Air Fryer Hasselback Potatoes

These Air Fryer Hasselback Potatoes are about to become your new favourite gluten free side dish! These crispy potatoes have an iconic appearance, with crispy edges and a fluffy inside, doused in garlic and rosemary butter. Naturally gluten free with a vegan option.

I always think Hasselback Potatoes look really special – kind of like the fancier cousin of roast potatoes or smashed potatoes.

And cutting gluten free hasselback potatoes is way easier than you think. These air fryer hasselback potatoes are absolutely delicious – and naturally gluten free!

Invented in the 1940s, these iconic potatoes got their name from the Swedish restaurant which first served them – Hasselbacken.

Thinly slicing the potatoes (but not all the way through) means they retain their shape but all of the edges go golden and crispy and delicious.

If you already love making oven chips, gluten free smashed potatoes or crispy parmentier potatoes, you have to try these next.

Why make this recipe?

• Gluten Free: This hasselback potatoes recipe is 100% gluten free and safe for people with coeliac disease. It can also easily be made vegan with a simple swap.
• Golden & Crispy: Just the way potatoes should be! Slicing the potatoes means you get more crispy edges.
• Looks Fancy: Let’s face it, these will elevate your dinner game. They look super fancy but actually, I have a simple hack to easily slice them up.
• Great Flavours: I use fresh rosemary and garlic to flavour these air fryer hasselback potatoes but I have some great flavour variations below too.

Ingredients and Substitutions

You only need a few simple ingredients to make these easy air fryer hasselback potatoes:

• Potatoes: I always opt for floury potatoes like Maris Piper or King Edward potatoes (in the US I’d go for Yukon Gold potatoes or Russet potatoes). I’ve seen some people make these with new potatoes, baby potatoes, Charlotte potatoes or Jersey Royals, but I just think you get a better crunch and fluffy inside with a flour variety. You can also make air fryer sweet potato hasselbacks, but I find they don’t go as crispy.
• Olive Oil: This helps crisp up the potatoes. Use a lighter spray oil if you prefer – vegetable oil or any neutral oil will also work.
• Garlic: I always use frozen chopped garlic for ease, but garlic paste, minced garlic or even garlic powder would also work.
• Butter: To make this recipe vegan/dairy free, use a vegan butter alternative or olive oil instead of butter. The potatoes are brushed with melted butter half way through.
• Rosemary: Fresh is best (I have a good stash in the garden!) but if not dried rosemary will work fine too. You could use thyme if you don’t like rosemary, or sprinkle them with fresh chives once cooked.
• Sea Salt Flakes: Table salt is fine but I love the taste and texture of salt flakes. Fancy.

How to make air fryer hasselback potatoes

You may think these hasselback potatoes look complicated but trust me, they are so easy. I’ve got step-by-step photos and a video guide to cutting them to help you!

To make my gluten free air fryer hasselback potatoes:

To cut the hasselback potatoes: Lie each potato on a chopping board with a chopstick (or wooden spoon handle) either side.

Using a sharp knife, slice the potato into thin slices, cutting down to the chopsticks so the knife does not go all the way through. I cut my slices approx 5mm thick.

Here is a video to also show you how to cut the potatoes:

Next, spray the air fryer basket with a little oil, then place the potatoes in the basket with even spacing between them.

Drizzle with a little olive oil, using your hands to rub the oil over the potatoes, getting it between the cracks (a pastry brush is useful here). Sprinkle with sea salt flakes.

Air fry for 15 minutes at 200C (392F). Meanwhile melt the butter in the microwave and mix in the rosemary (leaves only) and chopped garlic.

After 15 minutes, open the air fryer and brush the potatoes with the butter mixture, getting it down the cracks between the slices using a pastry brush.

Air fry at 180C (356F) for another 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are golden and crispy outside and cooked through. (Timings may depend on the size of the potatoes). Serve hot.

To make hasselback potatoes in the oven

Did you know the original recipe I posted back in 2017 was an oven method, but I converted it to the air fryer as I found it so much better?

To oven cook these hasselback potatoes: Preheat the oven to 200’C /Fan 180C / Gas Mark 6 and drizzle some olive oil in a non-stick baking tin.

Follow the recipe steps to prepare the potatoes, then place in the oiled baking tray and bake for 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven, baste with the garlic butter mixture then bake for another 20 minutes until golden and crispy.

Top tips for keeping potatoes fresh

I originally wrote this post in 2017 as part of a campaign with the charity Love Food Hate Waste, and because I love what they do much, I wanted to keep this part in.

Cutting down on food waste is hugely important to me, so here are my top tips for keeping your spuds as fresh as possible:

• Keep them dark: Potatoes love the dark – they need to be kept in a cool, dark and airy place, so either keep them in the original packaging, or put them in a hessian bag.
• Green ain’t bad: You know when potatoes go a funky green colour? That’s actually just a reaction to the light! The green colour is down to a chemical change, but you can just trim the green bits and go ahead and cook the rest as normal.
• Keep them fresh: For maximum freshness, keep your spuds away from strong-smelling foods like onions, which can make your potatoes spoil quicker. 
• Can you freeze potatoes? It’s not recommended to freeze potatoes raw due to their high water content. Best to cook them into these hasselback potatoes, which you can then freeze and reheat when needed.

If you make this recipe and love it, please do let me know by tagging me on my Instagram or using #theglutenfreeblogger. You can also share your creations in my Facebook group! And please do leave a 5* review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ to let others know you loved it too! It would mean the world to me and really helps support my website.