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Move over, oven-baked potatoes! A potato baked in an air fryer is nothing short of heavenly. The fluffy middle, combined with a flavorful, crispy skin is a game changer!
Air fryer baked potato
Okay, so what’s so special about a baked potato in your air fryer?
- You don’t have to turn on your oven and heat up your whole house for an hour
- It’s so nice when you only need to make a couple baked potatoes. I can fit 1-8 baked potatoes in my air fryer!
- It takes less time- about 20-30 minutes vs. an hour in the oven
- The skin gets sooo crispy and delicious, like at a steakhouse
Since I’ve started making baked potatoes in my air fryer, I’ll never go back to the oven. Now, instead of a dry, grainy, and flavorless skin, the skin on air fryer baked potatoes is crispy and delicious.
That’s great, because the potato’s skin is where it stores most of its nutrients. These potatoes are light and fluffy inside with a rich, crispy skin.
And if you prefer a traditional, soft skin baked potato (I still love them—they’re classic), then you have to try my Instant Pot Baked Potatoes.
They’re completely done in the time you’d spend heating up your oven, perfectly fluffy inside, and overall just plain yummy.
Or if you enjoy sweet potatoes, try my Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes! They have the same perfect, crispy exterior, except they’re sweet inside.
How to make whole potatoes in air fryer
These are SO easy, I can’t get over them! Just scrub your potatoes down in the sink (I have a scrub brush specifically dedicated to produce, like carrots and potatoes), then pat them dry.
Next, rub them down with olive oil, taking a moment or two to really massage it into the skin—this is what’s going to make your potatoes nice and crispy!
Then sprinkle a coarse or flaky salt all over the outside of the potatoes, lay them into the air fryer basket, and cook.
If you are using table salt, be less generous than if using kosher or flaky salt.
Air fryer baked potato time
As a general rule of thumb, cook a whole 1 lb potato in your air fryer for about 30 minutes.
Keep in mind that this time will change depending on the size of your potato; a small to medium potato should take about 20 minutes.
I recommend gently poking your potato with a fork or knife after around 30 minutes to check on it, then adjusting the remaining cook time from there.
As soon as the fork slides easily through the center of the potato, it’s ready to come out of the air fryer.
Air fryer twice baked potato
My kids are obsessed with this twist on the classic air fryer baked potato recipe. They do take a bit more time (they’re baked twice!), so be sure to plan accordingly.
Once whole potatoes are finished baking, cut each potato in half lengthwise. Carefully scrape out the inside of the potatoes into a bowl, saving the skin shells for later. Then, add your goodies to the bowl and combine with potatoes.
I like to use shredded cheddar cheese, a couple tablespoons of butter, some sour cream, and a bit of chopped bacon. It’s similar to making mashed potatoes- I never really measure!
Here’s a list of the most common options—pick and choose your favorites!
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Butter
- Sour cream (or greek yogurt as a healthier alternative)
- Bacon
- Parsley
- Chives
- Chopped broccoli
- Paprika
- Black pepper
- Heavy Cream
- Seasoned Salt
Finally, stuff the skin shells with the loaded potato mixture, and top with additional cheese or brush with butter. Since we’re just warming these through, air fry them again for 5-10 minutes at 400º, or until the cheese is melted.
I usually check them every 3-5 minutes depending on the strength of the air fryer. Let me know in the comments which toppings you try!
Baked potato in air fryer with foil
People ask me all the time: Is it safe to use foil in an air fryer?
The short answer is: yes, it’s completely safe to use foil in an air fryer. Foil can help with clean-up, as it’s disposable.
However, it’s completely unnecessary, unless you want to keep your potatoes warm after they’ve cooked.
Roasted potatoes in air fryer
We’ll have a whole article dedicated to these coming out in August (keep your eyes peeled!). Until then, here’s a sneak peek:
When making roasted potatoes in your air fryer, you want them to have a light, crispy skin with a moist, fluffy inside.
To achieve that, chop washed potatoes into about 1 inch cubes, toss them liberally with olive oil and salt. Feel free to experiment with other seasonings, but make sure that you salt them!
Once you’ve seasoned and tossed your potatoes, add them to your air fryer basket, and roast them for about 10 minutes. I like to stir mine about halfway through, but it’s not an essential step.
More easy dinner recipes for Instant Pot
- Country Style Ribs
- Loaded Baked Potato Soup
- Chicken Noodle Soup with Homemade Egg Noodles
- Chicken con Broccoli
- Easy Mac and Cheese Dinner
- Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash with Lemon Cream Sauce
Easy Air Fryer Recipes
- Cream Cheese Wontons (Air Fryer or Deep Fried)
- Cookie Dough Dessert Wontons (Air Fryer or Deep Fried)
- Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs + Air Fryer Hard Boiled Egg Test
- Air Fryer Chicken Wings from Fresh or Frozen
- Bacon Wrapped Smokies in the Air Fryer
- Baked Potato in Air Fryer
- Air Fryer Sweet Potato
- Air Fryer Cookies
- Instant Pot Chicken Legs from Fresh or Frozen (finish them in the air fryer!)
Air Fryer Baked Potato
Move over, oven baked potatoes! Potatoes baked in an air fryer are nothing short of heavenly. The fluffy middle, combined with a flavorful, crispy skin is a game changer!
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Servings: 2 -4 POTATOES
Calories: 188kcal
INGREDIENTS
- 2-4 medium Russet potatoes scrubbed clean
- 1-2 teaspoons olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the air fryer to 400º.
- Rub potatoes with oil until skin is thoroughly coated.
- Sprinkle salt and pepper over the outside of the potatoes, then lay them into the air fryer basket.
- For potatoes between .35-.5lb potatoes, Cook for 25 minutes, flipping halfway through. For larger potatoes, cook for 30-40 minutes, flipping halfway through and checking for doneness after 30 minutes.
- Remove from air fryer and serve with your favorite toppings.**
PRODUCTS WE LOVE
NOTES
- To test your potato, poke it gently with a fork or knife. Cook until the fork slides easily through the center of the potato.
- **The most popular toppings are butter, cheddar cheese, bacon, and sour cream. Other ideas include parsley, chives, paprika, black pepper, heavy cream, and seasoned salt.
- If you don't like a crispy skin, you may wrap your baked potatoes in foil.
NUTRITION
Serving: 1g | Calories: 188kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 98mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 2g
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Hi! I'm Lisa!
I founded Tried, Tested, and True in 2019 to help moms like me develop confidence and joy in the kitchen.
Since then, I have taught millions of home cooks around the world through our tried and true recipes and Youtube tutorials.
In 2021, I wrote my first book called, “I Love My Instant Pot: Cooking for One”!
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Not a comment but a question. Since you seldom mention the air fryer temperature, do you cook everything at 400 degrees? My air fryer can be set for different temperature settings.
Author
Wow, that was a huge oversight on our end; sorry, Marcia! Thank you for allowing us to edit that to add the temperature. That’s definitely an important aspect, isn’t it? To answer your question, yes, I actually do cook almost everything on 400º unless otherwise noted in my recipes.