Air fryer patatas bravas

Name: Air fryer patatas bravas
Prep time: 7 min
Cook time: 14 min
Total time: 21 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Spanish
Ingredients: 900g Potatoes; 3 tablespoons Olive Oil; 1 chopped Onion; 1 clove peeled crushed Garlic; 1 tblsp Paprika; 1 tblsp Tomato Puree; 225g Tinned Tomatos; To serve Basil Leaves

By The Spice & Simmer Kitchen · Published May 3, 2026

A one-pot Vegetarian recipe with Spanish flavors, built for busy weeknights when you want real food without a sink full of dishes. Comes together in roughly 36 minutes, serves about 4, and uses ingredients you can find at any normal grocery store. The technique is simple: build a base in your pot, layer in the main ingredients, simmer until everything has had time to talk to each other, and serve straight from the pan. If you're cooking for picky eaters, this one tends to land — the flavors are recognizable, the texture is comforting, and there's nothing weird hiding in the ingredient list. Perfect for the kind of evening where you want dinner on the table by 7pm and the kitchen empty by 7:30.

Step-by-step instructions

Soak the potatoes in just-boiled water for 30 mins, then drain and leave to air-dry for 5 mins. Heat the air fryer to 200C. Tip the potatoes into a bowl and drizzle over 1 tbsp of the oil and add 1/2 tsp each of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix to coat the potatoes all over, then tip into the air fryer basket and cook for 20-30 mins until crisp and golden.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a small pan over a medium-low heat and fry the onion for 8-10 mins until softened but not golden. Stir in the garlic and cook for a minute before adding the paprika and cooking for 30 seconds more. Stir in the tomato purée, cook for 1 min, then tip in the chopped tomatoes. Cook for 5-10 mins over a medium heat until thickened slightly.
Once the potatoes are cooked, tip out onto a platter and pour over the tomato sauce. Sprinkle with the basil leaves, then serve.

Why this works on a weeknight

Air fryer patatas bravas genuinely fits a 30-minute weeknight window, which is why it earned a spot in our Skillet & One-Pan collection. The technique is forgiving, the ingredient list is grocery-store standard, and the active cooking time is short enough that you can answer a text message in the middle without ruining dinner.

Cleanup notes

This is a single-pan recipe, so the cleanup is exactly one pan, one cutting board, and one knife. While the dish rests, fill the pan with hot soapy water — by the time you are done eating, the residue lifts off with a single pass of a sponge. Skip the steel wool on cast iron; a stiff brush and warm water are all you need to keep the seasoning intact.

Make-ahead and leftovers

Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in a dry pan over medium-low with a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce. Air fryer patatas bravas actually improves overnight as the flavors keep talking to each other, so doubling the recipe and packing tomorrow's lunch is a high-leverage weeknight move.

Filed under 🥘 Skillet & One-Pan Vegetarian Spanish ⚡ 30-Min Dinner