Smashed Potatoes Recipe
by Sommer Collier — on Oct 13, 2025 These crispy smashed potatoes are lightly boiled before smashing, coated with ghee and spices, and baked to golden perfection. This smashed potato recipe makes a fabulous appetizer, dinner, or breakfast side dish that’s perfect to load up with toppings!
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
The potato is both one of the most humble and most versatile foods… They are a readily available vegetable packed with nutrients (when you leave the skin on!), and also perfect to turn into cozy and comforting side dishes like Irish potato pie, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, and cheesy scalloped potatoes.
Today we are talking about crisp, fluffy, and tender smashed potatoes. These beauties are great to pair with just about other dish! They make a wonderful platform for snacking appetizers, to serve as a hearty side dish, or make a part of you breakfast spread as a great alternative to traditional hashbrowns.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe for Extra Crispy Smashed Potatoes
- Irresistible taste – The combination of earthy potato, rich and nutty ghee, and spices like smoky paprika and garlic powder makes these potatoes deeply savory and complex.
- Delightful textures – These potatoes offer a bit of intrigue and extra texture compared to classic roasted potatoes. They are golden brown and crisp on the outside, and soft and fluffy inside.
- Prep ahead – The potatoes are boiled until fork-tender before mashing. You can do this ahead of time and keep them in the fridge until you’re ready to bake them for parties and events!
The smashed recipe makes about 15-20 potatoes total. Each serving is roughly 3-4 potatoes, therefore each batch yields somewhere between 6-8 servings. Feel free to double the recipe and work in batches to feed a crowd or meal prep for the week!
Ingredients and Tips
- Baby potatoes – Use your choice of yellow (golden yukon) or red potatoes. You don’t have to peel the small potatoes, so either option is delicious!
- Ghee* – Or unsalted butter and olive oil.
- Spices – We are using some of our favorite pantry spices here: Garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper.
*Why Ghee? Ghee, or clarified butter, is a flavorful fat to use in high-heat cooking. While butter will brown and then burn, the proteins have been removed from the butter in ghee, so it can handle the heat. If you can’t find it, use a combination of olive oil and butter to make the smashed potato recipe.
How to Make the Best Crispy Smashed Potatoes
Tip for Success – Don’t skip salting the water when boiling potatoes! It gives otherwise simple potatoes and big punch of flavor, and helps make the insides extra fluffy.
Find the full Smashed Potato recipe with detailed instructions, storage tips, and a video tutorial in the printable form at the bottom of the post.
Storage Notes
- Storing Leftovers – Transfer the leftover potatoes to an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freezing – Place the smashed potatoes in an airtight container, either wrapped individually in plastic wrap or stacked with a piece of wax or parchment paper between each layer. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Reheating – I suggest reheating them in the oven or air fryer to bring back the crispy texture.
Best Smashed Potato Toppings
Serve the crispy potatoes as-is, or feel free to dress them up however you want!
We love to enjoy them topped with traditional loaded baked potato toppings like flake salt, crumbled bacon, sour cream, or shredded cheese. And a sprinkle of fresh herbs like chopped parsley, scallions, or dill is great for a pop of freshness!
But don’t just stop there… Imagine piling smashed potatoes high with smoked salmon and capers, sliced steak and horseradish sauce, or with pizza toppings!
And they make a great alternative to breakfast hashbrowns! Load ’em up or serve on the side of fluffy scrambled eggs or over easy eggs, bacon, and even steak and eggs.
Frequently Asked Questions
This is an extremely easy recipe to make, but there is a two-step cooking process to follow. First, you must boil the potatoes so they’re soft. If they are undercooked they won’t smash properly to get the perfect tender inside.
You really have to be generous with the ghee (or butter) and bake them at the high temperature noted in the full recipe card below. Also, be sure not to overcrowd the baking sheet; otherwise, the potatoes will steam rather than roast. Work in batches or use two baking pans if needed!
Crispy Smashed Potatoes Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds baby potatoes yellow or red
- 4 tablespoons ghee melted (or 3 tb butter + 1 tb olive oil)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- Salt and pepper
- Optional garnishes: flake salt fresh chopped parsley, scallions, or dill, crumbled bacon, sour cream, or shredded cheese
Instructions
- Place the potatoes and a large pot and fill the pot with water, covering the potatoes by 1-2 inches. Add several large pinches of salt to the pot and set over high heat. Once the water comes to a boil, set the timer and boil the potatoes for approximately 20 minutes, until they are fork-tender and could easily be smashed. Scoop the potatoes out of the water and turn off the heat.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Set out a large rimmed baking sheet. Brush 1 tablespoon of ghee (or olive oil) over the baking sheet. Place the potatoes on the baking sheet and use a flat metal spatula to smash them into level ¼ – ½ inch potato cakes.
- Drizzle the remaining ghee (or butter) over the top of the potatoes and brush the potatoes to make sure they are fully coated in butter.
- Sprinkle the tops of the potatoes with salt and pepper, followed by garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika.
- Once the oven is hot, roast the potatoes for 15 minutes until golden. Then flip the potatoes over and roast again for an additional 5-10 minutes until crispy.
- Serve hot, as is, or with optional garnishes!
Notes
- Note – The recipe makes about 15-20 potatoes total. Each serving is roughly 3-4 potatoes; therefore, each batch yields somewhere between 6 and 8 servings.
- Storing Leftovers – Transfer the leftover potatoes to an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freezing – Place the smashed potatoes in an airtight container, either wrapped individually in plastic wrap or stacked with a piece of wax or parchment paper between each layer.
- Reheating – I suggest reheating them in the oven or air fryer to bring back the crispy texture.
