Name: Air Fryer Baked Potatoes
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 4 large russet potatoes; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 2 teaspoon salt; 4 tablespoons butter; 8 tablespoons cheddar cheese (shredded); 4 tablespoons sour cream; 4 strips bacon (cooked and crumbled); 2 tablespoons green onions (thinly sliced)

Jump to Recipe

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!

loaded air fryer backed potatoes in an air fryer basket with recipe name at the bottom

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

russet potatoes, olive oil, and salt on a counter

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.

paring knife poking holes into raw potatoes

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.

oiled and salted potatoes in the basket of an air fryer before cooking

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.

cooked air fryer backed potatoes in the basket

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…

air fryer backed potatoes cut open with a fork fluffing up the insides

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.

air fryer backed potatoes topped with butter and cheese in the basket after being cooked more to let the cheese melt

STEP SIX: Remove the potatoes from the air fryer and add your favorite toppings!

three loaded air fryer backed potatoes on platter

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.

close up of an air fryer backed potatoes topped with a pat of butter and pepper

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!

a loaded air fryer backed potato on a dinner plate with a steak

More Delicious Air Fryer Ideas!