How To Make Hasselback Potatoes – Quick and Easy Method

Hasselback potatoes are a traditional Swedish side dish where a whole potato is thinly sliced almost all the way through, so it fans open like an accordion as it bakes. Brushed with herby oil and finished with a crunchy topping, they come out crispy and golden on the edges while staying soft and fluffy in the middle. They look impressive on the table but are easy enough for a regular weeknight, which is exactly why I keep coming back to them.

Also called the “accordion potato” or “pillbug potato” because of its ridged shape, the Hasselback potato (Swedish: Hasselbackspotatis) has real history behind it. The dish was first made by chef Leif Elisson from Värmland, and it takes its name from Restaurant Hasselbacken on the Djurgården island in Stockholm, where he trained. Hasselbacken started life as a tavern in the 1700s and reopened in 1853 as a grand restaurant known for the lavish celebrations of Stockholm’s upper class. Not bad for something you can make with a few potatoes and a knife.

What you’ll need

The base is simple: medium potatoes, olive oil, garlic, fresh rosemary, basil, salt, and lemon zest for the flavored oil. For the crunchy topping you’ll add Panko breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast, chili flakes, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, a little more salt and black pepper, and some vegan cheese. A few notes that make a difference:

• Potatoes: Choose medium, evenly sized potatoes so they cook at the same rate. Waxy or all-purpose potatoes hold their fan shape best. Wash them well since the skin stays on and crisps up beautifully.
• Olive oil and herbs: The garlic, rosemary, basil, and lemon zest are crushed right into the oil, so the flavor soaks down into every slit as the potato opens up. Fresh rosemary is worth it here.
• The topping: Panko gives you that light, shattering crunch. Nutritional yeast brings a savory, cheesy note that keeps the dish vegan. If you’d rather make the vegetarian version, swap the nutritional yeast and vegan cheese for grated Parmesan.
• Gluten-free: Use certified gluten-free Panko and the whole recipe works without any other changes.

How to slice them without cutting all the way through

The one trick to Hasselback potatoes is slicing deep, thin cuts that stop just short of the bottom, so the potato stays in one piece but fans open. The easiest way to guarantee this is the wooden spoon method: set each potato on the cutting board and lay two wooden spoons (or chopsticks, or any two objects of similar height) along both sides. When your knife hits the spoon handles, it can’t cut all the way through. Slice straight down at regular intervals, about the width of a coin apart, and you’ll get an even fan every time.

Once sliced, brush the herby oil over the potatoes on every side, working a little of it down between the slices. Place them cut-side down on the baking tray to start, which helps the layers separate as they cook.

Why this method gives you crispy edges and a soft center

The thin cuts are the whole point: they dramatically increase the surface area exposed to the hot oven, so the edges of each slice dry out and crisp while the dense core of the potato steams and turns fluffy. The oil that runs into every slit carries the garlic, rosemary, and lemon into the potato and helps those exposed edges brown evenly. Adding the Panko-and-seed topping only in the last few minutes is deliberate too, since breadcrumbs and seeds would scorch over a full 45-minute bake but crisp perfectly with a short final blast of heat.

Tips for the best Hasselback potatoes

• Keep the slices thin and even. Thicker cuts won’t fan as dramatically and won’t crisp as well.
• Don’t rush the bake. The 45 minutes at 180°C lets the center cook through before the topping goes on.
• Add the topping only in the last 7 minutes or so, and watch for the crust to turn golden. That’s your doneness cue.
• Test the center with a knife or skewer before adding the topping. It should slide in with no resistance.
• If your potatoes vary in size, pull the smaller ones a few minutes early so nothing overcooks.

What to serve them with

Hasselback potatoes are a side dish, so they shine next to a hearty main. They’re excellent alongside a vegan steak or a plate of vegan fried chicken for a comfort-food dinner. If you love a potato-heavy spread, they pair happily with other favorites like batata harra spicy roasted potatoes or a creamy tray of vegan scalloped potatoes. And if you want to go all in on the accordion look, the Hasselback casserole is a fun next step.

Storage and make-ahead

These are at their crispiest straight out of the oven, but leftovers keep well. Store cooled potatoes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To bring the crunch back, reheat them in a hot oven (around 200°C) for 8 to 10 minutes rather than the microwave, which will leave them soft. You can slice the potatoes and mix the herby oil a few hours ahead; keep the sliced potatoes in cold water so they don’t brown, then pat them dry and brush with oil just before baking. If you want more potato know-how, my guide on how to cook potatoes covers the different types and which ones suit which dish.

If you try these accordion potatoes, I’d love to know how the topping turned out for you. Leave a star rating and drop a comment below with your favorite herb swap or whether you went vegan or with the Parmesan version.

How To Make Hasselback Potatoes – Quick and Easy Method

Crispy-edged Swedish hasselback potatoes, fanned open and brushed with a garlic-rosemary olive oil, then finished with a crunchy Panko, seed and nutritional yeast topping. Ready in about an hour and far more impressive than the effort they take.

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Rate

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Choose Serving Size 6

Ingredients 

For the potatoes:

• 6 potatoes medium, washed
• 4 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 clove garlic sliced
• 1 sprig rosemary fresh
• 1 Tbsp basil leaves
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp lemon zest

For the topping:

• 1 Tbsp Panko breadcrumbs use gluten-free if needed
• 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast or grated Parmesan cheese, for a vegetarian version
• 1 tsp chili flakes
• ½ Tbsp sunflower seeds
• ½ Tbsp sesame seeds
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 1 Tbsp vegan cheese or grated Parmesan cheese, for a vegetarian version

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
• Place a potato on a cutting board with a wooden spoon (or anything of a similar height) on each side, so the knife cannot cut all the way through. Cut thin vertical slits across the potato, then repeat with the remaining potatoes.
• In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, garlic, rosemary, basil, salt, and lemon zest. Crush everything with a fork so the flavors combine.
• Brush the potatoes with the herby oil on every side.
• Place the potatoes cut side down on a baking tray.
• Bake the potatoes for about 45 minutes.
• While the potatoes are baking, prepare the topping.
• Add all the topping ingredients to a blender bowl and pulse a few times to combine.
• Remove the potatoes from the oven and add the topping.
• Return them to the oven for about 7 more minutes, until the crust is golden.

Notes

For a vegetarian version, replace the nutritional yeast and vegan cheese with grated Parmesan. Use gluten-free Panko to keep the recipe gluten-free. Hasselback potatoes are best served straight from the oven while the crust is still crisp; leftovers keep for 2 days in the fridge and reheat well at 180°C for 10 minutes.

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