Baby red potatoes seasoned with garlic, rosemary, and herbs, then roasted in your air fryer until the outside is golden and crispy and the inside is soft and buttery. Ready in about 20 minutes, this is one of the easiest and most satisfying side dishes you can make.
More air fryer side dishes:
The Keys to Nailing This Recipe
These potatoes are simple, but a couple of things make a big difference between good and great.
- Shake or flip halfway through. At the 10-minute mark, give the basket a shake or use tongs to flip. It ensures even browning on all sides.
- Don’t overcrowd the basket. Pack it too tight and the potatoes steam instead of roast. A single layer, cut side down, is the key to that golden crispy exterior.
- Dry the potatoes before seasoning. This on is big! A good pat-down with a paper towel before tossing in oil and herbs makes a real difference in how well the outside crisps up.
How to Make Air Fryer Garlic Herb Potatoes
These come together fast. Get the potatoes seasoned, preheat the air fryer, and you’re looking at about 20 minutes of hands-off cooking time.
Step 1: Prep the Potatoes
Use baby red potatoes and cut them in half. No peeling needed. The skin is part of the flavor and helps hold everything together.
If you’re working with larger red potatoes, cut them into chunks of about 1 inch. You want similar-sized pieces so everything cooks evenly.
Be sure to pat them as dry as possible with a paper towel. This is very important to getting them crispy.
Step 2: Season Well
Add the potatoes to a large bowl. Drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil, then add the garlic powder, crushed rosemary, parsley flakes, salt, and pepper. Toss until everything is well coated.
The garlic and rosemary are the foundation here. That said, this recipe is flexible. Oregano, thyme, dill, or Italian seasoning all work great if you want to mix it up. Just keep the garlic as the base and go from there.
✦ Use crushed rosemary only. Whole rosemary needles can char in the air fryer. Crushed rosemary gives you better flavor distribution and won’t burn.
Step 3: Preheat the Air Fryer
Preheat your air fryer at 380°F for about 5 minutes.
Preheating makes a real difference for roasting. The potatoes hit the basket hot and start crisping right away instead of slowly warming up.
Step 4: Air Fry for 18-20 Minutes
Add the seasoned potatoes to the preheated air fryer in a single layer, cut side down. Use the air fry setting at 380°F for 18-20 minutes.
At the halfway point, around 10 minutes, give the basket a shake or use tongs to flip the potatoes. You’ll see them starting to turn golden on the cut side. Get them back in and let them finish.
✦ Larger air fryers need more time. Especially 8 qt oven-style units, which can run a bit cooler. If your potatoes aren’t golden at 20 minutes, add another 3-5 minutes and check again.
Step 5: Serve and Enjoy
When done, the potatoes will be golden and slightly crispy on the outside with a tender, buttery interior. Carefully remove them from the air fryer and serve immediately. Garnish with a little fresh parsley or a few sprigs of fresh rosemary if you’d like.
✦ Toss in extra vegetables. Broccoli florets, baby carrots, or cherry tomatoes can go right in the basket alongside the potatoes. Just keep the basket from getting too crowded and give everything a shake halfway through.
These potatoes go with just about any protein you’ve got going. They’re a classic alongside pork chops, chicken, or steak. Since the air fryer handles the potatoes, that frees up your oven or stovetop for the main.
Great with these mains:
Storing and Reheating
Storing leftovers: Let the potatoes cool, then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Reheating: The air fryer is your best bet. Place them in the air fryer at 350°F for 3-5 minutes and they’ll crisp right back up. The microwave works in a pinch, but the potatoes will lose some of their crispiness.
FAQs
Should you boil potatoes before air frying?
Nope, no need. The air fryer roasts them from raw to tender and crispy in about 20 minutes. Boiling first would actually make it harder to get that golden exterior since the potatoes would hold more moisture.
What are the best potatoes for air fryer roasted potatoes? Can I use other varieties?
Baby red potatoes are my go-to for this recipe. They have a dense, buttery flavor and hold their shape well during roasting. You don’t need to peel them, the skin adds flavor and texture.
Yukon golds work great too, as do baby potatoes of most varieties. Russets can work but tend to be a bit drier and more starchy, which changes the texture. If you’re curious about a sweet potato version, check out my Best Damn Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes recipe.
What temperature and how long for air fryer roasted potatoes?
For this recipe, 380°F for 18-20 minutes hits the sweet spot. The lower end of that range gives you tender potatoes with some golden color; the higher end gets you deeper browning and more crispiness. If you want them extra crispy, you can go to 22 minutes. Just keep an eye on them.
Do I need to peel the potatoes?
No, and I’d recommend keeping the skins on. Baby red potato skins are thin and become perfectly tender in the air fryer. They add a little texture to the outside of each piece and make prep a whole lot faster.
More Recipes You’ll Love
- Air Fryer Roasted Ranch Potatoes
- Roasted Rosemary and Garlic Potatoes
- Best Damn Air Fryer Asparagus
- Best Damn Air Fryer Pork Chops
- Best Damn Air Fryer Roasted Zucchini
Recipe
Irresistible Air Fryer Garlic Herb Roasted Potatoes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 servings
Description
Baby red potatoes tossed with garlic, rosemary, and herbs and roasted in the air fryer until golden and crispy on the outside, soft and buttery on the inside. Easy prep and ready in about 20 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs baby red potatoes
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1.5 tsp garlic powder
- 1.5 tsp parsley flakes
- 1 tsp crushed rosemary
- 1 tsp kosher salt (or salt to taste)
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cut baby red potatoes in half. If using larger red potatoes, cut into chunks of about 1 inch.
- Add potatoes to a large bowl and mix well with olive oil and remaining ingredients.
- Preheat air fryer at 380°(F).
- Add potatoes to preheated air fryer and use the air fry setting at 380°(F) for 18-20 minutes or until potatoes are a nice golden color.
- When done, carefully remove potatoes and enjoy! Garnish with fresh parsley and fresh rosemary if desired.
Notes
Don’t overcrowd the basket. A single layer is key for getting crispy potatoes instead of steamed ones. If making a larger batch, cook in batches.
Use crushed rosemary, not whole rosemary needles. Crushed rosemary distributes better and won’t char.
Pat the potatoes dry before tossing with oil and seasoning. Surface moisture works against crispiness.
Shake or flip at the halfway point (around 10 minutes) for even browning on all sides. Use tongs if you have a tray-style air fryer.
Larger air fryers (8 qt oven-style units) may need an extra 3-5 minutes. If the potatoes aren’t golden at 20 minutes, keep going and check every couple of minutes.
The garlic and rosemary are the foundation, but the herb blend is flexible. Oregano, thyme, dill, and Italian seasoning all work great here.
Storage: Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the air fryer at 350°F for 3-5 minutes to crisp them back up.
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 20 min
- Category: Side dish
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: American
Charlotte says
Hello. Quick question. I have a regular stove that has an Air Fryer inside, can I follow your recipes that you have for air frying food? Or do I need to adjust the temperature for mine? Once I know the answer I can start using your recipes…Thank you.
RecipeTeacher says
Great question, Charlotte. Generally, oven with an air fryer function take longer to preheat, and can take a bit longer to cook as well. There’s no pure, clean cut adjustment to make other than to plan on adding a few minutes to the recipes. It’s totally dependent on your particular oven, but usually it’s just a short time more that’s needed.
Go for the recipes as written and if you see something needs a few more minutes, just let it do its thing for a few more minutes. You’ll still get great results.
Lizzy says
I found this while searching for a recipe to use up some baby golds I had on hand. I also tossed in broccoli, baby carrots, and cherry tomatoes from a leftover veggie tray. Delicious!
RecipeTeacher says
Excellent idea, Lizzy!
Peggy Stivason says
Hi Jason , Made these potatoes last night . You’re right , They are the Best Damn Herb Roasted garlic potatoes Air Fryer :”Ever ” Fast easy . JUst what i needed to make my evening go little smoother . Thanks Jason , Keep them Wonderful Recipes Coming . Much appreciated
Peggy Stivason says
It is a pleasure to be here . Good simple recipes . I’m 65 years old and I still love learning new ways of cooking and learning from other Wonderful Cooks . Thank you so much Recipe Teacher. .
Sandra Kraft says
The absolute best. We are addicted to these . Tried with a variety of different spices. Same great results. Thank you.
Bernie says
I did this tonight and it was a big hit. For seasoning I used my wife’s secret special blend of oven roast potatoes seasoning she makes up in bulk we keep a container; close to what’s in the recipe. Our air fryer is an 8 qt Instant Pot with the Mealthy air fryer lid. I think since it’s an 8 qt I always have to jack up the temperature 25-50 degrees. I did mine at 425 for 18 minutes and perfection. Dinner conversation was limited to; “that’s good” and “chomp, chomp, chew, chew”.
Oh, no non-stick spray required if you keep it skin side down in the air fryer basket.
Peggy Stivason says
Hi Bernie , I also have the 8Qt and I’ve noticed I had to do the same . Good to see your post in knowing I did right thing too ! Thanks