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Air fried potato peels: Don’t throw those peels away!

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Air fried potato peels on plate with peeled potatoes, non-dairy cream cheese + text

These air fried potato peels are a hot & crispy snack. Nosh on them while you wait for dinner to finish. A tasty way to make sure food doesn’t go to waste!

Plate of air fried potato peels with non-dairy cream cheese.

Since so many holiday foods are only improved by a pile of potatoes next to them, this is the time of year when the potato peeler gets a workout.

Truth be told, when I’m making mashed potatoes or mustard mashed potatoes just for myself, I usually leave the skin on. I like having a little extra texture, and the “homemade” quality that the peels give. Plus, there are nutrients in the peel that I don’t want to skip.

(I only buy organic potatoes, and so I’m not concerned about pesticides in the peels. There’s a reason potatoes are a member of the 2020 Dirty Dozen.)

However, I know there are some people in my extended family who would prefer their potatoes without any speckles of peel. Plus, there is something extra smooth and whippy about peel-less mashed potatoes.

That doesn’t mean you should let those peels go to waste. Air fry them!

Potato peels in a bowl, peeled potatoes in background.

Overhead air fried potato peels on plate with grated non-dairy cheese, non-dairy cream cheese, seitan bacon, and peeled potatoes.

I got the idea for frying the peels when I was scrolling through my Instagram feed recently. A friend mentioned that his wife preferred potato dishes sans peels. He fries the peels in oil to avoid wasting them.

Since I choose the air fryer whenever I possibly can, it seemed like a good time to put it to the challenge. Plus, I’ve been making vegan baked potato soup. So I happened to have some peels at the ready.

There’s really only one problem with these air fried potato peels. They taste best straight out of the air fryer. Now, that’s not an issue at all if you’re only planning on eating them. However, if you want to photograph them for a blog, that’s when the problems crop up.

I started snacking on them… just to make sure they were done, right? And before I knew it, I had to grab a smaller bowl for the photograph, and then a smaller bowl, and then a smaller bowl until it was getting kind of ridiculous.

Actual picture from that shoot:

Air fried potato skins in a tiny red and white bowl.

So the next day I peeled more potatoes, just so that I could take pictures of them for you… And then eat them again. You’re welcome.

Top air fried potato peels with any of the following:

  • A clove of garlic, minced and sautéed in oil until fragrant
  • Chopped & browned seitan bacon
  • Grated non-dairy cheese
  • Non-dairy cream cheese (This is good for dipping too!)
  • Green onions

Or just eat them on their own or with ketchup.

Air fried potato peels on plate with non-dairy cream cheese, seitan bacon, and non-dairy cheese.

Plate of air fried potato peels with non-dairy cream cheese.

Air fried potato peels

Don't let those potato peels go to waste! Air fry them instead. These crisp & salty peels are the perfect snack while you're waiting for dinner to be ready.
5 from 5 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American, Vegan
Keyword: air fryer, potato peelings
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 8 minutes
Servings: 1 people
Calories: 60kcal
Author: Cadry Nelson

Ingredients

  • Peels from 2 pounds of Russet potatoes about 4 medium-sized potatoes
  • Spritz oil
  • Pinch salt
  • Optional toppings: Sauteed minced garlic, seitan bacon, grated non-dairy cheese, non-dairy cream cheese, green onions, and/or ketchup

Instructions

  • Put potato peels into the air fryer basket. Spritz them with oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt.*
  • Air fry at 400 degrees for 6 to 8 minutes. Stop once about halfway through to shake the basket and give the peels another spritz of oil. Check on them during the last few minutes of cooking to make sure they get brown and crisp, but not burned.
  • Serve right away with any of the optional toppings, if desired.

Notes

The peels shrink when they cook. So be careful not to over salt them.
The air fryer works best when it's not overcrowded. So if you have considerably more peels than called for in this recipe, air fry in batches for best results. However, once the air fryer is hot, the peels will likely cook faster too.

Nutrition

Calories: 60kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 2g | Sodium: 10mg | Potassium: 433mg | Fiber: 2g | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 3.4mg
Tried this recipe?Tag @cadryskitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #cadryskitchen!
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Posted On: November 7, 2017
Comment: Leave a Comment

About Cadry

Cadry Nelson is the writer, photographer, and recipe creator behind Cadry’s Kitchen, a vegan food & lifestyle blog started in 2009. Through approachable recipes, vegan travel guides, and down-to-earth discussions on the social aspects of being vegan, Cadry shows that living a vegan lifestyle is deliciously uncomplicated. Cadry has been featured on NBC News, Mashable, Today, Reader's Digest, Yahoo, Delish, Shape, and Huffington Post.

Comments

  1. David Busch says

    November 7, 2017 at 4:45 pm

    Mmmmm, these look really good!

    Reply
    • Cadry says

      November 7, 2017 at 10:24 pm

      Play your cards right, and I’ll make them for you sometime! 😀

      Reply
  2. Beverlee says

    November 7, 2017 at 6:17 pm

    The sacrifices one goes through to benefit us fellow vegans. 😉

    Reply
    • Cadry says

      November 7, 2017 at 10:25 pm

      The depths of my own selflessness amaze me too. 😉

      Reply
  3. Becky Striepe says

    November 8, 2017 at 10:12 am

    5 stars
    Oh my gosh, this is so smart! I avoid peeling potatoes, because I don’t like to waste food, and now I can peel with reckless abandon!

    Reply
    • Cadry says

      November 9, 2017 at 5:31 pm

      Haha! Peel away! Then you get two, two, two snacks in one! 😉

      Reply
  4. Jennifer Bliss says

    November 8, 2017 at 6:30 pm

    LOVING this! Loving this!!!!! YUM!

    Reply
    • Cadry says

      November 9, 2017 at 5:31 pm

      Thanks, Jennifer!

      Reply
  5. Dianne says

    November 9, 2017 at 8:42 am

    I actually never peel potatoes, but now I want to so I can try this!

    Reply
    • Cadry says

      November 9, 2017 at 5:34 pm

      I rarely peel them either. The first time I made my potato soup, I just started chopping the potatoes with peels on by habit, even though I wanted to air fry the peels. I only remembered once it was too late! So when I made it a second time, I had to keep reminding myself, so that it didn’t happen again. 😀

      Reply
  6. Amy Katz from Veggies Save The Day says

    November 9, 2017 at 3:49 pm

    Ha! I love the bowl story. I can imagine these are addicting!

    Reply
    • Cadry says

      November 9, 2017 at 5:36 pm

      I don’t know if you can really tell just how tiny that bowl is! It’s like the size you’d use for ketchup. Haha! They are too tasty for their own good. 😀

      Reply
  7. Susan says

    November 15, 2017 at 1:43 am

    This is a super fun idea!

    Reply
    • Cadry says

      November 16, 2017 at 12:06 pm

      Thanks, Susan!

      Reply
  8. Shell says

    November 17, 2017 at 11:27 am

    5 stars
    Another fabulous use of the air fryer! I don’t ever peel potatoes, but I need to find a reason to do so. ASAP.

    Reply
    • Cadry says

      November 21, 2017 at 10:42 am

      Let me know if you try it, Shell!

      Reply
  9. Whoevaur says

    March 2, 2018 at 4:54 am

    Do you think this could work with other peelings, like carrot?

    Reply
    • Cadry says

      March 5, 2018 at 11:15 am

      That’s a great question! I’ve never tried it, but it seems like it would be delicious with carrot peels. Carrots have more moisture than potato peels, and so they may not get quite as crisp. However, there’s one way to find out! Let me know if you try it. I’m intrigued!

      Reply
  10. Sally says

    March 3, 2018 at 11:30 am

    5 stars
    I had same idea when I made my boys potato soup after long cold morning cutting and stacking wood. sprayed with vegatanle oil, salted and put in air fryer, used french fry setting(400degrees for 20 mins!) pulled basket out and shook them like ever 5 mins or do. What a hit! Next going to try blotting dry with paper towels and freezing to see how the do. Boys want me to try using dry ranch or bbq seasoning.

    Reply
    • Cadry says

      March 5, 2018 at 11:16 am

      That’s a great idea to add dry ranch or BBQ seasoning. Sounds delicious!

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Cadry Nelson. I'm the recipe creator, writer, and photographer behind Cadry's Kitchen.

Cadry's Kitchen is a vegan food blog featuring comfort food classics. Most recipes are ready in about 30 minutes.

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