Roasties are British-style roasted potatoes that will blow your mind with how light and crispy they are. The secret is to parboil them in baking soda so they form a crunchy outer layer while keeping the inside moist. Roast them in the air fryer to cut down on cook time!
Roasties are what the Brits call their roasted potatoes. But not just any roasted potatoes.
British-style roast potatoes have an insanely crispy outside, with a moist, fluffy interior. It combines two amazing textures, plus the natural delicious flavour of potatoes, all in one bite.
If you’re getting bored of your regular potato side dishes, try British roasties. Traditionally oven roasted, but it’s much faster in an air fryer and you don’t have to heat up the whole house.
When I gave Kevin a bite of my first experimental batch, his eyes widened and he declared that this was the PERFECT texture for roasted potatoes. I knew I had a winner.
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Ingredients
A few important notes on some of the ingredients used in this Air Fryer Roasties recipe:
Potatoes: If you’re in the UK, Maris Piper potatoes are the gold standard for making roasties. But they can be hard to find outside of Britain, so the next best option is russet potatoes. They’re high in starch, which is essential for developing the light crispy texture.
Yukon Gold potatoes are also okay, or even red potatoes if you’re really in a pinch. Creamer potatoes, you know the little baby potatoes, are also great—and you don’t even have to peel those.
Baking Soda: Another crucial ingredient. Use exactly ¼ teaspoon for every 1 quart of boiling water. Too much and your potatoes will fall apart; not enough and they won’t crisp up.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil: We use the garlic-infused olive oil from making Air Fryer Garlic Confit. Gives a nice subtle flavour to the potatoes in addition to crisping them up. Instead of olive oil, you can also use schmaltz, beef tallow, or (our favourite) duck fat.
Seasonings: Our base seasoning is a simple blend of salt, garlic powder, ground black pepper, and paprika. You can go crazy with adding more toppings and mix-in’s—see Variations below.
Fresh Herbs: Toss with potatoes after roasting for a bit of fresh flavour. We like chives or parsley, though you can’t go wrong with any combination of herbs.
See recipe card for quantities.
Variations
You can dress up these crispy potatoes with so many scrumptious flavour combos. Here are some of our faves:
- Rosemary Garlic: Strip the leaves off of 1 sprig of rosemary or thyme, and combine with 3 cloves of minced garlic and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet on medium heat until the garlic just starts to brown. Strain the oil through a metal strainer and use it to roast the potatoes. Then toss the air fried roasties in the remaining herb-garlic mixture to coat.
- Cajun: Add 1 tablespoon of cajun seasoning to the seasoning mix when tossing the potatoes. (If your cajun seasoning contains salt, reduce the salt amount in the recipe to compensate.)
- Shichimi Togarashi: Toss in 1 tablespoon of Japanese shichimi togarashi for a slightly spicy Asian flavour. For a similar profile to Shichimi Togarashi Roasted Potatoes.
Why Baking Soda?
I’m a big fan of using baking soda to work its magic in my recipes, everything from caramelizing onions for Butter Chicken to tenderizing Velveted Chicken Breast. One thing that it does really well is making air fried potatoes extra crispy.
So why does baking soda improve your air fryer roast potatoes? It’s because baking soda is an alkaline, a substance that breaks down the outer surface of the potatoes, while leaving the insides firm. This basically results in a rough, mashed potato layer on the outside of each potato, which puffs up and develops a golden brown crust in the air fryer.
Result: The best crispy potatoes you can get in the air fryer.
Directions
Step 1. Start by cutting the potatoes into small-ish chunks (no larger than 2 inches). We like small potato pieces for the best crunch-to-fluff ratio.
Step 2. Bring water to a boil in a stockpot over high heat. Once boiling, add the baking soda and potatoes and cook for 8 minutes.
Note: The water will stop boiling momentarily when you add the potatoes (especially if they’re cold), but that’s okay. Start a timer for 8 minutes as soon as you drop the potatoes into the pot, and keep the heat on high.
Step 3. Turn off the stove. Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot. Meanwhile, preheat air fryer to 400 °F.
Step 4. Add oil, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, and paprika. Use a rubber spatula to mix, ensuring all potato pieces are coated in the spice mixture.
Hint: The outside of each potato should kind of disintegrate as you mix them, resulting in a mashed potato-like texture. This is what gives roasties their ultra-crispy texture.
Step 5. Add the seasoned potatoes to the air fryer tray. Space the potatoes out evenly so that the pieces aren’t touching.
Step 6. Air fry for 35 minutes. Halfway through, flip roasties with the rubber spatula. Toss with fresh herbs immediately after roasting.
Equipment
I’ve tested this in the Ninja Foodi and Gourmia Air Fryer, but other air fryers will work too. Just make sure it is 6-qt or larger so you have space to air fry all the potatoes in a single batch.
Storage Tips
Make Ahead: You can prep these potatoes up until just before the air frying step. Boil the potatoes and mix them with the spices, then cover them and keep in the fridge for up to three days before you plan to roast them. We usually store them right in the mixing bowl, covered with a sheet of plastic wrap.
Fridge: Leftover roasties (how is that even possible?) can be refrigerated for up to four days.
Freezer: Frozen roast potatoes are best consumed within a few weeks of freezing for best flavour.
Reheating: Toss the roasties back into the air fryer and reheat at 250 °F for 3 minutes to crisp them right up.
More Air Fryer Recipes
Looking for other savoury and delicious air fryer recipes? Try these:
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a rating or comment below to give me feedback and help out other readers.
Recipe Card
Air Fryer Roasties (British Roast Potatoes)
Equipment
- Air fryer I’ve tested this in the Ninja Foodi and Gourmia Air Fryer, but other air fryers will work too
- Small stockpot at least 1.5-qt capacity
Ingredients
- 1 pound russet potatoes cut into 2-inch chunks
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 quart water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or schmaltz, or beef tallow, or duck fat…
- ¾ teaspoon fine salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ cup chopped fresh herbs *optional
Instructions
- Bring 1 quart water to a boil in a stockpot over high heat.
- Once boiling, add the ¼ teaspoon baking soda and 1 pound russet potatoes. Cook for 8 minutes. The water will stop boiling momentarily when you add the potatoes (especially if they’re cold), but that’s okay. Start the timer for 8 minutes as soon as you add them to the pot and keep the heat on high.
- Meanwhile, preheat the air fryer to 400 °F.
- Turn off the stove and drain the potatoes—do not rinse them off.
- Combine 1 tablespoon olive oil, ¾ teaspoon fine salt, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, and ½ teaspoon paprika in a mixing bowl. Add the potatoes to the bowl and use a rubber spatula to mix, ensuring all pieces are coated in the spice mixture.
- Line the air fryer tray with aluminum foil (helps prevent the potatoes from sticking) and add the potatoes. Space them out evenly so that the pieces aren’t touching.
- Air fry for 30 minutes at 400 °F. Halfway through, flip the potato pieces with a thin spatula.
- Toss in ¼ cup chopped fresh herbs, if using. Serve hot and fresh.
Julia says
My mind is blown, I didn’t know potatoes could be this crispy without frying. Having an out of body experience rn
Kelly Zhang says
Haha they're insanely crispy!