Did you know your air fryer is capable of making the greatest baked potatoes of all time? Oh, yes. With crispy, flavorful skin and soft, fluffy potato goodness inside, Air Fryer Baked Potatoes are the way to go when you need an easy side dish with minimal prep!
Dress up your potatoes with butter and salt or load them up to the tippy-top with crispy bits of bacon, shredded cheese, sour cream, and green onions!
Below, you'll also find 5 delicious ways to turn these potatoes into an entree of their own!
Looking for more awesome Air Fryer Recipes to try? Bookmark our Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries in your internet browser for next time!
WHY THE AIR FRYER WORKS WONDERS FOR BAKED POTATOES!
The air fryer not only saves you time when it comes to making baked potatoes, cooking them in almost half the time, but it also renders extra crispy delicious skin!
The air fryer is an excellent tool for mimicking both the flavors and textures of fried food, but it also does a spectacular job of roasting.
Roasting is the act of cooking food at a high temperature, in which air circulates around the top and sides of the food. Your air fryer is basically a countertop convection oven with fans that circulate air all around the air fryer basket. This makes the air fryer perfect for roasting foods!
And, bonus alert: The basket either comes perforated or equipped with slits on the bottom that allows for air to circulate around the bottom of the food as well!
So what does this mean for your potatoes? It means you can get truly crispy skin all over in less time. The air fryer takes mere minutes to preheat and it's time to cook!
HOW TO MAKE AIR FRYER BAKED POTATOES
- Preheat
- Rinse and Dry the Potatoes
- Add Oil, Salt, and Pepper
- Air Fry
You'll begin by preheating your air fryer to 400°F and prepping your potatoes!
1. PREHEAT YOUR AIR FRYER
Preheating your air fryer doesn't take much in the way of time (about 5-10 minutes), but it does make a difference in the overall cook time so be sure to get it going before you prep your potatoes.
2. RINSE, DRY, AND POKE THE POTATOES
Rinse any extra dirt or grit away from the skin, and scrub the potatoes with a vegetable brush if you have one. Then, pat them dry, and do so thoroughly so no water remains on the exterior. Oil will not stick to wet potatoes, so make sure you get all the water off!
Place the potatoes on a work surface, and poke holes all over the potatoes with the tines of a fork.
3. OIL AND SEASON
Then, drizzle them with oil (see tips on oil below in the ingredients section). Sprinkle generously with Kosher salt and black pepper and rub all over the potatoes to evenly adhere.
5. AIR FRY
Once your potatoes are oiled and seasoned you can add them to the air fryer! If you can, it's really best to air fry the potatoes in a single layer.
However, if you don't have a double chamber air fryer, it might be worth it to stack them and sacrifice crispy skin in a couple of areas. It takes about 35 minutes for potatoes to cook through in the air fryer, and you certainly don't want to double your cook time.
If you have to stack the potatoes, you'll want to turn them about halfway through the cooking process. This will give the potato skin its best chance to crisp up on all sides.
Cook the potatoes at 400°F for 35 to 40 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender. Make sure you use an actual fork and not a knife to test the doneness. The sharp tip of a knife will pierce through a partially cooked potato much easier than the tines of a fork would!
AIR FRYER BAKED POTATO INGREDIENTS
Potatoes | Russet potatoes are the standard when it comes to baked potatoes, and it should be your potato of choice for this recipe.
Because you don't want to crowd the air fryer basket, it's best if you can find small to medium-sized russet potatoes.
This way, you can cook more at once, which really comes in handy, especially if you have a single chamber air fryer. You'll likely be able to fit 3 medium or 4 small potatoes in your air fryer at once.
Oil | As far as oil goes, you've got options. Oils like canola, avocado, peanut, vegetable, avocado, or even olive oil will work well for this recipe. Avocado oil is typically our go-to oil for this recipe as it is both flavorless and healthy!
Salt and Pepper | The seasoning for Air Fryer Baked Potatoes is beyond simple. All you really need is salt and pepper.
The best salt for rubbing on the exterior of potatoes and our number one choice for cooking is Kosher salt.
Kosher salt has a better flavor than your typical, standard iodized table salt. The granules of Kosher salt are larger than regular salt, so if you only have sea salt, use about 1 teaspoon rather than 1 ½ teaspoon.
TOPPING IDEAS FOR BAKED POTATOES
A classic loaded baked potato consists of the following toppings: butter, salt, grated Cheddar cheese, sour cream, bacon, and green onions or chives.
But, there are tons more delicious ways you can top your Air Fryer Baked Potatoes! In fact, you can turn your baked potatoes into a full-on dinnertime masterpiece. Here are five of our favorite ways to do it:
Taco | Split that potato open and top it with ground taco meat, Cheddar or Monterey Jack, and pico de gallo.
Chili | Turn it into Lonestar state perfection with a topping of Texas Chili, cheese, sour cream, and a few sliced jalapenos! Top it with Fritos for an extra yummy touch.
Ham and Cheese | Sear some diced ham, saute some spinach, and fold it into your baked potato along with some melty Cheddar cheese!
Pulled Pork | Take the BBQ route and top off your potato with savory pulled pork, BBQ sauce, onions, and sour cream!
Southwestern | Dice up some cooked chicken, avocado, and tomatoes. Then, get yourself some corn, ready the black beans, and mix! Top it off with sour cream and a little salsa.
6 MORE AIR FRYER RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
- Air Fryer Corn On the Cob
- Air Fryer Zucchini
- Air Fryer Asparagus
- Air Fryer Eggplant
- Air Fryer Onion Rings
- Air Fryer Pickles
Air Fryer Corn On the Cob
Air Fryer Zucchini
Air Fryer Asparagus
Air Fryer Eggplant
Air Fryer Onion Rings
Air Fryer Pickles
Air Fryer Baked Potatoes with crispy, flavorful skin and soft, fluffy potato goodness inside! Dress them up with butter and salt or load them up with crispy bits of bacon, shredded cheese, sour cream, and green onions.
- 4 small or medium-sized Russet potatoes
- Scant tablespoon of oil such as avocado, canola, or olive oil
- 1 ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
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Preheat the air fryer to 400°F. Rinse, scrub, and dry the potatoes.
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Place the potatoes on a work surface and drizzle with oil. Rub all over to adhere. Then, sprinkle with salt and pepper and rub the seasoning all around the potatoes. Use the tines of a fork to poke holes all over the potatoes.
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Transfer to the air fryer and cook for 35-40 minutes, until fork-tender. If the potatoes will not lay in a single layer in your air fryer basket and you have to stack them, turn them halfway through the cooking process.
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Allow to cool slightly, serve, and enjoy.
