These easy air fryer potatoes are the new way to enjoy this delicious side dish. Say goodbye to convenient oven-baked potatoes that lack that signature crisp, and hello to a healthier and more appetizing alternative that's easy to prepare and is ready in minutes. With just a little oil you get a perfect crunchy exterior with fluffy potato inside.
Making heart-shaped potatoes is totally optional but does add bonus points for presentation. Serve them at your next Date night or Valentine's day.
⭐ Looking for more air fryer sides? Try our cheesy Jalapeno Poppers, bacon Brussel Sprouts, and best Buffalo Cauliflower next!
Table Of Contents
Why It's Yummy
- Easy and quick. With just a few simple ingredients, 15 minutes, and your trusty air fryer, you'll have a plate of perfectly cooked sliced potatoes that are sure to become a staple in your mealtime routine. So, let's get cooking!
- Decadent flavor and texture. These potato slices are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Cut them into your desired shape, wedges, or larger cubes.
- Healthy. Air fryer is healthier than deep frying or cooking potatoes in a skillet. You only need a little oil and seasoning. These potatoes are gluten free, non dairy and can still be enjoyed on a low-carb diet if consumed in moderation.
⭐ Must try Air Fryer Potato recipes: Fingerling potatoes and crispy Sweet Potato Fries.
Ingredients
My few comments on the ingredients + don't forget to read the Tips section!
The full recipe and ingredients can be found in the recipe card below this post.
- Best Potatoes - Idaho or Russet potatoes (higher in starch and crisp up nicely) or Yukon Gold potatoes (medium starch, creamy, all-purpose potatoes). Or Fingerling potatoes will work too. You don’t need to peel the potato skin, this adds a nice extra crunch. These are slices and not potato chips, so don't cut them too thin. Waxy potatoes like red potatoes will work too but you'll have to air fryer them for longer.
- Seasonings and spices - I think potatoes are delicious with quite a minimal seasoning but feel free to elevate the flavor with cajun, seasoned salts, and fresh or dried herbs.
- Olive oil - even though you can make food in an air fryer with absolutely no oil, I still recommend using some. The oil helps the spices stick to the potatoes and crisps them while cooking. I like extra virgin olive oil mixed with seasoning for coating the potatoes. You could also use avocado oil, canola oil, vegetable oil, or even unscented coconut oil. Add more if needed.
📋 JULIA'S TIP Olive oil spray (cooking spray) is a great way to coat any size of your air fryer basket so that the air-fried potatoes don’t stick to the basket during the cooking time.
Instructions
Cut the potatoes lengthwise about ¼ inches thick slices. Not very thin.
With a heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out potato hearts. I used 2-inch cookie heart.
Place potatoes in a large bowl and toss in seasonings. Add olive oil and combine.
Spray the air fryer tray lightly with oil before adding the seasoned potato slices.
Preheat the air fryer to 375 degrees Fahrenheit according to manufacturer instructions. Mine was about 5 minutes: Cosori 5.8 quart.
You could also use something like a Ninja Foodi with built-in air fryer function)
📋 JULIA'S TIP Air fryer is the best thing in cooking, honestly! I use my Cosori for anything from reheating food, baking, and making dinners that take only half time to make.
Place the potatoes in the basket in a single layer. Don't overcrowd the basket and cook in multiple batches.
Air fry potatoes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-11 minutes, turning the potatoes halfway through. Once the potato slices develop golden brown edges - they are done.
Serve as an appetizer with dipping sauces, as a side dish or for breakfast instead of hash browns.
📋 JULIA'S TIP To ensure you get crispy potatoes, you can take an extra step and soak the raw cut potatoes in cold water before patting them dry with a paper towel to season and air fry. BUT this is not essential with air fryer.
Recommended Equipment
No fancy equipment is needed. Here are the basics:
- Air Fryer or Ninja Foodi
- Air Fryer Liners - optional but helps to prolong your air fryer life
- Mixing Bowls
- Measuring Spoons and Cups
Tips
- You can use as little as 1 tablespoon of oil. I find the fries slightly crispier and flavorful when using more oil but you can get away with less if using air fryer.
- Fried food generally don't reheat well. But with air fryer you can reheat them once or twice more once they go cold. Reheat in a preheated air fryer at 375 degrees F for 3-5 minutes.
- Don't overcrowd the air fryer basket. Keep those slices separate to ensure even cooking and crispy exterior.
- I didn't soak the potatoes but it may help to draw out the excess starch for more crisp results. However, I find that it is not that essential, especially when using an air fryer. Soak the fries in cold water for at least 20-25 minutes to 1 hour.
- Shake basket halfway through to help potatoes crisp up nicely.
- It’s good to season potatoes with salt before frying them, but you should also season them (preferably sea salt flakes) after frying, as this will help the potatoes to soak up even more flavor.
- If you do multiple batches, keep the cooked potatoes warm in the oven while you work with the remaining batches.
📋 JULIA'S TIP While traditional fried food doesn’t reheat well, you can salvage leftover fried food by reheating it in an air fryer the same day once the food has become cold.
Serving Suggestions
Air fryer potato slices are the perfect side dish to your favorite main dish or as a choice of finger foods at parties and family gatherings.
Once they are getting cold you can quickly pop them back into air fryer and reheat once or twice. The only downside to serving these for a crowd is cooking them in smaller batches unless you using something like a french door or large family air fryers.
Dipping Sauce Ideas
- Ketchup
- Mayonnaise
- Avocado Crema
- Ranch Dressing
- Cold Spinach Dip
- Pimento Cheese
- Aioli - which is my favorite dipping sauce for everything! Try the spicy aioli that I used for this Brussels Sprouts recipe.
- A simple sour cream with packet ranch seasoning or whipped together with a couple of fave seasonings
Potato dishes go with almost anything. We love to serve this side dish with our favorite main courses.
Main Course Ideas to serve sliced potatoes with
- Chicken dishes: Try Buffalo Wings, lemon garlic chicken Legs, Asparagus Stuffed Chicken, or Chicken Thighs.
- Fish and seafood: Baked Trout, Air Fryer Salmon, 2-minute ahi Tuna steaks or garlicky Shrimp.
- Meat: Pork Chops (In air fryer or pan fried), Steak fajitas, or slow cooker Pulled Beef.
- Vegetarian: with a mix of vegetable dishes such as Roasted Beets, Glazed Carrots, Chickpea Salad, Baked Eggplant, Mediterranean Salad, Asparagus or Stuffed Mushrooms.
Make Ahead and Storing Instructions
Overall, leftover ‘’fried’’ foods don’t last in the fridge for too long. Nor do they taste great after reheating.
Make as much as you'd consume.
📋 JULIA'S TIP If you have leftover uncooked potato slices (with no seasoning or oil), submerge them in cold water and keep them refrigerated for up to 12-24 hours. This is also a great way to make ahead a bunch.
- To Store. Store leftover potatoes in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- To Reheat. I recommend using the same preheated air fryer and reheating potatoes just once or twice for about 3-4 minutes at 375 degrees F, the same temperature used for cooking. I don't recommend microwaving as the slices will lose their crisp exterior and become soggy.
- To Make Ahead. I don't recommend cutting the potatoes too long in advance. But you can definitely slice them in the morning and keep them submerged in cold water until evening.
Variations
For simple seasonings use a combination of paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and a mix of dried herbs (Herbs de Provence, Italian seasoning).
Or try more ideas and flavor combinations:
- Cajun seasoning, Chili Powder, Cayenne, Chipotle for added heat
- taco Seasoning
- Seasoned salt (we love our homemade Celery salt), garlic or onion salt
- Fresh dried herbs
- Make it Cheesy - add your favorite grated melty cheese (Mozzarella, Cheddar as well as Parmesan cheese). Add it towards the end of cooking so it has time to melt. I prefer very finely grated Parmesan cheese. For a veggie option, try nutritional yeast, delicious!
- Loaded potato slices - top them up with crispy bacon, gravy, brown or thinly sliced green onions.
FAQs
It will depend on various factors such as thickness, type of potatoes, and air fryer itself. For medium thin slices (not chips), about 11 minutes.
For crispy potato slices, there are a couple of key factors to consider, the type of potatoes - not all potatoes are suitable and will be crispy; too low temperature of the air fryer and cooking time; or simply your slices are cut too thick.
If you want extra crispy potatoes, you'll have to cut these thinner or air fry these twice. But I haven't tried this way yet!
For air fryer, there is no need to add lot of oil, that's why it is perfect for a healthy diet. However, you may get better results using more oil with potatoes or other veggies if cooked in air fryer (they are just more crisp this way).
You don't have to, but it is recommended if you're not sure about potato type or making these for the first time.
I do preheat it as this way I can follow the recipe and know exactly how many minutes my potatoes should air fry. Same like oven, you need to preheat it.
It can take up to an hour to cook these potatoes in the air fryer, depending on how many batches you make. The fewer batches, the less total time required. Each batch in this recipe, using a Cosori 5.8-quart air fryer, takes about 10 minutes to cook these. This cooking time will depend on the make of the air fryer, the temperature you’ve set the air fryer to, and the size of the air fryer basket.
More Air Fryer Recipes
For a full collection hop on to our Air Fryer archives.
Air fryer is my favorite thing lately, from my guest's favorite Air Fryer Nachos, Peanut Butter Cookies to Jalapeno Poppers. Anything can be done in air fryer, plus it reheats beautifully and tastes and looks like from the restaurant!
💗I hope you'll enjoy these air fryer sliced potatoes, please leave a rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo of your food and tag me on Instagram @theyummy_bowl. I love seeing your creations! 💗
Happy Cooking,
Love,
Julia
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Recipe
Easy Air Fryer Potatoes (Heart Shaped Slices)
INGREDIENTS
- 2 pounds larger Russet potatoes
- 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil or more if needed
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder for stronger flavor (use 1 medium garlic clove, minced)
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- fresh thyme for serving
- black pepper to taste (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Cut the potatoes lengthwise about ¼ inches thick slices. Not very thin. With a heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out potato hearts. I used 2-inch cookie heart. This step is optional and you can simply leave the round slices as they are.
- Place potatoes in a large bowl and toss in seasonings. Add olive oil and combine. Spray the air fryer tray lightly with oil before adding the seasoned potato slices.
- Preheat the air fryer to 375 F according to manufacturer instructions. (Mine was 375 F for 5 minutes) Cosori 5.8 quart. You could also use something like a Ninja Foodi air fryer.)
- Place the potatoes in the basket in single layer. Don't overcrowd the basket and cook in multiple batches. Air fry potatoes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-11 minutes, turning the potatoes halfway through. Potato slices should have a golden brown edges once done cooking.
- Serve as an appetizer with dipping sauces, as a side dish or for breakfast instead of hash browns.
Video
NOTES
Fried food generally doesn’t reheat well. But with air fryer you can reheat them once if they got cold (on the same day of making). Reheat in a preheated air fryer at 375F for 3-5 minutes.
PRIVATE NOTES
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
We love enjoying sliced potatoes on their own with dipping sauces, delicious!