Classic Southern Fried Potatoes and Onions: Your Easy Go-To Recipe for Any Meal
Prepare to delight your taste buds with a truly timeless and comforting dish: Southern Fried Potatoes and Onions. This isn’t just any side dish; it’s a cherished family favorite, brimming with simple yet profound flavors that evoke memories of home-cooked meals and cozy gatherings. Whether you’re planning a hearty breakfast, a leisurely brunch, or seeking the perfect dinner accompaniment, these pan-fried potatoes and onions are an absolute winner. Beyond their incredible taste, they’re remarkably easy to make, naturally vegan, and gluten-free, making them accessible to a wide range of dietary needs.
*This post contains affiliate links — as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please see my disclosure for details*.
If you’re a fan of delicious potato dishes, you might also enjoy my Air Fryer Hash Browns for a quick crispy fix, or explore other breakfast delights like my Keto French Toast, and this savory Leek and Asparagus Quiche with Bacon and Gruyère!
The Heartwarming Story Behind This Southern Fried Potatoes and Onions Recipe
Who doesn’t appreciate an easy breakfast or brunch recipe that delivers exceptional flavor without the fuss? Today, I’m sharing a truly special one that has been perfected over generations. For me, the ultimate brunch side dish is undoubtedly potatoes, but far too often, restaurant versions fall short – they’re dry, bland, or just plain uninspired. I’ve experienced countless disappointments with home fries, hash browns, and other potato offerings. Nothing, and I mean nothing, quite compares to my mom’s southern fried potatoes and onions. This isn’t just a recipe; it’s a culinary legacy passed down from my grandmother to my mother, and now to me.
These incredibly flavorful pan-fried potatoes and onions, affectionately known in our family as West Virginia fried potatoes, are a testament to how simple ingredients can create extraordinary taste. This quick and easy recipe is incredibly versatile, serving beautifully as a hearty side for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or even dinner. You can even enjoy them on their own as a satisfying snack. With just five core ingredients, you’ll be amazed at how effortlessly you can whip up a dish that tastes this good. Every time I order breakfast potatoes at a diner, this is exactly the kind of perfect, golden, tender-crisp potato dish I envision!
[feast_advanced_jump_to]
Fried Potatoes and Onions: The Ultimate Versatile Dish for Breakfast or Dinner!
The origins of this cherished southern fried potatoes and onions recipe trace back through my family tree. My mom learned it from her mother, who was born in West Virginia before her family moved to Philadelphia, giving these humble potatoes their distinctive “West Virginia” moniker. I grew up savoring these delectable southern fried potatoes and onions, and they quickly became a staple in my own kitchen. They are truly magnificent alongside classic breakfast items like perfectly cooked eggs – consider pairing them with these delightful egg souffles – and crispy bacon. My mom would also occasionally serve them with savory corned beef hash for a truly satisfying meal.
But the versatility of these thinly sliced, pan-fried potatoes extends far beyond breakfast. They make a wonderfully comforting side dish for dinner, complementing a wide array of main courses. Imagine them alongside a perfectly seared steak, juicy roasted chicken, or tender pork chops for a classic “meat and potatoes” experience. If you’re eager to explore more mouthwatering potato dishes, consider trying these easy foil packet potatoes for grilling or camping, or these irresistible crispy parmesan potatoes. And for an indulgent treat, you absolutely must try this smoked loaded baked potato!
Simple & Flavorful: Your Fried Potatoes and Onions Ingredients List
As mentioned, this incredible recipe boasts a remarkably short and sweet ingredient list, proving that you don’t need a pantry full of exotic items to create something truly delicious. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Vegetable Oil: You’ll need enough canola oil, or another cooking oil with a high smoke point, to generously coat the bottom of your cast iron skillet. Oils like vegetable, canola, or grapeseed are ideal as they can withstand the necessary heat without burning. I highly recommend avoiding olive oil for this particular recipe, as its lower smoke point means it can easily burn and impart an undesirable bitter flavor to your potatoes.
- Potatoes: For the best results, I typically use either Yukon Gold or Russet potatoes. Russets tend to be starchier, which helps them achieve a delightful crisp exterior while maintaining a soft, fluffy interior. Yukon Golds also work wonderfully, offering a slightly creamier texture. Both varieties are excellent choices for achieving that perfect fried potato consistency.
- Onions: Yellow onions are my go-to for their slightly mellow and sweet flavor when caramelized, which complements the potatoes beautifully. However, if you prefer a sharper, more pungent onion taste, white onions are a perfectly suitable alternative. Just be sure to slice them thinly for even cooking.
- Salt and Black Pepper: These essential seasonings are crucial for bringing out the natural flavors of the potatoes and onions. Always add them to taste, adjusting as necessary throughout the cooking process. Don’t be shy – well-seasoned potatoes are happy potatoes!
While the basic recipe is fantastic on its own, here are a few optional variations you can incorporate to further elevate the flavor profile:
- Garlic Powder: Adding a touch of garlic powder introduces a wonderful aromatic depth that pairs exceptionally well with the savory potatoes and sweet onions. It’s a simple addition that makes a big impact!
- Red Pepper Flakes: For those who enjoy a little kick, a pinch of red pepper flakes will add a subtle warmth and a gentle spicy note to your fried potatoes.
- Chopped Chives or Green Onions: A sprinkle of fresh, vibrant chives or thinly sliced green onions as a garnish adds a beautiful pop of color and a fresh, mild oniony flavor that brightens the entire dish. Add these just before serving.
Essential Equipment for Perfect Fried Potatoes
True to its simple nature, this recipe requires minimal equipment, making it approachable for any home cook. You won’t need any fancy gadgets, just a few kitchen basics:
- Knife and Cutting Board: Essential for uniformly slicing your potatoes and onions. Consistent slice thickness ensures even cooking.
- Large Skillet or Sauté Pan: A spacious pan is key to prevent overcrowding, which can lead to steaming rather than frying. A cast-iron skillet is highly recommended for this recipe. Cast iron excels at retaining and distributing heat evenly, which is crucial for achieving that beautiful golden-brown caramelization and crispy texture. If you don’t have cast iron, a good quality nonstick sauté pan will also work, though you might get a slightly less intense sear.
- Spoon or Spatula: For stirring and flipping the potatoes and onions as they cook, ensuring every piece gets its turn in the hot oil.
Using a well-seasoned cast iron skillet not only helps develop incredible flavor and crust on your potatoes but also makes them naturally less prone to sticking, provided it’s properly preheated.
Fried Potatoes and Onions: Watch the Video & Follow These Easy Steps
Achieving perfectly fried potatoes and onions is simpler than you might think. Follow these straightforward steps for a delicious outcome:
- Prepare and Heat: Begin by thinly slicing your onions and potatoes. Aim for about ¼-inch thickness for even cooking. Heat your chosen oil (canola or vegetable) in a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet or a sturdy nonstick sauté pan over medium-high heat. Ensure the oil is shimmering before adding your ingredients.
- Add Ingredients & Season: Carefully place the sliced potatoes and onions into the hot oil. Spread them out as much as possible in a single layer to encourage frying, not steaming. Immediately season generously with salt and black pepper to your preference. If using, now is the time to add garlic powder and red pepper flakes.
- Cook to Perfection: Cook the potatoes and onions, stirring them often to ensure even browning on all sides. This process typically takes about 10-15 minutes. Continue cooking until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork and boast a beautiful golden-brown, caramelized crust. For a slightly creamier interior, you can cover the skillet for a few minutes during cooking, which helps trap steam and tenderize the potatoes more quickly.
- Drain and Serve: Once cooked to your liking, transfer the fried potatoes and onions to a plate lined with a paper towel. This step is crucial for draining any excess oil, ensuring your potatoes remain deliciously crisp and not greasy. After a few minutes, remove the paper towel, top with fresh chives if desired, and serve immediately. It truly is that easy to create a fantastic meal!
Storing and Reheating Your Fried Potatoes and Onions
These delectable fried potatoes and onions are always best enjoyed fresh from the skillet. However, if you happen to have leftovers, they store quite well. For optimal freshness and flavor, transfer any remaining potatoes and onions to an airtight container and refrigerate them promptly. They will stay fresh and delicious for up to four days.
When you’re ready to enjoy them again, the best way to reheat is on the stovetop. Simply heat a little oil in a skillet over medium heat and add the potatoes, stirring occasionally until they are warmed through and have regained some of their crispness. Reheating in an oven or air fryer can also work well to restore crispiness, while a microwave will warm them but may result in a softer texture.
Do You Fry Onions or Potatoes First for the Best Results?
For this particular recipe, I prefer to add both the onions and potatoes to the pan at the same time. This allows the onions to soften and sweeten as the potatoes begin to cook and brown, with their flavors melding beautifully from the start. However, if you are concerned about cooking times or simply prefer to stagger them, it’s always best to start with your potatoes first. Onions tend to cook and soften more quickly than potatoes, so giving the potatoes a head start ensures they are thoroughly cooked and tender before the onions become overly soft or start to burn. Once the potatoes have cooked for a few minutes and are starting to soften, you can then add the thinly sliced onions to the pan.
What to Eat with Fried Potatoes and Onions: Perfect Pairings
The beauty of fried potatoes and onions lies in their incredible versatility! What food goes wonderfully with fried potatoes? For breakfast, they are a match made in heaven with classics like crispy bacon and perfectly cooked eggs (scrambled, fried, or poached). I’ve also enjoyed them as a fantastic side for sophisticated brunch dishes like Eggs Benedict or my personal favorite, leek and asparagus quiche. Their savory, slightly sweet flavor profile makes them an ideal complement to almost any morning meal.
Transitioning to dinner, what meat goes best with fried potatoes and onions? These potatoes truly shine alongside heartier main courses. They are exceptional with juicy pork chops or a tender steak, forming that quintessential, satisfying meat-and-potatoes combination. They also pair splendidly with roasted chicken, a slow-cooked pot roast, or even a flavorful sausage. Don’t be afraid to experiment; their rustic charm makes them a welcome addition to countless dishes.
Expert Tips & Frequently Asked Questions for Perfect Fried Potatoes
For this particular Southern Fried Potatoes and Onions recipe, there’s absolutely no need to boil the potatoes beforehand! We achieve perfectly tender results by slicing the potatoes relatively thin (about ¼-inch thick). This ensures they cook thoroughly and become wonderfully tender directly in the skillet as they fry, absorbing all the delicious flavors of the oil and onions.
Soaking potatoes in cold or ice water is a common technique used in other recipes, particularly for French fries. This process helps to draw out excess starch from the potatoes. Removing starch can prevent them from sticking together and contributes to a fluffier interior and crisper exterior when deep-frying. However, for our pan-fried potatoes, we’re aiming for a slightly different texture – a beautiful golden-brown crust with a tender, slightly creamy interior – so soaking is not necessary and would only add an extra, unneeded step.
Yes, it’s always a good idea to dry your potato slices before adding them to hot oil. Even though we aren’t soaking them, potatoes naturally contain moisture. Patting them dry with a paper towel helps minimize oil splatter, which can be a safety concern, and it also allows the potatoes to brown more effectively. Less moisture means a better sear and a crispier result, as the energy from the heat goes directly into cooking and browning, rather than evaporating water.
The secret to preventing potatoes from sticking in a cast-iron skillet lies in proper preheating and technique. Cast iron heats slowly but retains heat exceptionally well. Ensure your skillet is completely preheated over medium-high heat for several minutes before adding your oil. Once the oil is hot and shimmering, add your potato and onion slices in a single layer if possible. Then, resist the urge to stir immediately! Let the potatoes sit undisturbed in the hot oil for a few minutes until a golden-brown crust forms on the bottom. This browning creates a natural release, allowing the potatoes to lift easily from the pan when you go to flip them.
I highly recommend using Russet potatoes for this recipe, as their high starch content contributes to a beautifully crisp exterior and a wonderfully creamy, fluffy interior once cooked. Yukon Gold potatoes are also an excellent choice; they have a slightly waxier texture but still achieve lovely browning and tenderness. Generally, starchy potato varieties work best for fried potatoes, as the starch helps them brown evenly and develop that desirable texture.
To prevent soggy fried potatoes and achieve a crisper result, there are a few key factors. First, ensure your pan is adequately hot and not overcrowded. If you put too many potatoes in at once, the temperature of the pan drops, and the potatoes will steam instead of fry. Cook them in a single layer if possible, or in batches if your pan isn’t large enough. Second, make sure your potatoes are as dry as possible before they hit the hot oil. Finally, don’t stir them too frequently; allow them enough undisturbed time to develop a crust on each side before flipping.
This is truly a matter of personal preference! Frying potatoes in a neutral oil (like vegetable or canola) typically yields a more consistently golden-brown and crispy crust due to its higher smoke point. However, cooking with butter or a combination of butter and oil imparts an incredible, rich, nutty flavor that many people adore. If you love the taste of butter, you can certainly use it, but be mindful of its lower smoke point – it can burn more easily. For the best of both worlds, a common trick is to use mostly oil and add a pat or two of butter towards the end of the cooking process for that delicious buttery finish.
These versatile fried potatoes and onions pair beautifully with a wide variety of dishes! For breakfast, they are fantastic with my Air Fryer Cinnamon Rolls or my Keto French Toast. They also make an excellent addition to a full breakfast spread, perhaps alongside Earl Grey Scones with Vanilla Bean Glaze or 3 Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins. For even more ideas, check out How to Make Quiche Lorraine or Pumpkin Banana Muffins! Beyond breakfast, these crispy pan-fried potatoes are perfect with bacon, a fried egg, or topped with fresh herbs like chives. Don’t forget the condiments! Ketchup is a classic, but try them with a spicy hot sauce for a kick, or even a garlic aioli or honey mustard for a gourmet twist.
If you give this classic family recipe a try, I would be absolutely delighted if you could leave a star review rating and a comment below! Your feedback is incredibly valuable and always so wonderful to hear. And don’t forget to share your delicious creations with me by tagging @chenee_today on Instagram! I love seeing your culinary adventures!
More Delicious Breakfast & Brunch Recipes You’ll Love
Looking for more ways to start your day deliciously? Explore these other fantastic recipes:
- Earl Grey Scones with Vanilla Bean Glaze
- 24 Thanksgiving Breakfast Ideas to Start Your Day Right
- 3 Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins
📖 Recipe
Fried Potatoes and Onions – Easy Southern Fried Potatoes and Onions Recipe
Pin Recipe
Rate Recipe
Save RecipeSaved!
Equipment you may need
-
large sauté pan
-
10-inch cast-iron skillet
Ingredients
- ¼ cup (55 g) vegetable oil – I used canola
- 3 medium Russet potatoes – peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 large yellow onion – sliced thinly
- salt and pepper – to taste
Optional Add-ins:
- ½ teaspoon (2 g) garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon (2 g) red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon (3 g) chives – chopped (add to finished potatoes)
Instructions
-
Heat oil in a sauté pan or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.¼ cup vegetable oil
-
Prepare your vegetables: slice onions and peeled potatoes to approximately ¼-inch thick for even cooking.3 medium Russet potatoes, 1 large yellow onion
-
Carefully add the sliced potatoes and onions to the hot oil. Season immediately with salt and pepper to taste. If using, also add garlic powder and red pepper flakes now.salt and pepper, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
-
Cook, stirring often, for about 10-15 minutes, or until the potatoes and onions are well browned, tender, and caramelized. For a creamier interior, you can cover the skillet for part of the cooking time.
-
Transfer the cooked potatoes to a plate lined with paper towels to drain any excess oil for a few minutes. Top with fresh chopped chives if desired, and serve hot!
Video
Notes
Accompaniments: While we often enjoy these Southern Fried Potatoes with classic ketchup, don’t limit yourself! They are equally delicious served with a creamy garlic aioli for a gourmet touch, or a tangy honey mustard sauce for a different flavor experience. Feel free to experiment with your favorite dipping sauces.
Vegan & Gluten-Free: As written, this recipe is naturally vegan and gluten-free, making it a wonderful option for many dietary preferences. Please be mindful of any optional variations or added seasonings, as some may contain animal products (like bacon fat or certain butter brands) or gluten. Always check ingredient labels if you are strictly adhering to a vegan or gluten-free diet.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
PIN this Southern Fried Potatoes and Onions recipe for later!
