If you are a potato fan like me, you will love these Easy Air Fryer Hasselback Potatoes. Seasoned to perfection with a flavorful garlic herb butter, golden brown and crispy on the outside and soft and creamy on the inside, unique-looking and decadent air-fried Hasselback potatoes are the side dish of your dreams.
Family-friendly and a favorite of kids everywhere, these potatoes are versatile, quick, and easy to prepare, especially in the air fryer. Besides being an amazing side dish, they also can be served as a light lunch or dinner.
Hasselback potatoes can also be served as a bite-sized appetizer when made with fingerling or baby potatoes.
Just like my Air Fryer Twice Baked Potatoes and Air Fryer Loaded Potato Skins, these potatoes can be made in a fraction of the time as oven-baked, so you have more time to spend with your family and guests.
What, you haven’t caved in and bought an air fryer yet? Well, no worries; I have also included easy recipe instructions below for making tasty Hasselback potatoes in the oven.
Jump to:
What are Hasselback Potatoes:
Distinctive and delicious Hasselback potatoes are simply whole potatoes, cut in thin slices that fan out while cooking, which allows the garlic herb butter to infuse the interior with pure goodness.
A blast from the past, Hasselback Potatoes appeared on the scene sometime in the late 1940s or early 1950s when they were first served at a restaurant in Stockholm, Sweden.
They have been a popular side dish ever since then, and for a good reason; they pair well with just about any main dish, especially Air-Fryer Sea Bass, make a beautiful presentation, and, best of all, are delicious.
Ingredients – here’s what you will need:
- Potatoes – I recommend using large Russet baking potatoes that are about nine ounces. Russets have sturdy skin or jackets that hold up well during cooking and crisp up beautifully. Yukon Gold has thinner skin, but they also work well.
- Butter – adds flavor and richness and helps the skin crisp up.
- Rosemary – adds its distinctive woodsy aroma and fresh taste to the garlic herb butter. You can substitute other fresh herbs, including thyme, basil, and parsley.
- Garlic – plus butter equals garlicky, buttery goodness and even more flavor.
- Kosher salt and pepper – enhance all of the other flavors and bring it all together.
How to make hasselback potatoes:
- Place two wooden spoons or chopsticks on a cutting board. Nestle a potato between them and, using a sharp knife, slice them into very thin slices. The wooden spoon handles or chopsticks will stop your knife from cutting the potato all the way through. Repeat with the other potato.
- Combine the melted butter, garlic, and rosemary in a small bowl.
- Carefully fan out the potatoes a bit and use a pastry brush to spread on the garlic herb butter mixture, making sure to get between the slices.
- Sprinkle the potatoes with salt and pepper and place them in the air fryer basket.
- Air fry them for 30 minutes at 400 degrees F. Remove the basket and baste them again with the garlic herb butter mixture. Air fry for an additional 10 minutes or until the potatoes are done.
- To prepare this recipe in the oven, follow the directions above to prepare the potatoes. Then, place the potatoes on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 400-degree F. oven and roast for one hour or until the potatoes are done.
- To serve, top with additional garlic herb butter if desired, and your choice of toppings and serve immediately while they are still hot.
Top tip:
Wooden spoon handles or chopsticks work great to ensure you don’t cut your potatoes all the way through. But if you are a gadget lover, special Hasselback potato cutters are available at kitchen specialty stores or online.
What potatoes work the best in this recipe:
I prefer to use Russet potatoes because I like the way their skin crisps up. However, you can Yukon Gold, which has thinner skin, and red potatoes, which also have thin skin and less starch, so they will be a little firmer.
You can also use sweet potatoes, but they will take a little less time to cook. In addition, you can use fingerling, mini, or baby potatoes to make bite-size Hasselback appetizers which will take even less time to cook.
Serving suggestions:
I like to serve this special side dish with my Blackened Steak, New York Strip Roast, Fried Oysters, Southern Fried Chicken, Fried Fish, Baby Back Ribs, Blackened Mahi Mahi, and Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Thighs,
They would also be delicious served with Reverse Seared Ribeye Steak, Baked Chicken Thighs, Broiled Chicken Thighs, Smoked Chicken Thighs, or my Crispy Oven-Fried Chicken.
It also pairs well with these side dishes: Purple Hull Peas, Black Eyed Peas, White Acre Peas, Dirty Rice, Creamed Corn, Fried Corn, and Seven Layer Salad.
Recipe FAQs:
Hasselback potatoes can be topped with anything you would normally place on top of a loaded baked potato. Examples include sour cream, bacon, chopped chives, shredded cheese, cheese sauce, and even chili or salsa.
Slide a sharp knife into the center of the potato. If it goes in easily, it’s done. If not, let it cook a little longer. This recipe was tested on potatoes that average nine ounces each. If yours are larger or smaller, they will take longer or less time than shown to cook properly.
Leftovers can be stored covered in the refrigerator for up to five days. For the best results, they can be reheated in an air fryer for five minutes at 375 degrees F. or until they are warmed through. They can also be reheated in the oven for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees F. You can also reheat them in the microwave, but the skin won’t be as crispy.
More tips:
- Air fryers come in all sizes and shapes, and cooking times may vary. I have a compact Cosori 3.7 quart basket-style air fryer that I used for this recipe that is designed for smaller families. Two large whole potatoes fit in the basket perfectly. Food cooked in an air fryer cooks best if it’s not crowded so the air can circulate around it. This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled if you have a larger air fryer or want to feed more folks.
- When cooking the potatoes in the air fryer, be sure to place them perpendicular to the handle, running from front to back in the basket. If you put them parallel to the handle, because of the rounded bottoms, they tend to roll over when you push the basket in or remove it.
More potato recipes:
If you like this recipe, you might also like these other top-rated recipes:
If you need more menu ideas or side dish recipes, you might also like my recipes for Creamed Potatoes, and Parmesan Smashed Potatoes, or here is a link to all of my side dish recipes.
★★★★★ If you make this recipe, please leave a comment and give it a star rating. I would love to know how you liked it!
Thank you so much for visiting Grits and Pinecones. I hope you’ll come back soon!
📋 Recipe:
Easy Air Fryer Hasselback Potatoes
Equipment
- Air Fryer Instructions also included for cooking in an oven
Ingredients
- 2 large Russet potatoes about nine ounces each
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 clove finely chopped garlic
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place two wooden spoons or chopsticks on a cutting board. Nestle a potato between them and, using a sharp knife, slice them into very thin slices. The wooden spoon handles or chopsticks will stop your knife from cutting the potato all the way through. Repeat with the other potato.
- Combine the melted butter, garlic, and rosemary in a small bowl. Carefully fan out the potatoes a bit and use a pastry brush to spread on the garlic herb butter mixture, making sure to get between the slices.
- Sprinkle the potatoes with salt and pepper and place them in the air fryer basket.
- Air fry them for 30 minutes at 400 degrees F. Remove the basket and baste them again with the garlic herb butter mixture. Air fry for an additional 10 minutes or until the potatoes are done.
Alternate instructions to cook in the oven
- To prepare this recipe in the oven, follow the directions above to prepare the potatoes but place them on a baking sheet and place them 400-degree F. preheated oven. Roast for one hour or until they are done. At the 30 minute mark, baste again with the garlic herb butter.
To serve
- To serve, top with additional garlic herb butter if desired and your choice of toppings. Serve them immediately while they are still hot.
This was very good and easy to make. I took it to a potluck dinner at my church. Everyone liked them. Next time, I might sprinkle parmesan cheese on them. They cooked in one hour at 450 degrees. I will make these again.
Hi Sue, Thanks so much for letting me know and I’m so glad you liked them. I think parmesan cheese would be a great addition! Great idea!
Looks great. Found you on yummly.
Thanks so much for your kind comment!
Thank you for giving out the history of the dish as well as the method. It is important to learn where the food we eat came from and how it came about