We love roast potatoes in our family, but they often take so long to make – so this is a little hack that makes life easy. Enter air fryer roast potatoes. Ready in under 40 minutes, with little effort!
Roast potatoes might just be one of life’s greatest pleasures — these delicious little baby potatoes with soft, fluffy insides? Absolute perfection. But turning on the oven, waiting forever, and ending up with uneven results? Not so much.
Enter the air fryer roast potato. These little gems take less than 40 minutes, don’t require a hot oven, and deliver all the flavour and crunch with a fraction of the oil. Whether you’re using the super-handy Simply Steam packets from Woolies or Aldi, or boiling your own baby potatoes, this recipe makes it so easy to nail roast potatoes every single time.
🥔 Why you’ll love these potatoes
• Crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside – the dream combo, no deep fryer required.
• Quick and easy – ready in under 40 minutes, with minimal hands-on time.
• Less oily than oven or pan-fried versions – just a drizzle of oil does the trick.
• No oven? No worries – keep the oven off and still enjoy golden roasties.
• Perfect for any meal – serve them with roasts, steak, eggs, or just eat them on their own with aioli, or turn them into a warm potato salad (so good!)
🥔 How to make air fryer roast potatoes
- Pre-cook the potatoes
If you’re using Simply Steam potatoes (Woolies or Aldi both have versions), cook them in the microwave as per the packet instructions — I do 8 minutes, then let them rest in the bag for 5 minutes. Easy peasy.
If you’re using regular baby potatoes, boil them in a pot of salted water until just tender. You want them to hold their shape and not be falling apart. Drain well.
- Give them a good toss
Place the warm potatoes in a large bowl. Drizzle over a splash of olive oil and toss to coat. This will help them get that golden, crispy crust we all love.
- Into the air fryer they go
Pop the potatoes into the air fryer basket in a single layer — this is the secret to getting all-over crunch. Don’t overcrowd the basket!
Cook at 200ºC for 20 minutes, giving the basket a shake halfway through to move them around a little.
- Season and serve
Once they’re crisp and golden, sprinkle with salt and pepper (and maybe some rosemary or garlic powder if you’re feeling fancy). Serve straight away — these are best hot!
Air fryer roast potatoes
Ingredients
1kg of baby potatoes (I use the Simply Steam potatoes)
2 tbs oil (I use Vegetable Oil)
Salt and pepper, to season
Instructions
- Cook the potatoes as per the packet instructions. The Simply Steam potatoes (available at Woolworths, and Aldi also does a version) can be cooked in the bag. I cook for 8 minutes, and then allow to sit for 5 minutes.
- If you’re not using the Simply Steam potatoes, cook baby potatoes in boiling water until just tender, but not cracking and falling apart.
- Place the cooked potatoes into a bowl, along with the oil. Toss to coat.
- Pop into the air fryer in a single layer (so they can get brown all over) and cook for 20 minutes at 200ºC.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper, once cooked.
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