These garlicky smashed potatoes are crunchy and golden on the outside, fluffy in the middle and loaded with buttery garlic flavour. Baby potatoes are boiled until tender, smashed, then roasted until deeply golden and crisp before being finished with garlic, parsley and nutritional yeast. They're an easy vegan side for a roast dinner, burgers, a festive feast - or honestly, just a bowl of potatoes you can eat with your fingers.
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Why You'll Love These Garlic Potatoes
Reader Review. "A family favourite! Rave reviews from everyone in our household!!!" (MiranDa) ★★★★★
If I was a baby potato, I would want to be these crispy potatoes when I grow up.
My crispy smashed potatoes are everything pure and wonderful about potatoes. They're crunchy with a hint of garlic, slightly cheesy from the nutritional yeast and beautifully fluffy inside. Bliss. I'm going to take off my nutritionist hat for this one and hide it under the couch. These aren't healthy. But they are so freaking good.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Smaller potatoes will create a crispier smashed spud. Larger potatoes will still crisp up but you'll get a more even fluffy-bits to crispy-bits ratio.
Nutritional yeast. Also known as "nooch", nutritional yeast gives these potatoes a deliciously cheesy, savoury flavour. You can find it at health food stores and most supermarkets. If you can't find it, a little vegan parmesan makes a good substitute.
Herbs. I like parsley on these potatoes but you can use any herb you like! Sage, rosemary or thyme all work beautifully too.
Butter and oil. We want the rich, buttery flavour from the vegan butter, but the oil helps the potatoes get beautifully crisp in the oven.
Garlic. Fresh garlic gives the best flavour, but dried garlic powder will work in a pinch.
Salt and pepper. Always.
How to Make Garlic Smashed Potatoes
Making these potatoes couldn't be easier.
Steps 1 and 2. First, wash the spuds and then cook them in water until soft. After straining them, steam dry them in a colander for 5 minutes.
Steps 3 and 4. Now smash them! Give the potatoes another 5 minutes to steam dry after smashing. This helps get rid of excess moisture so they can crisp up properly in the oven.
Steps 5 and 6. Drizzle the smashed potatoes with melted vegan butter and olive oil, then season generously with salt and pepper.
Roast for 20 minutes, then remove the potatoes from the oven. Drizzle them with the garlic and parsley butter and sprinkle over the nutritional yeast.
Return them to the oven and roast until deeply golden and crispy.
Tips to Making Super Crispy Potatoes
Making smashed potatoes is pretty simply but there are a few things you can do to take your crispy spuds to the next level.
And that's it. Crispy, wonderful, flavoursome spuds to serve with pretty much anything or simply in a bowl to eat with your fingers. Amen to that.
FAQs
It doesn't masher! I'm sorry I couldn't help myself.
If you don't have a potato masher, you can use the underside of a cup, a fork or press down on the potatoes with the underside of another tray. Simply, place a tray that fits in to your baking tray on top of the potatoes and pressed down firmly and evenly. The spuds will flatten underneath.
You can use garlic powder. Add 1 teaspoon of garlic powder in to the 3 tablespoons of melted butter and drizzle it all on before you pop the potatoes in the oven. With dried garlic you won't have to worry about burning. You can also add a teaspoon of onion powder for another layer of savoury flavour. It's bloody good.
Serve Your Potatoes with These Recipes
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Make This Recipe
Garlic Smashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 kg / 2.2 pounds potatoes I used Sebago, an all-rounder
- 3 tablespoon vegan butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves crushed or minced
- 1 tablespoon parsley finely chopped
- 1-2 tablespoon nutritional yeast to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cover the potaotes in a large pot with water and bring it up to a boil over medium to high heat. Cook for around 15 minutes or until soft.
- Strain the potatoes and leave them to sit and steam dry in the colander for 5 minutes.
- Pre-heat oven to 190°C (374°F).
- After the potatoes have steam dried, place them on an oven tray giving them space in between (enough space to spread when you smash them). Using a masher, the bottom of a cup or a fork, press down and flatten the potatoes. Don't completely flatten them - we want all those ridges!
- Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and drizzle it over each potato. Follow with a small drizzle of olive oil on each spud. Season well with salt and pepper and pop them in the oven for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, remove the potatoes from the oven. Melt the remaning tablespoon of butter and stir in the chopped garlic and parsley. Drizzle a little over each potato. Follow with a good sprinkling of nutritional yeast.
- Return the potatoes to the oven and bake for another 20 minutes or until delicious an crispy.
- Remove from the oven and serve as a side or straight from a bowl like fries!
Notes
Nutritional Disclaimer
The nutritional information is an estimate only and is automatically calculated using online tools. For accurate results, we recommend calculating the nutritional information based on the ingredients and brands you use.
Jo says
Do you peel the potatoes or leave the peel on? If you leave it on, how do you get them clean?
Amanda says
Hi Jo, don't peel the potatoes. I give them a good scrub in warm water with a vegetable brush. If I'm feeling lazy (which is often) I buy the already washed potatoes and give them a good rinse. If you are using brushed potatoes, give them a good scrub. 🙂
MiranDa says
A family favourite! Rave reviews from everyone in our household!!!
Amanda says
Hi MiranDa! I am so happy your family enjoy these (that's so awesome) - I am a sucker for potatoes and these are just so tasty. Thanks so much for taking the time to reach out. I appreciate it. 🙂
Kat Varcoe-Cocks says
SO SO good. I've played around with how I roast potatoes for ages. This was so easy, it does use more butter/oil than I'm used to - but soo worth it. I ate way too many!
This is the way my boys want me to cook potatoes everytime!! Um and so do I.
Thank you again.
Amanda says
The butter is pretty naughty - I don't usually use so much either. But, man they are good, right? I am so glad your boys liked them too.