These crispy potato flowers are a unique way to serve potatoes and are fun to eat. The potatoes are cut in a way so that they open up like a blooming flower when they are cooked. The potatoes need only 4 ingredients and are super crispy.
With so many holidays just around the corner, I’m starting to plan my holiday menus. These crispy potato flowers are so much fun. I love their appearance and they are really fun to eat. This recipe originated in Asia and has been shared in many videos. I tested and made some changes to come up with my version.
Ingredients
- Potatoes
- Cornstarch
- Flour
- Salt
The potatoes themselves need only four ingredients. You will also need cooking oil if you plan on frying them.
Potatoes: I recommend large russet potatoes. Your potatoes need to be large in order to cut a 2 inch cube out of it, which is why I chose russet potatoes.
Cornstarch: Cornstarch and flour are mixed together for the potato coating. If you prefer, you can just use cornstarch. Most recipes only use cornstarch which helps produce a very light and crispy coating, however I found that when cooking only with a cornstarch coating, the potatoes don’t turn as golden which is why I do a mix of flour and cornstarch.
Flour: You will need all purpose flour for the coating. If you need a substitute for all purpose flour, you can just use only cornstarch but your potatoes won’t turn as golden brown and the crispy coating doesn’t stay crisp as long.
Salt: Salt is used to help soften the potatoes to make them more pliable so that the petals bloom open. I came across some versions that use water only but I found that water alone does not soften the potatoes enough.
How to Make Crispy Flower Potatoes
The potatoes are first peeled and then have their ends and sides sliced off so that you are left with an approximate 2 inch cube. It’s okay if it’s not a perfect cube. I saved the rest of the potato scraps for fries.
You then place the cube between two chopsticks. Cut vertical slices through the potatoes, spacing them 1/4 inch apart. The chopsticks are there to stop your knife from going all the way through the potato cube. You then turn the potato 90 degrees and cut again, like you are making a checkerboard.
The potato cubes are then soaked in a salt water bath until the potatoes are soft and pliable. You then dry them off and coat them in the flour and cornstarch mixture. The potatoes are then ready to be fried. You can also bake or air fry them but they won’t look as perfectly golden and won’t be crispy as long.
Cooking Crispy Potato Flowers
Potato flowers are usually fried. Frying them will help them bloom more, will let them brown evenly and make them stay crispy longer. However, you can air fry or bake them. For the air fryer or oven versions you don’t need the coating and you don’t need any oil.
More Unique Potato Recipes
4 Ingredient Crispy Potato Flowers
Ingredients
- 10 large russet potatoes
- 5 tbsp (93 g) salt
- 6 tbsp (48 g) cornstarch
- 6 tbsp (46 g) all purpose flour
- vegetable or canola oil for frying
Instructions
- Peel potatoes and then cut them into approximate 2 inch cubes, by slicing off the ends and the sides. It’s okay if the edges are slightly curved and the potato cubes are not exactly 2 inches on each side. See photo in post for reference.
- Place one cube in between two chopsticks. I recommend using disposable throwaway ones so you don’t need to worry about cutting them. You can also use metal chopsticks.
- Using a large sharp knife, cut vertical lines across the cube, spacing each cut ¼ inch apart. The chopsticks should prevent your knife from cutting all the way through the potato, so there is a little leftover at the bottom of the potato that is not cut. See photo in post for reference.
- Turn the cube 90 degrees and do the vertical cuts again, spaced ¼ inch apart. When you are done, it should look like you made a checkerboard.
- Place the potatoes in a large bowl. Sprinkle salt over surface and then fill the bowl with just enough cold water until it covers the potatoes completely. The cold water will prevent the potatoes from oxidizing and changing color so the potatoes do need to be submerged in water. The salt is used to soften the potatoes. Let the potatoes sit in the salt water for about 25 minutes or until the potatoes are soft and pliable.
- After 25 minutes, drain water and rinse the potatoes a few times to remove the excess salt. The potatoes should be very soft and you should be able to pull open the cuts so that it opens up.
- Dry the potatoes with a paper towel.
- Add a little over 2 inches of oil to your pot being used for frying (enough to cover the potatoes). Bring oil to 350°F (177°C).
- Combine cornstarch and flour into a bowl and whisk until evenly combined. Cover each cube in the flour mixture, making sure to try to coat all of the individual “petals” especially on the inside of each one. Each cube should be fully covered both on the outside and the inside.
- When your oil is ready, place your cubes gently into the oil and let them cook for a few minutes until they are a light golden brown and look crispy. Remove them from oil and place them onto a plate lined with a paper towel. Let them rest for about 3-5 minutes until they have cooled down and aren’t too hot to touch. Keep your oil hot and stove on so that the oil is still at 350°F.
- After the potatoes are cool enough to touch, put them back in the oil. For the second fry, you will not need to cook them as long. About 1-2 minutes. They will turn a darker golden brown when you fry them again. The second fry helps give them more color and also makes them stay crispier for longer. Remove the potatoes when they look ready. Add any seasoning and herbs of your choice and serve immediately. I garnished mine with some fresh chopped parsley and salt. I also served mine with ketchup.
Video
Notes
- The potatoes will only absorb a little of the salt, so you will likely need to add more salt to season to your taste.
- When measuring the flour, first stir your flour to loosen it up and then measure with a spoon and level off each time with a knife to prevent too much flour from being added.
- The potatoes will look best if you fry them. However, if you prefer to cook them in the air fryer or bake them, you can. They will not bloom open as much but will still have a unique appearance. For both the air fryer and baked version, they will crisp up most on top but will not be as crispy on the inside. They will also not brown as evenly. If you plan on making them in the air fryer or oven, I don't recommend adding the cornstarch flour coating. Just try to open the petals as much as you can and bake or air fry as they are (you don't even need to brush them with oil but you can. I didn't find much of a difference with the air fryer when I brushed with oil versus no oil.). For the air fryer, cook at 400F for about 10 minutes (or until crispy). For the oven, bake at 425F for 20-30 minutes or until crispy.
- I like to air fry or fry the remaining potato scraps.
- The nutrition estimate is for the potatoes with cornstarch and flour only. It does not include salt because most of the salt is not absorbed. It also does not including the oil for frying because it is difficult to determine how much of the oil is absorbed by each potato flower.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
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Thank you!
Wow, Jennifer! You have mad crazy knife skills, if you can peel, trim, and make all those 1/4″ apart cuts, in 10 MINUTES, in TEN potatoes!
Could you actually set several cubes side-by-side, to speed up the process, for those of us with poorer knife skills, who don’t want to be cutting for 1/2 hour +?
Thanks for sharing the oven baked, and air fryer variations. They look great!
Prep time is an estimate and will vary depending on knife skills, ect. So, it’s always good to take that into account!