This easy air fryer breakfast potatoes recipe makes crispy and flavorful home fries with a lot less oil. The diced potatoes are seasoned with a simple blend of spices: garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika. The "secret" ingredient is a spoonful of dijon mustard! But don't worry: nobody will ever guess you added mustard. It just gives the potatoes a lot of savory flavor (a bit of "je ne sais quoi", if you will) that everybody at the table will love.
Make these diner-style breakfast potatoes for your next weekend breakfast. The air fryer cooks them fast, frees up the oven, and there's no preheating involved. We love to serve these home fries with an Easy Creamy Dijon for dipping, but ketchup works too!
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What potatoes are best for home fries?
We recommend Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes for homemade home fries. Keep reading to learn why!
Russet potatoes are considered a "starchy" (or "floury") potato. They get crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside when baked, due to their low moisture content. However, because of this, russet potatoes are also more likely to fall apart when cooked. Russet potatoes have a thick skin, so you may prefer to peel them. But, while peeling can help with texture, you do lose some of the potato flavor in the skin.
Yukon Gold potatoes are in between a "starchy" and "waxy" potato. For this reason, they are often considered an all-purpose potato. Yukon Golds have a rich almost buttery flavor, and because the skin is thin, peeling is usually unnecessary. They have a medium starch and moisture content, so the inside will be creamier and not quite as dry/crisp as home fries made with Russets. But, they are extremely flavorful and hold their shape.
Choose Yukon Gold potatoes for flavorful buttery-tasting home fries that definitely don't need to be peeled. Choose Russet potatoes for the crispiest air fryer breakfast potatoes.
Recipe ingredients (and substitutes)
- Potatoes: We often use Yukon Golds because we find them most flavorful—but use Russet potatoes if you prefer slightly dryer/crisper breakfast potatoes. They both work well with this recipe. Peeling optional.
- Olive oil: The air fryer makes for crispy potatoes without deep frying! But, don't skip the oil altogether because it's needed to make them crisp and flavorful.
- Dijon Mustard: Roasting potatoes in mustard is a trick we learned from Ina Garten. It adds amazing depth of flavor, but nobody will ever guess there's mustard in the recipe. Even self proclaimed "mustard haters" love these potatoes. If you don't have dijon mustard, you can use a whole grain mustard instead.
Find the recipe card below for the complete recipe, including all ingredients and instructions.
How to make (step-by-step photos)
Find the recipe card below for the complete recipe, including all ingredients and instructions.
Serving suggestions
Sauce for breakfast potatoes
Crispy breakfast potatoes are even more delicious when served with a sauce on the side. Here are some sauce ideas for breakfast potatoes:
- Easy Vegan Dijon Aioli: This is our go-to sauce to serve with these crispy home fries! You can use regular mayonnaise if you're not vegan.
- Chipotle Mayo: This 2-ingredient sauce is smoky and creamy. It can be made vegan—or not. Very yummy with crispy potatoes!
- Easy Peri Peri Sauce: This mouthwatering sauce is slightly spicy, tangy, and bright. Think of it as a mild hot sauce! It can be drizzled over breakfast potatoes, eggs, and even roasted vegetables.
- Ketchup
- Hot Sauce
Vegetarian breakfast recipes and brunch ideas
- Easy Eggs on Toast
- Butternut Squash, Onion, and Cheese Quiche
- Scrambled Eggs and Herbed Goat Cheese Toast
- Easy Pesto Egg Muffins
- Easy Nut Pulp Granola
Frequently asked questions
You can add onion or other veggies, but keep in mind they'd add moisture, so your breakfast potatoes won't be quite as crisp. For this air fryer breakfast potatoes recipe, you can add up to 1.5 cups of diced onion and/or bell peppers for every 1.5 lb of russet potatoes. (Choose Russet if adding veggies, since they are less starchy). Bake the seasoned potatoes on their own (without veggies) for 10 minutes, then shake the basket and add the lightly oiled veggies. Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes until potatoes are cooked through.
Grainy (old-fashioned) mustard is the next best substitute in this recipe. Otherwise, you can use regular yellow mustard instead.
To reheat the breakfast potatoes, warm them in the air fryer at 400°F (200°C) for 5 minutes or until heated through.
📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Breakfast Potatoes (Home Fries)
Ingredients
- 1½ lb potatoes (Yukon Gold or Russet, see note 1)
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard (or grainy mustard)
- 1½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Prep potatoes: Dice potatoes into ½-inch cubes (1.3 cm). Add potatoes to a large bowl. Drizzle with the olive oil and toss until well coated.
- Season: Add dijon mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Toss until evenly mixed.
- Bake: Spread seasoned potatoes into a single layer in an air fryer basket (see note 2). Bake in an air fryer (no need to preheat) at 400°F (200°C), until golden brown, about 20 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through. (Cooking time varies based on the size of the potatoes).
- Serve: Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed. Serve hot, with sauce, if desired (see note 3).
Notes
- Potatoes: About 5 cups diced. Yukon Gold will yield flavorful, almost buttery tasting home fries that definitely don't need to be peeled (the skin has flavor too!). But if you want the crispiest home fries, choose Russet potatoes. See the post for a detailed comparison of these two potatoes.
- Don't overcrowd basket: If there's some potatoes overlapping, that's okay, just make sure to vigorously shake the basket halfway through. If doubling the recipe, bake in two batches.
- Sauce (optional): These potatoes are delicious served with a creamy sauce, such as Easy Dijon Aioli or 2 Ingredient Chipotle Mayo. Or, serve with ketchup and/or hot sauce.
- Vegetable variation: You can add up to 1.5 cups of diced onion and/or bell pepper, but be aware they introduce moisture, so the potatoes won't be as crisp (but still delicious!). If adding vegetables, let the potatoes bake in the air fryer alone for 10 minutes. Toss the diced vegetables with a bit of oil (about 1 teaspoon), then add them to the basket, shake to mix, then and air fry for another 10 to 15 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through and golden brown.
- Storage & reheating tips: Refrigerate extra breakfast potatoes in a resealable container. Reheat in an air fryer set at 400°F (200°C) for 5 minutes or until heated through.
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