Crispy Baked Potato Wedges Recipe

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Last Updated on August 6, 2026 by Barbara

Some plates get built around the main dish. Then there are the plates where the side is the whole reason you keep reaching back for one more bite. Potato wedges live in that second group around here, and once a pan of them hits the table, the conversation usually stops for a second.

If you’ve been chasing a crackly outside and a soft, steamy middle without standing over a pot of hot oil, you’re in the right place. Old Bay does a lot of the talking in this one, and these wedges sit right next to an Authentic Philly Cheesesteak Recipe like they were built for each other.

Table of Contents

Recipe Overview

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 300 per serving
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Method: Boiled, then baked

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

The texture is the headline. A quick trip through sweetened boiling water sets the outside of each wedge up to brown deeply in the oven, so you get a real crunch instead of a soft, pale potato with seasoning sitting on top. That step takes four minutes and it changes everything about how the pan comes out.

The seasoning is doing something different too. Most wedge recipes stop at garlic powder and paprika. This one leans on Old Bay and thyme, which pulls the flavor toward the seafood house and the backyard cookout at the same time. If you like the crisp edges on my Homemade Curly Fries, you’ll be happy here.

It’s also an oven recipe, which means no oil splatter and no frying pot to deal with afterward. You get the flavor of a fry basket with a foil lined sheet pan and a set of tongs. Six servings come out of three potatoes, so it stretches for a family dinner or a game day spread without much cost.

Ingredients

All the measurements live in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here’s what each item is doing.

Potatoes. Russets are the pick. High starch, low moisture, and they fluff up inside while the outside crisps.
Sugar. This goes in the boiling water, not on the wedges. It helps the surface brown to a deep golden color in the oven.
Cornstarch. The crunch insurance. It forms a thin dry coating that turns crackly under oven heat.
Old Bay Seasoning. The backbone of the flavor. Celery salt, paprika, and warm spice in one jar.
Garlic Powder. Even, savory coverage that fresh garlic can’t give you on a sheet pan without burning.
Thyme. An earthy, herby note that keeps the Old Bay from running the whole show.
Black Pepper. Gentle heat and a little bite.
Canola Oil. A neutral oil with a high smoke point, so it holds up through a long bake.
Kosher Salt. This goes on at the very end, while the wedges are hot, so the flakes stick and stay bright.
Parsley. Fresh color and a clean finish on top.

Tools You’ll Need

A sharp chef’s knife and a cutting board
A large pot for boiling
A slotted spoon or spider strainer
Paper towels
A small bowl for the seasoning blend
A large mixing bowl for tossing
A rimmed baking sheet
Aluminum foil
Tongs for flipping

Watch the Video

How to Make Crispy Baked Potato Wedges

Step 1: Cut the Potatoes

Scrub the potatoes well and leave the skin on. The skin is where a lot of the crunch comes from. Cut each potato in half lengthwise, then cut each half into wedges of about the same thickness. Even wedges cook evenly, so take the extra thirty seconds here. If one potato is noticeably bigger than the others, cut it into more pieces rather than thicker ones.

Step 2: Boil the Wedges

Add water and sugar to a pot and bring it up to a boil. Slide the wedges in and let them cook for four minutes. Turn off the heat and lift the wedges out with a slotted spoon. Be gentle. They’re tender at this point and they’ll break if you dump the whole pot into a colander. This short boil is what sets you up for golden, crispy wedges instead of soft ones.

Step 3: Dry the Wedges

Lay the wedges out on paper towels in a single layer and let them dry for five minutes. Don’t rush this. Wet potatoes steam in the oven, and steam is the enemy of crunch. The surface should look matte and feel dry to the touch before you move on.

Step 4: Season and Coat

To a small bowl add the thyme, garlic powder, Old Bay seasoning, and black pepper, then mix until well combined. Move the dried wedges to a large bowl and coat them with canola oil. Add your seasoning mixture, sprinkle on the cornstarch, and toss until every wedge is evenly coated. The cornstarch should disappear into the oil and leave no dry white patches.

Step 5: Bake

Place the wedges on a foil lined baking sheet in a single layer with space between them, then transfer the pan to your preheated oven. Bake for 20 minutes, flip the wedges with tongs, and return the pan to the oven for another 20 minutes. The same single layer rule that makes my Oven Roasted Potatoes come out browned applies here. Crowd the pan and you’ll steam them.

Step 6: Finish and Serve

Take the pan out and top the wedges with kosher salt and parsley while they’re still hot. Serve them right away with whatever you like to dip in.

What to Serve With Crispy Baked Potato Wedges

These wedges were made for a sandwich plate. Pile them next to The Best Slow Cooker Pulled Pork or The Best Spicy Chicken Sandwich and you have a full meal without much extra work.

For a cookout spread, they hold their own against Oven Baked Ribs Recipe and a platter of Best Baked Honey Bbq Wings. Set out ranch, ketchup, honey mustard, and a spicy mayo and let everybody build their own plate.

As an appetizer, they work with a bowl of chili, a cheese board, or a pan of Crispy Buffalo Wings Recipe when the game is on.

How to Store Leftovers

Let the wedges cool completely on the pan first. Warm potatoes sealed in a container turn soggy fast. Move them to an airtight container lined with a paper towel and refrigerate for up to four days. Skip the freezer on these. Baked wedges lose their texture on the thaw and never fully come back.

How to Reheat Potato Wedges

The oven and the air fryer both bring the crunch back. In the oven, spread them on a sheet pan in a single layer and heat at a high temperature for about eight to ten minutes, flipping once. In the air fryer, five or six minutes with a shake halfway through does it. The microwave is the one to avoid. It softens the coating and you lose the whole reason you made them this way.

Pro Tips for the Crispiest Wedges

Line the pan with foil. Cleanup takes seconds and the cornstarch won’t weld itself to your sheet pan.

Cut them uniform. Thick and thin wedges on the same pan means some are still firm while others have gone dark.

Don’t skip the dry time. Five minutes on paper towels is the cheapest crunch you’ll ever get.

Give them room. Two pans beat one crowded pan every time. The same thing holds true for my Waffle Fries Recipe How To Make Waffle Fries.

Flip with tongs. A spatula tends to tear the crust off the bottom. Tongs lift and turn cleanly.

Salt at the end. Salting before the bake pulls moisture to the surface and works against you.

To a small bowl add the thyme, garlic powder, Old Bay seasoning and black pepper then mix until well combined.

FAQ

Why do you boil the potatoes in sugar water?

The sugar helps the outside of each wedge brown into a deep golden color once it hits the oven. The short boil also softens the interior so it turns fluffy while the outside crisps. You’re not making them sweet. Almost all of that sugar stays behind in the pot.

What kind of potatoes work best?

Russets. They’re starchy and low in moisture, which gives you a fluffy inside and a crisp shell. Yukon Golds work if that’s what you have, though they’re a little creamier and won’t crisp quite as hard. Red potatoes are the weakest choice here because they hold too much water.

Can I make these in the air fryer?

Yes. Boil, dry, and season exactly the same way, then air fry in a single layer, shaking the basket a couple of times, until they’re golden and crisp. It’ll take less time than the oven, so check them early. If you cook a lot of things in the basket, my Crispy Air Fryer Pork Chops are worth adding to the rotation.

Do I have to peel the potatoes?

No, and I’d tell you not to. The skin crisps beautifully and adds flavor and texture. Give them a good scrub under cold water and dry them off before you cut.

Can I swap out the Old Bay?

You can. A Cajun blend, lemon pepper, or a seasoned salt all work. Keep the thyme and the garlic powder either way because those two carry the savory base underneath whatever blend you pick

What can I do with leftover potatoes?

If you bought a bag and only used three, put the rest to work. Breakfast Potatoes come together fast in the morning, and a bowl of Classic Potato Salad Recipe handles the whole rest of the bag for a cookout.

Why did my wedges come out soggy?

Three usual causes. The wedges went into the oil still wet, the pan was crowded so they steamed instead of roasted, or they sat covered on a plate after baking and trapped their own heat. Fix the dry time and the pan spacing and you’ll see the difference on the next batch.