Boxty in the air fryer is my shortcut to an Irish classic: small, flat potato cakes that are crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. The secret is that the dough is made from both raw, grated potatoes and mashed potatoes, stirred together with plain flour, buttermilk and a little bicarbonate of soda.
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Traditionally, boxty are fried in butter in a pan. In the air fryer they get a lovely golden crust, even if you only brush them with a little melted butter. The cakes are baked at 190 °C and turned during cooking, so both sides look equally good. They are ideal as a side for stews and roast meat, but are just as good on the brunch table next to fried eggs and smoked salmon.
Table of Contents
Why I love boxty in the air fryer
What I like best about boxty is that the potatoes are used in two ways. The mash makes the cakes soft and creamy in the middle, while the raw, grated potatoes give bite and structure. It is exactly this combination that sets boxty apart from related dishes: rösti consists only of grated potatoes, and tattie scones are made from boiled, mashed potatoes. Boxty use both.
Buttermilk and bicarbonate of soda give the dough a little lift, and the buttermilk adds a fresh, slightly tangy note that suits the potatoes. At the same time, the ingredient list is wonderfully short: potatoes, plain flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt, buttermilk and butter.
The difference between an air fryer and a frying pan
In a pan, you have to stand at the stove and make sure the butter doesn’t burn before the cakes are cooked through. In the air fryer, the hot air does the work at a constant temperature. You place four cakes in the basket on a piece of baking paper, brush them with melted butter and turn them once. The result is an even, golden surface with less fat.
My kitchen test of boxty
I have tested the recipe in my Cosori Dual Blaze, which has one basket with heating elements both above and below. That gives an even heat from both sides, which is an advantage when potato cakes need to be golden on both the top and the underside. I still turn them during cooking, as the recipe says, so the new top side also gets brushed with butter. At 190 °C each batch took 15 minutes, and with four cakes at a time the eight boxty were done after two batches, so 30 minutes in the air fryer.
If you add 35 minutes of preparation, the whole dish comes to 65 minutes. My most important lesson is that the order matters: I let the mash cool until it is lukewarm, and I only grate the raw potatoes just before they go into the dough, so they don’t have time to darken. The dough is thick and slightly sticky, so I shape the cakes with damp hands on a lightly floured chopping board.
Only put the baking paper in the basket once the air fryer is preheated, and place the cakes on it straight away. That way they hold the paper in place, and your boxty are easy to turn.
Tips and tricks from the author: Morten Jensen
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
The most common mistake is going too easy on the squeezing. If the liquid from the grated potatoes ends up in the dough, the cakes turn out heavy and soft instead of crisp. So put the grated potatoes in a clean tea towel and wring it until nothing more drips out. The next mistake is a dough that is too soft to shape. In that case, stir in 1-2 tbsp extra plain flour, and shape the cakes to about 8 cm in diameter and 1.5 cm thick, so they bake evenly all the way through. The third mistake is overfilling the basket or skipping the turn. Put in only four cakes at a time with a little air between them, and turn them during cooking, so both sides turn golden brown and firm.
How to serve boxty
Boxty taste best warm, straight after the final brush of melted butter. If you bake in two batches, the first batch can have 1 minute in the hot air fryer just before serving. Here are my favourite ways to serve them:
- For brunch with fried eggs and crispy bacon
- With smoked salmon, a dollop of crème fraîche and chives
- As a side for a stew, where they can soak up the sauce
- Next to roast meat or fish instead of boiled potatoes
Storage and reheating
If you have leftover boxty, they can be stored covered in the fridge for up to 1-2 days. Reheat them in the air fryer at 180 °C for 4-6 minutes, until they are heated through and crisp again. You can also freeze the cakes for up to 3 months. If so, let them thaw in the fridge overnight before you heat them.
Boxty in the air fryer shows that an old pan-fried dish can easily make the move to the basket. You get crisp, butter-golden potato cakes with a soft centre that suit both brunch and dinner. Try them the next time you need a side dish beyond the usual.
FAQ
Boxty are made from both raw, grated potatoes and mashed potatoes, while rösti consists only of grated potatoes. The mash makes boxty softer on the inside, and the dough is brought together with plain flour, buttermilk and bicarbonate of soda.
Yes. If you have boiled potatoes or mashed potato without milk and butter left over, you can use 300 g of it and skip the boiling. The other half of the potatoes still has to be grated raw and squeezed dry.
Use floury potatoes. They make a fine, dry mash, and their starch helps bind the dough, so the cakes keep their shape in the air fryer.
Recipe
Boxty in the Air Fryer
Cooking Guide
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Cost of the dish
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Our estimate is based on average food prices for the current year 2026.
Estimated price for the whole dish:
Airfryer size
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Recommended equipment
- 1 Air fryer
- 1 Vegetable peeler
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Pot
- 1 Potato masher
- 1 Grater
- 1 Kitchen towel
- 1 Large bowl
- 1 Ladle
- 1 Small pot
- 1 Brush
- 1 Parchment paper (for air fryer)
- 1 Turner
Shopping list
Ingredients
How to make it
Preparation
- Peel 600 g potatoes and divide them into two equal portions.
- Cut one portion into cubes of about 2 cm and boil them in a saucepan of water for 10-12 minutes, until completely tender.
- Drain the water, let the potatoes steam dry for 2 minutes, and mash them until completely smooth with a potato masher. Transfer the mash to a large bowl and let it cool until lukewarm.
- Meanwhile, finely grate the other portion of potatoes using a grater.
- Place the grated potatoes in a clean tea towel and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
- Stir in 1 dl buttermilk with a wooden spoon until you have a thick, slightly sticky dough.
- With damp hands, shape the dough into 8 flat cakes, about 8 cm in diameter and 1.5 cm thick, and place them on a lightly floured chopping board.
- Melt 40 g butter in a small saucepan over a low heat.
Cooking in the air fryer
- Preheat the air fryer to 190 °C fan.
- Brush the tops of the cakes with a little of the melted butter.
- Bake the cakes at 190 °C for 8 minutes.
- Turn the cakes with a spatula, brush the new top side with butter and bake them at 190 °C for a further 7 minutes, until golden brown and firm.
- Repeat with the last 4 cakes in the same way.
Serving
- Brush the hot boxty with the rest of the melted butter and serve them warm.
Our notes for the recipe
Squeeze the grated potatoes thoroughly – the more liquid you get out, the firmer the dough will be and the crisper the surface. Grate the potatoes only just before you need them, so they don’t darken. If the dough is too soft to shape, stir in 1-2 tbsp extra plain flour. What makes boxty special:
Boxty are made from both raw and mashed potatoes. That sets them apart from rösti, which consists only of grated potatoes, and from tattie scones, which are made from boiled, mashed potatoes. Traditionally, boxty are fried in a pan – in the air fryer they get a golden crust with less fat. Variation:
Stir 2 tbsp finely chopped chives or spring onions into the dough, or season it with freshly ground black pepper. If you have boiled potatoes or mashed potato without milk and butter left over from the day before, you can use 300 g of it and skip the boiling. Serving suggestion:
Serve boxty warm as a side for stews, roast meat or fish. For brunch they go well with fried eggs, smoked salmon or bacon – ideally with a dollop of crème fraîche and chives. Serving size:
The recipe makes 8 boxty – 2 per serving – baked in two batches in a standard air fryer. If you have a large air fryer or two baskets, you can bake them all at once. If you want to serve all the cakes piping hot, you can give the first batch 1 minute in the hot air fryer just before serving.
Your notes for the recipe
Nutrition per serving (Guideline)
Important about shelf life and nutrition
Nutrition per serving (guideline): Calculations are based on data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Shelf life (guideline): Shelf life data is provided, as far as possible, by public institutions, including national food authorities. Our information is therefore only indicative, and it is your responsibility to obtain and calculate accurate information about shelf life and nutrition for all recipes on airfryerkogebogen.dk
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