Air Fryer Breakfast Potatoes

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Did you know you can make breakfast potatoes in the air fryer? Yup! You sure can!

We love home fries in our house, but what I don’t love is all the oil I need to use in the skillet and the fact that potatoes can take FOREVER to cook. When I’m ready for breakfast, I’m ready RIGHT NOW.

Here comes the air fryer to the rescue!

Cooking potatoes in the air fryer is a cinch! They cook way faster in the air fryer than they do in an oven or skillet (no boiling or soaking required!), so I can have potatoes on the breakfast table in 20 minutes or less! The air fryer also cooks up these spuds perfectly crispy on the outside, and light and fluffy on the inside *insert chef’s kiss here*.

This recipe also calls for a minimal amount of oil–just enough to prevent sticking–making this air-fried version virtually guilt-free. AND there’s no greasy mess to clean up!

This is my absolute favorite way to cook potatoes these days. Dress ’em up, dress ’em down, they’re perfect every time.

Here’s how we make them:

How to make Breakfast Potatoes in the Air Fryer

Makes 2 servings

Ingredients you’ll need:

• 1 1/2 cups of Yukon Gold potatoes, diced about 1/2″ to 3/4″ cubes.
• 2 teaspoons of olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
• pinch of chili powder (optional)
• pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup of onion diced small

Instructions:

In a medium sized bowl, toss together the diced potatoes, olive oil, salt, garlic powder, chili powder (if using), and pepper. 

Use a rubber spatula to make sure the potatoes are completely coated in seasoning. 

Add the potatoes to your air fryer basket in a single layer.

Set the temperature to 390º and cook for 10 minutes. Give the basket a shake after 5 minutes.

While the potatoes cook, add your diced onion to the bowl where the potatoes were seasoned. Toss the onions around in the remaining seasoning until evenly coated.

After the potatoes have been cooking for 10 minutes, give them another shake and then add the seasoned onions to the potatoes. Continue cooking for 5-10 more minutes.

The potatoes are done when they are crispy, fork tender, and the onions are soft.

Serve and enjoy while warm.

how long to air fry breakfast potatoes

All you need is about 15 minutes! In some cases, you’ll need an extra 5 minutes if you’re adding accessories like peppers, cheese, and bacon to the potatoes. I like to dice the potatoes into cubes small enough to make the outside crispy while cooking the inside until tender–about 1/2″ to 3/4″ is a good size.

Should I boil potatoes before air frying?

I do not. The potatoes are diced small enough that they cook all the way through and crisp on the outside at the same time.

I don’t soak my potatoes either. I use Yukon Golds for this recipe, which are on the lower end of the starchy potatoes, so I haven’t felt the need to soak them. Tossing the potatoes in oil prior to frying has helped considerably with preventing the home fries from sticking to one another and the fry basket.

Make Ahead Air Fryer Home Fries

If you want to have all your ingredients chopped and ready to go tonight for tomorrow’s breakfast here’s how we do it:

Wash your potatoes well and dice them into cubes per the recipe. Dice up any onions and peppers too, pop those in the fridge. Then grab a bowl of water, and add the potatoes to it. Cover the bowl and place it in the fridge overnight.

Keeping the potatoes in water will keep them from turning brown. You can also add a little lemon juice or vinegar too if you want. The next morning, simply drain the potatoes, dry really, really well, then toss in your oil and seasonings and fry per the recipe. Now you’ll have breakfast potatoes in a flash!

This method is great if you’re doing multiple batches of potatoes too.

Alternatively, you can cook your potatoes fully the night before and just reheat them the next day. See below.

Reheating Breakfast Potatoes in the air fryer

These home fries can easily be reheated in the air fryer for a quick refresh! Just set the temp to 390º on the fryer, add the potatoes to the fry basket, and heat until warmed through. Start checking after 2-3 minutes to make sure they’re not burning. Enjoy!

What to serve breakfast potatoes with

This is my favorite part! These potatoes are best served straight out of the air fryer with any of your favorite breakfast sides.

Serve with some sausage or bacon and buttered toast. Add a runny fried egg to the top for extra richness.

These potatoes are also great inside of a breakfast burrito or served alongside a sensible bowl of mixed fruit or smoothie.

Variations:

• Toss the potatoes in taco seasoning and fry for a south of the border spin on spuds. Serve topped with salsa and sour cream!
• Make ranch potatoes! We love tossing the potatoes in a couple teaspoons of powdered ranch seasoning mix for extra zip!
• Loaded home fries. Add a 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar and a sprinkle of chopped pre-cooked bacon to the potatoes during the last 5 minutes of frying.
• Add red or green bell peppers with the onions
• Crumbled or diced sausage with some green onions would be divine with these potatoes. Add precooked sausage during the last 5 minutes of cooking.

Other Air Fryer Recipes You Might Like:

French Toast Sticks In The Air Fryer

Air Fryer Nachos

Air Fryer Zucchini

Homemade Air Fryer Mozzarella Sticks

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