I’ve made potato wedges a few times in the oven, but I will never make them in the oven again! The air fryer makes potato wedges a breeze and it cooks them perfectly. As close as you can get to perfect, compared to deep frying. These easy Air Fryer potato wedges are crispy on the outside and tender in the middle, just the way potato wedges should be. No need to fry them or deal with heating up the house with the oven.
The Key to Crispiness
Soaking the cut potato wedges in water is one key element to remove some of the excess starch. This will help your potato wedges get crispier. After you soak them for at least 30 minutes in a cold water bath, make sure you dry them as best you can with paper towels. Also, I think using the right potatoes is key as well. Russet potatoes are perfect to help you get that nice fluffy texture to bite into and that great outside crisp thanks to the air fryer.
How to Make Crispy Air Fryer Potato Wedges
First soak the cut potatoes wedges in water and then dry them. After they’re dry oil and season the potatoes. Pre-heat your air-fryer. If your air-fryer does not have a pre-heat function, add 3 minutes to you timer when you start your air fryer. Make sure to spray your air fryer grill grate to keep the potato wedges from sticking to the grate.
How Long to Cook Potato Wedges
The answer to this is not concrete. I’ve made these potato wedges with my 2 completely different air fryers; the Ninja Foodi and Gourmia air fryer. I’ve cooked the same food with the same time and the small double basket air fryer cooks everything much faster. I have one that has one large crisper plate and fries take slightly longer to crisp up in this air fryer. My other air fryer is a double basket kind that I must pre-heat myself and fries in there crisp up much faster, especially if I’m only using 1 basket for air frying. Supposedly the smaller air fryer that is about half the size of the large basket air fryer gets hotter, especially if you’re cooking only 1 basket at a time.
All Air Fryers are Not Equal
Potato wedges ideally should be crispy on the outside and fluffy in the middle. In my experience of playing with both of my air fryers, I found that in 15 minutes my potato wedges are starting to crisp up nicely on the outside. In the double basket air fryer, they’re just perfect at 15 minutes, nice and crispy on the outside and fluffy inside. The larger air fryer, the Gourmia takes 3-4 more minutes to cook to get to my ideal crispiness level. The reason I like to use my larger air fryer for potato wedges (like in these photos) is because I can fit more in there at once, about 1lb so that’s the greatest benefit of the larger air fryer model. You just need to give them a little extra cooking time.
Air Fryer Potato Wedges Ingredients
- Russet Potatoes– I prefer using organic Russet Potatoes when it’s feasible. Potatoes are #13, just shy of EWG’s 2022 Dirty Dozen Shopper’s Guide. So, as with others on that list I try to avoid the pesticide laden fruits and vegetables if possible. Russet potatoes also offer the best texture I think for a crispy outside and fluffy inside for potato wedges.
- Seasonings–
- Salt– I prefer to use sea salt for most recipes, such as this one. I like the texture and it’s just less sodium.
- Pepper– I use fine ground black pepper, but whatever you prefer works.
- Paprika– I love smoked paprika, so I usually use that for an extra edge on flavor, but standard sweet paprika is fine as well.
- Garlic Powder or Granulated Garlic– I personally prefer granulated garlic because I think the flavor is stronger with granulated. I’m never a fan of super fine spices. I just feel they lose some of their intensity being powdered vs granulated.
- Optional Additions postAir Fry–
- Fresh chopped parsley– I love the taste of fresh herbs on hot potatoes, but some people aren’t fans, so this is optional per your taste.
- Parmesan or Asiago cheese– Freshly grated parmesan or asiago (hard cheeses) are a nice addition to potato wedges. It’s gives the dish a gourmet flair and subtle salty additive for an elevated flavor.
How to Serve Air-fried Wedges
These are a great alternative to regular fries and can be served with anything you’d enjoy fries with, from chicken tenders to veggie burgers or meat cutlets. It’s the perfect side dish when you’re wanting comfort food without a lot of extra grease.
Dip Options for Potato Wedges:
You might like these other Air Fryer recipes as well!
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Happy Cooking!
Easy Air Fryer Potato Wedges (Crispy & Tender)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Russet potatoes (skin washed (About 3 Medium sized))
- 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp granulated/powdered garlic
- 1/2 tsp paprika (you can use smoked if you prefer a little smokey flavor)
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp chili powder
Optional
- Toss in some grated fresh parmesan cheese and chopped fresh parsley to elevate the wedges. They're great without though as well.
Instructions
- Use a sharp knife to cut potatoes in half along the narrow side. Then lay flat and cut into 3-4 wedges depending on the size of your potato. With Medium-sized potatoes, I cut 4 wedges out of each half. With smaller potatoes, I get 3 wedges out of each half.
- Immediately place potato wedges into a large bowl of cold water. Let potatoes soak in cold water bath for at least 30 minutes. Soaking longer is fine, it won't hurt if you need to prep early.
- Once they're done soaking drain the wedges in a colander and lay out on a few paper towels and dry them well.
- Start preheating Air Fryer on 400 degrees for 3 minutes or use the auto-pre-heat function on your air fryer.
- Once dry add potato wedges to a mixing bowl and toss in olive oil and seasonings: salt, garlic, paprika, pepper & chili powder.
- Add seasoned potato wedges to the basket of the air fryer in a single layer. I place them with their "back-side" down (The fatter side with the potato skin), single rows, trying not to overlap them.
- Set air fryer to 15 minutes (you might need to add more time if your air fryer isn't as hot).
- Toss potato wedges halfway through or just turn them onto a cut side of the potato. Cook until golden brown with crispy edges.
- If you like the potato wedges crispier, toss them again and add another 2-3 minutes
- Once they're at your crispiness level you can serve them immediately or toss them with some grated parmesan and/or parsley and then serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
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