Love hash? If you’ve been making your fried potatoes in a skillet, your life is about to get a lot easier. Air fryer fried potatoes are easier and faster than the skillet method, and they come with roasted edges and tender middles — a lovely textural combo. These potatoes are great with eggs, steak, tucked into a breakfast burrito, or eaten straight out of the basket.
This is a “home fries” style recipe. The potatoes are diced small and well-seasoned. They come out crispy on the outside and creamy inside. If you’re after halved or quartered potatoes for a side dish, see my air fryer red potatoes recipe instead.
Read next: Chart: How long to cook potatoes in an air fryer
Quick reference
| What | How |
|---|---|
| Temp | 400°F |
| Time | 15 to 20 min |
| Cut | ½-inch dice |
| Best potato | Russet or Yukon gold |
Air-fried fried potatoes
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Soaking Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Air fry
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs Russet or Yukon gold potatoes (about 2 large)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
Instructions
- Wash, peel (optional), and dice. Cut into ½-inch cubes. Smaller pieces give you that classic home-fry crisp and larger pieces feel more like a side.
- (Optional but recommended) Soak. Cover the diced potatoes with cold water and let them sit 30 minutes — or overnight in the fridge if you’re prepping ahead. This pulls out surface starch and is the difference between crispy and kind of crispy. Drain and pat very dry afterward.
- Toss with oil, then seasonings. Oil first so the spices stick to the potatoes instead of clumping in the bowl.
- Cook at 400°F for 15 to 20 minutes, shaking the basket every 5 minutes. Diced potatoes pile up and the bottom layer can stay pale if you skip the extra shakes.
- Test for doneness. A fork should slide into a cube with no resistance. If they’re tender but not as crispy as you like, give them another 2 or 3 minutes.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 334
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 642.7 mg
- Fat: 7.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 62.1 g
- Protein: 7.5 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
My top tips
- Dry potatoes are crispy potatoes. If you soak the potatoes, drain them well and pat dry. If you don’t soak, still pat dry.
- Cornstarch is the secret weapon. After drying, toss the potatoes with about 1 teaspoon of cornstarch before the oil. It creates a thin crackly crust as they cook.
- Don’t overcrowd. A small air fryer basket really does cap out around 2 cups of diced potatoes. Anything more and the bottom layer steams while the top crisps. If you need more, do two batches.
- Season twice if you shake a lot. Some seasoning flakes off when you shake. I do half before cooking and re-season with salt and a fresh pinch of paprika at the end.
- No raw aromatics in the basket. If you want onion or garlic in the mix, sauté them separately and toss with the cooked potatoes at the end. Raw diced onion will burn before the potatoes are done.
Variations
- Breakfast home fries: Toss the cooked potatoes with sautéed onions and bell peppers.
- Loaded: Top your fried potatoes with shredded cheddar, sour cream, crumbled bacon, and chives.
- Cajun: Swap smoked paprika for Cajun seasoning.
- Rosemary garlic: Toss the cooked potatoes with melted butter, fresh rosemary, and minced garlic.
Storage and reheating
Leftover fried potatoes will stay in the fridge for 3 or 4 days in an airtight container. You can reheat them in the air fryer at 350°F for 3 to 4 minutes. They’ll come back almost as crispy as they were the first time.
