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!
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 butter, plus more as needed
- Kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley, or 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
- Optional: 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
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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 once it’s boiling.
- Boil the baby (or small) potatoes until they are fork tender, about 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, 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, the pepper, the garlic powder, and the parsley. Taste and add more salt, pepper, or garlic powder, as desired. Stir in Parmesan, if desired.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes/Tips
Dairy-Free Option: Use ghee (lactose-free clarified 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.
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!