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 it makes 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 airfryer 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 crispy and crunchy as my oven roast potatoes, but a great swap when you’re short on time.
👩🍳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.
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 :-))
Tray Insert
I use the 8″ pizza pan insert from this accessories set (<– affiliate link) from Amazon. This is compatible with my Ninja Max.
FAQS
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. See the notes section of the recipe card below for information on this.
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Air Fryer Roast Potatoes
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 2.5cm (1 inch) chunks. 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 the potatoes and cook for a further 5 minutes.
- Turn 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. Cook for another 10 minutes (so it will be 20 minutes cooking time altogether), until the potatoes are crisp and golden.1 tbsp neutral oil
- Sprinkle with salt and thyme before serving.1 tsp Maldon salt, 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
Notes
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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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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.