Crispy Vegan Smashed Potatoes

Table of Contents

This is an easy, 5-ingredient recipe for perfectly crispy vegan smashed potatoes. New potatoes are steam cooked until tender, then smashed with the bottom of a glass or jar to achieve a flattened shape. The smashed potatoes can be seasoned simply and then oven-baked on a sheet pan until they have a wonderfully crisp-tender texture. Snack on the potatoes as they are, or drizzle or dip them using your favorite sauce: either way, they’re irresistable!

Browning, crispy vegan smashed potatoes are served in a shallow white dish.

I don’t make a lot of viral recipes. Usually, by the time I realize that a recipe went viral, it isn’t viral anymore.

This past April, however, in trying to find fun new preparation methods for my favorite vegetable, I made sheet pan smashed broccoli florets.

It was love at first bite.

I have no idea which went viral first: smashed potatoes or smashed broccoli. What I know is that the crispy smashed potatoes I’m sharing today are one of the most irresistable foods I’ve made in a long time.

It’s impossible not to fall in love with these potatoes’ super crispy edges, firm-yet-tender interiors, and salty, slightly garlicky flavor.

If you’ve been looking for a new way to enjoy potatoes, a side dish that everyone will love, or a fresh savory snack to add to your rotation, this recipe is for you.

What does it mean to make smashed potatoes?

The potatoes in this recipe, just like the broccoli florets that made me fall in love with smashed veggies, are cooked initially through steaming.

Then, you use the flat bottom side of something—a glass, a mason jar, a measuring cup—to “smash” the potatoes on a sheet pan.

This flattens them, not into thin pancakes, but into pieces that are about 1/2-inch / 1.3cm thick and about 2 or 3-inches (5-7.5cm) in diameter.

After smashing, you’ll season the potatoes with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder, transfer them to the oven, and bake them.

The “why” behind this cooking method

Why go through all of these steps? Texture and more texture!

I’ve made plenty of cubed and oven-roasted potatoes, but even those don’t offer as much cool texture contrast as smashed potatoes do.

There’s something really unique about having all of that flat surface area for browning and crisping. Plus, I love how firm the potatoes are, all while retaining chewy centers.

What type of potatoes should I use for smashed potatoes?

I think that cream-colored new potatoes, which are also sometimes called baby potatoes, work best for smashing.

For one thing, they’re the perfect shape and size for fitting under the bottom of a drinking glass.

A round, white bowl is being used to hold cream-colored new potatoes. — Small, round, pale yellow baby potatoes have the perfect shape and consistency for making smashed potatoes.

In addition, these cream or pale gold-colored potatoes have a wonderfully creamy consistency.

It’s possible to find red-skinned new potatoes, and they have a similar shape, but I think that their low starch content makes them too grainy and crumbly for this preparation.

Here are a few other varieties that you can use to make the smashed potatoes:

Small Yukon gold potatoes
Baby purple potatoes (also known as Dutch Blue® Potatoes)
Pale yellow fingerling potatoes
Extra small russet potatoes

How to make crispy vegan smashed potatoes, step by step

The process of making smashed potatoes takes a little time, but the steps are all fun and uncomplicated.

Plus, I love this recipe’s simplicity: only five ingredients!

Step 1: Steam the potatoes

A couple years ago I discovered that steaming potatoes, rather than boiling them, was the key to super flavorful, perfectly fluffy mashed potatoes.

Whereas boiling can water-log potatoes and get in the way of their ability to absorb flavor, steaming preserves their lightness and locks in their flavor.

I don’t think I’ve boiled a single potato since having this realization, and similarly, I choose to steam my baby potatoes before smashing them.

You can do this in a steamer basket, fitted to your pot at home, or you can use one of these hacks. I’ve used a fine-mesh strainer, too, and it takes a little longer due to steam escaping from under a pot lid, but it works.

It should take you about 15 minutes to steam the potatoes; when they’re ready, you’ll be able to pierce them easily with a fork.

Step 2: Smash the potatoes

After the potatoes finish their steaming, make sure that they’re dry, then arrange them on a sheet pan with a few inches of space between.

Now’s the fun part: use the bottom of a glass or mason jar or measuring cup to smash each potato!

A cream-colored potato is being "smashed" on a sheet pan with the bottom of a small, clear mason jar. — A mason jar with a flat bottom or a similarly shaped drinking glass works perfectly for smashing the potatoes.

Step 3: Season

You can use olive oil or avocado oil for preparing the potatoes. I like to start by drizzling some oil onto the parchment or foil that you use to smash the potatoes on. Then, brush the rest of it over the tops of the potatoes.

Season them generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper, plus some garlic powder.

Smashed potatoes are shown on a sheet of foil. — Prior to roasting, you’ll season the potatoes with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Step 4: Roast

Transfer the potatoes to a 400°F / 200°C oven and roast them for 35 minutes, or until the potatoes are very crispy and golden all over.

You may want the smashed potatoes to be even more browned and crispy, in which case you can leave them in for a few extra minutes.

Step 5: Serve

Finally, you can serve your smashed potatoes however you like!

I find it impossible not to start snacking on the potatoes as soon as they’ve finished cooking. Like my favorite crispy roasted chickpeas, they’re the definition of moreish.

That said, you could make the smashed potatoes a little fancier looking and more presentable as a side dish by arranging them over some greens.

Since I just made and wrote about vegan honey mustard, I’ve had a lot of it on hand. I’ve found it fun to layer the smashed potatoes over a bed of crispy arugula and dollop the honey mustard sauce on top.

Cooked potatoes and a creamy sauce are layered over bright green arugula. — For sweet and savory contrast, you can serve the smashed potatoes with a peppery green and some sweet vegan “honey” mustard sauce.

A few other vegan sauces that would work really well for dipping or drizzling onto the potatoes:

Storage & reheating

When I first made the smashed potatoes, I wasn’t sure how well they’d hold up in leftover form. Much to my surprise and delight, the leftover potatoes are great!

To be honest, I’ve eaten them cold, right out of the fridge, with no complaints. But if you’d like to re-crisp them and warm them up, you can either:

Heat them in a 350°F / 175°C oven for 10-15 minutes (till hot and nicely crisping again)
Air fry them at 375°F / 190°C for 5 minutes

No matter how you choose to enjoy the potatoes that you have left—and you may want to double the batch, because they’ll get eaten quickly—a stored portion will keep for up to four days in an airtight container in the fridge.