The BEST Boiled Baby Potatoes
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Our delicious boiled baby potatoes recipe is a simple side dish for a weeknight meal or a special occasion. Read this post to see how long to boil baby potatoes (or red potatoes) and then use our tantalizing recipe next time you make them!
“Until now, I never really cared for potatoes, because to me they taste like potatoes. But this recipe is downright delicious, full of flavor, and easy to make. I will make these again and again and will also recommend them to anyone and everyone.” ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
– Julie B.
Tips for Making Boiled Baby Potatoes
You won’t believe how easy and delicious these Boiled Baby Potatoes are! With the addition of a little butter, pantry seasonings, and grated Parmesan cheese (optional) at the end, bland boiled potatoes will be a thing of the past.
It’s hard to mess these up, but follow these tips for best results when selecting and cooking baby or red potatoes.
Fresh Is Best
Buy fresh potatoes. That means avoiding ones that are shriveled, soft to the touch, or that have a lot of “eyes” (tiny sprouts) on them.
Size Matters
Select the smallest potatoes you can find. If they are not bite-sized, you may want to cut them in half. Similar to selecting potatoes for Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes, make sure they are all roughly the same size so that they boil at the same rate.
Color Helps
The key to making this baby potato recipe look appetizing and festive is finding an assortment of blue, red, and yellow baby potatoes. I see these all over the place now, even at Aldi and Walmart. The fresh or dried parsley flakes you’ll add at the end lend a little pop of color that adds to the holiday feel.
Adjust Seasoning
In the recipe below, I’ve given a range on the seasonings, so you’ll have to taste and adjust to your liking. Our family really enjoys a sprinkling of grated Parmesan on the potatoes at the end, but it’s totally optional.
How Long to Boil Baby Potatoes
Small potatoes cook up fast on the stove top. Here’s the basic method:
- Add enough water to your pot to cover your baby potatoes by at least 1 inch of water.
- Bring the water to a boil and salt the water liberally.
- Boil the baby (or small) potatoes until they are fork tender, about 10 minutes depending on the size of your potatoes.
- Drain in a colander. Use our delicious recipe to jazz them up!
Main Dishes to Serve with Baby Potatoes
To pull together an amazing yet simple dinner, serve your baby potatoes along side one of these popular main dishes.
More Ways to Cook Potatoes
Potatoes are cheap, filling and well-liked by all ages. Here are a few more ways to cook those spuds.
- Air Fryer – Probably my favorite way to make Baked Potatoes. See our Air Fryer Baked Potato recipe for instructions.
- Slow Cook: Crock Pot Baked Potatoes are a no brainer when you need a side dish prepped ahead. Or, cook small potatoes in our Slow Cooker Pot Roast.
- Instant Pot: A faster way to get fluffy baked potatoes on the table is our Instant Pot Baked Potato method.
- Bake:
- You can bake russet potatoes in the oven. Use the recipe in our Baked Potato Bar post for this.
- Or…try this fun method! After boiling baby potatoes, give them a smash and bake them to make Crispy Smashed Potatoes.
- Turn them into Oven Baked Steak Fries.
- Turn them into Twice-Baked Potatoes. Yum!
FAQs
These tiny potatoes aren’t an actual type of potato, but a classification of their size. Any type of potato (yellow, red, etc.) can be called a baby potato as long as it ends up being a very small spud.
Yes! ‘New’ potatoes are so-called because they are the earliest to crop. They take 10-12 weeks to mature.
Baby potatoes usually have a sweeter flavor and a more delicate texture than larger potatoes. They are often used in salads, stews, or roasted as a side dish.
Did you make this? Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram at @thrivinghome so we can see your creations and cheer you on!
The BEST Boiled Baby Potatoes Recipe
With a little added butter and pantry seasonings, this boiled baby potatoes recipe looks stunning and will please everyone at the table!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds small baby potatoes (preferably an assortment of red, blue, and yellow)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley (sub: 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes)
- Optional: 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, plus more to taste
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- If your potatoes are not bite-sized, then cut them in half.
- In a large pot, add enough water to cover your baby potatoes by at least 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil over high heat (put on the lid to help it boil faster). Then, salt the water liberally (about 1 tablespoon) once it’s boiling.
- Boil the baby (or small) potatoes until they are fork tender, about 8-10 minutes depending on the size of your potatoes.
- Drain the potatoes in a colander over the sink and then return them to the pot.
- Gently toss the potatoes with the butter, a pinch of Kosher salt, pepper, garlic powder, and parsley. Stir in optional Parmesan, if desired. Taste and add more seasoning, if desired.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes/Tips
- Dairy-Free Option: Use ghee (lactose-free clarified butter), vegan butter, or olive oil instead of butter. Leave out the Parmesan cheese.
- Kosher Salt Substitute: If subbing table salt for the Kosher salt in this recipe, use about half as much.
Mobetta Jenkum says
Turned out GREAT! But ALWAYS substitute the Kosher Salt for plain natural salt (which has not gone through such an expensive process that is not good for you anyway). Also, do not PRINT RECIPE or EMAIL RECIPE, as you will either waste 75 pages of expensive color ink~ or get non-stop Spam from political ads. Otherwise, GREAT POTATO RECIPE!!! I am fenna use this at ALL future BBBQ events!
Rachel Tiemeyer says
We’re so glad you enjoyed this recipe. This recipe is a staple side dish in our house.
As for the printing on our site, there are no ads on the printable recipe version and you can reduce the recipe to one black and white page with no images. Our “email the recipe” option simply sends the link to your email. Just wanted to make sure you knew that.
Nancy says
Absolutely delicious. My husband and two adult sons loved them and they are so easy to make.
Carla from Thriving Home says
So glad your family enjoyed this recipe Nancy! Thanks for leaving a review.
Aurora says
Thank you! Delicious.
Carla from Thriving Home says
So glad you liked the potatoes Aurora. Thanks for leaving a review.
Melissa Kelley says
We love this recipe. Easy and delicious.
Carla from Thriving Home says
Hi Melissa. So glad you love this one. It’s a staple in our house. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review.
Carrie says
Absolutely delicious! This is going to now be my go to for seasoned potatoes. I usually do them in the oven, but this is sooo much better & faster. Thanks for the recipe!
Carla from Thriving Home says
This is a staple around our house since it is delicious and comes together quickly. Glad you feel the same Carrie. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
Rachel O'Dell says
I make these regularly now! They’re delicious!
Carla from Thriving Home says
Glad you like them Rachel. They are a staple at my house as well. Thanks for leaving a review!
Jan says
My mother used to make these. We always added chives.
Rachel Tiemeyer says
Wonderful idea! I do that in the summer when my chive plant comes back.
Tom Powell says
Quick and easy. Love it.
Carla from Thriving Home says
Yay! Thanks for the review Tom.
Gail matthews says
Some of potato are purple do they supposed to look like that
Rachel Tiemeyer says
I used a baby potato medley that had some yellow, purple, and red potatoes, but use whatever kind you like or can find.
Pat says
Surprisingly easy and super delicious!
Carla from Thriving Home says
Easy and delicious… our two favorite adjectives around here for our recipes. So glad you liked it Pat. Thank you for leaving a review!