These air fryer Hasselback potatoes are crispy on the outside and soft and creamy on the inside. Topping them with lemon and fresh herbs makes them a healthy version of the classic, but if you sneak a dollop of sour cream on top we won’t tell.
Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen | Healthy Air Fryer | America’s Test Kitchen, 2021
Essentially baked potatoes but par-sliced into thin, even segments that create a fanlike shape, our air-fried potatoes become extra-crispy on the outside while their interiors remain fluffy and moist.
This impressive accordion-shaped potato dish—believed to have originated in Sweden at the Hasselbacken restaurant—is surprisingly easy to prepare. For a healthy take on a classic often loaded with butter, sour cream, cheese, or other rich toppings, we turned to heart-healthy olive oil to help crisp the segments and added flavor with aromatic smoked paprika and garlic powder instead.–America’s Test Kitchen
What is the best type of potatoes to use?
We found that using the right kind of potato for these air fryer Hasselback potatoes was key. The Russet, or Idaho, potato was the best choice because of its starchy flesh and creamy texture. Taking the time to rinse the potatoes of surface starch after they were sliced prevented them from sticking together and trimming off the ends of each potato gave the slices room to fan out.
How to prepare air fryer Hasselback potatoes
To prevent overcooking or burning our spuds in the heat of the air fryer, we precooked them briefly in the microwave. To ensure that the potatoes fan out evenly, look for uniformly shaped potatoes. Chopsticks or thick skewers provide a foolproof guide for slicing the potato petals without cutting all the way through the potato in step 1.
Air Fryer Hasselback Potatoes FAQs
Can I prepare these potatoes in advance?
In general, potatoes turn unsightly colors when they’re sliced or cut and not cooked immediately. Thankfully, we know a little trick. Wash your potatoes and complete step 1 in the recipe below. Once each potato is sliced, immediately submerge it in a large bowl of cold water. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap (again, ensure those taters are completely submerged) and store the bowl in the fridge. The potatoes should keep for about 24 hours.
What should I serve with these crispy potato fans?
We’re big meat and potato fans, so we’d love a cowboy steak or a lovely pork tenderloin. Grilled chicken would pair nicely as well.
Does the air fryer basket need to be oiled?
We typically hit our air fryer basket with a little avocado oil before frying anything, just to prevent sticking – but brushing your potatoes with the olive oil and spice mixture should take care of that. Still, if you feel like you need the additional assurance of that avo oil, go ahead and spritz to your heart’s content.
I don’t have an air fryer, can I still make this recipe?
We have good news! One of our amazing testers used her toaster oven with great success. She cooked her potatoes using the convection setting at 400°F (200°C).
In this recipe
Air Fryer Hasselback Potatoes
Ingredients
- Two (about 1 lb total) Russet potatoes unpeeled
- 2 tablespoons extra‑virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh scallions and/or fresh chives or fresh dill
- Fresh parsley
- Lemon wedges
Directions
-
Cut 1/4 inch (6 mm) from the bottoms and the ends of the potatoes. Place 1 chopstick or thick skewer lengthwise along each side of 1 potato, then slice the potato crosswise at 1/4-inch (6 mm) intervals, stopping 1/4 inch (6 mm) from the bottom of the potato at the skewer. Repeat with the second potato.
- Rinse the potatoes gently under running water, let drain, and transfer to a plate. Microwave until slightly tender when squeezed gently, 6 to 12 minutes, flipping the potatoes halfway through cooking. The cook time will be dependent on the size of your potato so begin checking at 6 minutes.
- Combine the oil, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a bowl, and mix well. Brush the potatoes with half of the oil mixture, then drizzle the remaining oil mixture in between the slices. Use caution if you need to grab the potato to separate the slices as the potatoes will be hot.
- Arrange the potatoes cut side up in the air fryer basket, spaced evenly apart. Place the basket into the air fryer and set the temperature to 400°F (200°C). Cook until the potato skins are crisp and golden brown and the potato interiors register 205°F (96°C), 15 to 25 minutes.
- Sprinkle the potatoes with scallions and serve with lemon wedges.
Show Nutrition
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
I’ve made potatoes a LOT of different ways over the years, and although I have seen variations of this type of preparation – most commonly known as Hasselback – I had never attempted it – until now. It’s a very easy preparation method and the instructions were straightforward and the end product looked like the photo.
For these accordion potatoes, microwaving in advance is key – unfortunately, my microwave is out of commission, so I used the bake function on my air fryer and it worked beautifully. By microwaving the potato first, you get the pillowy soft texture started and then by finishing with air frying, you get the crusty, fried (not oily) texture on the exterior. Personally, I prefer a little more of the oil mixture as that is where all the flavor comes from so I would double the recipe next time and baste the potatoes throughout the air frying process – this will make sure that the spices and oil get into every nook and cranny and will also help the potato skin get that extra crispy goodness.
Since I paired this potato with a medium rare skirt steak, I made a zingy chimichurri with all the green herbs suggested in the recipe and topped the potato with the chimichurri sauce and it was perfection. I would most definitely make this recipe again!
I’ve tried a few Hasselback potato recipes in my time but none of them got the wonderfully crispy exterior with creamy interior that these do. This is the perfect recipe for my small Instant Pot with Air Fryer lid which fit the two potatoes perfectly.
One thing about Hasselback potatoes is that you need a really flat bottom so that they stay intact at the ends once sliced. I did not pre-heat my air fryer and my potatoes were cooked in 25 minutes. Next time I will use more smoked paprika and garlic powder as the flavours were very faint.
I served the parsley and chive combination on the side. I served these with grilled chicken thighs, green beans, and garlic Ukrainian bread.
This crispy air fryer Hasselback potatoes recipe will make you feel like you’re eating at a fine dining establishment. Besides being the prettiest presentation for a special occasion, they are tasty made as the recipe states, but flexible enough to change the seasonings to your own taste. Another bonus is that you can split portions easily if you have XL potatoes and want to serve 1/2 potato per person. This is definitely a new addition to my ‘favorites’ file.
For the seasoning, I went easy on the paprika as it can turn things bitter. I ended up using scallions for my herbs as I am a fan of potato/onion combinations. Certainly, any combo will work and can be adjusted to your liking.
For those who haven’t jumped on the ‘air fryer’ bandwagon like me, I can attest to the fact that you can cook this in a convection oven as well. I cooked mine in a toaster oven on the convection setting at 400°F (200°C) just to see if it would work. I am happy to report that they turned out perfectly! This is a plus for those who are cooking for one or two as it makes for cleanup easy.
To cook them in an oven, I recommend putting foil on a baking sheet and then placing the microwaved potato on the foil. Adjust the fans as you like, then do the brushing/drizzling right on the pan. No reason to do extra cleanup—no bowls/plates used, and the foil makes the cleanup extra easy. The drippings also help the bottoms get extra crispy.
The edges of the fans turned out extra crispy and the insides were creamy and flavorful. The bottoms were crispy due to the collected drippings. I recommend a finishing of sea salt and freshly ground pepper for an additional boost—a green topper like parsley is a pretty finish. If you haven’t put fresh lemon on potatoes, I recommend trying it with this recipe. It’s a light pop of flavor that adds a bit of pizzazz and is unexpected.
We love baked potatoes but sometimes don’t want to take the time to do them in the oven, and those done in the microwave are just okay. When I saw these Air Fryer Hasselback Potatoes were done in the air fryer, I was immediately drawn to give them a try.
Honestly, I was not expecting much because it was healthy and not loaded with very yummy toppings such as butter and sour cream. I had made Hasselback potatoes before and even have the slice and slide rack made for this operation. This recipe provided very clear instructions to get the best results. I had never known before the following tricks: cut 1/4” from bottom and ends of potatoes and rinsing under running water to remove surface starch. Both made the preparation easier. The potatoes I purchased were huge (1.08 and 1.055 lbs.), actually the smallest in the bin at the grocery store. Since my potatoes were so large I made twice the amount of oil mixture and needed that amount.
I sprinkled the potatoes with a combination of scallions and fresh chives and squeezed lemon juice on them. When we sat down to eat, I brought butter to the table thinking we were going to need it to make these delicious. We did not! Both my husband and I loved the taste and the texture. And the lemon juice was the perfect addition to make these delicious. And I congratulated myself on liking something healthy!
What a fun way to steak and potatoes for dinner. Wash, slice and air fry, so easy to do. The potatoes were well seasoned, the middles were creamy and the tops were crunchy. With the addition of the diced scallions and a dollop of sour cream these were delicious. We served these with a grilled steak and salad. Adjusting for the cooking time I think we would make this again.
These air fryer Hasselback potatoes were delicious! I’ve always been intimidated by this dish but was surprised at the simplicity of it. The precooking of the potato in the microwave was genius and I will be sure to make this again. Next time, I’ll make sure to cut the potato evenly and thinner and begin with an even bottom.
Versatile, simple recipe that could be customized to personal preference. I loved the simplicity of the recipe as well as the minimal prep work involved. I made these crispy air fryer Hasselback potatoes for lunch and served them with baked salmon and a simple salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing. Instead of lemon slices, I think these potatoes would be delicious with a dollop of sour cream.
Yes, I’m the one who said that if there’s one thing that I don’t need, it’s another potato recipe. Actually, I do say that often, but never listen to myself. In this case, I’m glad that I didn’t listen. Interestingly, a potato recipe I told myself I would never tackle again, was another recipe for Hasselbback potatoes, which these basically are.
Yes, looking at them in photos, they always look beautiful, and I have tried them multiple times over the years, but, for me, the end result has never been anything that didn’t leave me disappointed. Each time I made them, I told myself, “never again”, and literally did not try them again for a few years, only to be disappointed once again, and to quote that little black bird, said “Nevermore!” Well, seeing that this was a version of that recipe, using an air fryer, I figured that I would give it a try. (See, I never listen to myself.)
I have made this recipe multiple times over the past 2 weeks, and have been delighted each and every time. I have made it with all different sizes of Russet potatoes. Since the ends, for me, are especially yummy because they get crispier than the middle of larger potatoes, I have started making them with smaller potatoes, those that are just 3 to 4 inches long, however, if you are seeking more of a baked potato result, then by all means, go for a larger potato. I also have been varying the spices I put in the olive oil, to brush on the potatoes before they go into the air fryer. I have added onion powder, along with the garlic powder, and I was intrigued when I added some Italian seasoning. I plan to try an addition of some cayenne when I want to make these a tad spicy.
I have served these alongside burgers, steak, and chicken skewers. I even made them to have with a take-out shawarma wrap. They have been a winner every time.
Originally published June 15, 2022