The 1-Ingredient Secret to Crispy Roasted Potatoes

Use this instead of oil or butter.

Nothing makes me feel more accomplished than pulling a pan of perfectly crispy roasted potatoes out of the oven. The ideal level of heat and amount of fat and salt can turn a humble potato into a crisp nugget worthy of a restaurant dish.

Fat is the key ingredient here. While most people typically use oil to coat potatoes before roasting, what if I told you there’s another simple ingredient that will make your roasted potatoes even better?

Mayonnaise is an easy way to upgrade your roasted potatoes. At its core, mayo is an emulsion of eggs and oil with a little vinegar or lemon juice. Tossing your potatoes in mayo is similar to tossing your potatoes in oil with a little extra flavor. After roasting in a covering of seasoned mayo, your potatoes will come out extra crispy and special.

How To Upgrade Roasted Potatoes with Mayonnaise

Use three tablespoons of mayonnaise for each pound of potato (about one large russet potato or five small red or Yukon potatoes). Add the mayo to a large mixing bowl and mix in one to two teaspoons of seasonings. You can use anything you like, from garlic or onion powder to oregano, basil, parsley, paprika, Cajun seasoning, or anything else that strikes your fancy.

Chop the potatoes into one-inch cubes (or use whole baby potatoes) and toss them in the mayo mixture. Finish with salt and black pepper, then bake in a 400°F oven for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender. It’s that simple.

Why Roasting Potatoes with Mayonnaise Works

As a mayo hater, I was skeptical about this tip. While I would never willingly eat mayo on its own, I was curious to see how it would transform potatoes in the oven.

Not surprisingly, you won’t taste the mayo once the potatoes are roasted (thank goodness!). The potatoes were a bit more oily looking than when I roast them with oil, but the excess is easy to drain off and you’ll be left with uber crispy potatoes with crisp skins and tender middles.

Tips for Roasting Potatoes with Mayonnaise

Parboil and agitate for an extra-craggy texture: I tried par-boiling a batch of potatoes before roasting along with basting raw potatoes in mayo before baking. Both were good—the par-boiled potatoes took a little less time in the oven to reach fork-tender status. I like par-boiling the potatoes before baking and agitating them to give some extra cragginess—they’ll have many crispy edges.

Try an air fryer: Although I don’t have an air fryer to test this theory, I think this technique would also work extremely well in an air fryer for super-crisp potatoes.