Who doesn’t love a roast potato? but have you tried making them in an air fryer?
No need to parboil these beauties and the result – crispy and delicious and done in 20 minutes, which means these airfryer roast potatoes make a great side to a speedy meal.
I’ve been experimenting with my air fryer to find the best way to make air fryer roast potatoes without having to par boil them in water first.
I’ll jump to it with the three methods I tested and the results:
- Doing the parboiling/steaming stage in the air fryer in a foil parcel, then removing the foil and air frying with oil.
- FAIL – the potatoes didn’t steam in the foil, they just stayed hard (and went a bit dry) with a thick chewy skin.
- Air frying the potatoes directly in the air fryer basket, drizzled in oil (no parboiling/steaming stage).
- These were OK. Not hugely crispy, but they had a nice browned skin, that was slightly chewy. The interior was nice and fluffy.
- Air frying the potatoes in a shallow tray insert in the air fryer basket, drizzled in oil (no parboiling/steaming stage).
- WINNER! – Fluffy interior, crunchier skin. Not quite as crunchy as my oven roast potatoes, but still got a nice bit of crispness and a great swap when you’re short on time.
Table of Contents
📋 Ingredients
Type of Air Fryer
I use the Ninja Max (<– affiliate link) air fryer, but these instructions apply to any drawer-style air fryer (not grill style or air fryers with a paddle. I haven’t tested with these. If you have, please let me know in the comments :-))
📺 Watch how to to cook Roast Potatoes in the Air Fryer
***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post***
- Peel and wash the potatoes. These is to remove excess starch, which can cause the potatoes to brown too quickly (before the interior is cooked) and make the potatoes more likely to stick to the tray. Pat them dry washing them.
- Add the potatoes to the air fryer basket in a shallow tray insert (see below for details) and drizzle on oil. Shake them to coat.
- Air fry for 20 minutes, checking a shaking a couple of times – until golden brown.
- Serve topped with flaky salt and fresh thyme.
Pro Tip
Use a shallow tray insert, so the potatoes are in contact with the oil (instead of the oil draining through the air fryer basket holes) – this will result in crispier potatoes.
Tray Insert
I use the 8″ pizza pan insert from this accessories set (<– affiliate link) from Amazon. This is compatible with my Ninja Max.
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Pin It🍽️ What to serve them with
- A lovely Sunday roast with Roast Chicken, Roast Pork, Roast Lamb, Roast Beef or Nut Roast (FYI I also have a post on making a whole air fryer roast chicken dinner – including the veggies).
- Chicken Casserole or Beef Stew
- Tarragon Chicken or Pork Chops with Creamy Mustard Sauce
🍲 More fantastic Potato Sides
? Frequently Asked Questions
Roasting potatoes in the oven requires you to roast the potatoes in a roasting tray with fat in. The potatoes are sitting in the hot fat. This is what helps to give the potatoes that ‘crunchy shell’.If you try to roast potatoes in an air fryer in the regular basket (with holes in) any excess fat you add will drain through the holes, so the potatoes aren’t in contact with the hot fat. They’ll only have the small amount of fat you poured on coating the skin.This will result in roast potatoes that are browned, with only a very thin skin of crispness that’s also a little chewy.If they’re sitting in the hot fat, you’ll get a thicker skin of crunch, as the hot oil absorbs deeper into the skin.
Yes, of course. The skin will be less crunchy, but the potatoes will be browned. They will also have absorbed less fat, so they’ll be lower in calories and fat content.
This recipe is about making quick roast potatoes. I’ve prioritised speed and simplicity over getting the ultimate crunch. If you have more time, then yes, you can parboil the potatoes. See the notes section of the recipe card below for information on this.
So long as the potatoes aren’t too big, they should cook in about 20 minutes in the air fryer. They should be crispy, golden and tender when squeezed. If they’re not, shake the air fryer basket and fry for another couple of minutes.
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Air Fryer Roast Potatoes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 700 g (1 1/2 lbs) floury potatoes such as Maris Piper or red-skinned Rooster potatoes
- 2 tbsp neutral oil such as rapeseed, avocado or sunflower
- 1 tsp Maldon salt
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
Optional for extra crunch:
- 1 tbsp neutral oil such as rapeseed, avocado or sunflower
Instructions
- Peel and chop potatoes into bite-size chunks – about 3-3.5cm (approx. 1+1/4 to 1+1/3 inches). Rinse under cold water and pat dry.700 g (1 1/2 lbs) floury potatoes
- Place a shallow tray insert into your air fryer basket. *see note 1
- Add the potatoes to the tray. Drizzle on the oil and give a good shake or stir – so the potatoes are fully covered in oil.2 tbsp neutral oil
- Cook for 5 minutes in the air fryer at 200C/400F, then turn or shake the potatoes and cook for a further 5 minutes.
- Turn or shake the potatoes again and give them a bit of a bash with the back of a spoon – to ruffle the edges slightly. Drizzle on a further tbsp of oil.1 tbsp neutral oil
- Cook for another 10 minutes (so it will be 20 minutes cooking time altogether), until the potatoes are crisp and golden.
- Sprinkle with salt and thyme before serving.1 tsp Maldon salt, 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
Video
Notes
Note 1: Why use a tray insert for air fryer roast potatoes?
Roasting potatoes in the oven requires you to roast the potatoes in a roasting tray with fat in. The potatoes are sitting in the hot fat. This is what helps to give the potatoes that ‘crunchy shell’.If you try to roast potatoes in an air fryer in the regular basket (with holes in) any excess fat you add will drain through the holes, so the potatoes aren’t in contact with the hot fat. They’ll only have the small amount of fat you poured on coating the skin.
This will result in roast potatoes that are browned, with only a very thin skin of crispness that’s also a little chewy.
If they’re sitting in the hot fat, you’ll get a thicker skin of crunch, as the hot oil absorbs deeper into the skin.
Can I skip the tray insert and add directly to the air fryer basket?
Yes, of course. The skin will be less crunchy, but the potatoes will be browned. They will also have absorbed less fat, so they’ll be lower in calories and fat content.Shouldn’t you par-boil the potatoes first?
This recipe is about making quick roast potatoes. I’ve prioritised speed and simplicity over getting the ultimate crunch. If you have more time, then yes, you can parboil the potatoes.- Par-boil the peeled and chopped potatoes for 8-9 minutes – until softened at the edges.
- Drain and give good shake to fluff up the edges further.
- Add to the air fryer tray insert and place in the airfryer with the oil. Cook as per the recipe above, but reduce the cooking time by 5 minutes.
Nutritional information is per serving – this recipe serve 4.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe was first published in September 2023. Updated February 2025 with new images, recipe video and a little housekeeping.
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This was a life saver when the little monkey wanted roasties for dinner at short notice. Amazing! Thank you!
Use your recipes all the time, however nobody has ever made me roast potatoes that were done in an air fryer that come close to par-boiled potatoes roasted in duck or goose fat done in the oven.
Air fryers have their uses but IMO are overrated for chips, roast potatoes or deep fried battered fish etc.
Hi Andy, I totally agree that roast potatoes that are parboiled and roasted in fat are superior.
However, this recipe is for people who prefer using an air fryer because it’s faster/less mess/lower in fat/cheaper to run than an oven. It’s also for those times people want a quick way to make roasties and they’re short on time.
It’s not meant to replace the luxury roast potato (I have a recipe for roast potatoes, par boiled and cooked in fat on the website too).
Thanks for the recipe on the toast potato had them fot tea and was nice and crispie
Do I cook these on airfryer or roast setting? I have e a Foodi Max AG 55
These Roasties were perfect, can’t believe can have such tasty roasties in 25 mins x
Perfect roast potatoes and delicious
I tried this method for roasties at the weekend and we were not disappointed for an alternative to oven roast potatoes.
Will definitely make them again in the air fryer, but if the oven is in use will stick to the oven method.