Save this recipe!
Get this delivered to your inbox, plus new weekly recipes.
Crispy potatoes might be the most perfect food. And these Crispy Smashed Fingerling Potatoes are definitely up there! It's hard to resist buttery, garlicky potatoes with crispy golden-brown edges. Our only complaint is that you can never make enough of them! They always get eaten straight from the pan.
These smashed potatoes make a delicious side dish for dinner—especially over the holidays. You can garnish them with fresh herbs or Parmesan cheese. And we especially love to serve them with an easy sauce for dipping or drizzling.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Crispy and flavorful: The best smashed potatoes use both olive oil and butter. The oil helps the potatoes get super crispy. And the butter gives them amazing flavor.
- No burnt garlic: Fresh garlic burns at the high temperature needed for crispy potatoes. (Trust us, we tested it). This recipe uses garlic powder instead.
- Great for entertaining: These smashed fingerling potatoes are always a hit with guests. They can be served any time of year. But, they're especially perfect for the holidays!
- Versatile: You can pair these crispy potatoes with pretty much everything. They make a delicious side or snack.
Recipe video
Watch a step-by-step video and learn how to make this recipe!
Ingredients (and substitutes)
You only need 5 ingredients (plus salt and pepper) to make these delicious smashed fingerling potatoes.
- Fingerling Potatoes: These small tubular potatoes are the perfect size for smashed potatoes. You could substitute Petite Gold Potatoes instead. (If substituting potatoes, you may need to adjust boiling time slightly).
- Butter: In our recipe tests, the best smashed potatoes used both olive oil and butter. Butter adds better flavor. But, since butter burns at high temperatures, the potatoes get brushed with olive oil first. Then, the butter is added near the end of baking. If you're vegan, you can substitute vegan butter instead.
- Garlic Powder: Garlicky potatoes are the best! But, fresh garlic burns in the high oven temperature needed for crispy potatoes. So, this recipe calls for garlic powder. If you don't have garlic powder, you could first simmer garlic cloves in butter. (Use enough garlic so that the butter tastes very garlicky). Then, measure out the butter as directed in this recipe.
Find the recipe card below for the complete recipe, including all ingredients and instructions.
Looking for other potato recipes? Make Air Fryer Breakfast Potatoes, Vegan Potato Leek Soup, or Instant Pot Bean Soup.
How to make (step-by-step photos)
These roasted smashed potatoes are surprisingly easy to make. Here's how:
Find the recipe card below for the complete recipe, including all ingredients and instructions.
Tips
- Don't use fresh garlic: Fresh garlic will burn at the high temperatures needed to roast the potatoes until crispy. And, when fresh garlic burns it has an unpleasant flavor. So, use garlic powder instead. We tested both methods—so trust us when we say not to use fresh garlic!
- Don't line the baking sheet: We usually line our baking sheets with parchment paper for easy clean-up. But, for crispy smashed potatoes, it's important not to! Use a bare (unlined) baking sheet, because it makes for crispier bottoms.
- Space out the potatoes for baking: Make sure there's space around each potato on the baking sheet. This allows the hot air to circulate around them, so that they crisp up on all sides.
- Garnish ideas: These smashed fingerlings are delicious on their own. But you could definitely garnish them for even more flavor. Some garnish ideas include: Fresh herbs (thyme, parsley, chives), Parmesan cheese, Flaky salt, or a sauce.
- How to prep them in advance: Smashed potatoes are best served straight from the oven. But, if you're looking to cut down on prep time, then consider boiling the potatoes in advance. Then, all you have to do is smash and bake them right before.
Sauces for potatoes
These smashed fingerling potatoes are delicious on their own. But, they're even better with sauce.
Here are our top 4 sauce recipes to serve with crispy potatoes:
Recipe FAQs
You could substitute Petite Gold Potatoes (or other small potatoes) instead of fingerling potatoes.
All you need to do is use vegan butter!
Yes, you can partially make this recipe in advance. The potatoes are best served immediately after baking. But, you can boil the potatoes in advance and refrigerate them until needed. Refer to the recipe card for all the details.
Smashed potatoes are best served fresh (hot from the oven!). We also highly doubt you'll have leftovers, because these always get devoured quickly. But, if you somehow find yourself with leftovers, reheat them in a 375°F (190°C) oven until heated through, about 5 minutes. (Alternatively, use an air fryer).
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 review below!
📖 Recipe
Crispy Smashed Fingerling Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs yellow fingerling potatoes
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt (more for salting water)
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons melted butter (vegan if needed)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
- Preheat: Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C).
- Boil potatoes: Add 1.5 lbs yellow fingerling potatoes to a pot of heavily salted water (see note 1). Bring to a boil and cook until fork-tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and shake well to remove excess water.
- Smash and bake: Spread out the potatoes on an unlined baking sheet (see note 2). Use the bottom of a cup to smash the potatoes until they are ¼-inch (0.6 cm) thick. Brush both sides with 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, then sprinkle with ½ teaspoon fine sea salt and ¼ to ½ teaspoon black pepper. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden-brown.
- Butter and bake: In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons melted butter, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, and ½ teaspoon onion powder. Brush the tops of the roasted potatoes with the mixture. Bake again until the edges are crispy, about 10 minutes. Garnish if desired (see note 3) and serve hot.
Notes
- Salting the water: Add a generous amount of salt to the cooking water (2 to 3 teaspoons). Most of this salt will get drained out with the potatoes, but it helps to kick start the seasoning.
- Baking sheet prep: A bare baking sheet will yield crispier potatoes. So, don't line your baking sheet with parchment paper. The potatoes are brushed generously with oil, so sticking shouldn't be a problem. Use the biggest baking sheet you have, so the potatoes can be spread out. A half-sheet pan (18x13-inches) works for one batch. If your baking sheets are smaller, use two and rotate them half-way through baking.
- Garnish ideas: Fresh thyme leaves, chopped parsley, fresh chives, flaky salt, Parmesan cheese, sauce (such as Red Chimichurri, Shawarma Sauce, Tzatziki, Dijon Aioli, Honey Mustard, or Chipotle Mayo).
- Make ahead tip: The potatoes are best baked fresh, but you can boil them up to 1 day in advance. Boil and drain the potatoes per the recipe. Then, let the steam escape for 5 to 10 minutes before transferring the boiled potatoes to a container and refrigerating. Continue with the remaining steps (smash and bake) just before serving.
Donna G says
Made the butter version and they were delicious. Brushing potatoes mid-bake is something I have never tried before, but it seems it was well worth it.
bri says
Hi Donna! Glad you enjoyed these! Thanks for sharing
Ben Dover says
All the potatoes did were fall apart and stick to the cup. Annoyed. And yes I sprayed the cup bottom.
bri says
Hi there! Sorry to hear you had troubles. That's never fun. The potatoes shouldn't stick to the cup so I'd love to help you troubleshoot! A few questions:
1) Did you make any modifications to the recipe as written (ingredients and/or process)?
2) Did you review the recipe video in the blog post? We film these videos following the exact recipe card instructions. At 0:40 in the video you'll see the boiled (skin-on) potatoes being smashed with a cup. No sticking! We actually don't call for spraying or oiling the bottom of the cup, because it shouldn't be necessary. Did your process look different than the video? I've personally made this recipe at least 8x and haven't ever experienced what you described (and, never heard it from other readers who've made the recipe either!). So this brings me to my next question...
3) You mentioned the potatoes falling apart. Is it possible that you overcooked the potatoes beyond being "fork tender" (step 2)? When potatoes are overcooked, they fall apart very easily. Fork-tender potatoes should still have their outer skins intact (like the video & step-by-step photos show). So, when you press on them with a cup, the skins help prevent sticking and the insides shouldn't disintegrate under the pressure of the cup. However, if the potatoes are overcooked from boiling too long, that could cause them to fall apart. And, if they're overcooked so much that the skins have split or fallen off...then the potatoes would absorb extra water and perhaps that extra moisture would cause sticking. Or, if you pressed down on them too hard (ie. make them thinner than the 1/4-inch specified in the recipe)...perhaps that could be part of it too?!
Let me know if there's anything else I can do to help troubleshoot! I do extensive testing on my recipes and really do want to ensure you get the answers you need to replicate in your own kitchen. Hope you have a good rest of your day.
Susan says
We made these to have w dinner last week. They were easy and so good. Next time we can eat them as a meal w salad. Thank you.
bri says
Hi Susan! Yay, glad you enjoyed these with your dinner last week! Thanks for sharing
Farah says
Crispiest potatoes I've ever made. The garlic butter sauce was amazing as well.
bri says
Hi Farah! Glad you enjoyed these smashed potatoes. Thanks for taking the time to share:)
Marta G says
Made these for Sunday night dinner. They were polished off first! Very good. Five stars!
bri says
Hi Marta! That's so great to hear. Thanks for taking the time to write in.
Kristin P says
Do you think these could be done in an air fryer?
bri says
Hi Kristin! Yes, I do think these could be done in the air fryer! I haven't tested it myself, so can't speak to the EXACT adjustments that would need to be made. But, here are some thoughts:
1. Plan to air fry in batches so you don't overcrowd the basket. (Depends on the size of your air fryer...but I'd imagine it could fit about half)
2. Bake at 400F in the air fryer (instead of 425F in the oven).
3. Reduce bake time if needed (keep an eye on them and rotate if needed...you'll likely need less bake time too).
If I re-test this recipe using an air fryer, I'll update the official recipe card. But, not sure when that'll be, so hopefully this gives you enough to go off of:)
Barb says
These were really yummy! My husband and I ate ours with mayo, but the kids went with ketchup of course. They've requested I make them again.
bri says
Hi Barb! Yay, glad these potatoes were a hit with the whole fam! Thanks for sharing:)