Air Fryer Potato Cubes (Air Fryer Diced Potatoes)

Air fryer potato cubes are so easy to make and ready in under 30 minutes! These air fryer diced potatoes are crispy on the outside and soft and tender in the center and the perfect side dish for any meal. Made with simple, budget friendly ingredients, these air fryer cubed potatoes are also vegan, gluten free, paleo and Whole30 friendly!

Why you will love this recipe

• Quick and easy – ready in under 30 minutes with no soaking required, making air fryer potato cubes are going to become your go-to when you need a delicious side dish quick! No need to peel the potatoes or soak them in water before cooking in the air fryer, these diced potatoes come out crispy every time!
• Simple ingredients – made with staple pantry ingredients, these air fryer diced potatoes will quickly become part of your weekly meal rotation!
• Versatile – you can easily change up the spices to change up the flavor! Even better, you can serve air fryer cubed potatoes for breakfast, lunch, dinner or even as a snack on their own (with your favorite dipping sauce of course).
• Healthy side dish – crispy potatoes with less oil than cooking them on the stove or in a deep fryer! Crispy, fast, easy, and delicious these potatoes are packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber and are low in calories!

Ingredients

• Potatoes – you can use whatever potatoes you have on hand to make this recipe for air fryer diced potatoes, however some of my favorites are yellow gold potatoes, red skinned potatoes or russets (Idaho) potatoes.
• Olive oil or avocado oil – using olive oil or avocado oil helps to ensure that the potatoes are able to get crispy when cooked in the air fryer and also helps the spices stick to the outside of the potatoes when cooking.
• Spices: Salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder, oregano – these easy to find spices help to give the potatoes so much flavor while still making them incredibly versatile. You can check out the tips below on other flavors you can try!

How to make air fryer potato cubes

Check out a step by step story on how to make air fryer diced potatoes!

Start by scrubbing down your potatoes (especially if you are going to be eating the skin).

Once the potatoes are dry, cut the potatoes into cubes. The best way to do this is to first cut the potato in half from top to bottom. Now you have two halves that can be placed directly on the cutting board, making them more stable. Cut these into 1/2 inch matchsticks. Then cut the matchsticks into cubes.

Add the cubed potatoes to a bowl, drizzle with olive oil and add the spices. Stir well ensuring all the potatoes are well coated in the spice mixture.

Add the potatoes to the air fryer basket and put them in the air fryer at 400F for 23 minutes.

After the first 13 minutes (10 minutes left to cook), pause the air fryer and shake the basket to shake up the potatoes. Resume cooking, pausing again 2-3 more times to shake the basket.

Top tips

• Be sure to dice the potatoes all the same size so they can cook evenly.
• Be sure to shake the basket 3-4 times during cooking to ensure the potatoes are evenly cooked and crispy.
• Don’t overcrowd the air fryer or the potatoes will steam and never get crispy. Each model of air fryer basket is going to be different. For my Ninja Air Fryer I can make about 1.5 pounds at once.
• No need to peel the potatoes before cooking them! However, since you are eating the skin, be sure to rinse the potatoes well before cutting into cubes.
• Coat the potatoes with oil before cooking. This helps them get nice and crispy and also helps ensure the spices stick to the outside, so they are well seasoned.

Other spices you could add

• Taco – add 1 tablespoon taco seasoning to the seasoning mix.
• Cajun – omit the oregano and add 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning to the seasoning mix
• Ranch – omit the smoked paprika and oregano. Add 1 tablespoon dried chives, 1 teaspoon dried parsley and ½ teaspoon dried dill.
• Curry – omit the smoked paprika and oregano. Add ½ tablespoon curry powder and 1 teaspoon ground cumin.
• Italian – omit the smoked paprika, add 1 tablespoon italian seasoning
• Greek – omit the smoked paprika, add 1 tablespoon italian seasoning and the juice of half a lemon.

How to serve air fryer diced potatoes

For breakfast alongside of eggs, breakfast tacos, egg stuffed peppers, or with your favorite frittata for a quick and easy meal.

For lunch alongside a burger, sandwich or as a topping for your favorite salad.

For dinner alongside broccoli and meatloaf, salmon or your favorite chicken and veggies for a quick and easy meal ready in no time!

As a snack with your favorite dipping sauce (homemade ketchup, spicy tahini sauce or chimichurri sauce) and some sliced raw vegetables.

Common Questions

What are the best potatoes to use?

This recipe is very versatile and will work with most potatoes.

• Russet potatoes (Idaho potatoes) get very golden brown when cooked in the air fryer since they are high in starch and sugar.
• Yukon gold potatoes are a great choice since they are lower in starch than russets and high in sugar. This helps them get crispy on the outside and stay soft and tender on the inside when cooking in the air fryer.
• Red skinned potatoes and baby potatoes are very easy to find and also crisp up well when cooked in the air fryer. These potatoes are often described as “waxy” potatoes and do best when boiled (since they hold their shape well). However, they still get nice and crispy in the air fryer when cooked in this way.

Do you have to peel the potatoes?

This is a personal preference, but I almost never peel the potatoes before making air fryer potatoes. Most potatoes have a very thin skin and do not require peeling. If you notice that your potatoes have a very thick skin, you may want to consider peeling them but I would likely keep the peel on.

Do you need to soak the diced potatoes in water?

No, you don’t have to soak the potatoes in advance. Many recipes have you soak the potatoes to remove the starch before cooking but I tested this and did not notice a difference when cooking the potatoes in the air fryer.

How to make air fryer diced potatoes into home fries?

Chop ½ a white onion and ½ of a bell pepper. Drizzle them in ½ tablespoon of olive oil and ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder and ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika. Add them to the potato mixture during the last 10 minutes of cooking.

Ways to use leftover air fryer cubed potatoes?

You can reheat leftover air fryer cubed potatoes in the air fryer (390F for 3-5 minutes) or on the stove (medium heat in a skillet with a drizzle of olive oil for 5-8 minutes). If you want to use the potatoes in a new way, here are some great ideas:

• In salads – the warmed up crispy potatoes will act like croutons on your favorite salad!
• In frittatas – no need to heat these up ahead of time, simply add them to the egg mixture before baking.
• In burrito bowls, burritos or tacos – no need to heat these up ahead of time, these would be a great addition to breakfast tacos as well!
• In breakfast casseroles – similar to the frittatas, you don’t need to reheat these before adding them to the breakfast casserole.

Are air fryer potatoes healthy?

Potatoes are a great source of vitamins and minerals and a great source of carbohydrates. Using the air fryer to make crispy diced potatoes allows you to use less oil, which makes them healthier than fried potatoes.

Storing leftovers

• Fridge: Store leftover air fryer potato cubes in the fridge for up to 5 days. Note that these will quickly lose their crispy texture and will need to be reheated in the air fryer or on the stove to get a crispy texture back.
  • Reheat in the air fryer: put leftover potatoes in air fryer basket and cook at 390F for 3-5 minutes or until crispy.
  • Reheat on the stove: cook over medium heat in a skillet with a drizzle of olive oil for 5-8 minutes or until crispy.
• Freezer: You can technically store leftover crispy air fryer potato cubes but the texture will not be the same when defrosted. I would only recommend using the defrosted potatoes in frittatas, breakfast casseroles or in tacos or burritos as they will not have the same texture after defrosting.