Bubble Pillow Potato | Two Plaid Aprons (2024)

Bubble pillow potato is the new way to enjoy potatoes! It's deep fried and crunchy on the outside and creamy and on the inside. It makes for a great appetizer and/or snack, using 5 ingredients! (An air fryer alternative has been added!)

A little while ago, we saw this bubble pillow potato trending on social media. As we are carb and potato lovers, how can we pass it up?! We absolutely love these crispy pillow pillow potatoes!

They're creamy on the inside and is so good with ketchup and mustard! Plus, they are super easy to make with only 5 ingredients. And our favorite part? They were crispy for like 15 to 20 minutes!! 🤩

If you liked this recipe, you may also like our quick cucumber kimchi, rice paper cheese tteokbokki, and crab rangoon dip with crispy baked wontons!

Ingredients

• Russet potato - These potatoes are the best for frying because they are starchy and fluffy. Avoid waxy potatoes, as they tend to be gummier.
• All-purpose flour - This will be used as the binder to make the pillow potato dough. Using enough all-purpose flour will keep the potato from disintegrating when frying.
• Cornstarch - Just a little extra starch so that the pillow potatoes are extra crispy. You can also use potato starch.
• Salt and pepper for seasoning
• Oil for frying

Optional ingredients:

• Breadcrumbs - If you're making the air-fried or oven-baked versions of these bubble pillow potatoes, bread crumbs are highly recommended for crunch and to protect the potato balls.
• Low moisture mozzarella (optional cheese filling)
• Grated parmesan (optional)

How to make bubble pillow potatoes

Boil the potato:

1. Peel and wash the russet potato. Cut the potato in half, lengthwise. Then, cut it into 1 inch thick "D's".

🌟 Pro tip: Cutting the potato into different thickness can affect more than just the cook time. It can also pack the potato with more or less moisture. This will affect how much flour will be needed. So try your best to cut the potatoes into 1 inch thickness.

2. Place the potatoes in a pot, along with enough water to cover. Bring the water to a boil and cook the potatoes until just tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.

🌟 Pro tip: You can insert a toothpick, fork, or knife into the center of a potato to test the doneness. If you can easily insert your utensil, the potato is done.

Fry the pillow potatoes:

3. Once the potato is done, drain the water completely and transfer the potato to a mixing bowl. Mash the potato with a fork, potato ricer, or potato masher.

4.Add the flour, cornstarch, salt, and black pepper. Mix until just combined.

*Make sure to not over-mix the dough! Over-mixing will make the pillow potatoes dense and doughy. So just mix until no more dry flour is visible.*

5. Add about 2 to 3 inches of oil to a pot and bring it up to 325°F. While the oil is heating, prepare a plate or tray lined with paper towel.

6. With a small cookie scoop, scoop and gently release the potato dough into the hot oil. Repeat with the rest of the dough and fry until the bubble pillow potatoes are golden brown and crispy, about 6 to 8 minutes. Fry in smaller batches if necessary.

*Our small cookie scoop is about 1 ¾ inch in diameter and holds about 1 ½ tablespoons of dough. So, if you scoop is smaller, you may need to decrease the fry time by a minute or two.*

7. Remove the pillow potatoes from the oil and let it drain on the paper towel for a minute. You can lightly sprinkle the bubble potatoes with some salt if you'd like

8. Enjoy while hot! They are also great with ketchup and/or mustard!

Alternative way to shape pillow potatoes for frying

If you don't have a small cookie scoop, you can still make this crispy pillow potato!

After the potato dough comes together, gently roll it into an 1 inch thick rope. Separate into multiple ropes if needed. Cut the rope into ½ inch pieces. You can gently round out the dough if you wish and indent it with the back of a fork.

Repeat with the rest of the dough and fry according to the recipe.

How to make bubble pillow potato in the air fryer

Here's our best air fryer alternative for making these bubble pillow potatoes since we had so many requests. They were pretty, but not as crispy as the fried ones. We also coated them in breadcrumbs to give them more crunch and to prevent them from getting stale and dried out while air frying.

1. Boiled and drain the potatoes as instructed for the deep fried bubble pillow potatoes.

2. Mash up the potatoes, and then add the salt, pepper, flour, and cornstarch. You can also add in any additional seasonings and cheese at this stage. Mix until just combined and no more dry flour and starch are visible. Don't over mix! It'll make the bubble potatoes gummy.

3. Grease the bottom of the air fryer basket well with oil or oil spray.

4. Scoop the potato dough with a small cookie scoop and round it out into a ball. Roll the potato ball in breadcrumbs to coat. Place the potato ball in the greased air fryer basket and repeat with remaining potato dough.

*If you want to stuff the bubble pillow potatoes with cheese, do it before you round it out into a ball.*

5. Generously spray the potato balls with oil and air fry them at 400°F for 15 minutes or until golden brown and hot throughout. Remove the bubble pillow potatoes and let them cool for a few minutes before enjoying.

📝 Note: Different air fryers cook differently. So if need be, adjust the cook time as necessary. Also, if starting with a cold air fryer (not preheated), add 2 to 5 extra minutes to the cook time.

Recipe Tips

• Don't over-mix the dough! Over-mixing the dough will result in dense, doughy potatoes.

• Measuring the flour properly. Adding too much flour to the potatoes can cause it to become dense. So use a scale or properly measure using the spoon and level method to prevent overpacking!

• Drain the potatoes immediately and completely. It is important that the potatoes DO NOT have extra moisture. Having extra moisture means more flour and cornstarch is needed or your potato balls will break apart while they are frying.

• Depending on how big your cookie scoops are, fry time may vary. Our small cookie scoop is about 1 ¾ inch in diameter and holds about 1 ½ tablespoons. If your cookie scoop is smaller, you may need to reduce the fry time by a minute or two.

• Coat them in breadcrumbs if using the air fryer method. The breadcrumb coating gives the air fryer bubble pillow potatoes more crunch and prevent them from drying out while air frying. We tried them without coating and the outside developed a stale texture instead of crispy.

Storage and reheating

These bubble pillow potatoes are best eaten right after frying. If you have leftovers, let the pillow potatoes cool completely then store them in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

To reheat, place them in the air fryer basket and air fry on 350°F for 5 minutes. Do note that the potatoes will be crispy again, but the texture may be a touch denser.

FAQ

If you’ve made this recipe or any recipes from our blog, please tag us on Instagram using #twoplaidaprons! You can also tag us in your Instagram stories using @two_plaid_aprons. We would love to see your creations! It absolutely makes our day! 🥰

Bubble Pillow Potato

Bubble pillow potato is the new way to enjoy potatoes! It's deep fried and crunchy on the outside and creamy and on the inside. It makes for a great appetizer and/or snack, using 5 ingredients! (New air fryer and oven method has been added!)

Nutrition

Serving: 1bubble potato | Calories: 24kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 1g | Sodium: 59mg | Potassium: 84mg | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 3mg

Keywords: crispy potatoes, potato recipe, viral TikTok recipe