Smashed Potatoes are crispy roasted potatoes served as a side or finger food appetizer. Small potatoes are cooked, smashed, baked and served plain or with toppings. Great for game day, parties, or family dinner!
Smashed potatoes are one of easiest finger foods to make that everyone loves! These cuties are creamy on the inside and crispy on the outside, making them irresistible. There's a reason smashed potatoes are crazy popular because they're easy, versatile, and guaranteed to disappear whether they're a dinner side or finger food at a party. You can even use your Instant Pot to cook them hands-free before baking them.
Smashed potato recipe ingredients
- baby red potatoes (or any baby variety)
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper
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Smashed vs. mashed potatoes
Smashed potatoes are cooked baby potatoes that are smashed, coated in a little oil, and baked until the surface is crispy. You can cook them via stove boiling or pressure cooking. Your choice!
Mashed potatoes are a popular side dish where potatoes are boiled or pressure-cooked, mashed (or whipped), and served in a heap with your favorite toppings. Here's a scrumptious mashed potato recipe made in the Instant Pot in a fraction of the time it takes to boil them on the stove.
How to make smashed potatoes
Visit recipe card below 👇🏼 for printable amounts and instructions
- Cook potatoes via stove, pressure cooker, or microwave.
- Carefully smash each potato with a potato masher or the bottom of a coffee cup. Some will fall apart and that's ok because this leaves you with crispy pieces. YUM!
- Drizzle with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
- Bake in the preheated oven until crispy on the surface.
- Enjoy them as is or add your favorite toppings.
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How to cook baby potatoes in the Instant Pot
- Place trivet in inner pot of the Instant Pot.
- Stack the POTATOES on the trivet; add 1 cup WATER to the Instant Pot.
- Close and lock the Instant Pot lid, turn pressure valve knob to the “sealed” position.
- Select MANUAL or PRESSURE COOK for 5 minutes on HIGH pressure.
- Allow a natural pressure release (NPR) for 5 minutes, then release remaining steam.
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How long to BOIL potatoes for smashed potatoes
This can be tricky. If you don't boil them enough, they won't cook or smash properly. If you boil them too long, they can fall apart in the smashing process. So, I recommend testing as they're boiling. As soon as they are easily penetrated with a knife, they're ready to smash and bake.
How to cook baby potatoes in the microwave
- Pierce potatoes with a knife and place on a microwave-safe plate.
- Heat on high setting in microwave in 2-minute intervals until potatoes have softened soft enough to be smashed.
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How to make smashed potatoes CRISPY
This recipe will make crispy potatoes, but you may want them even crispier. If so, just bake them a little longer than the recipe indicates, but keep a close eye so you don't over bake them. I've done it! Sad face 🙁
Recommended Tools
- soup pot or 6 quart Instant Pot
- potato masher
- conventional oven or countertop oven
- baking sheet
- oven mitt
- pancake turner
Dinner recipes that go with crispy roasted potatoes
- Baked Chicken Thighs
- Instant Pot Corned Beef
- Herb Roasted Turkey Breast
- Baked Chicken Legs
- Broiled Salmon or Grilled Salmon
...or breakfast recipes
These Garlicky Oven Roasted Mushrooms take 5 minutes to prep and can also be baked at 400° alongside the smashed potatoes. So convenient!
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Smashed Potatoes Recipe
Ingredients
- 10 Baby Potatoes or any amount
- 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/8 tsp Kosher Salt
- Black Pepper to taste
RECIPE VIDEO
Recipe Instructions
- Cook potatoes via Instant Pot, stove top, or microwave and allow to cool slightly. *see recipe notes for these methods (I use the Instant Pot method)
- Preheat oven to 400°
- Place cooked potatoes on a baking sheet and gently smash each potato to 1/2" thickness using a potato masher or bottom of a cup.
- Drizzle each smashed potato with OLIVE OIL and a sprinkle of SALT and PEPPER.
- Bake potatoes about 10 minutes, remove, flip over, bake 8-10 minutes, or until surface is crisp to your liking.
- Serve crispy roasted potatoes warm with your favorite toppings.
RECIPE NOTES
How to cook small potatoes in the Instant Pot
-
Place steamer trivet in inner pot of the Instant Pot.
-
Stack the POTATOES on the trivet; add 1 cup WATER to the Instant Pot.
-
Close and lock the Instant Pot lid, turn pressure valve knob to the “sealed” position.
-
Select MANUAL or PRESSURE COOK for 10 minutes on HIGH pressure.
-
Allow a natural pressure release (NPR) for a minimum of 5 minutes.
-
Carefully open the pressure valve to release any pressure, remove the lid, transfer potatoes to a plate, and allow the surface to dry for a few minutes.
How to cook small potatoes on the stove
- Place potatoes in a pot and fill with enough cold water to cover the surface.
- Turn heat on HIGH and bring potatoes to a boil.
- Allow to cook about 10 minutes, or until fork tender (don't overcook).
- Drain potatoes in a colander and allow the skin to dry (about 5 minutes).
How to cook small potatoes in the microwave
- Pierce potatoes with a knife and place on a microwave-safe plate.
- Heat on high setting in microwave in 2-minute intervals until potatoes have softened soft enough to be smashed.
Nutrition
Nutrition data provided as courtesy estimates using unbranded ingredients from a nutrition database. Please consult preferred resource for precise data.
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Oh man, love these with breakfast or dinner, or as a snack! They're good plain and they def don't stand a chance with Ranch dressing. Gone!
Thanks, JB! Glad you enjoy these as much as I do. That Ranch...gimme! 😉
I microwaved 12 Yukon gold potatoes for 8 minutes to cook them tender. I poured a thin coating of olive oil on my baking pan, placed the potatoes on the pan and smashed them with a heavy coffee mug. They were seasoned and! baked according to the instructions. My family and I loved them! Thank you for the recipe. We have a new favorite way to enjoy potatoes
Thanks so much, Susan! Love hearing this...and love hearing that you microwave yours too! Sounds like we're mutually crazy about these smashed potatoes 🙂
Love how these are so crispy, since smashing them increases the exterior surface area ... yet they still have that creamy/fluffy vibe goin' on inside. It's like the perfect cross of a baked potato with a potato chip. Yeah ... YUM!!! 😉
Awesome, Shelley! I couldn't have said it better myself 🙂 Thank you ... glad you enjoyed!
I love smashed potatoes -- and these look so amazing. Love how easy they are to make, too!
Thanks, Kathryn! Glad to hear it 🙂
Looks delicious! Can't wait to try this one.
Thanks Katie...glad to hear it! 🙂
I haven't made these in so long! I need to change that asap. Yum! 🙂
Awesome, Carrie! Glad you enjoy smashed potatoes as much as I do 🙂 Thanks!
Oooh that texture looks absolutely perfect! I bet my family will love them. Definitely a wonderful side/appetizer for the upcoming holidays.
Thanks Tara! Yep, smashed potatoes are definitely a great holiday side! Glad you can enjoy these 🙂
This is probably my most favorite way to make potatoes! Those creamy, fluffy interiors and crispy outsides are just completely irresistible. I know they're generally a side dish, but I could make an entire meal out of a plate of smashed potatoes! I love how flavorful they are with so few ingredients, too. The best!
Thanks Amanda, pretty sure this is my new fav way to make potatoes too! I have definitely eaten them as a whole meal...oops 😉
Girrrrrrrl. I love how crispy-on-the-outside-fluffy-on-the-inside these bad boys are! It truly drives me nuts that my husband doesn't like potatoes (yeah, you read that correctly). But I'm just going to continue to make these for myself. More for me! 😉
Haha YES! More for YOU is spot on, my friend! Hope you make a whole bunch and enjoy every last morsel 😉
I've never made potatoes this way and now I'm wondering where these have been my whole life?! I'm itching to try them. They sound so wonderful and there are so many seasoning options. Thanks for the inspiration!
Haha I feel the same way about them! Like, where were these in college LOL! Thanks Stef 🙂
These are awesome. So tasty and simple, and they've got a weird sort of funky, crazy-looking charm all their own. I love how versatile they can be too, both in terms of their ability to pair with main dishes, and in terms of the flexibility of add-on flavours that you've got to work with. Great stuff.
Thanks Sean! I lovvvve your take on these taters!
I will admit that I can never resist a potato. I mean why bother even trying when we are talking easy, crispy, smashed potatoes? There's nothing for it but to make these as soon as I can get to the store and pick up some creamy, gold potatoes. Yum!
Haha yep, well said Annemarie! Thanks!
Potatoes are my favourite! I can eat my weight in potatoes and would eat all of these without missing a beat haha. I'm a crispy potato girl though so I'll go with that extra 5 minutes - thanks for that extra tip.
Haha I hear ya on the crispies 🙂 Thanks Carmy!
I can't believe I haven't tried this yet. I LOVE potatoes and this sounds amazing. Crispy outside and fluffy inside, it's perfect! Saving this, I think it would be perfect with a couple of steaks or some salmon. Thanks for sharing this!
Awesome Tina! So glad you feel that way about them...just wait til you eat them! And you're so right, they ARE perfect with salmon 🙂
Oh my gosh I've seen smashed potatoes on Pinterest for years but still haven't made them. I love how yours are "naked" because really you don't need much to make creamy and crispy delicious!! Pinning your recipe1
Thanks Tracy! You're so right...they have been on Pinterest for years. I finally made them and literally felt like I had been missing out all these years LOL. Not any more! 🙂
You had me at potato but these sound incredible. Crispy outside and a creamy texture inside sounds like a heavenly combination for a great side dish. Making these for dinner tonight!
Thanks Tina...love hearing that! And watch out, they might be the ONLY thing you eat for dinner 😉
Thanks for the clear and easy directions. No brainer, so simple and they look crispy too. I've gotta give them a try....right away!
Aww thanks Debra! Hope you love them like I do! 🙂
You are preaching to the choir here, Traci! I'm a HUGE proponent of smashed potatoes -- with those crispy craggy edges and soft interior. And you're so right -- they're easy to make. I don't have a potato masher like you -- so I've actually used the bottom side of a measuring cup to flatten out my spuds -- it works too! I know what I'm making this weekend!
Thanks Lisa! Aren't they so fun? I could eat them for dinner...and nothing else 😉 Love the measuring cup approach!
The potato lover in me LOVES this simple and delicious recipe!! Perfect as a side dish to dinner or brunch. I could make a meal of this alone...just dunk in some homemade ketchup!!
Thanks Gloria! I'm a potato lover too and would have lived on these as a kid had they been around LOL.
I definitely want to try the recipe for this potato! Wow and wow, this is so delicious and it makes my mouth watering
Thanks Mary! Hope you love them like we do! 🙂
these look delicious! I love smashed potatoes, these look so simple & creamy
Thanks Rebecca! Love hearing that 🙂
I am a potato girl, through and through! This recipe speaks to me, literally calls my name! Ha! I LOVE these baked smashed potatoes!
Haha I love it Cindy! They speak to me too 😉
It's been too long since I have made these! I love this simple recipe - soooooo good!
Yay Lauren! I need to make them too ASAP! 😉
I have actually never made these but I will definitely be making them soon! They look so delicious!
Thanks Dana! Love hearing that...I bet you'll love them 😉
Mine did not stay together during the smash. Not one of them. They all fell apart when I flip them. I did add some rosemary and melted butter in addition to the salt, pepper and oil. They were very tasty just not presentable 😆
Hmmm sorry to hear that Lissa. Yeah, cooked potatoes can be delicate to smash, but I usually only lose a few in the process. Do you think that boiling them longer (or shorter) might have played a role in that? And what kind of potato did you use? I'm curious 😉
I love making smashed potatoes! These sound so delicious and incredibly easy to make. Plus, garlic....YUM.
Thanks so much Danielle! They're SO easy...would be super fun for kids too! 🙂
We are a potato eating family and love Yukon Golds, what a unique way to serve potatoes.
Yay! Glad you think so! Hope you get to try it sometime...get ready to be hooked 🙂
We love potatoes and this is such an easy recipe. Perfect as a side to just about anything.
Thanks Ellen! You're so right that they go with anything 🙂
Wow..you got me all hungry over here. These sound so easy and delicious. Can't wait to try these!
Haha, I know right?! These make me hungry too...and I could easily make a meal of them LOL 😉
This is such an easy recipe. I love potatoes and this smashed idea I have already fallen in love. Wouldn’t have thought of this.
Thanks Chichi, I lovvvve hearing that I could inspire you so! Yay, it's all I could ever hope for as a recipe publisher 🙂
Smashed tatos are one of my favourite things!! I love when all those messy bits get all crispy and brown. Those are the best parts, if you ask me 😉 I could seriously make a meal out of just these. Have a great weekend, Tracy 🙂
Haha, the messy bits are the ones that NEVER make it to the serving platter...along with half the batch of whole taters. We must be related 😉 Happy Easter weekend to you too, Dawn
I love smashed potatoes! I tried it a few years ago and it was a hit when we hosted a BBQ. Never made it ever since, but you really made me wanna give it another go soon! Looks so delicious!
Yay thanks! So glad to inspire you! I love taking something that's been around forever and bringing it to the surface again 🙂
Potatoes are my daughters favorite food - she could eat them at every meal!
I know she is going to LOVE eating these. I can’t wait to make them for her.
Yay Courtney...so glad to hear that! I can't wait for you to make them for her too! 🙂
These look dangerously addictive! I can see me make about 100 and eating them all!! (to myself might I add). Thanks for sharing 🙂
Haha Chris...we think much alike! Thanks for the kind words 🙂
I totally have some small potatoes in my pantry right now and I was staring at them today thinking, "What should I do with you?" WELL. Now I know 🙂
I love when that happens!!! Make 'em with eggs! YUMMMM 🙂
Why have I not been doing this my whole life! So easy!
Haha...exaaaactly what I said! 🙂
What a simple technique, but I bet so good! Glad you gave it a try, now I am inspired to try it too.
Haha thanks, Katie! I'm glad I finally gave it a try too! Forever hooked! 🙂