning outside or staying firm inside. They're ready in about 20 minutes and work with simple pantry ingredients, making them a reliable go-to side for weeknight dinners.
Air fryers are particularly well suited to cooking potatoes. There is no need to precook these potatoes, that means no boiling or microwaving required! And as the air fryer blows hot, lightly oiled air throughout the basket, the edges get nice and crispy while the insides stay tender and creamy. We use this same technique for our Air Fryer Steak Fries recipe and our Air Fryer Smashed Parmesan Potatoes.
Why This Method Works
Air fryers cook by circulating hot air around the food, which helps the outside of the potatoes crisp while the inside stays tender. Red potatoes are especially well suited because their thing skins crisp quickly and their higher moisture content keeps the centers creamy. Cutting them into evenly sized pieces ensures they cook at the same rate, so you don't end up with a mix of burnt edges and undercooked centers.
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Ingredients that Matter
This air fried red skin potatoes recipe uses a handful of basic ingredients, and best of all, it's very easy to adjust this recipe. Here are the ingredients you'll need to make these little crispy potatoes:
- Red Potatoes. Baby or regular both work. They key is cutting them into evenly sized, bite-sized pieces so they cook at the same rate. Their thin skin crisps easily while the interior stays creamy.
- Oil. Use a neutral oil like vegetable, canola, or light olive oil. A light coating helps the edges of the potatoes brown and crisp.
- Fresh Thyme. Adds a bright, slightly lemony flavor. You can substitute rosemary or use dried herbs (use about half as much dried).
- Garlic Powder. Preferred over fresh garlic here since it won't burn at high heat.
- Salt and Pepper. Essential for seasoning the potatoes and bringing everything together.
See recipe card for quantities.
Best Size to Cut Red Potatoes for Air Frying
For the best texture, cut red potatoes into about 1-inch pieces.
- Too small and they can dry out or burn before the inside cooks.
- Too large and the centers stay firm while the outside browns.
Keeping the pieces uniform ensures they cook evenly and finish at the same time.
How to Make Crispy Air Fryer Red Potatoes
The goal of this recipe is to make sliced red potatoes that are seasoned well and crispy on the outside, while creamy in the middle. Here is how to do just that:
- Prep the potatoes. Scrub and dry the potatoes well, then cut into 1-inch pieces. Pat dry again with paper towels (removing surface moisture helps them crisp).
2. Season potatoes. Drizzle the potatoes with oil then sprinkle with fresh thyme, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Toss well to combine. You can do this step up to 1 day ahead of time, just be sure to cover well with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.
3. Preheat and add potatoes to basket. Preheat the air fryer to 400F (if your air fryer requires preheating). Add the seasoned sliced red potatoes to the basket and cook for 10 minutes. Avoid overcrowding the basket and cook in batches if needed. At this point the potatoes should be tender when pierced with a fork, but they'll need longer to get crispy.
4. Shake halfway through. Shake the potatoes in the basket and cook another 6-10 minutes at 400F, until the exterior of the potatoes are golden brown and crispy. Serve immediately.
Hint: The potatoes will lose their crispiness the longer they sit at room temperature. You can let them sit on the counter for 30 minutes, or so, while making other components of dinner. Right before you are ready to serve, pop the potatoes back in the air fryer at 400F for 1-2 minutes, until the exterior of the spuds start to sizzle.
Substitutions
This recipe is super easy to adjust based on your dietary needs and flavor preferences. Here are some suggested substitutions:
- Herbs - If you don't want to use fresh thyme, you can also use fresh rosemary or sage. You'll want about 2 teaspoons of chopped fresh herbs. Or, you can also use dried herbs, but instead use about 1 teaspoon. Most dried herbs will work well, including thyme, rosemary, oregano and Italian seasoning.
- Garlic - If you are sensitive to garlic, you can simply leave it out all together. Instead, consider adding more herbs, fresh or dried. You can use minced fresh garlic for this recipe. I recommend just 1-2 cloves. Note that minced garlic may burn when cooked this long in a hot air fryer.
- Spices - Instead of (or in addition to) fresh herbs, you can also use dried spices. Some delicious combinations include chili powder, onion powder, coriander, cumin, paprika and even our homemade chicken taco seasoning blend.
Common Mistakes
- Potatoes not crispy. This usually happens when the basket is overcrowded. Air needs to circulate around the potatoes to crisp them properly.
- Burnt outside, hard inside. The pieces are likely too small or the air fryer was too hot too quickly.
- Dry potatoes. Overcooking or cutting the potatoes too small can dry them out. Stick to 1-inch pieces for best results.
Why air fry red potatoes?
All potatoes work very well in an air fryer, but they all produce very different textures. Red potatoes have relatively thin skin and the water content is relatively high. This produces crispy skin with creamy interiors. You can get similar results with baby yellow potatoes, Yukon gold and even purple potatoes. Russet potatoes have lower moisture content, making for fluffier interiors.
Variations
- Garlic Parmesan - Toss with grated parmesan after cooking.
- Spicy - Add paprika, chili powder, or cayenne pepper.
- Ranch-Style - use dry ranch seasoning blend.
How many servings does this recipe make?
This recipe uses 1 ½ pounds of red potatoes, which is enough to serve 4 as a side dish. This quantity is also perfect to fit in a 6-quart air fryer. If you are making more than 1 ½ pounds of potatoes, consider cooking this recipe in batches.
Other cooking methods
You can make this recipe in a convection oven. Preheat the oven to 425F, being sure to switch on the convection setting. Roast for 25-30 minutes, stirring halfway through, until the potatoes are golden brown on the outside and tender when pierced with a fork. Or, cook in a regular oven, simply increase the heat to 450F.
Storage & Make Ahead
Air fried potatoes won't stay crispy all that long at room temperature or once refrigerated. If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. I recommend reheating back in the air fryer preheated to 400F. Cook them 4-6 minutes, until the exterior is sizzling. These little red potatoes will actually get crispy once reheated in the air fryer.
To make this recipe ahead, you have two options:
- Consider pre-chopping the red potatoes and store in a bowl of water. You can soak the potatoes up to 24 hours in the refrigerator. Soaking potatoes in water will help extract some starch and will actually produce even crispier air fried potatoes!
- Or, chop the potatoes and toss with the oil and spices. Then, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Then, air fry as instructed in the recipe.
Adam's Pro Tip
Do not skip the step of your air fryer preheat. If you add your potatoes to the air fryer before it's properly heated, it may mess with the cook time. The good news is this recipe is VERY forgiving. You can really let the potatoes cook even longer than the 15-20 minutes indicated in the recipe. Since red potatoes have such high water content, they will stay nice and creamy even as the skins get super crispy.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve these crispy air fryer potatoes as a side for chicken recipes like our Cast Iron BBQ Chicken Breast, Smothered Skillet Chicken with Artichokes and Red Peppers or Chicken Bacon Ranch Sliders.
- Or with more savory mains, like Tender Braised Beef Shanks, Seared Shrimp with Garlic and Herbs or Miso Salmon.
- Enjoy these potatoes with a dipping sauce, like our Tahini Yogurt Sauce, Buffalo Ranch Sauce, Creamy Chipotle Lime Sauce or Sour Cream and Chive Dip.
FAQ
Just about every potato works well cooked in an air fryer. Thinner skin potatoes, like new potatoes, red or purple, or Yukon gold will produce crispy skins and creamy interiors. Higher starch potatoes, like russets, will have fluffier interiors.
Be sure to wash and dry potatoes well before cooking in the air fryer. Excess moisture on the potatoes will make it more challenging for the exterior to get crispy. Also, make sure the air fryer is properly preheated before adding the potatoes. It generally takes 15-20 minutes at 400F to get crispy chopped potatoes.
Over cooked potatoes tend to dry out. Using a high moisture potatoes like red, purple or gold potatoes will help prevent the air fried potatoes from getting dried. Also, be sure not to chop the potatoes into too small of pieces. Keep them bite-sized to ensure there is enough creamy interior.
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Recipe
Crispy Air Fryer Red Potatoes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: About 4 cups 1x
Description
Crispy Air Fryer Red Potatoes are a delicious side dish, ideal for a busy weeknight dinner as they take about 30 minutes to prepare and most of the time is hands-off. This versatile recipe makes crispy bites of red potatoes with creamy interiors, seasoned simply with fresh herbs and garlic.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs. red potatoes (baby or regular size), scrubbed and dried well
- 1 ½ Tbsp. olive oil
- 2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped, plus more for garnish
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- ½ tsp. table salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ tsp. black pepper, plus more to taste
Instructions
- Preheat an air fryer to 400F. Be sure to scrub the potatoes and dry well. Leave the skins on.
- Cut the potatoes into bite-sized pieces or cut into wedges, depending on their size. Place in a medium mixing bowl and drizzle with oil. Toss well to coat. Sprinkle with fresh thyme, garlic powder, salt and pepper and toss well to coat.
- Once the air fryer is preheated, add the seasoned potatoes and cook for 10 minutes. Shake the potatoes in the basket then continue cooking until the exterior of the potatoes are golden brown and crispy and the interiors are tender and creamy, another 6-10 minutes.Â
- Carefully remove the potatoes from the basket and serve immediately. Adjust the seasoning with more salt and pepper and garnish with more thyme. You can also leave the potatoes in the basket for up to 30 minutes while preparing other components of dinner. Simply reheat in a 400F air fryer for a couple minutes (until sizzling) to ensure the potatoes are crispy.
Notes
- You can swap in baby potatoes, yellow potatoes or Yukon golds.
- If you prefer dried herbs, use half as much (1 tsp.) compared to fresh.
- Don't like thyme? Try using rosemary or sage. You can also use dried oregano, Italian seasoning or an assortment of spices like chili powder, cumin, coriander or even taco seasoning.
- Store leftover potatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat the potatoes in a 400F air fryer for 4-6 minutes to get them crispy again.
- You can make this recipe ahead up to step 2, then cover the seasoned potatoes with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator up to 24 hours.
- Use olive, vegetable, corn or canola oil.
- You can make this recipe using fresh garlic cloves, but note that minced garlic may burn when cooked in the air fryer this long.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Category: Sides
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: American
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