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!
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!
“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
These Boiled Baby Potatoes are incredibly easy to make and full of flavor. A touch of butter, simple pantry seasonings, and a sprinkle of grated Parmesan take these potatoes from plain to irresistible.
While it’s hard to go wrong, follow these tips for the best results when choosing and cooking baby or red potatoes:
- Choose fresh potatoes. Avoid any that are shriveled, soft, or have numerous “eyes” (tiny sprouts). Fresh potatoes will give the best texture and flavor.
- Pick the smallest potatoes available. For even cooking, select bite-sized potatoes or cut larger ones in half. Just like when making Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes, keeping them roughly the same size ensures they boil evenly.
- Mix it up for a festive look. An assortment of blue, red, and yellow baby potatoes adds color and makes the dish more visually appealing. These varieties are easy to find at most grocery stores, including Aldi and Walmart.
The seasoning quantities in the recipe below are flexible, so taste and adjust to your liking. Our family loves adding grated Parmesan for extra flavor, but it’s optional if you prefer to keep it simple.
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!
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.
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
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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.
Hello, do you happen to have the original recipe for the boiled potatoes? This updated one is good but the original was my favorite!
I looked for the changes I made and sadly can’t find them for you, Shannon. I believe I just increased the amount of salt and Parmesan cheese though.
Nice little side dish to make while the roast is finishing. Easy recipe and good directions.
Glad you enjoyed this and found it easy to follow Eric. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
Delicious and simple! Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Tina! Glad you enjoyed this. Thanks for leaving a review!
Super tasty … used Basil fresh chopped up… didn’t have any parsley!
Basil sounds like a delicious substitution Alan! Thanks for sharing.
Nice taste.
Glad you liked this recipe. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review.
Perfect recipe
Hi Denali. So glad you loved this recipe. Thanks for leaving a review!
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!
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.
Absolutely delicious. My husband and two adult sons loved them and they are so easy to make.
So glad your family enjoyed this recipe Nancy! Thanks for leaving a review.
Thank you! Delicious.
So glad you liked the potatoes Aurora. Thanks for leaving a review.
We love this recipe. Easy and delicious.
Hi Melissa. So glad you love this one. It’s a staple in our house. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review.
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!
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!
I make these regularly now! They’re delicious!
Glad you like them Rachel. They are a staple at my house as well. Thanks for leaving a review!
My mother used to make these. We always added chives.
Wonderful idea! I do that in the summer when my chive plant comes back.
Quick and easy. Love it.
Yay! Thanks for the review Tom.
Some of potato are purple do they supposed to look like that
I used a baby potato medley that had some yellow, purple, and red potatoes, but use whatever kind you like or can find.
Surprisingly easy and super delicious!
Easy and delicious… our two favorite adjectives around here for our recipes. So glad you liked it Pat. Thank you for leaving a review!