Easy Pan Fried Potatoes and Onions

These easy pan-fried potatoes and onions are made with seasoned Yukon Golds, creating a gluten-free, homestyle breakfast side dish that’s quick and delicious. Perfect for country-fried potatoes, home fries, or skillet-fried potatoes, this recipe shows you how to cook potatoes on the stove for the best southern-fried flavor. Get all the tips you need to make healthy, fast, and hearty breakfast potatoes. Pin this recipe now for a go-to side dish everyone will love!

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These potatoes came from a desire to have a healthier potato side dish while still maintaining the integrity of home fries which both of my children love.

The first time we made these potatoes, we served them to a house full of guests, and everyone liked them. We had them at dinnertime, but when I think of pan frying potatoes, I really think of them as breakfast potatoes and not dinner potatoes. (Although, why? They're comfort food at is finest, and a lot healthier than many other side dishes.)

This particular recipe has a ton of incredible flavor thanks to a splash of rice vinegar at the end and the perfect combination of herbs and hot peppers at the beginning. (Feel free to leave the peppers out or substitute with bell peppers if you don't want the heat.)

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Why you'll love these pan-fried potatoes and onions

This is a simple recipe. There are three steps, and the first one is to cut the potatoes. It really is that easy.

This recipe uses simple ingredients. Everything I needed for this recipe was found in my pantry (and my pantry is pretty small!). Potatoes, onions, garlic, a few herbs, butter, and vinegar. You can use some hot or sweet peppers if you have them, but they're optional.

Potatoes and onions are cheap. This is a very inexpensive recipe, and it feeds a crowd.

Pan-fried potatoes are easy and feed a crowd. There are no fancy tricks or elaborate techniques in this recipe. You just throw the potatoes in a big skillet with the seasonings, and you fry them until they're as brown as you want. What side dish could be easier?

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This recipe is versatile and goes with everything. Serve pan-fried potatoes and onions with an omelet, a steak, a burger, or throw in some shredded chicken or pulled pork and make the home fries a full meal!

This recipe is allergy-friendly and good for special diets. It is egg-free, nut-free, gluten-free (double check the vinegar to ensure it's gluten-free), soy-free, and vegetarian. If you are dairy-free, you could use a non-dairy butter or canola oil to fry the potatoes. If you are vegan, you'll also want to use a non-dairy butter or canola oil. The only thing this recipe isn't is low carb or keto. It's potatoes. I can't help you on that one.

What you'll need to make pan fried potatoes and onions

Equipment

• XL cast iron skillet - You can use an enameled cast iron skillet as I have or a plain black one. You could also use a very large non-stick skillet. Aim for a 12-inch pan.
• Garlic press - My garlic press is the single most used tool in my kitchen, possibly equal to my good paring knife. You peel the garlic and drop it into the press and squeeze, and the garlic cloves turn into a thick juicy paste of garlic deliciousness. You could mince your garlic or smash it with something flat if you have to, but a press is really the best way to use it.

Ingredients

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See the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page for all measurements and nutritional information.

• Yukon Gold potatoes - I love the creaminess of Yukon Golds in this recipe, but you could really use whatever potato you want. Yellow potatoes are generally the best choice because they have thin, tender skins which means you don't have to peel them. Redskin potatoes are similar. I don't recommend russets because russet potatoes have a very thick, tough skin, and you have to peel those before you use them. You could also use frozen diced potatoes if you want to. Thaw them overnight in the fridge before cooking. If you use frozen potatoes with onions and peppers already added, you could skip dicing the onion (unless you want extra).
• Diced onion - I like sweet Vidalia onions, but you can use whatever kind of onion you have.
• Fresh garlic - There is no substitute for the flavor of fresh garlic. A bulb of garlic is very cheap, under a dollar, and it contains 6-10 individual cloves. You only need a couple for this recipe and can use the rest for something else. I guess if you really must, you can use garlic powder but it will not taste as good.
• Anaheim hot peppers - Unless you want your potatoes to be very hot, you should remove the seeds and membranes from your peppers. You could leave these out if you don't want any heat in your potatoes, or you could substitute with sweet bell peppers if you prefer that flavor.
• Ground cumin - This gives the potatoes a rich umami flavor.
• Ground coriander - Coriander is the seed of the cilantro plant, but the seeds don't taste anything like cilantro leaves.
• Salt - You need salt in potatoes or they taste flat and bland.
• Black pepper - You can use as much of this as you want, but I like to throw in a bit for flavor.
• Butter - You could use a dairy-free butter if you needed to, or even olive oil, canola oil, or vegetable oil, although I think butter tastes infinitely better in this recipe.
• Seasoned rice vinegar - I recommend Original or Roasted Garlic flavor. If you can't find seasoned rice vinegar, plain rice vinegar will work too. Or even apple cider vinegar if you're in a pinch or can't find rice vinegar at all.
• Water

How to make easy pan fried breakfast potatoes

This recipe is really easy to throw together and only takes a few minutes to cook.

1. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
2. Prepare the potatoes: Wash the spuds and peel if desired. Chop them into bite-sized pieces.
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3. Toss the potato chunks with aromatics and spices - we use onions, garlic, seeded and de-membraned hot peppers, cumin, coriander, salt, and black pepper.
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4. Cook potato mixture for 10 to 12 minutes, occasionally scraping the pan to pull up the flavorful brown bits and prevent the potatoes from burning.
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5. Add the vinegar and water.
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6. Continue to cook another 4 to 6 minutes and stir until the yummy liquid is all absorbed into the potatoes, and the potatoes are fork tender and turning golden brown. How long you cook them is up to you. I like mine as they are shown below, but some people prefer them to get a lot more brown than this. They're your potatoes. Cook them as long as you want.Pin

Substitutions and Variations

If you don't love coriander and cumin, you can substitute with almost any herb or spice blend. I think cajun seasoning would be amazing. Fresh herbs like thyme or rosemary substitute for dried ones at a 3:1 ratio. (This recipe calls for a little over a tablespoon of dried herbs, and that means you'd want to use about 3½ tablespoons of fresh herbs in place of dried.)

If you want to get fancy, you could sprinkle some fresh parsley or chopped green onions over the potatoes when you serve them. Parsley doesn't add a ton of flavor, so I probably wouldn't replace the spices with it, but it looks nice as a garnish.

As mentioned above, you can use most any potato in this recipe. I prefer Yukon Golds, but a red potato would also be nice. Russets would work, but you need to peel them first as their skin is tough and not pleasant to eat.

If you don't want to use hot peppers but still want some heat, you could substitute with a bit of sriracha or cayenne pepper. I'd start with a teaspoon of sriracha or a ¼ teaspoon of cayenne and increase a little at a time until you have the heat level you want.

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If you don't want to use hot peppers and don't want any heat, you could substitute with a diced sweet bell pepper or simply leave the peppers out. You could also add a teaspoon paprika or smoked paprika to the other spices. Paprika is simply red bell peppers that have been roasted, dried, and ground up. It will give the potatoes a nice flavor.

You can make cheesy home fries by adding a handful of shredded cheddar or parmesan to the potatoes a few minutes before taking them off the heat.

You can add a few dashes of Liquid Smoke to the potatoes before cooking.

Make these home fries into a full meal by tossing in some shredded chicken, pulled pork, diced ham, or crumbled bacon a few minutes before serving. When I add meat, I also add cheese. A handful or two of shredded cheese makes this dish delish!

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Chef's tips

Make sure all the potato pieces are the same size. If they're unevenly cut, the big ones will be crunchy while the little ones are mushy.

The type of potato matters! I suggest Yukon gold but red potatoes would also work well.

If you have the time, soak your diced potatoes for 15 minutes in a bowl of ice water. This removes some of the starch and helps the potatoes to become crispier. Just make sure to drain them very very well and pat dry with paper towels before putting them in a skillet with hot butter or oil. (Water added to hot oil will splatter and could burn you.)

If you want to speed up the frying process, you can boil the potatoes for a few minutes before adding them to the skillet. Drain completely and pat dry with paper towels before adding to the skillet. See the note above about water and hot oil.

Get the skillet hot before adding the butter. Then let the butter heat up before adding the potatoes. Hot butter in a hot skillet will make the potatoes fry up crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

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Don't overcrowd the pan. Cook the potatoes in batches if you need to.

If the skillet gets dry or the potatoes start to stick, add some canola oil to the side of the skillet and swirl it around to re-coat the bottom.

Stir occasionally but not too often. You don't want the potatoes to burn, but if you don't let them sit on the bottom of the pan for a bit, they will never get a crispy crust.

Don't be shy with the seasoning. Potatoes are notorious for absorbing a lot of salt and spices. Taste the potatoes frequently to ensure you have enough flavor, and don't be afraid to add more than the recipe calls for if you think it needs more.

Taste the potatoes often and definitely before serving to ensure they don't need additional seasoning.

Do you have to peel the potatoes?

I recommend using Yukon gold potatoes because their skins are thin and tender. Same with red potatoes. Russet potatoes will also work in this recipe, but their skins are tough and unpleasant to eat, so you would need to peel those.

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How do I prevent the potatoes from sticking to the pan?

Make sure that you've used enough butter to coat the entire bottom of the skillet in a very thin layer of fat. Stir the potatoes occasionally to prevent them from burning, but not too much or you will prevent them from getting crispy.

Can I make skillet potatoes in advance?

These potatoes taste best and have the best texture when they're freshly cooked, but if you have to, you can make them ahead and store in the fridge before heating up to serve. I would reheat them in a skillet on the stove, and in that case, why wouldn't you just cook them fresh at the time you needed them?

Storing leftovers

Store leftover pan-fried potatoes in an airtight container or zippered plastic bag in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze them up to 3 months if they're well packaged.

You don't have to eat pan-fried potatoes over and over! Try one of these delicious leftover meals:

• Breakfast hash - Mix your leftover pan-fried potatoes and onions with diced ham or crumbled sausage. Top the whole thing with a fried egg.
• Potato and onion frittata - Heat potatoes and onions in a medium skillet over medium heat. Whisk 3-4 eggs with a handful of shredded cheese and pour over the potatoes and onions, reducing heat to medium-low. The frittata is done when the eggs are set.
• Potato soup - Use these potatoes and onions to spice up a simple potato soup recipe.

I like to pair these home fries with the following breakfast dishes:

• Cheese & Green Chile Oven Omelette
• Sausage Broccoli Mushroom Omelet Roll
• Spicy Oven Baked Omelet
• Ham and Cheese Omelet Roll Up
• Bacon Omelet with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Basil, and Feta Cheese
• 55+ Amazing Omelet & Frittata Recipes

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