Forget plain fries- these baked potato wedges come out of the oven with crisp, golden edges, tender centers and a smoky-spicy seasoning that makes ketchup almost optional. Red potatoes are tossed with chili powder, cumin, cayenne and a handful of pantry spices before roasting, giving you an easy side dish with way more personality than the frozen kind.
Why You’ll Love These Baked Potato Wedges
Big Flavor in Every Bite. These aren’t plain potatoes with a sprinkle of salt. Chili powder, cumin, coriander, cayenne, oregano, garlic and onion powder create layers of smoky, earthy and spicy flavor that coat every wedge.
Baked, Not Fried. You can get golden edges and tender potato centers without hauling out a fryer. Everything goes onto one sheet pan and into the oven, which also means substantially less mess.
Red Potatoes Hold Their Shape. Red potatoes have a creamy, slightly firm texture that holds up beautifully when cut into thick wedges. The thin skins also mean there’s no need to peel them—just scrub, slice, season and bake.
Ingredients For Baked Potato Wedges
A full list of ingredients with measurements for this recipe is available in theprintable recipe cardbelow.
Large Red Potatoes – Red potatoes have thin skins and a creamy, firm flesh that holds its shape nicely during roasting. Leave the skins on for added texture and much less prep.
Chili Powder – The backbone of the seasoning blend, chili powder adds earthy chile flavor, warmth and color without making the potatoes overwhelmingly hot.
Garlic Powder – Garlic powder disperses evenly over the potato wedges and adds savory flavor without the risk of fresh garlic burning in the oven.
Onion Powder – A little onion powder adds another layer of savory flavor and works especially well with chili powder and cumin.
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes – These provide little bursts of heat throughout the seasoning mixture. Reduce or omit them if you prefer milder potato wedges.
Dried Oregano – Oregano brings an earthy, herbaceous element that rounds out all of the warm spices.
Cayenne Pepper – Here’s where a good portion of the heat comes from. You can easily adjust the amount depending on how spicy you want your wedges.
Ground Cumin – Cumin adds the warm, smoky-earthy flavor that gives these baked potato wedges their Mexican-inspired personality.
Coarse Kosher Salt – Potatoes need enough salt to taste their best. Kosher salt seasons them evenly without making the spice mixture taste overly salty.
Ground Black Pepper – Black pepper brings mild heat and balances the other seasonings.
Ground Coriander – Coriander has a lightly citrusy, earthy flavor that pairs beautifully with cumin and chile.
Sugar – This might look unusual in a potato seasoning, but just a tablespoon balances the heat and savory spices while encouraging flavorful browning in the oven.
Vegetable Oil – Oil coats the potatoes so the seasonings stick while also helping the cut surfaces brown and crisp. Vegetable oil has a neutral flavor that lets the spice blend shine.
How to Make Oven Baked Potato Wedges (Step-by-Step)
You won’t believe how easy it is to make your new favorite side dish.
Prepare oven and baking sheet. Preheat oven and cover a large baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Prepare potatoes. Rinse and scrub potatoes. Cut into wedges, approximately 6-8 wedges for each potato.
Make seasoning blend. Mix chili powder through sugar in a small bowl.
Toss potatoes in oil, then seasoning. In a large mixing bowl, toss potato wedges with vegetable oil. When fully coated, toss with spice mixture.
Bake. Pour into a single layer to baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove, flip and return to oven for 15 minutes.
What to Serve with Baked Potato Wedges
You can’t have good potato wedges without a dipping sauce to go with them. Serve them with spicy ketchup or even spicy aioli for an extra kick!
I personally like to serve mine alongside burgers, hot dogs or really any sandwich. They’re a great side for a bbq too.
Whether you make these baked potato wedges for a family meal or to serve at a bbq, they’ll be a hit that everyone will love! You might even find yourself making them on their own for lunch. (I won’t tell.)
Chef Tips
Cut the potatoes evenly. Aim for 6-8 wedges per potato and keep them as close to the same thickness as possible. Thin wedges can burn before thick ones are tender.
Dry the potatoes well. After rinsing and scrubbing, pat them completely dry. Surface moisture creates steam, and steam is the enemy of browned edges.
Oil first, spices second. Tossing the wedges with oil before adding the seasoning gives the spices something to stick to and helps coat the potatoes evenly.
Don’t crowd the sheet pan. Arrange the wedges in a single layer with a little space between them. If they’re piled together, they’ll steam instead of roast.
Give a cut side contact with the pan. More surface contact means more browning. Arrange the potatoes so a cut side- not just the skin- is against the baking sheet.
Serve them right away. Potato wedges are at their best straight from the oven while the outsides are still hot and crisp.
Storage and Reheating
Storage: Store leftover baked potato wedges in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Reheating: For the best texture, reheat them in the oven or air fryer rather than the microwave. Microwaving will heat them quickly, but the potatoes won’t regain the same crisp exterior.
More Recipes That Use Potatoes
If it were up to me, potatoes would be their own delicious food group. Here are some of my favorite recipes.
These Spicy Baked Potato Wedges are the best side dish to serve with a juicy hamburger. Tossed in a zesty spice blend, they are baked to crispy perfection.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cover a large baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment to prevent sticking and for easy clean up.
Rinse and scrub the 2 pounds large red potatoes. Cut the potatoes into wedges, approximately 6-8 wedges for each potato.
In a small bowl, stir together the 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon coriander, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon onion powder, 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, toss the potato wedges with 1/4 cup vegetable oil. When fully coated, toss with spice mixture.
Transfer to the prepared baking sheet, arranging in a single layer. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove, flip and return to oven for 15 minutes.
Remove and serve with Spicy Ketchup .
If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.
Notes
Storage: Store leftover baked potato wedges in an airtight container in the refrigerator.Reheating: For the best texture, reheat them in the oven or air fryer rather than the microwave. Microwaving will heat them quickly, but the potatoes won’t regain the same crisp exterior.
Jessica the mom, wife and chef behind Savory Experiments. You might see her on the Emmy- nominated TV show Plate It! or on bookshelves as a cookbook author. Jessica is a Le Cordon Bleu certified recipe developer and regularly contributed to Parade, Better Homes & Gardens, The Daily Meal, Mashed and more!
Very tasty, and just the right amount of spice!
I used russet potatoes instead of red because that’s what I had on hand.
Nice! Russets work well too 🙂
I found this recipe about a year ago and it’s one of my favorite sides! I make it probably twice a month.
I use the seasoning mix on all kinds of things like veggies, french fries, and tons of other things.
Thank you, Anthony! And for the tip on using the seasoning on other items. It is one of my favorites too.
Is the sugar and the chili powder in the separate small bowl part of the spice mixture? At what point are those added?
Hi Abigail, Chile powder through sugar means that you would combine all of the seasonings in the ingredient list between those two.
G’day! I could go for some of your wedges now!
Cheers! Joanne