Easy, healthy, and crispy air fryer breakfast potatoes are the best simple breakfast side dish that pairs perfectly with a side of eggs and bacon or sausage. These homemade crispy potatoes are air-fried to perfection in just 15 minutes.
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Jump to:
- Why You Need to Make These Best Breakfast Potatoes!
- 3 Simple Ingredients for Making Air Fryer Breakfast Potatoes
- How to Make Air Fryer Breakfast Potatoes
- Make Ahead, Storage, Freezer, Serving & Reheating
- Expert Tips:
- Recipe FAQs
- Other Air Fryer Recipes for Breakfast!
- Crispy Air Fryer Breakfast Potatoes Recipe
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If you've ever wanted to make diner-style crispy & seasoned diced potatoes for brunch, these air fryer breakfast potatoes have got you covered! This healthy version of the breakfast classic is super easy to make with no oven and just a few ingredients.
While you're browsing around for healthy breakfast recipes be sure to try French toast and oat flour pancakes - they are two of our faves! Looking for a shredded hash brown style? Try these other air fryer breakfast recipes - hash browns or sweet potato patties.
Why You Need to Make These Best Breakfast Potatoes!
Here are my top 4 reasons to make this breakfast potato recipe:
- Perfect texture! These air fryer breakfast potatoes are crispy on the outside and soft and tender on the inside.
- Makes a complete breakfast & great side dish: The perfect addition to your breakfast plate! Serve a hearty breakfast along with sunny side eggs and your favorite breakfast meat (I recommend chicken sausage!)
- Great for dietary restrictions. This recipe is made with minimal oil and is naturally gluten-free, paleo, vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free, and Whole30.
- Quick to make and easy to meal prep! With four simple and basic ingredients, this recipe only takes 15 minutes to air fry and 2 minutes of prep.
3 Simple Ingredients for Making Air Fryer Breakfast Potatoes
Here are the ingredients you need to make this recipe. Reference the recipe card at the bottom for exact measurements and the notes below for substitution ideas.
What kind of potatoes are best for the air fryer?
You can select any potato you want. Either fresh potatoes or frozen potatoes can be used.
The best kind of potatoes for this recipe are Red potatoes. Baby potatoes, Yukon Gold potatoes, or Idaho Russet potatoes also all produce great air fryer breakfast potatoes.
How do you season air fryer breakfast potatoes?
Simple seasonings like sea salt, black pepper, and paprika help to give these air fryer breakfast potatoes a delicious flavor. Different seasonings like garlic powder, chili powder, or onion powder are also delicious seasonings.
Olive oil is a fat source that helps to crisp the potatoes and provide a golden brown color while using less oil than deep frying or sauteing.
How to Make Air Fryer Breakfast Potatoes
Below are step-by-step instructions for how to cook this recipe with the best results. The recipe card at the bottom shows the exact cooking time and temperatures.
Step 1: Best Way to Cut Breakfast Potatoes
Cutting: For a larger potato (i.e. red, Russet, Yukon Gold) quarter the potatoes before dicing. Baby or fingerling may require fewer cuts.
Cut the potatoes in half and then half again. This will create four quarters. Then, cut 3-4 small cubes per quarter.
Alternatively, you could make air fryer potato wedges. Add additional minutes to air frying if using this cutting technique
Step 2: Add the Oil
Place the diced cubes in a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil.
Step 3: Season the Air Fryer Potatoes
Season with salt, pepper, and paprika. After air frying, season the breakfast potatoes to taste with additional seasoning if desired.
Step 4: Air Fryer Potatoes or Oven Breakfast Potatoes
Air Fried Instructions
Add breakfast potatoes to the air fryer basket in one single layer, with space in between pieces and not crowding. Split into two batches to air fry if needed.
Oven Instructions
Transfer seasoned potatoes to a baking sheet and roast in the oven at 425F for 15 minutes, shaking halfway.
You may also broil them for the last minute for even more crispiness, however, keep an eye on them so they don't burn.
Make Ahead, Storage, Freezer, Serving & Reheating
- Make Ahead: The recipe may be prepped the night before and air-fried or roasted in the morning to ensure a crispy texture.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: Uncooked, diced potatoes may be oiled, seasoned, and then stored in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. You can cook them straight from frozen.
- Serving: Serve as a side dish with eggs and air fryer bacon, in a bowl with onions and peppers, in an egg hash casserole with peppers and sausage, or in breakfast burritos.
- Reheat: Air fry leftovers at 400F for 3-5 minutes or until crispy and heated through.
Expert Tips:
- Optional overnight soak: If you are making these ahead, soak the diced cubes in a bowl of cold water to draw out as much starch as possible (helps with crispy texture).
- Make sure all pieces are diced evenly to ensure proper and even cooking.
- Variations: For a spicy version top with jalapeños, Sriracha hot sauce, or sprinkled cayenne pepper. You could also top it with cheese for a cheesy version.
- With bell peppers: To make this recipe with peppers, dice a green bell pepper and add to the bowl when oiling and seasoning the potatoes.
- For a crowd: To double the recipe or to make in larger quantities use a larger machine and make in batches to ensure potatoes are crispy and do not steam.
Recipe FAQs
Soaking and boiling are not required, however, soaking them before air frying will remove some of the starch making them more crispy.
Martha Stewart has a great resource on why you have to soak potatoes in water to get the crispiest potato.
If they are still the color they were when you started cooking them, they need more time. If the outsides are crispy and burned, they have been overcooked.
To make air fryer breakfast potatoes crispy and not soggy, be sure to allow space between each cube so that they are crisping, not steaming.
Also, be sure to air fry them for longer if they are not as crispy as you would like.
Air frying at 400F for 12-15 minutes will produce super crispy breakfast potatoes.
The seasoning for this recipe is a tiny bit zesty yet basic. Salt, pepper, and paprika are the base seasonings, however, adding garlic powder or onion powder will also give it great flavor.
Depending on what appliance you have, either method is great for making all kinds of potatoes. I prefer using my Ninja Foodi for making french fries and breakfast potatoes.
For a baked potato, I like using this oven-baked potato recipe.
Leftover potatoes can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Other Air Fryer Recipes for Breakfast!
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Crispy Air Fryer Breakfast Potatoes Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound potatoes I generally choose baby red potatoes
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- Clean potatoes and dry them. Cut each in half, then half again, finally turning them for 3-4 more cuts horizontally.1 pound potatoes
- Add potatoes to a large bowl and drizzle them with olive oil. Season with salt, pepper and paprika.2 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon paprika
Air Frying Instructions
- Add your potatoes to the basket. Air fry at 400F for 12-15 minutes, shaking basket halfway through.
Oven Instructions
- Transfer seasoned potatoes to a baking sheet and roast in the oven at 425F for 15 minutes, shaking halfway. Broil for 1 minute to even more crisp texture.
Notes
- Make Ahead: Potatoes may be prepped the night before and air fried or roasted in the morning to ensure crispy texture. If you are making these ahead, soak the diced potatoes in a bowl of water to draw out as much starch as possible (helps with crispy texture).
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: Uncooked, diced potatoes may be oiled, seasoned and then stored in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. You can cook them straight from frozen.
- Serving: Serve as a side dish with eggs and bacon, in a bowl with onions and with peppers, in an egg hash casserole with peppers and sausage or in breakfast burritos.
- Reheat: Air fry leftovers at 400F for 3-5 minutes or until crispy and heated through.
- Make sure all pieces are diced evenly to ensure proper and even cooking.
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Tracy says
Delicious! Our favorite go to for a side dish! My sister loves when I make them for family dinner Sundays. ☺️❤️
Lyndsey Piccolino says
Thanks Tracy, I'm so glad you like them!