Crispy Breakfast Potato Waffle with Avocado, Egg and Chili Crisp
This potato waffle is made by smashing a whole boiled potato directly in a mini waffle maker with a pinch of cheese, then cooking it until the edges are shatteringly crispy. Topped with sliced avocado, everything bagel seasoning, a fried egg, and chili crisp. A simple, flavor-forward breakfast that gets better the less you overthink it.
At a glance: this potato waffle uses 5 small yellow potatoes and takes about 30 minutes active time, plus optional overnight chilling for best crispiness. Makes 2 waffles. Topped with avocado, fried egg, and chili crisp. Great way to use leftover potatoes from the night before.
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The Breakfast That Started as a Leftover Problem
I'll be straight with you: this recipe exists because I kept ending up with extra boiled potatoes from dinner and didn't want to waste them. A few potatoes left in the pot, a mini waffle maker sitting on the counter, and a jar of chili crisp that I find reasons to open at any hour of the day. That combination turned into one of my most-made breakfast recipes.
The idea is simple. Boil the potatoes until fork-tender, let them cool completely (overnight in the fridge if you have the time), then smash them directly in a mini waffle maker with a little cheese and olive oil. Twelve minutes later you have a crispy, golden potato waffle with edges that genuinely crunch when you bite through them. Fan some avocado on top, add a fried egg, hit it with everything bagel seasoning and a generous spoonful of chili crisp, and breakfast is done.
I use chili crisp constantly, especially in the morning on eggs. My Crispy Smashed Sweet Potato Pancakes with Chili Crisp Fried Eggs uses the same flavor combination in a completely different format if you want to see how far this goes. The chili crisp egg technique is the same in both: cook the egg in a little chili crisp so the heat and flavor get into the egg itself rather than just sitting on top. And if you want the more visual, colorful version of this potato waffle concept, my Potato Waffle Breakfast Stack with Herby Drizzle uses the same waffle base with purple and yellow potatoes and a herby everything drizzle. This one is the everyday version: basic potatoes, clean flavors, technique doing the heavy lifting.
WHY THIS CRISPY POTATO WAFFLE WORKS
Chilling the Potatoes Changes Everything
Freshly boiled potatoes hold a lot of moisture. That moisture is what prevents them from crisping properly in the waffle maker. The surface stays wet and steams rather than crisps against the iron. Refrigerating the potatoes overnight draws out that excess moisture so the surface is drier when it hits the hot iron. The result is a noticeably crispier waffle with a deeper golden color. I learned this after making these several times with freshly boiled potatoes and wondering why the edges weren't as crisp as I wanted. Chilling them the night before is the fix, and it's also a genuinely convenient way to use leftover potatoes from dinner.
Cheese Goes in the Waffle Maker First
Sprinkling Parmesan or cheddar directly onto the hot iron before adding the potato creates a cheese crust that fuses to the outside of the waffle as it cooks. The cheese melts and crisps against the iron surface, creating a golden, slightly nutty layer between the iron and the potato that adds flavor and structural crunch. Adding cheese on top of the potato instead of underneath means it just melts off. The order matters.
Pressing Down Firmly Is the Whole Technique
A waffle maker works by applying even pressure and heat from two sides simultaneously. With a whole small potato in the center, the lid needs to close completely and compress the potato to fill all the grooves. If you don't press firmly and hold for a few seconds, you get a potato that's cooked through but not properly smashed into the waffle shape. Use a kitchen towel to protect your hand and press down with real intention. Any gaps left in the grooves can be filled with pinched-off pieces from a second potato before closing.
Chili Crisp in the Pan With the Egg
Adding chili crisp directly to the pan before cracking the egg means the oil carries the chili and garlic flavor directly into the egg as it cooks rather than sitting as a condiment on top. The edges of the egg fry in the chili oil and take on that heat and depth throughout rather than just at the surface. It's a small technique shift that makes a significant difference to the final flavor. The same approach works across formats: it's the same move I use in my Crispy Smashed Sweet Potato Pancakes with Chili Crisp Fried Eggs.
"I loooooove using leftover potatoes this way! My kids know that when we have potatoes for dinner, we can do this for breakfast the next day. It's such an easy double whammy for me, I love it."
Jane (email subscriber)
Recipe
Crispy Breakfast Potato Waffle with Avocado, Egg and Chili Crisp
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Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Boil the Potatoes: Add potatoes to a pot of cold salted water and bring to a boil. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes until fork-tender. Drain and cool completely. For best results, refrigerate overnight. If short on time, cool for at least 1 to 2 hours.
- Preheat and Prep the Waffle Maker: Preheat the mini waffle maker. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil onto the iron and sprinkle on a pinch of cheese directly onto the surface.
- Smash and Cook: Place one potato in the center and firmly close the lid to smash it flat. Open and check that the potato has filled all the grooves. If there are gaps, pinch off pieces from another potato and fill them in. Close the lid and using a kitchen towel to protect your hand, press down firmly for a few seconds. Cook for 12 to 13 minutes without opening until deeply golden and extra crispy. Remove gently and repeat with remaining potatoes.
- Fry the Eggs: Add chili crisp to a small skillet over medium heat. Crack the eggs directly into the chili crisp oil and fry to your preferred doneness.
- Build and Serve: Place one crispy potato waffle on each plate. Fan half an avocado over the top and sprinkle with everything bagel seasoning. Add a chili crisp fried egg and finish with an extra spoonful of chili crisp. Optional: a squeeze of lemon over the avocado and a pinch of flaky salt at the end.
Notes
- For the crispiest result, refrigerate the boiled potatoes overnight before waffling. This draws out excess moisture and dramatically improves the crunch.
- Leftover boiled potatoes from dinner the night before work perfectly here.
- Cheese goes directly onto the hot iron before the potato, not on top. This creates the crispy cheese crust.
- Press firmly and hold for a few seconds when closing the lid. Any gaps in the grooves can be filled with pinched-off pieces from another potato.
- Do not open the waffle maker before 12 minutes. Patience is the difference between crispy and stuck.
Nutrition
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Let us know how it was!Chef Tips
On the Overnight Chill:
This is the single most impactful tip in the whole recipe. Freshly boiled potatoes hold a significant amount of moisture in their flesh. When that moisture hits the hot iron, it creates steam instead of direct contact with the surface, which keeps the outside soft rather than crisping it. Refrigerating overnight draws excess moisture out of the potato so the surface is drier and crisps faster on contact with the iron. I made these several times with freshly boiled potatoes and kept wondering why the edges weren't as crispy as I wanted. Overnight chill was the fix. The added bonus: leftover boiled potatoes from dinner the night before work perfectly here, so this can feel like almost zero effort if you plan ahead even slightly.
On Chili Crisp Brands:
Honestly, I love trying different chili crisps because they all work, but have subtle flavor differences that can really sing. My latest favorite is this one! You can use whatever brand you like or find. No matter what you use, don't be shy with the spoonful at the end. The chili crisp is doing the most flavor-forward work on the whole plate and a small drizzle won't cut it.
On Waffle Size:
This recipe is built for a mini waffle maker, not a standard one. A standard waffle iron is too large for a single small potato and you won't get the right smash-to-surface ratio. The mini waffle maker gives you a compact, even crisp all the way across. The Bella mini waffle maker is what I use and it's excellent for this, find it on my Amazon storefront!
On Variations:
The avocado, egg, and chili crisp combination is the version I make most. But the crispy potato waffle itself is a flexible base. Sour cream and smoked salmon is a great direction if you want something more brunch-worthy. A fried egg with hot sauce and crumbled feta works well for a Mediterranean take. If you want to go the colorful route, my Potato Waffle Breakfast Stack with Herby Drizzle uses purple and yellow potatoes with a herby drizzle and is genuinely beautiful on a plate.
Frequently Asked Questions
A potato waffle is a whole boiled potato smashed directly in a mini waffle maker and cooked until the outside is crispy and golden. Unlike traditional waffles made from batter, this version uses a single ingredient as the base: a small yellow potato. The waffle iron applies even heat and pressure from both sides, which creates crispy edges and a soft, fluffy interior. This version adds cheese to the iron before the potato for an extra-crispy outer crust.
Freshly boiled potatoes contain a lot of moisture. When that moisture hits the hot waffle iron, it steams rather than crisps, which keeps the outside soft rather than golden and crunchy. Refrigerating the potatoes overnight draws out excess moisture so the surface is drier when it hits the iron. The difference in crispiness between a freshly boiled potato and one that's been chilled overnight is significant enough to be worth planning ahead. Leftover boiled potatoes from dinner the night before are perfect here.
Not easily in the same format. A standard waffle maker is too large for a single small potato and the smash technique doesn't work correctly at that scale. A heavy skillet works as an alternative: smash the chilled potato flat with a spatula or heavy pan, drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of cheese, and cook over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes per side until golden. You won't get the waffle grid pattern but the flavor and crispiness are similar.
Chili crisp is spicy, savory, and deeply aromatic with a slow-building heat rather than an immediate punch. It's made from dried chilies, fried garlic, shallots, and sesame seeds suspended in oil. The crispy bits add texture as well as flavor. On eggs specifically, cooking the egg directly in chili crisp carries that flavor into the egg itself rather than just sitting as a condiment on top.
Frequently Asked Questions - Variations and Storage
Yes. The crispy potato waffle base is flexible. Smoked salmon with sour cream and capers makes a more elevated brunch version. A fried egg with hot sauce and crumbled feta works for a Mediterranean angle. The colorful version of this recipe, my Potato Waffle Breakfast Stack with Herby Drizzle, uses purple and yellow potatoes with a herby everything drizzle and is worth trying if you want something more visually striking.
Yes. Cook the waffles fully and cool completely. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven at 375°F for 5 to 8 minutes or in the air fryer at 350°F for 3 to 4 minutes to bring the crispiness back. The microwave will soften them entirely. Build the toppings fresh rather than storing the assembled plate.
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