Love a Spanish omelette? Then let me introduce you to air fryer tortilla de patatas. Less oil but still the same amazing ingredients that make the classic Spanish omelette that we all know and love.
If you are looking for an authentic tortillas de patatas that is cooked in the air fryer, then you will love this recipe.
This air fryer tortilla de patatasrecipe was originally shared with you back in 2016. We have since updated air fryers and created an even better recipe for you.
Tortilla De Patatas Air Fryer
If you have followed Recipe This for a while, then you will know that I absolutely love to cook various omelettes in the air fryer.
Beyond our basic air fryer omelette, I often talk in the weekly newsletter about how I make an air fryer frittata on a Sunday to then reheat in the microwave for breakfast for the week ahead.
Or how at Christmas I use my giant party ring mould to make a delicious air fryer breakfast casserole.
But one omelette that I don’t talk about as much is tortilla de patatas. I have eaten more of these than any other omelette and I have been having a food obsession with them for more than 3 decades.
From the moment I had my first tapas in Spain at aged 12, to aged 40 and buying them in the supermarket whenever I see them.
When I can’t be bothered to cook dinner, I will buy two of these, reheat them in the air fryer and us and the kids will have them for dinner.
But today, what I really wanted to talk about is how you can make a tortilla de patatas in the air fryer and how yummy and lower fat it is too.
You must put this tortilla de patatas air fryer recipe on your brunch menu!
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What Is Tortilla De Patatas?
If you have not enjoyed the delicious Spanish food of tortilla de patatas (or tortillas de patatas if plural) then you are seriously missing out.
In a nutshell, it is a Spanish omelette, or whilst the Italians have the frittata, the Spanish have the potato omelette.
If you go and eat tapas in Spain, you are guaranteed to see the Spanish omelette out on display and its often the favourite tapas dish.
Many Spanish also make it as a family breakfast and because its an omelette of potatoes its rather filling and makes a fantastic frugal brunch.
Can You Make An Omelette In Air Fryer?
Yes, you can and its so easy. You can dump omelette ingredients into an air fryer friendly container and then let the air fryer do the hard work.
We personally recommend these silicone containers that we use for everything from omelettes to cakes to casseroles.
From frittatas to a more simple air fryer omelette, you can do all the different versions in the air fryer.
You can also do something similar by making a giant air fryer pancake too.
#1 Mistake With Tortilla De Patatas
How to upset the Spanish? Put onions in the tortilla de patatas, or any other non-traditional ingredient.
A traditional Spanish omelette does not have onions in it and the Spanish find it offensive when we get it wrong.
Just like how us Brits hate it when we see an instant pot shepherd’s pie recipe and it has beef in it!
I asked a Spanish friend for clarification in this, and they said the following:
The traditional Spanish omelette does not have onion, just extra virgin olive oil, potatoes, eggs, and salt.
In Spain it is called Tortilla de Patata (Potato Omelette)). If you make a Spanish Omelette with Onion, it’s called Tortilla de Patata con Cebolla, which is also very popular in Spain.
So, there you have it, lose the onion and of course, what is amazing about making a Spanish omelette, as he mentioned is that there is just 4 ingredients including the salt.
Air Fryer Spanish Omelette With LESS Oil
My ultimate challenge with the air fryer is to reduce oil. After all, that is why most of us bought an air fryer.
When you make a Spanish omelette in the air fryer you have the chance to make a massive reduction in the oil.
You see, a classic potato omelette carries 150ml of extra virgin olive oil, which is a LOT.
But in the air fryer our potato omelette ONLY NEEDS 2tsp of extra virgin olive oil to cook the potatoes and a further small spray of oil. Combined this is about 15ml of oil (1tbsp) reducing the oil by 90 percent.
Spanish Potato Omelette Ingredients
Potatoes – I recommend using baby potatoes and then cutting them up into slices and keep the skin on. They make a fantastic flavour for your Spanish potato omelette.
Eggs – Normally when you make a frittata you will mix the eggs with cream, and it will go further. But a Spanish omelette is just eggs so you will need a LOT of them.
Oil – You will need some extra virgin olive oil to cook the potatoes in the air fryer first and then a little extra for finishing off the tortilla.
Seasoning – To make a traditional tortilla de patatas you will need just sea salt. There is no extra seasoning added.
Then for the kitchen gadgets that we have used in this tortilla air fryer recipe it has just been our Cosori air fryer. We have this one and its wonderful for many types of air fryer recipes.
Plus, we recommend you head over to our air fryer recipes category as we have more than 500 tried and tested air fryer recipes and have been air frying for 10 years.
Spanish Potato Pie
When you open the air fryer, you will be wondering if this is a Spanish potato pie, after all, it doesn’t look like the omelette in the air fryer that you have seen in Spain.
And that is because there is one last step in the recipe and that is to turn over your omelette.
Kind of like when you make an upside down cake.
The Spanish tortilla is then turned over and you can see all the beautiful bits of potato that have gone to the top.
You can then give it a spray with extra virgin olive oil to give the top some colour and then your tortilla de patatas is cooked.
How To Make A Spanish Tortilla?
- Air Fry. Slice your potatoes and toss in extra virgin olive oil and sea salt. Air fry until you have crispy air fryer potato slices.
- Batter. As the potatoes cook in the air fryer, crack the eggs into a jug. Mix with a fork with sea salt.
- Beeps. When the air fryer beeps, load potatoes into a silicone baking pan and pour over the egg mixture.
- Cook. Then place the silicone baking pan into the air fryer and air fry for approximately 22 minutes or until you have perfectly cooked potato omelette.
- Flip. Next flip the omelette over and spray the top with extra virgin olive oil. Cook for a further 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
And I am sure you can see now how easy it is cooking tortillas de patatas in air fryer and how you can be doing the same.
What To Have With Your Spanish Omelette?
My go to is bacon aioli to serve with my Spanish omelette. Its so nice to have proper aioli to dip into the omelette.
Another option is to have a side salad and enjoy the omelette for lunch.
Or serve it how the Spanish have it as some tapas.
More Air Fryer Brunch Ideas
- Air Fryer Soft Boiled Eggs
- Air Fryer English Breakfast
- Air Fryer Egg Cups
- Air Fryer Quiche
- Air Fryer Blueberry Muffins
Your tortilla de patatas in air fryer recipe is below, note you can print it out with or without photos, adjust servings, or click between metric and imperial depending on where you are in the world.
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Air Fryer Tortilla De Patatas (Spanish Omelette)
Ingredients
- 500 g Baby Potatoes
- 6 Large Eggs
- 2 Tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil Spray
- Sea Salt
Kitchen Gadgets
Instructions
- Chop your baby potatoes into medium slices, keeping the skin on them. Load the potatoes into a bowl and toss in extra virgin olive oil and salt.
- Load the potatoes into the air fryer basket and cook for 17 minutes at 180c/360f.
- In a jug add your eggs, a little sea seal and mix with a fork.
- When the air fryer beeps, load potatoes into a silicone baking pan and pour over the egg mixture. And make sure all the potatoes are well covered in the egg batter.
- Place the silicone pan into the air fryer basket and cook for 17 minutes at 160c/320f, followed by 5 minutes at 180c/360f to ensure its cooked in the middle and the eggs have set.
- Turn the potato omelette over, spray with extra virgin olive oil and cook for a further 5 minutes at 180c/360f.
- Then slice your Spanish omelette and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Can’t make it now? Then save it for later!
Thoroughly enjoyed the tortilla but had a few stop/stop episodes. How did you turn yours over? If I can master this my creations will be perfect. I poured my egg, onion and potato mixture into non stick baking parchment lining a loaf tin. I use a Ninja 400UK air fryer.
Hello. Thanks for the recipe. I was taught to make a Spanish Omelet by a Spaniard and while cooking it we had to have a glass of red wine. Today I cannot make it without a glass of red wine, even when asked to make 3 for a wedding and I started cooling at 5.30 am. I was taught to make thin potato slices and always add onion. I’ve even made it for Spanish friends while in Spain and they were impressed and my Omelet passed
Hi Jo,
Love the glass of red wine whilst cooking, brilliant story thank you 🙂
Hi, I’m Spanish and we do love (most of us, anyway!) onion in the Spanish omelette 🙂
Thanks for sharing this recipe, I’ve just bought an air fryer and wanted to make a Spanish omelette ASAP!
After been to Spain and had this for our lunch i always wondered if you could make it your self. We all loved this for our breakfast and even could re-heat in the microwave for later this is a great recipe thanks.