Air Fryer Baked Potatoes
These Air Fryer Baked Potatoes are fluffy inside with the best crispy potato skins. Serve them as a side dish or load them up with toppings to make them a meal.
Air fryer baked potatoes, where have you been all my life? There’s so much to love about this air fryer baked potato recipe:
- Extra crispy skins: Since an air fryer cooks by circulating hot air around the food in the basket, it is amazing at crisping up everything from Air Fryer French Fries to Air Fryer Fried Chicken. So it’s no surprise that air fryer potatoes have the crispiest skins around.
- Fluffy baked potato centers: These air fryer baked potatoes cook up perfectly soft and fluffy in the middle, ready for savoring with a pat of butter, a dollop of sour cream, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper, or whatever toppings your taste buds are craving. Air Fryer Bacon crumbles, perhaps?
- Easy to make! This recipe is SO simple! The prep time is only 5 minutes, and then the air fryer does the rest.
While I am still a huge fan of the ease of Instant Pot Baked Potatoes and Crock Pot Baked Potatoes, and Oven Baked Potatoes are always a trusty standby, you just can’t beat the extra crispy skin of an air fryer baked potato.
How to Make Air Fryer Baked Potatoes
- Preheat the air fryer at 400° F for 5 minutes.
- Scrub the potatoes and pat them dry.
- Rub the potato skins with a little bit of olive oil. Then sprinkle all sides of the potatoes with salt. I prefer to use kosher salt or sea salt, but any salt will work. The oil and salt aren’t necessary for cooking, but they add lots of flavor if you plan to eat the skins.
- Put the potatoes in the air fryer, with a bit of room between them.
- Air fry until the centers of the potatoes are soft when pierced with a fork, using the cook times below as a guide.
Find the full recipe in the recipe card below.
How Long to Cook Baked Potatoes in the Air Fryer
The cook time for a baked potato in the air fryer will depend mainly on the size of the potato. Smaller potatoes will cook faster than larger potatoes. The cook time may also vary slightly between air fryer models.
In my air fryer, medium russet potatoes take 45-50 minutes to cook at 400° F. It’s really easy to check if an air fryer baked potato is done, just open the air fryer and test by poking with a fork or knife. If the potatoes aren’t yet tender, you can continue air frying until they are cooked through.
Note that the skin gets so crispy in the air fryer, that it can be hard to pierce. The toughness of the skin is not an indication of doneness, so be sure to poke through all the way to the center of the potato to see if it is soft in the middle.
Air Fryer Baked Potato Recipe Tips
- Choose potatoes that are approximately the same size so that they will finish cooking at the same time. Or, take smaller potatoes out of the air fryer first, as soon as they are done cooking.
- Three medium russet potatoes fit nicely in my air fryer. Depending on the size of your air fryer and potatoes, you can cook more or less potatoes at once. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer in the basket so that air can circulate around them.
- It is not necessary to prick the potatoes with a fork before cooking.
- If your potatoes are cold from the refrigerator they will take about 5 minutes longer to cook.
Serving Suggestions
A baked potato is a delicious, healthy side dish for Baked Salmon, Pork Tenderloin, Baked Pork Chops, Air Fryer Steak, and more. You can keep your potato toppings on the simple side (think butter, chopped chives, salt and pepper) or go all out.
If you want to make a meal out of these air fryer baked potatoes, you can load them up with toppings. A baked potato bar is always a fun dinner, and everyone can top their potato the way they like it. Try:
- Turkey chili, sour cream, green onions and shredded cheese.
- Black beans, salsa, guacamole, chopped red onion and cheddar cheese.
- Chopped grilled chicken, avocado, bacon and shredded Monterey jack cheese.
- Roasted broccoli, shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream.
More Easy Air Fryer Recipes
For more delicious air fryer potato recipes, try these Air Fryer “Roasted” Potatoes and Air Fryer Potato Wedges.
Or try one of these best air fryer recipes.
Air Fryer Baked Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3 medium russet potatoes*
- olive oil
- coarse Kosher salt
- toppings, as desired, such as butter, sour cream, salt, pepper, chives, etc.
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer at 400° F for 5 minutes.
- Scrub the potatoes and pat them dry. (It is not necessary to prick the potatoes with a fork.)
- Rub potatoes with olive oil and then sprinkle all sides with salt.
- Place potatoes in the air fryer in a single layer with a bit of room between them.
- Cook medium sized room temperature potatoes at 400° F for 45-50 minutes, flipping the potatoes over about half way through the cook time. Smaller potatoes will cook faster and larger potatoes will require more time to cook. Potatoes are done when a fork easily pierces through the center (the crispy skins may be tough to pierce but the centers should be soft).
- Serve potatoes with toppings, as desired.
Notes
- You can cook fewer potatoes, or more, as long as the potatoes fit in a single layer in your air fryer with a bit of room in between them.
- If your potatoes are cold from the refrigerator they will take about 5 extra minutes to cook.
