These Crispy Garlic Butter Parmesan Smashed Potatoes are the most delicious side dish, right up there with wedges and mashed potatoes.
If you’ve never tried smashed potatoes before, then you’ve got to try them at least once in your life! It’s a guarantee they’ll be making a regular appearance at house. Especially THESE Garlic Butter Parmesan Smashed Potatoes! And if that’s the case, I’m coming!

Smashed Potatoes
Fluffy and soft on the inside with a buttery crispy outside, smothered in garlic butter and parmesan cheese! Much like buttery and garlicky French fries or crispy hot chips. With an unbeatable crunch all over, it’s those crispy edges that send you over the edge, never asking for regular baked or roasted potatoes again.
The crispy crunch lies in all of those ridges on top! Don’t even worry about pressing them down pretty and flat.
Really, these can be either a side dish OR a main. We may have sat with the entire tray between us on the floor midst an emotionally charged This Is Us marathon, dipping them in tomato sauce or sour cream, with an extra sprinkling of salt because we like to live our lives on the edge.
Garlic Butter Parmesan Smashed Potatoes are so easy to make, I swear, hand over heart.
- BOIL
- SMASH
- DRIZZLE
- BAKE
Other flavors
You could swap out the parsley in the recipe for rosemary or thyme, or add them all in. I’ve also tried them with Lemon Oregano flavours AND I’ve even loaded some others with cheese and bacon.
However, once you sprinkle these with parmesan cheese and a little extra salt (because potatoes + salt = bliss), there’s no doubt in my mind you’ll go back for seconds. Thirds. Maybe even fifths.
Mind blown crispiness. TRY THEM!
When we decided to act like normal human beings, they were our side dish to that One Pan Lemon Garlic Baked Salmon + Asparagus!
WATCH HOW WE MAKE SMASHED POTATOES RIGHT HERE!
Crispy Garlic Butter Parmesan Smashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 lbs | 1kg potatoes Yukon Gold or Carisma
- A light spray of olive oil
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
- 4 cloves garlic , crushed
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
- Kosher Salt and Black Pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan Cheese
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to broil (or grill) settings to medium-high heat (about 200°C | 400°F).
- Place potatoes in a large pot of salted water. Bring to the boil; cook, covered for 30-35 minutes or until just fork-tender. Drain well.
- Lightly grease a large baking sheet or tray with cooking oil spray. Arrange potatoes onto the sheet and use a potato masher to LIGHTLY flatten the potatoes in one piece (not too hard or they will end up mashed).
- Mix together the butter, garlic and parsley. Pour the mixture over each potato. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and lightly spray with olive oil spray.
- Broil (or grill) until they are golden and crispy (about 10-15 minutes). Remove from oven, sprinkle over the parmesan cheese and return to the oven until the cheese is melted.
- To serve, season with a little extra salt and parsley, and serve immediately.
Lydia says
First time making Smashed potatoes & OMG these are to die for!! Your recipes are always SO GOOD! So when I found these on your website, I HAD to make them, & was not disappointed. SO SO GOOD! Potatoes, butter, & garlic… is the key to my heart lol
Lydia says
You are literally my Go-To website for recipes! You have so many to choose from & each one I’ve tried, I am just in Awe! Thank you again for your wonderful recipes! Love what you create! (:
Jan says
Made these tonight and they were a huge hit with the whole family. I will be making these many times in the future!
Janelle says
These are absolutely delicious, great recipe! I’ve made them multiple times, but using the air fryer. I used the same temp,400, and cooking time 10-15 mins. Plus an extra 2 mins after adding the parm cheese. I occassionally add an extra drizzle of the garlic butter when they are done.
kristin says
These are so incredible. Also, that tactile feedback when you smash the potatoes is so rewarding. Haha! Thank you for the recipe!
Tia Alexander says
Wow! I knew these were going to be good because who doesn’t love potatoes? But I loved these so much I can’t wait to make them again. I need to get a proper smashing device because I kind of made a mess but the flavors were spot on.
Jess says
We really enjoyed these potatoes. They were really flavorful and lighter than I expected they would be. I tossed them into boiling water as I prepped dinner (3 separate dinners bc, well, kids) and put them into the oven right as I put steaks on the grill. Fab. The instructions were spot on.
Nick D Richardson says
This recipe was amazing and very tasty! I will say the broiler burned my garlic mixture. Follow the instructions but only broil for probably about 2min. I ruined my cookie sheet but those potatoes were still amazing!
Lorraine says
I didn’t have Parmesan cheese so I used butter, garlic powder, salt, white pepper and dried rosemary. Delish 😋. This recipe is so easy to make and doesn’t require deep frying. Yay!
Kathy Perkins says
Made per recipe specs. Everyone loved them. My sone was grabbing and popping in his mouth each time he walked by – funny. Everyone wanted more parm, so will probably add more next time. I added chopped up spring onion and green pepper on mine with some ranch dressing. These will be on regular rotation in our house. Thanks for the recipe.
Danielle says
I made these tonight. My mother-in-law that is visiting got seconds and said it was the best dinner she’d had in awhile! Awesome compliment! I did save some time by buying the little potatoes that come in the steamable bags. Still turned out great. Thank you!
Karina says
YAY! Way to go with the mother in law! I am so glad she loved it too! XO
Ivory says
You are amazing, because this dish to, will be on our table Sunday. I love your rescipes. Thanks!
Megan says
Made this tonight for dinner, I used a whole stick of butter with Italian seasoning, chives, added some bacon and shredded parmesan cheese. It was soon good
Mandy says
I have never broiled anything above a minute and a half without it starting to burn and setting off all the smoke alarms. Is that just my crazy oven? Might they still be crispy if I baked them at a high heat instead of broiling? Don’t want to ruin them 🙁
Karina says
OH wow! I am not sure! I have never heard of that. It could be your oven or it may just need to be cleaned if there is a cleaning feature. Hope that it can be fixed soon.
Sally says
I agree! The broil setting on my oven is HOT like 500F hot. Just set your oven to 400 to cook them and then do a couple min broil at the end to make them crispy.
I’ve been never heard of cooking something on broil for very long. ?
Peggy says
Do you have your oven door cracked open? The first stop on the oven is broil mode. Broiling just keeps getting hotter, it doesn’t keep the oven at a certain temp so food will burn quicker, therefore the need to keep it cracked open. Hope thats all it is. Mine used to burn quickly too. My current oven has a broil HI and LO so I can broil things longer without burning because I tend to look away when I shouldn’t
Worricow says
OMG, read your manual for the oven. Unless the oven is ancient, do not crack the oven door.
Huge no no
Dianne W says
Why would it be a huge no-no to crack the oven door while broiling? I’ve never heard of NOT cracking it. My oven is 5 years old. Is that ancient? LOL. Call me old fashioned (I’m 67) but I’ve been cooking since I was 15 and I know what works and what doesn’t. Shutting the door is asking for trouble methinks.
Charles Cook says
Karina
Great recipe , you have taken me outside of the box, boiled baked, or mashed.
They are a new favourite
Thanks again for sharing your expertise
Regards
Charles Cook
Kris says
Hi! Where is the recipe?!
Karina says
Hi! I’m so sorry about this. It seems to be a technical issue on mobile only and we are working on it right now. The recipes are on desktop if you need them urgently! Hopefully we will have all recipes up again soon! Thank you for your patience! Karina X
Christy says
I can’t see the recipe for these anymore! These were delicious when I made them and quite a hit! Am I doing something wron? I subscribed to the website too. Help! Thanks!
Karina says
Hi Christy, thank you for your comment! We had a frustrating technical issue that has just now been resolved and all recipes are showing once again. I’m so sorry for the inconvenience this has caused. If you need any further help, please email us and we will assist you in any way we can. Thank you for your patience! XOXO
Cathyann says
I made this recipe with a bag of tiny multicolored potatoes and added a small amount of olive tapenade I had in the fridge to about half of them rather than cheese – they were all delicious!
Karina says
MMM! That sounds delicious! Thanks so much for sharing!
EARL DIVER WEAVER says
I USE A LOT OF YOUR RECIPES AND LOVE THEM – THIS OLD NAVY DIVER LOVES TO COOK – ESPECIALLY IN A CROCK POT – THANKS YOU SO MUCH !
Sherry Corbett says
Have you tried it with sweet potatoes ?
Karina says
Yes! Here is the recipe https://cafedelites.com/garlic-butter-smashed-sweet-potatoes-with-parmesan
Patty says
Delicious! I made these for a family get together and they were a hit. Easy side dish!
Karina says
That is perfect! I am glad everyone loved them! Thanks so much for sharing!
Jessica says
Yummy!! i will try this Parmesan smashed potatoes. thanks for sharing
Harry Thomas says
This looks like one of those dishes that there’s seemingly never enough of because it goes down so well!
Karina says
hah! Totally! It is a keeper!
Sascha says
I’ve never tried smashed potatoes and I have to say these are the best spuds I’ve ever had! We enjoyed ours with your roast chicken. Thank you!
Karina says
YUM! That sounds delicious! Thanks so much for sharing with me! I am glad that they turned out for you.
Tymeron Smith says
Either way would be great! I use a metal potatoes masher that is wide. I think they will still taste the same as long as there are waves in the potatoes for the sauce to drizzle in and bake evenly in the oven. Hope that helps! Anything will be great!
Cherie says
For the grated parmesan cheese, should you use grated (ie green kraft container) or the shredded kind available in the dairy section?
Karina says
Definitely the shredded kind Cherie!
Bec says
This is the best potato recipe I’ve ever stumble down upon, and is definitely worth the extra effort. The flavours mix together perfectly, and they’re a perfect side dish to a good steak.
Jenny says
Hi, sorry if this has been asked. Are the potatoes regular size or the smaller ones? Just want to get this right…looks amazing! Thank you
Karina says
Hi Jenny! These are regular sized 🙂
Kathy says
Greetings,
How many people did you serve with this recipe? I think I will do these for Christmas dinner alongside Beef Tenderloin
Thanks
Karina says
HI KATHY 🙂 You can serve 4-8 people, depending on how many each person eats. This recipe makes 8 smashed potatoes 🙂
Celine says
Hi Karina,
Do I cook these potato with the skin on or without? Thanks.
Karina says
Hi Celine! I cook them with skin, but without is fine too. Personally, I prefer them with skin.
Phedencia says
So do I broil on high or low?
Karina says
Please see Step 1: medium-high heat.
Nicole says
Just made this tonight and everyone loved them. I used red potatoes, awesome flavor! I could eat them every day!
Elizabeth says
Made these tonight and I used red potatoes and didn’t broil them. Big mistake. Going to have them again tomorrow and will definitely broil them tomorrow.
Carol Bales says
These are amazing. I loved them! I used this recipe with red potatoes and rosemary. The pictures don’t disappoint; it is as delicious as you think it will be, and also really fun, and easy to make. Will do this again, soon.
Gretchen says
Absolutely amazing! We made it with grassed kerrigold butter and it was crispy on outside and baked on inside… I smashed them out to make sure they were extra crispy
Luciana says
DELICIOUS!!! Will definitely be making again.
Mary Kaye says
I love this recipe. This is now my go to for potatoes. I speed up the process. By microwaving the potatoes. Some days I use fresh rosemary.
Bonnie says
This year we did something totally untrational for Christmas (for our family anyway). We bbq’d tri tip. I made these little beauties and EVERYone loved them! My gosh. They were loaded with flavor and the individual serving size really helped some of us stay on tract with our starch limit….for the most part;)
Only change-up I made was I minced about 5 garlic cloves & mixed them with the butter and parsley.
I DID make 6 more tonight for just my husband & I 🙂
Thank you!
Katie McKee says
How many servings are in this recipe?
Becca says
These sound delish! Going to try tonight. Can russetts be used? Thanks!
Karina says
Hi Becca. Yes definitely!
Mel says
I noticed your pics don’t show any skin on top, do you fluff them or spread them open?
Karina says
Hi Mel, I just smash them on the tray with the potato masher and they spread on their own 🙂
Kara says
I can’t wait to make these! They look delicious! I was wondering if you think it’d be okay to peel the potatoes? My kiddos will not eat potatoes with peel. 🙁 Thanks for any suggestions!
Denise says
Can you use russet potatoes?
Susan says
Would love to make these instead of mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving, but wondering if turkey gravy would taste good on them. For those of you who made them, what do you think?
Karina says
Susan yes! Yum!
Amy Trefry says
These look fantastic! Do you think a cheese-less version could be done with Nutritional Yeast?
Karina says
Hi Amy. You can try it!
Jill wing says
Hi.how close do I put the potatoes to the broiler when cooking? Thanks, Jill.
Caroline says
It’s my new biggest hit with the kids. So delicious !!!
Kate says
I’ve made these 4 times now and every time I have to stop myself from stashing some before they get to the table so I can eat some without having to share!
Absolutely delicious and so simple, thanks 🙂
Karina says
Aw Kate, hahaha I understand exactly what you mean!
Blair says
I’m going to ask a question to which the answer MAY seem obvious, but I want to be sure: When making these with the one pan lemon garlic baked salmon and asparagus, they are in a separate pan, yes? These call for 15 minutes, and the salmon calls for 8, so it seems it would have to be that way. Thanks!
Karina says
Hi Blair! Yes exactly!
Ann says
Love your recipe, going to make it tonight with the salmon. Tummy is rumbling already ?
Brenda says
So do you chop the garlic ? Otherwise, how do you spoon over the potatoes?
Karina says
Yes Brenda. Please note in the ingredients list: ‘4 cloves garlic, crushed’
Brenda says
Made these and loved them
Great way to have potatoes ❤
Alicia says
Hello, I am thinking about making these delicious looking potatoes for an upcoming dinner party we are hosting, but am wondering if they could be made in advance? Or made in advance up to a certain step? Do they reheat well? Thanks for any advice!
Karina says
Hi Alicia! They do reheat fine, but they lose their outer crispness when reheating! In this case I’d suggest pre-boiling them and flattening them with the masher when still warm; covering when cooled and refrigerating until you need them. You could also prepare the butter and store it until your dinner party. From there they should only take around 20 minutes to cook!
Wendy says
The problem with these is that I know I would want to eat the whole pan myself!!! I am going to make them though with the One Pan Salmon and Asparagus dish for Easter Sunday and serve them to my friends. This will stop me from eating it all. Love your work!!!
Karina says
Ha Wendy I hear you!!! So hard to stop at one but they’re so filling your stomach over rules your craving! ?? A blessing in disguise 🙂 I’m so glad you’ll be making these and the salmon over Easter! AND I have an amazing dessert coming today 😉 OF COURSE lol Xx
Katrina says
ooohhh I LOVE smashed potatoes!! Especially covered in garlic and butter. These look amazing!
Karina says
Yay I’m so glad you like these!! Thank you Katrina X