Easy Smashed Potatoes Recipe

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Make this easy smashed potatoes recipe with just 5 ingredients! Dip them in your favorite condiments for a savory side dish.

A plate of smashed potatoes.

Smashed potatoes are a viral food trend we just had to hop on. These crispy, savory, dippable potatoes are a fun alternative to french fries or roasted potatoes that you can serve with your favorite condiments. They make a great side dish or appetizer, especially when you can make our easy smashed potatoes recipe with ingredients that are already in your pantry!

Easy Smashed Potatoes Recipe Ingredients

You only need 5 ingredients to make these easy smashed potatoes at home:

  • Baby Dutch yellow potatoes
  • Olive oil
  • Garlic powder
  • Paprika
  • Sea salt

We recommend using baby Dutch yellow potatoes for dippable, bite-size smashed potatoes. If you can’t find them at the store, any small, round potatoes should do for this recipe.

What makes these the best smashed potatoes is a simple seasoning: garlic powder, paprika, and salt. These three ingredients yield a savory flavor that reminds us of seasoned french fries, making these smashed potatoes perfect for dipping into your favorite condiments.

A plate of smashed potatoes.

How To Make Smashed Potatoes

Making smashed potatoes is a two-step process. First, boil the potatoes and let them cool. Then, smash the potatoes, season them, and bake them in the oven. All in all, this easy smashed potato recipe takes a little over an hour.

Here’s how to make crispy smashed potatoes in the oven:

  1. First, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes and boil for about 20 minutes, until they are easily pierced with a fork. Drain the potatoes, then pat dry and let them cool for at least 15 minutes.
  2. Next, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  3. Spread the potatoes out on the baking sheet so they’re at least a few inches apart. Then, using the bottom of a drinking glass, smash each potato to about a quarter inch to a half inch thick. (A thinner smash will yield crispier potatoes.)
  4. Drizzle the potatoes lightly with olive oil, then season evenly with garlic powder, paprika, and a few pinches of sea salt.
  5. Finally, bake the potatoes for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until crispy. Let cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Boiling the potatoes softens them so they’re easily smashable, but you also need to let them cool so that they hold their shape when you smash them. We like to pat them dry with a clean kitchen towel after draining, then lay them out on the towel to cool. This will allow the potatoes to cool much faster than if you leave them in the strainer.

You don’t need any fancy tools to smash the potatoes. Find a sturdy drinking glass and use the bottom surface to press down on the center of each potato. Using a large, flat surface to smash creates even pressure across the potato so that it smashes to an even thickness while holding its shape. If you don’t have a good glass, use a bowl or plate with a large, flat bottom – this is key.

Note that you can determine how thin you want to smash the potatoes based on what texture you want them to be when they come out of the oven. Thinner smashed potatoes will be crispier, while thicker smashed potatoes will stay soft and fluffier on the inside. It’s really up to you!

Finally, don’t hold back when it comes to the seasonings. We didn’t put measurements in this recipe for a reason! A few pinches of salt should be plenty, but you can’t go wrong with a heavy sprinkle of garlic powder and paprika. Or, if you want a more plain flavor, you can go a bit lighter on the seasonings. Again, it’s up to you and what you want the final result to taste like.

Dipping a smashed potato in hot sauce.

How To Serve Smashed Potatoes

These easy smashed potatoes are the best side dish for chicken, steak, or fish dinners. You can even serve them at breakfast alongside eggs instead of hash browns or breakfast potatoes.

We recommend serving these crispy smashed potatoes with your favorite condiments for dipping, such as:

  • Hot sauce
  • Ketchup
  • Chipotle mayo
  • Honey mustard
  • Garlic sauce
  • Barbecue sauce
  • Ranch dressing

We most recently enjoyed these smashed potatoes with two delicious dips: a homemade chipotle hot sauce and Tingly Ted’s Xtra Tingly Sauce. Both were perfect complements to the crispy, savory potatoes!

Easy Smashed Potatoes Recipe FAQs

What are smashed potatoes made of?

Our smashed potatoes are made of boiled baby Dutch yellow potatoes, seasoned with olive oil, garlic powder, paprika, and sea salt.

What’s the difference between smashed potatoes and mashed potatoes?

Smashed potatoes are potatoes that have been boiled, smashed, seasoned, and roasted in the oven. Mashed potatoes are potatoes that have been boiled, mashed, and whipped with butter and milk or heavy cream.

What potatoes are best for smashed potatoes?

Small, round potatoes such as baby Dutch yellow potatoes are best for smashed potatoes. Smaller potatoes yield dippable, bite-size smashed potatoes that are perfect for serving with your favorite condiments.

What tool do you use to make smashed potatoes?

Use anything with a large, flat surface to smash the potatoes – the bottom of a sturdy drinking glass or a bowl should work. A continuous surface (like the bottom of a glass) applies even pressure on the potato, so that it smashes to an even thickness while maintaining its shape. 

We do not recommend using a fork or a potato masher to smash the potatoes, since it will split the potato skins unevenly and cause the smashed potatoes to fall apart more easily.

Smashed potatoes and hot sauce for dipping.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

In our opinion, there are 3 reasons why this is the best smashed potatoes recipe:

  1. You only need 5 ingredients, 4 of which are probably already in your pantry
  2. They roast in the oven, so there’s very little hands on cooking required to make them
  3. They’re crispy, savory, and the perfect size for dipping into your favorite condiments

With so many reasons to love these oven roasted smashed potatoes, how can you resist? Make them instead of french fries next time you’re craving a savory potato side dish and see for yourself why smashed potatoes have gone viral.

Try our easy smashed potatoes recipe and let us know what you think by rating, commenting, and sharing below! We hope you love this recipe as much as we do.


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A plate of smashed potatoes.

Easy Smashed Potatoes Recipe

Nicole
Make this easy smashed potatoes recipe with just 5 ingredients! Dip them in your favorite condiments for a savory side dish.
5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Cool Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Appetizer, Appetizers, Side Dish, Sides
Cuisine American
Servings 2 servings
Calories 166 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 12 ounces baby Dutch yellow potatoes whole
  • 2 to 3 teaspoons olive oil
  • 3 pinches sea salt
  • garlic powder
  • paprika

Instructions
 

  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes and boil for 20 minutes, or until easily pierced with a fork. Drain potatoes and pat dry, then let cool for at least 15 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Spread the potatoes out on the baking sheet so they're at least a few inches apart. Using the bottom of a sturdy drinking glass, smash each potato to about a quarter- to a half-inch thick.
  • Lightly drizzle the potatoes with olive oil, then season with sea salt, garlic powder, and paprika.
  • Roast the potatoes in the oven for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until crispy. Let them cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

Best potatoes for smashed potatoes: We recommend using baby Dutch yellow potatoes for dippable, bite-size smashed potatoes. If you can’t find them at the store, any small, round potatoes should do for this recipe.
Seasonings: Add as much or as little garlic powder and paprika to the potatoes as you want! We like to sprinkle each potato with a few taps of the seasoning jar so they’re well coated.
Tips for success: Here are a few pointers for making the best smashed potatoes:
  1. Let the potatoes cool so they hold their shape when you smash them. We like to pat them dry with a clean kitchen towel after draining, then lay them out on the towel so they cool a bit faster than if you were to leave them in the strainer.
  2. Use a flat surface like the bottom of a drinking glass or a bowl to smash the potatoes. This will help you apply even pressure to the potatoes so that they hold their shape and smash to an even thickness. Do not use a fork or potato masher – this will split the skins unevenly and increases the chances of your smashed potatoes falling apart.
  3. Smashing the potatoes thinner will yield crispier results; thicker will yield fluffier results. Try both and see which you like better!
Serving suggestions: Smashed potatoes go great with chicken, steak, or fish as a side dish. They’re also a great replacement for french fries when you want a savory, dippable potato! Serve them with your favorite condiments, like ketchup, hot sauce, or chipotle mayo.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 166kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 3gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gSodium: 592mgPotassium: 716mgFiber: 4gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 3IUVitamin C: 34mgCalcium: 21mgIron: 1mg
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Keyword fine sea salt, garlic powder, olive oil, oven baked, paprika, potatoes
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5 from 2 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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