At What Temperature To Bake Potato Wedges?

Whether you like them plain or you love them loaded, potato wedges definitely rank high as a snack favorite. We've researched quite a bit about what makes a good potato wedge and how to make them. In this post, we'll be sharing with you the right temperature to bake potato wedges and different toppings you can add to that loaded plate of wedges.

Potato wedges should be baked at 400°F, whether you are cooking them in the oven or in the air fryer. The high temperature helps keep the potato wedges tender inside and the outside very crispy and golden brown. 

Baking potato wedges is pretty simple and you can definitely perfect it in no time. This is why we are going to take a look at everything potato in this post. Keep reading as we talk about how you can perfectly bake your potato wedges and some tips to make sure that your spuds are crispy and not soggy.

At What Temperature To Bake Potato Wedges?

Potato wedges, or what other states might call 'jojos' are crisp, delectable triangles of potatoes that a lot of people enjoy as a snack or as a side. There are about a hundred and one different ways to cook potato wedges, some of them battered, some of them simply slathered with oil. They can be fried until crispy, but people have also cooked wedges by baking and air frying.

Baking potato wedges is pretty simple and straightforward. All you need are some big baking potatoes that are scrubbed clean and cut into wedges, some oil, some seasoning, and a baking pan ready to go into the oven.

Typically, potato wedges are baked in the oven until it is golden brown and crispy. However, with air fryers becoming wildly popular in most homes nowadays, you can also bake your potato wedges using these nifty kitchen appliances.

Regardless of whether you'll be using an oven or an air fryer, you should preheat the oven or air fryer to 400°F before baking. If you are using the oven, you can cook the potato wedges at a slightly higher temperature up to 450°F to make the potatoes crispy. For air fryers, you can typically max it out at 400°F, and this is already an optimal temperature to bake the potatoes.

Check out this air fryer on Amazon.

How Long To Bake Potato Wedges

With the very high heat needed to bake the potato wedges, it isn't surprising that the time you will need to bake them isn't going to be very long. Potatoes are known to have quite a bit of moisture in them so it does take a while for them to become crispy, but the high heat definitely shortens that time.

When baking potato wedges in the oven, you can typically bake the spuds for about 25 to 35 minutes. Make sure that you turn the potatoes halfway through the baking time to make sure that the other side also gets crispy while baking.

However, if you are planning to cook the wedges on the air fryer, it will take you half the time to make them. Since air fryers are small and they do heat up fast, you only need about 15 to 20 minutes of air frying until the wedges are crisp and golden brown. Just remember to shake the basket every 5 minutes or so to prevent the potatoes from burning on one side.

What Can I Add To Potato Wedges?

A platter of freshly baked crispy potato wedges is essentially a blank canvas for you to do anything and everything with it. Some people enjoy their potato wedges as they are, others love it with some dip, while some people love getting a platter of potato wedges will all the toppings.

Classic potato wedges don't need a lot when it comes to seasoning. Simply start off by drizzling and coating the potato wedges in olive oil. Sprinkle some garlic powder, onion powder, and a good amount of salt and pepper, and toss them all together before baking. This will give you classic, well-seasoned, and flavorful potato wedges.

If you want to level up this recipe, you can turn it into savory garlic parmesan potato wedges. Just swap out the onion powder for Italian seasoning and toss the potatoes in grated parmesan cheese, until coated on all sides. This particular recipe is great paired with some cool ranch dressing.

For dip lovers, you should have no problem figuring out where to dip your wedges. These crispy potatoes are perfect for dipping with everything from ketchup, honey mustard sauce, blue cheese dressing, or your favorite ranch dressing. It will even pair well with salsa, guacamole, or anything else that you can dip into.

As for loaded lovers, you can definitely heap on the toppings when it comes to potato wedges. Here's a list of some favorites when it comes to making some loaded wedges for game night:

Cheese sauce

A classic, nothing can go wrong with a slathering of hot, melted gooey goodness that is cheese sauce on top of some potato wedges. This topping is perfect and will definitely be a hit for kids and adults alike.

Check out this cheese sauce on Amazon.

Ranch dressing (or sour cream)

To add a layer of extra flavor to your wedges, try mixing in some ranch dressing or sour cream to your pile. It will give your wedges a bit of a tart flavor to counter the saltiness and savoriness of the cheese sauce.

Get this classic ranch dressing on Amazon.

Bacon bits

Of course, everyone loves crumbled bacon on potatoes. These salty little bites add a little extra crunch to your potatoes and they go perfectly well with everything (even veggies!).

Green onions or chives

Add some color to your potato wedge platters by putting some green onions or chives. Not only does it give your potatoes that onion flavor you're looking for, but it makes for a good presentation garnish as well.

Why Are My Potato Wedges Soggy?

One of the issues that a lot of people face when making potato wedges is getting them to be crispy. Since potato wedges are generally thicker than regular french fries, they often end up mushy and soggy because there is too much moisture on the potatoes.

The reason that causes potato wedges to become soggy is the presence of excess starch. When there is too much starch in the potatoes, this tends to make the center very mushy and gloopy, and we don't want this for our potato wedges. (It's great though if you're looking for fluffy mashed potatoes.)

To prevent the potato wedges from being soggy, one of the best things to do is to take out this excess starch by parboiling them. You will only need to 'pre-cook' your potatoes so that you can leech out as much starch as you can before baking them.

Start by putting your potato wedges in a pot of cold water and bring them to a boil for about 3 to 4 minutes. After boiling, drain the potatoes in a colander and spread them out to allow them to cool. Let the potatoes cool until it stops steaming, or just until warm to the touch. By this time, you can now season them for baking.

Another thing that you should remember about making potato wedges—do not skimp out on the oil. Of course, you shouldn't use too much oil because it will definitely result in soggy wedges. However, it's very important to liberally coat the potato wedges with enough oil to make them crispy while baking or air frying.

Any mild-tasting oil is great for making crispy potato wedges. However, some good olive oil will give your potatoes extra flavor and it will definitely enhance the seasonings you will put on them.

 

Lastly, do not crowd your potato wedges on the pan. Doing so will cause steam to build up in between the potatoes, and you will end up with soft, mushy potato wedges. Use a baking sheet and spread out the potato wedges separately when baking them, and remember to turn the spuds halfway through to make sure the other side crisps up as well.

 

Final Thoughts

It doesn't matter if it's a game day snack or a side to your dinner, but potato wedges will always be a crowd favorite. Make the most out of your spuds by baking these by yourself effortlessly in the oven or air fryer. Just make sure to follow the tips for making your wedges crispy and surely everyone is going to be grabbing those taters in no time.

Everyone loves a good potato and here are some articles that you might enjoy reading:

What Potatoes Are Best For Baking?

Can You Make French Fries With Red Potatoes?