If there’s one thing in this world I miss, it’s KFC potato wedges.
Sadly, they were discontinued. Lucky for us, however, you can easily make your own delicious potato wedges at home!
Thanks to the air fryer, you’ll have deliciously crispy potato wedges in no time at all.
The beauty of air frying is that you do not need to fry in oil, leading to significantly lower calories than the deep-fried alternative, but still with all the crispiness.
These homemade potato wedges are now right up there as one of my favorite side dishes alongside my Parmesan Truffle French Fries. Which, coincidentally, are also an air fryer recipe.
How to make potato wedges in the air fryer
When it comes to potato wedges or French fries, you can use any type of potato you’d like, but I prefer to stick with a classic russet potato. In my opinion, it creates the best crispy potato, but redskin potatoes will also work great.
Yukon gold potatoes can work in a pinch, but those tend to work better for something like mashed potatoes.
First things first: wash and dry your russet potatoes to get rid of any dirt.
Now it’s time to cut your potatoes into wedges. Don’t worry, you don’t need to try to carve out the perfect potato wedge shape. All you have to do is cut your potatoes in half multiple times…
Start by slicing your potatoes in half, then laying the flat side down.
Then cut those in half, then continue one more time until you have 8 wedges total for each potato.
The number of wedges you get will vary based on the size of the russet potato you use, but 8 is a good number to aim for.
Fill a bowl with cold water and soak your potato wedges in the fridge for 30 minutes.
This step can technically be skipped if you’re in a time crunch, but soaking the potatoes is one of the secrets to achieving a crispy potato.
Soaking the cut potatoes in cold water actually pulls out the excess starch in the potatoes, helping them to brown and crisp much better. Without soaking, you’ll often be left with a somewhat waxy potato.
Is this a necessary step? No, not exactly. However, I’ve made air fryer French fries with soaking and without, and I can assure you that you definitely notice a difference in the final texture.
Once the wedges have soaked, drain the water and pat the potatoes dry to remove as much moisture as possible.
Toss the wedges in a small amount of olive oil to help the seasoning to stick and to help get the most out of air frying. I only used a half tablespoon in order to keep the overall calories lower, but you can use as much olive oil as you prefer.
For the seasoning, we’re combining salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and cornstarch. You can change up the seasoning to fit your specific preferences,
Cornstarch may seem like an odd ingredient, but it’s the other secret I’ve learned that helps create a crispy exterior.
You can definitely skip the cornstarch if needed, but if you’re able to add it, I definitely recommend it!
Toss the potato wedges in the seasoning, then add to your air fryer basket.
The potatoes can overlap slightly, but you want to be sure to not stack them in the air fryer basket or they will not cook evenly. If you have a small air fryer, plan to make 2 batches.
Air fry your potato wedges at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
When the potato wedges are halfway through the air frying, carefully flip them over to ensure an even crisp on both sides.
Remove the air fried potato wedges and place on a wire cooling rack for a few minutes to allow them to cool without getting soggy.
If you plate these wedges right away, the heat against the plate will cause condensation to form, leading to soggy fries.
Once the potato wedges have cooled for a few minutes, plate them up and add any additional seasoning or toppings you’d like! I like topping them with a little parmesan cheese and fresh parsley, but feel free to get creative with it.
Pair your seasoned potato wedges with your favorite dipping sauce, and enjoy!
Can you make potato wedges with sweet potato?
Short answer: yes.
Slightly longer answer: sweet potatoes don’t become nearly as crispy, so they turn out more like baked potato wedges than crispy potato wedges.
I’m currently working on an air fryer sweet potato wedge recipe, and if I can nail it, I will update this post to share it!
In the meantime, I tried this exact recipe you see here with sweet potatoes, and they taste delicious, but they’re far from crispy.
If you follow the same directions from this recipe, you’ll end up with delicious sweet potato wedges, but they remain quite soft. Still, it makes for an excellent side dish.
What to serve with air fryer potato wedges
Potatoes are the perfect complement to any main dish, but their best friend is definitely the sandwich. So, here are some of my favorite sandwich recipes to pair these potato wedges with:
- Air Fryer Crispy Chicken Sandwich
- Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich
- Mac & Cheese Stuffed Burger
- Air Fryer Greek Turkey Burgers
- Chicken Parm Sandwiches
Crispy Air Fryer Potato Wedges
These potato wedges take just 15 minutes to get perfectly crispy thanks to the air fryer. Pair them with virtually any main dish to round out the perfect meal.
Ingredients
- 2 Medium Russet Potatoes
- 1/2 Tbsp of Olive Oil
- 1 1/2 tsp Corn Starch
- 1 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Pepper
- 1/4 tsp Paprika
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
Instructions
- Wash and dry your potatoes.
- Cut the two russet potatoes into wedges. Start by slicing them in half, then laying the flat side down and cutting those in half. Then continue until you have 8 wedges per potato, or whatever size works best based on the size of the potatoes you started with.
- Fill a large bowl up with cold water and drop the sliced potato wedges in, then let them sit in the fridge for 30 minutes. This can be skipped in a pinch, but letting them sit in cold water is the secret to a crispy fry. You'll still get a delicious result if you don't feel like waiting, just not quite as crispy.
- Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees for a few minutes.
- Drain the potato wedges and pat them dry with paper towel, then toss them in a bowl 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil. You can use a full tablespoon if you'd like, I was just trying to save some calories. However, I highly recommend you use SOME oil because it really helps the crisp vs not using any at all.
- In a small bowl, combine all of your seasoning ingredients. If you don't have corn starch, it's okay to omit it, but it's another little secret to giving fries a good crisp.
- Toss the wedges in the seasoning, then add the wedges to your air fryer basket. It's ok for some slight overlapping, but be careful not to stack the wedges or else they won't crisp evenly. If you have a small air fryer, go for 2 batches.
- Air fry the potato wedges for 15 minutes, flipping them halfway through.
- Remove from the air fryer and onto a cooling rack for a few minutes. Top with any additional seasoning or toppings you'd like, and enjoy!
Notes
- These wedges will be nice and crispy right out of the air fryer, but they'll lose crispiness as they sit. If you save any for leftovers, you can toss them back in the air fryer for a few minutes (at 400 degrees) to crisp them up again.
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Nutrition Information
Yield 2 Serving Size 1/2 of RecipeAmount Per Serving Calories 195Total Fat 3.5gCarbohydrates 39gProtein 5g
Kristy
Tuesday 18th of July 2023
These potato wedges are an easy and tasty side dish for most dinners. I can't wait to try the sweet potatoes!