This Air Fryer Baked Potato recipe makes perfect baked potatoes with a crispy, salty outside, and fluffy, tender inside. They come out perfectly every time and are just waiting for your favorite toppings.
Table of Contents
- The Best Way to Make Air Fryer Baked Potatoes
- Why Cook Potatoes in the Air Fryer?
- Do I Need to Remove the Potato Skin?
- What You’ll Need
- What kind of potatoes are best for baked potatoes?
- What oil should I use in the air fryer?
- How to Make Air Fryer Baked Potatoes
- Topping Ideas
- Can I Reheat Cooked Baked Potatoes in the Air Fryer?
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Storage
- Get the Recipe
The Best Way to Make Air Fryer Baked Potatoes
A baked potato in an air fryer may seem counterproductive, but the air fryer takes the heavy grease and oils out of deep frying and leaves the best parts of a crispy-skinned baked potato! It is not only convenient, but it produces one of the best baked potatoes I have ever had!
I used to make baked potatoes in the instant pot, but I really missed the crispy outside skin on a true baked potato. Then I tried them in the air fryer and never looked back.
Cooking a baked potato in an air fryer is faster and creates a perfect baked potato every time. A crispy outside and soft fluffy inside, with no need to preheat the oven. Read below for all my best tips and tricks on how to make the best baked potatoes in an air fryer.
If you are looking for a traditional oven baked potato, try out this recipe for my favorite Outback style Baked Potato with crispy, salty outsides and fluffy insides!
Why Cook Potatoes in the Air Fryer?
The perfect baked potato has to have 3 things:
- A wonderful flavorful crispy skin!
- Soft fluffy interior!
- Less time than in an oven.
- The air fryer makes it super easy to stuff your potato (with cheese, butter, bacon, etc) and then quickly pop it back into the air fryer for a minute or two to melt everything together!
The air fryer method checked every one of these boxes. And, it does all that faster than the oven would. That’s a definite win in my book.
If you love cooking potatoes in the air fryer, make sure to check out these Air Fryer Potato Wedges!
Do I Need to Remove the Potato Skin?
Whether you are making baked potatoes for lunch or as a side to a juicy steak dinner, the most important question to ask yourself is, are you going to eat the potato skin? Or leave it?
I am pro eating that delicious crispy and salty potato skin! I recommend leaving it on and devouring it along with the rest of your potato. Plus, it’s easier to cook your potatoes with the skin on. No fuss is what I’m all about.
What You’ll Need
You only need 4 ingredients to make the perfect baked potato in an air fryer. While you only need simple ingredients, using high-quality ingredients will give you the best finished product.
- Potatoes – Cleaned and patted dry.
- Oil – Olive oil, avocado oil or canola oil all will work! You can even use vegetable oil.
- Salt – Larger kosher salt is great to give you that perfect salted skin like you would get on a baked potato at a steak house!
- Pepper – Freshly cracked gives you the best flavor.
What kind of potatoes are best for baked potatoes?
Russet potatoes, also known as white potatoes as well as sweet potatoes are great to use as they contain a lot of starch and are absorbent. Other types of potatoes may become creamy and mushy as they don’t hold their shape as well.
What oil should I use in the air fryer?
You can actually use most types of oils in an air fryer. Choosing a high-quality olive oil or avocado oil can actually up the nutrition level if that is what you are looking for. You can also use vegetable oil, canola oil or really whatever you have on hand.
How to Make Air Fryer Baked Potatoes
Alrighty, let’s get down to the method. Here’s how to make the best baked potatoes ever using your air fryer:
- Clean the potatoes. It’s important to scrub your potatoes well and then pat them dry before cooking to remove any dirt.
- Add oil and seasonings. Toss potatoes in enough oil to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and place in the air fryer basket. You’ll want to make sure to give them enough room so that the air can easily circulate around each potato, so don’t overstuff the basket.
- Cook until tender. Turning approximately halfway through.
- Serve immediately with toppings of your choice. See below for some of the endless possibilities!
Topping Ideas
In addition to making the best baked potatoes ever, consider what you want to top them with when they’re done cooking. Here are some tasty ideas:
- Butter
- Chives – Finely chopped
- Sour Cream
- Bacon – Cooked until crispy, I like to cook my bacon in the oven!
- Broccoli – Steamed or baked.
- Chili – This Chunky Beef Chili is fantastic on baked potatoes. Or, go with a Mexican spin with this ultra flavorful Chili Colorado!
- Taco Meat – My mom’s Taco Meat Recipe is a must-try.
- Pico de Gallo – I love homemade Pico de Gallo the best with all it’s fresh flavors.
- Cheese – Cheddar, Monterey Jack, even mozzarella.
- Ham – Leftover Brown Sugar Ham is always so good.
- Red Onion – Chopped
- Salad Dressing – Believe it or not, ranch dressing is phenomenal with baked potatoes.
- Chicken – Use leftover Parmesan Chicken or French Onion Chicken.
Can I Reheat Cooked Baked Potatoes in the Air Fryer?
Yes! If you happen to have leftover potatoes and would like to crisp them back up toss them back into the air fryer for about 4 to 5 minutes, at 400°F, and enjoy all over again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Every air fryer is different, so I recommend doing whatever the manufacture recommends for your particular air fryer. Some air fryers need preheating and some do not.
Absolutely! I do this often! Follow my directions for a Microwave Baked Potato and cook it 1 minute less than called for in the recipe. After cooking the potato in the microwave, transfer it to the air fryer to finish cooking, about 10 minutes of cooking time (until the center is cooked through). This will produce a baked potato with a crispy outside and soft inside in a fraction of the time!
I do not, however, I recommend that you don’t live life as a risk taker like me and you go ahead and poke a few holes in it. ;-)
Storage
Leftover storage: Leftover baked potatoes store well in the fridge for about five days. Keep them in an airtight storage container or zip-top bag for maximum freshness.
Reheat: Reheat them right back in the air fryer, microwave, or in the oven at 350°F.
Can I freeze baked potatoes? I don’t actually recommend freezing baked potatoes, because the freezing and thawing process tends to make them watery. For the fluffiest baked potatoes, make them the day of.
Air Fryer Baked Potato
Ingredients
- 4 medium potatoes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Add potatoes to large bowl. Toss well with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place in Air Fryer basket.
- Cook at 400°F for 30 minutes.
- Turn potatoes and cook for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, or until fork tender.
- Serve immediately with toppings of your choice!
Notes
Nutrition
Categories:
More Easy Potato Recipes
- Cheesy Potato Casserole
- Herb Roasted Potatoes
- Creamy Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes
- Best Sweet Potato Casserole
- Crockpot Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows
- Loaded Potato and Meatloaf Casserole
- Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Oven Roasted Potatoes
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