No Oil No Fat Crispy Roast Potatoes
These Crispy Roast Potatoes are made with a special method that doesn’t require oil, and makes for potatoes that are golden brown and crispy!
The crispiness of these potatoes just boggles my mind. This recipe uses absolutely no oil, no butter, no lard, no shortening, no fat whatsoever. It is crispy completely from the way that it is cooked. The interior of the potato is fluffy and soft, and the outside has a robust crunch to it.
Don’t expect the same kind of crunch as true double deep-fried french fries, but these potatoes are equally as addictive. My husband and I can go through a whole sheet pan of these things in one sitting, and we do…that’s why I make four pounds at a time.
I discovered the crispiness sort of by accident two years ago. I had seen a recipe for crispy potatoes from Nigella Lawson, and they looked so good…but the recipe called for two 11-ounce jars of goose fat for 5 lbs of potatoes!! I was afraid of fat at the time, so I tried making them in a similar way, but without the fat. And they crisped nicely!
Part of the crispy potato magic comes from a little bit of flour, and the other part of the magic comes from the way these are cooked.
Start by peeling the potatoes:
Parboil the potatoes, then shake them up with flour, to mar up the edges a bit:
This changes the shape of the potato pieces, makes the edges lighter, and coats the edges with the flour.
Spread them out on a sheet pan, and bake!
This time in the hot oven is when they develop their crisp brown edges.
Once you’ve tried this recipe, don’t be shy about getting creative with the seasoning. In addition to salt and pepper, you could do garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, chili powder, and all sorts of stuff that strikes your fancy. Have fun with it!
No Oil No Fat Crispy Roast Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 pounds russet potatoes
- 2 tbsp all purpose flour
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
- Peel the skin off the potatoes, placing the potatoes in cool water after peeling so they don’t discolor.
- Once the potatoes are peeled, cut them into evenly sized small pieces an inch or two big (either is fine, cut to your preference). Place the potato pieces in a pot, fill with enough cold water to cover the potatoes, and salt the water like you would a pasta water (it should taste as salty as ocean water). This will help season the potatoes on the inside.
- Bring the water to a boil on high heat (you always cook potatoes starting with cold water in order to ensure evenly cooked pieces. If you start the potatoes in boiling water, the outside will be overcooked by the time the inside is done). Once the water is boiling, cook for an additional 4 minutes. Drain the potatoes, return the pieces to the pot (don’t put the pot back on the heat), and sprinkle over the flour. Put the lid back on the pan, and shake it up. You are marring the edges, which will facilitate the crunchiness of the potatoes later on.
- Dump the potatoes onto a sheet pan and make sure they are in a single layer (don’t crowd the potatoes, or the edges won’t get crispy). Give it a good sprinkling of sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, and they are ready to go into the oven. Roast for 30-45 minutes, but watch them carefully because roasting time can vary depending on the size of the potato pieces. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
62 Comments on “No Oil No Fat Crispy Roast Potatoes”
I have not tried baking them without any oil or fat before, but I will try this method the next time I do any roast potatoes.
Hi i made these because i ran out of fats to cook with.Best roast potatoes ever ,now i only cook them this way just lovely.
That’s great, Alison. Happy cooking!
I made these and we loved them. I eat whole food plant based,my husband loves all things fried and he was very please with this alternative which in turn made me happy.
Hi Dolly, really happy to hear that. Enjoy!
Would the potatoes get crispy if flour was omitted? Just the potatoes, nothing else, in the oven?
Do you have a pinterest button somewhere here so that I can save this recipe? Thanks
Hi Beth, it’s always at the sharing bar at the bottom of the post, do you see it? Let me know if you can’t find it.
Hello Joanne,
Just wanted to thank you for this. I made them yesterday- Really did turn out nice and crunchy!! Amazing that you can give them such a nice crisp without oil.
Thanks again 😀
This sounds so like what I need. I’ll try it tomorrow. Thanks. Any idea, anyone, how many calories (etc) this recipe provides – altogether/lb/100gms?
Hi Michael, when calculating calories in recipes I usually just look up a calorie counter website and put the ingredients in. If you can weigh out the exact measurements of the potatoes you have, then it’s even more accurate because they often put calories per weight on these websites.
Yay! I’m so happy I found this recipe. I’ve been looking all over for a roasted potato recipe without a ton of oil. Sooo many called so much that I didn’t bother making them. These sound awesome, thanks!
Does anyone have any recommendations regarding the pan to use? I have a Dillard’s house brand non-stick cookie sheet pan that is supposed to be able to withstand temps up to 500 degrees. There was no temperature advice on the packaging so I emailed the store for them to ask their buyer. However, it seems to bend at temps of 400 degrees or more. It then comes back to its original shape without warp once it cools.( I roast a lot of veggies with oil). I have started to used aluminum foil although it is non-stick because I just find it facilitates cooking and is such a breeze to clean. I was going to buy parchment paper, but the packaging says up to temps of 425. Any thoughts from anyone regarding all this.
Hi Lena, I personally would suggest an uncoated pan, not a nonstick. Nonstick pans don’t brown very well, and since there’s no oil here, it’s hard enough for these potatoes to brown. I use this pan (http://amzn.to/12EmXZU) and it has never warped on me…and it has a lid too!
I use a Stainless Steel Baking pan. It is a special textured stainless steel baking pan that comes as close to non-stick as you can get without using a non-stick coating. The bottom is textured with tiny little bumps to help prevent sticking. I would love to provide a link but I haven’t been able to find one online to reference to.
Hello from Nova Scoitia. You offer exceptional and unique and healthy recipes. Thank you so much! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!
Cool! Thanks for stopping by Frank. Happy Holidays.
I do believe these potatoes are going to change my life! They are AMAZING!!
haha YAY! It’s nice to have crisp potatoes without oil sometimes =)
i tried this recipe it was just so tasty thank you for this i added a bit of onions and green pepper for an extra zing and it was delicious thanks
I love your additions Missy. So glad you enjoyed them!
Have you ever tried using red potatoes? That’s our favorite potato so was curious how they turn out. Wonder if sweet potatoes would work too?
Thanks!
Hi Kristina, I haven’t. The starch makeups of those two potatoes are a bit different so I’m not sure how they would turn out. In general sweet potatoes don’t crisp like russets do, and I’m not sure about the red since I don’t buy those often. The reds and boiling potatoes/waxy rather than baking which is baking/starchy, so my guess is that it would be different. I will keep in mind to try it next time I’m at the store, and if you try it, please let us all know how it turns out.
Forgot to ask, do we turn these at any point? Or just leave them as it when going into the oven?
Hi Mary Ann, No turning, just leave them on the pan on the same side for the whole cook time, to maximize a crisp edge on the bottom. Enjoy! I just made these the other day…love them.
These look wonderful. We love spuds at our house. Im going to give these a try once the weather cools down a bit. Love all your recipes.
Thank you for posting this! I needed an oil free alternative to fried potatoes and came across your site. I will be back. 🙂