My Goodness Kitchen

  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Cookbook
  • About
  • Contact
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Cookbook
  • About
  • Contact
    • Amazon
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Home
    • Recipes
    • Cookbook
    • About
    • Contact
    • Amazon
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    Home > Recipes > Light Vegan Meals and Sides

    Garlicky Smashed Potatoes

    Updated: Jan 3, 2025 | Published: Oct 22, 2020 | by Amanda | 4 Comments

    Skip to Recipe

    Crunchy and wonderful these rustic garlic smashed potatoes are the perfect side to any meal. Fluffy on the inside and super crispy on the outside they are kind of like fries, but better!

    Bake them in the oven and serve alongside an easy vegan wellington and gravy. With added garlic and fresh parsley these spuds are full of crunch and flavour.

    Crispy smashed potatoes with herbs on a roasting tray.
    Jump to:
    • Why This Recipe Works
    • Ingredients & Substitutions
    • Step-by-Step Guide
    • Tips to Making Super Crispy Potatoes
    • FAQs
    • Serve Your Potatoes with These Recipes
    • Make This Recipe
    • Leave a Comment

    I'm calling it. I like these crispy garlic smashed potatoes more than fries or chips. Whaaaat? And this is coming from a person who judges a restaurant entirely based on their ability to make fries. Seriously, if you can't make fries how can I trust you to make anything else?

    Why This Recipe Works

    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.

    • They have an amazing texture. You are going to love the crunchy exterior with a soft fluffy inside
    • They are so easy to make.
    • We love that these spuds have so much flavour using a handful of ingredients.
    • They are baked not fried.
    • These little spuddies are the perfect side to a festive holiday main or your favourite vegan burger. They are so versatile.

    My crispy potatoes are everything pure and wonderful about potatoes. They are crispy with a hint of garlic, slightly cheesy (from the nutritional yeast) and beautifully fluffy inside. Bliss.

    Ingredients & Substitutions

    Smashed potato ingredients in a grid with labels.

    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. "nooch" gives these potatoes a delicious cheesey punch. You can find nutritional yeast at health food stores and most supermarkets. You could also sprinkle a little vegan parmesan if you can't get nooch.

    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 buttery flavour but we want them crispy too.

    Garlic. I prefer fresh garlic but in a pinch you can use dried garlic powder.

    Salt and pepper. Always.

    Step-by-Step Guide

    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.

    Two images with washed potatoes and potatoes in a pot.

    Steps 3 and 4. Next, smash them! And then steam dry them for another 5 minutes.

    Two images with potatoes in a colander drying and being smashed.

    Steps 5 and 6. Drizzle them with melted butter and olive oil and season generously.

    Two images with smashed potatoes drizzled with butter and topped with herbs.

    Roast the potatoes for 20 minutes before removing them from the oven and drizzling them with garlic and parsley butter and sprinkling on some nutritional yeast flakes.

    Finally, roast until crispy and deeply golden. So good!

    Cooked potatoes laying flat on a lined roasting tray.

    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.

    • Let the potatoes steam dry twice. After cooking in boiling water, drain them and sit them in the colander for 5 minutes to steam dry. Steam dry them again for 5 minutes after you've smashed them to ensure super crispiness. Thanks Nagi at Recipe Tin Eats for this culinary pearl.
    • Use a large sheet pan to roast the potatoes. If you don't have one spread them out over two smaller pans. Your spuds need space to breathe.
    • Use butter and oil. This recipe calls for both butter and oil. Vegan butter isn't as prone to burning at high temperatures as regular butter but I like to add a little oil anyway to offset all that buttery flavour with the slight peppery olive oil.
    • Add fresh garlic later. We are using fresh garlic on these potatoes but it can burn at high heat so I divide my melted butter (2 tablespoon + another for later) and add my chopped parsley, garlic and nutritional yeast about 20 minutes into the cook. That way, we get aromatic garlic not bitter burnt flavour.

    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

    I don't have a masher, what can I use?

    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.

    I don't have fresh garlic, can I use something else?

    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. Another awesome flavour is onion powder. A teaspoon of onion powder is wonderful with these spuds.

    Serve Your Potatoes with These Recipes

    • A veggie burger with the bun lid off on a plate.
      Crispy Quinoa Cauliflower Burgers
    • An uncut pastry roll on a cutting board on a table setting.
      Vegan Mushroom Wellington
    • Pot pies on a rustic tray with one showing the filling.
      Vegan Chicken Pot Pie Recipe
    • A grid of four different vegan burger images.
      The Big List of Awesome Vegan Burgers
    • A burger with the bun lid removed.
      Vegan Black Bean Burgers
    • A close up image of a jackfruit burger on a wooden board.
      Jackfruit Burger

    Sign up to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Insta for all the latest news. If you like this recipe, please check out my cookbook "Great Vegan Meals for the Carnivorous Family" It's full of simple, carnivore-approved family recipes.

    Make This Recipe

    Garlic Smashed Potatoes

    Calling all potato lovers! These rustic crispy garlic smashed potatoes are the perfect side to any meal with aromatic garlic and fresh parsley.
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Sides and Condiments
    Cuisine: Vegetarian
    Servings: 12 potatoes
    Calories: 157kcal
    Author: Amanda Logan

    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!
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Notes

    High starch potatoes will produce a fluffier inside, while waxy potatoes are less fluffy and more creamy. Both are wonderful!
    You can make smashed potatoes with small or medium spuds. Small ones, the size of a golf ball or smaller will yield a crispier, finger food style smashed potato. Larger potatoes will still crisp up on the outside but you'll get a more even fluffy to crisp ratio. 
    I don't have a potato masher...
    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.
    I don't have fresh garlic...
    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. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 157kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 32mg | Potassium: 685mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 162IU | Vitamin C: 32mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried It?I'd love to hear your feedback. Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below. Or you can tag @mygoodnesskitchen or hashtag #mygoodnesskitchen on Instagram.

    « Carrot Ginger Dressing
    A Simple Vegan Pumpkin Pie »

    Comments

      5 from 4 votes (2 ratings without comment)

      Questions or Comments? Drop them Right Here. Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. MiranDa says

      August 20, 2022 at 8:40 am

      5 stars
      A family favourite! Rave reviews from everyone in our household!!!

      Reply
      • Amanda says

        August 20, 2022 at 8:43 am

        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. 🙂

        Reply
    2. Kat Varcoe-Cocks says

      October 24, 2020 at 8:37 pm

      5 stars
      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.

      Reply
      • Amanda says

        October 25, 2020 at 7:36 am

        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.

        Reply
    A woman eating a bowl of food with a dog next to her.

    Nice to Meet You!

    I'm Amanda and that's Scout with her eye on you.
    I believe you can make good food that's great tasting with simple, fuss-free ingredients. I will show you how to cook creatively even when you're on a budget or short on time.

    LEARN MORE

    Healthy New Year

    • A roasting tray with stuffed butternut squash.
      Stuffed Butternut Squash (GF)

    • A bowl of Dahl on a wooden box.
      Red Lentil Dahl (Masoor Dal) With Roast Eggplant

    • Green smoothies and limes on a table.
      Spinach and Pineapple Smoothie

    • A breakfast table setting with granola in a bowl.
      Budget Friendlier Grain-Free Granola

    • Make Your Own Vegan Kimchi

    • Coated and uncoated bliss balls on a white surface.
      Almond Butter Bliss Balls

    Slurp-Worthy Soups

    • A man holding a bowl of pumpkin soup.
      5-ingredient Pumpkin Lentil Soup

    • Bowl of soup with spoons on a wooden tray.
      Simple Butter Bean Soup

    • Bowls of soup on a pink background.
      Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup

    • A bowl of mushroom soup on a wooden table.
      The Creamiest Vegan Mushroom Soup

    • Bowls of zucchini soup on a grey background.
      3-Ingredient Zucchini Soup

    • A bowl of noodle soup on a rough white background.
      Vegan Chicken Noodle Soup

    Fresh Salads

    • Tofu and noodles in a bowl with greens.
      Lemongrass Tofu Salad

    • A white plate with tomatoes.
      Tomato and Onion Salad

    • A table setting with a large bowl of coleslaw.
      Healthy-ish Vegan Coleslaw

    • Kimchi Salad with Noodles

    • A bowl of cabbage and noodle salad on a rustic table.
      Chang's Crispy Noodle Salad

    • A large bowl of rainbow vegetable salad.
      Rainbow Salad with Orange Miso Dressing

    Footer

    Read

    Read Privacy Policy

    Accessibility Statement

    Terms of Use

    Disclaimer

    Newsletter

    Join the cook's community and get your free vegan baking guide.

    Contact MGK

    Contact

    Copyright © 2025 My Goodness Kitchen

    By using this website, you agree to the use of cookies. Cookies provide you with a more personalised user experience and help this website run more effectively.
    .
    OK NoRead Privacy Policy
    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    This is an necessary category.
    Functional
    Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
    Performance
    Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
    Analytics
    Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
    Advertisement
    Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
    Others
    Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
    Non Necessary
    This is an non-necessary category.
    SAVE & ACCEPT
    Powered by CookieYes Logo
    • 271

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.