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.
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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.
Family loved them!
Yay! Thanks for leaving a review Norma!
Excellent.
Thanks Linda!
Thanks for a recipe that doesn’t involve the oven.
Glad you found it! Thanks for the review.
Very good.
Glad you like it Linda. Thank you for leaving a review!
Potatoes are my favorite veggie.
I’ve never thought about a favorite veggie before. I’m not sure I can pick to be honest, but I do love baby potatoes! Thanks for leaving a review Mary.
Fantastic and exactly what I was looking for. Thank you!
Thanks Russ! Glad you found this recipe.
Question, do you add potatoes to the water after boiling or right at the beginning?
You place the potatoes in the pan and add enough water to cover them by an inch. Then bring it to a boil.
Perfection! These were excellent dipped in classic Swiss fondue – just superb, so pretty and incredibly easy!
That sounds sooooo yummy Jen! Thanks for the suggestion.
These little potatoes have a great flavor. They almost melt in your mouth. The Parmesan flakes are a very nice touch! Great tasting fiber to soothe my IBS.
Thank you for taking time to leave a review. So glad you found a recipe that tastes good and works for your health journey.
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. Thank you for this yummy recipe.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this, Julie. I make this regularly as an easy side dish for my fam. 🙂
So yummy and so easy!! Definitely a new favorite!
Glad to hear it Melissa! Thanks for letting us know.
A delicious and easy side dish that melts in your mouth!
Yes! I hadn’t thought to describe these at melt in your mouth, but that’s exactly what they are. So good! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review Jennifer.
Super delicious
So glad you liked it Laura. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review.
Easy instructions, great &concise with the explanation of the recipe
Thanks for taking the time to leave a review. We strive to make things easy & concise as well as delicious! 🙂
Delicious! Thank you so much. This was my first time making boiled potatoes. 😊
So glad you liked them Bethany. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review.
They were delicious! I’m making them again today.
Awesome! We love to hear when you find a homerun recipe for your family.
Came out perfect!!!!
Awesome — we love to hear that!