Air Fryer Baked Potatoes are the perfect side dish for any meal! Top these delicious taters with warm melted butter, cheese, bacon, and more!
Crispy on the outside and tender in the middle, Air Fryer Baked Potatoes are the perfect side to juicy fried chicken, steak, and all your favorite meals! Wonderfully seasoned Russet potatoes become soft and fluffy with the help of an air fryer, and are perfect for topping with all of your favorite ingredients!
Perfect Baked Potatoes
We love potatoes in any form, and baked potatoes are especially popular in this house! Hands-off Air-Fryer Baked Potatoes make this even easier because there is so little I have to do to get delicious crispy potatoes with a soft middle that are perfect for topping however we want! There’s always one in the family who loves to pile their potato high with shredded cheese, crunchy bacon, and green onions, but even with just a giant pat of butter, these baked potatoes are incredible with any dish we make!
Using an air fryer is a great way to keep the oven free for other mouth-watering dishes like Southern Oven Fried Chicken or for focusing on stove-top wonders like Garlic Butter Steak and Mushrooms!
Other Recipes to Serve with Air Fryer Baked Potatoes
- Air fryers are also great for making deliciously sweet desserts like Air Fryer Baked Apples, complete with a crunchy topping!
- Baked potatoes and tender Breaded Pork Chops are like two peas in a dinner pod and always give the family something to rave about!
Ingredients
Potatoes: Pick up Russet potatoes for this recipe- they will give you the best crispy skins and soft, fluffy potato middle!
Oil: You will need olive oil to coat the potatoes.
Salt: Season the potato skins with plenty of salt for a wonderful flavor.
Toppings: For these potatoes, pick up all of your favorite toppings, like creamy butter, cheese, cooked bacon, green onions or chives, and sour cream.
How to Make Air Fryer Baked Potatoes
STEP ONE: Wash and dry the potatoes well. Pierce each potato a few times with a sharp knife or fork to create vents that allow the steam to escape.
STEP TWO: Toss the potatoes in a bowl with olive oil and rub each potato well with the oil to completely cover them. Sprinkle a generous amount of salt over each potato and pop them into the air fryer basket.
STEP THREE: Bake the potatoes at 400 degrees F for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, check the tenderness of the potatoes by piercing them with a knife. If needed, cook for another 5-10 minutes, but remove the potatoes from the basket if the potatoes are tender.
STEP FOUR: Shake off the excess salt from the potatoes and then slice each potato open, fluff the middle with a fork. You can add some butter and stop here, or…
STEP FIVE: Add 2-3 tablespoons of grated cheese to each potato. Place them back in the air fryer and cook for 3-4 minutes at 400 degrees F until the cheese is melted.
STEP SIX: Remove the potatoes from the air fryer and add your favorite toppings!
Tips for Success
- Coating the potato skins with salt will not make the potatoes too salty; it will help crisp the skins, and they will be brushed off before serving.
- If you want to melt the cheese into the baked potato, mix it straight out of the fryer or top a split potato with cheese and pop it back into the air fryer for 3-4 minutes.
- Make sure your potatoes are dry before coating them with oil. If wet, the oil will not stick, and the skins will not crisp properly.
Is it faster to bake a potato in an oven or an air fryer?
Baking potatoes in an air fryer is not only faster but easier, too! Large Russet potatoes typically take about 40-45 minutes to bake in an air fryer, and smaller potatoes cook even more quickly. Using an oven to bake potatoes can take over an hour. There is also no need to flip the potatoes halfway through cooking when using an air fryer, so you can focus on making the rest of the meal and know that the potatoes will be done when the timer goes off.
Should I wrap the potatoes in foil to cook them?
Oven-baked potatoes are sometimes wrapped in foil to achieve a crispy skin, but that step isn’t necessary when using an air fryer. Air fryer baked potatoes can be tossed into the basket and baked to perfection without using foil! Also, whether you bake potatoes in an oven or an air fryer, it’s still a good idea to poke holes in the potatoes because, although it doesn’t happen often, it’s always better to be safe and allow the steam to escape rather than cleaning up a burst potato!
More Delicious Air Fryer Ideas!
- Air Fryer Chicken Breast
- Air Fryer Fried Pickles
- Air Fryer Corn on the Cob
- Crispy Air Fryer Blooming Onion
- Air Fryer Monkey Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
Toppings
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 8 tablespoons cheddar cheese shredded
- 4 tablespoons sour cream
- 4 strips bacon cooked and crumbled
- 2 tablespoons green onions thinly sliced
Instructions
- Wash and dry the potatoes. Poke them all over with a sharp knife or a fork. Place the potatoes in a large mixing bowl.
- Drizzle the potatoes in olive oil and massage them to coat completely. Sprinkle the salt generously all over the potatoes.
- Place the potatoes into the air fry basket. Cook at 400 degrees F for 40 minutes. Check the doneness with as harp knife to check if they are soft inside. If needed, cook for another 5-10 minutes until tender.
- Carefully remove from the basket and rub off the excess salt. Cut the potatoes in half vertically and use a fork to fluff up the insides.
- If desired, add a pat of butter and 2-3 tablespoons of shredded cheese on top of each potato.
- Cook in the air fryer for another 3-4 minutes at 400 degrees F until the cheese is melted.
- Remove from the air fryer and top with sour cream, bacon, and green onions before serving warm.
Notes
- Calories 353 kcal
- Carbohydrates 67g
- Protein 8g
- Fat 7g
- Saturated Fat 1g
- Sodium 1181mg
- Fiber 5 g
- Sugar 2g
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