Buffalo Smashed Potatoes are crispy on the outside, tender and fluffy on the inside, and drizzled in buffalo sauce. Serve with your favorite ranch or blue cheese dressing for the best side dish, snack, or appetizer!

Buffalo smashed potatoes with ranch on a plate

Crispy smashed potatoes are easy to customize! You can use more or less of the buffalo sauce according to your spice preference. Try topping the roasted potatoes with blue cheese crumbles or a shredded cheese – the warmth from the potatoes will melt the cheese a little.

Ingredients You’ll Need:

It only takes a few simple ingredients to make crispy, smashed potatoes. Here’s what you need:

Small Potatoes – often called baby potatoes and commonly of the red or yellow variety
Olive Oil – can substitute canola oil as well. Oil is key to getting them nice and crispy.
Butter – melted butter gives the best flavor to the potatoes.
Spices – Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder
Buffalo Sauce – homemade or store-bought (such as Frank’s Buffalo Wing Sauce)
For Serving – Optional: Ranch dressing, chopped chives or parsley, blue cheese crumbles

How to Make Smashed Potatoes

Making Smashed Potatoes from scratch is really easy! Just boil, smash, drizzle, and roast. See the instructions below:

Boil Potatoes – Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and boil a large pot of water with a big pinch of salt. Once boiling, add the scrubbed potatoes and cook until fork tender. About 15-20 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes. They need to be tender enough that you can smash them down. Drain the potatoes and let them sit in a colander for about 5 minutes to fully dry and cool down slightly.
Smash Potatoes – Brush a large sheet pan with the olive oil and add the dried, boiled potatoes. Smash down the potatoes using a cup, flat bottomed measuring cup, mug, etc. When smashing, try to keep the potatoes in one piece and smashed to an even 1/2 inch thickness.
Season Potatoes – Brush or drizzle the melted butter evenly over the smashed potatoes. Sprinkle on the garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
Roast – Roast the potatoes in the hot oven for 25-30 minutes until they are golden brown and crispy.
Serve – Warm the buffalo sauce and drizzle over the smashed potatoes. Serve with ranch, a sprinkle of chives, and blue cheese crumbles (if desired).

How to make Smashed Potatoes Extra Crispy

I have three tips to make these potatoes extra crispy!

Dried Thoroughly – Extra moisture will cause steam in the oven and get in the way of the crispiness! I like to let the boiled potatoes sit in the colander for a few minutes to let the steam dry off – you can also pat dry with a towel
Oil the Pan – This recipe uses melted butter as the primary fat for that amazing butter flavor, but the sheet pan is brushed thoroughly with oil. The oil ensures good browning and crisping. If you only used butter, you may run into some burning on the bottom of the potatoes.
Hot Oven – Make sure your oven is fully preheated! If you think your oven runs cold, then you may want to crank the temp up to 450 degrees F instead of the 425 degrees F that the recipe calls for. I recommend everyone keeps a thermometer in their oven at all times to monitor the temp.

What is the difference between smashed and mashed potatoes?

Smashed and mashed potatoes have similar names but are quite different! Both methods call for boiling the potatoes first, but mashed potatoes involve fully mashing the potatoes (even using a mixer) to create creamy potatoes. While smashed potatoes are only flattened and not fully mashed up.

What type of potatoes should be used?

The key for crispy smashed potatoes is to use small potatoes. You can use any type of potato, but typically baby or small potatoes are available in the red or yellow variety. Try to use potatoes that are around the same size for even cooking. The smaller the potato, the easier to get them nice and crispy.

Can I boil potatoes ahead of time?

Yes, you can boil the potatoes ahead of time! They can be pre-boiled up to a day or two in advance. Store the boiled potatoes in the fridge in an airtight continuer until ready to proceed with the recipe. I recommend letting the potatoes sit at room temperature for 10-20 minutes to warm up slightly before smashing and roasting.

hand holding a smashed potato dipped in ranch

Leftovers, Storage, and Reheating

Smashed Potatoes are crispiest and best served right after making, but see below for tips on how to store and reheat leftovers.

Leftovers and Storage: Leftover potatoes can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. They will keep fresh for up to 4 days, but will lose their crispness.

Reheating: For best results, I recommend reheating them in the oven at 350 degrees F to crisp them back up again.

Recipe Notes and Tips:

Prep in Advance! You can boil the potatoes in advance for even fast prep.
Double the Recipe – This recipe doubles easily, but you may need to use a second sheet pan.
Large Sheet Pan – Either use a large sheet pan or use two smaller sheet pans. It’s important for the potatoes to have room on the pan. Overcrowding can cause steaming and keep the potatoes from getting crispy.

More Recipes using Potatoes

Air Fryer Baked Potatoes – Super crispy skin, but tender and soft on the inside. Making potatoes in your air fryer will be your favorite way.
Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries – By making the fries in the oven, this recipe is a healthier alternative to frying. No soaking needed. Cornstarch gives the sweet potatoes their crispness!
Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili – An easy vegetarian and vegan chili for your busy weeknights. Even though it’s meatless, it’s flavor-packed and even meat-lovers will enjoy it. It all comes together in one pot for easy clean up.
Sheet Pan Chickpea Loaded Sweet Potatoes – All roasted on one sheet pan reduces clean up. The recipe uses just basic pantry staple ingredients.

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