Air Fryer Baked Potatoes have a crisp, salty skin with a tender, fluffy, and perfectly cooked center – it’s the quickest and easiest cooking method for a perfect baked potato.
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Helpful Reader Review
“By far the BEST baked potatoes ever. Thank you! I can hardly wait to get them out of the air fryer and slather them with sour cream and chives. Yum Yum!” – Ryan ★★★★★
Air Fryer Baked Potato Recipe
My love of potatoes runs deep. First, from my heritage because potatoes are the backbone of Ukrainian cuisine, and second, I live in Idaho – which is famous for potatoes. I have a giant collection of potato recipes to prove it!
My family loves baked potatoes paired with Pan-Seared Steak or Meatloaf. For a bigger crowd, I love making a baked potato bar with all the fixings, but baked potatoes can take a while to cook in the oven. I started cooking them in the air fryer, and it’s so much faster, with perfect results every time!
I’ve converted a lot of our favorite recipes to the air fryer as life gets busier. The air fryer can cut your cooking time in half and provide super crispy results like our Air Fryer Chicken Wings and Air Fryer Bacon. You also don’t have to wait for the air fryer to preheat like you would with an oven.
Ingredients for Air Fryer Baked Potatoes
This easy Air Fryer Baked Potatoes recipe uses only 3 basic ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen.
- Potatoes – We recommend using Russet potatoes, also known as Idaho potatoes. You’ll want to make sure all your potatoes are the same size for even cooking, and be sure to clean the potato under running water before cooking it because those potato skins are delicious!
- Oil – The oil is what gives the skin its crispiness, and so we use olive oil for this recipe. You can easily use cooking spray instead of oil.
- Salt – We like to add fine sea salt to the potatoes for flavor, but you can use the salt you have on hand.
How to Make Air Fryer Baked Potatoes
You’ll have moist-on-the-inside, crispy-on-the-outside Air Fryer Baked Potatoes in just three simple steps! I love the tasty results every time!
- Prep – Clean the potatoes with a brush and water and then dry. Poke all over 4-5 times with a fork so steam can escape while cooking – this is important to ensure the potatoes don’t burst while air frying.
- Oil and salt – Rub the potatoes in oil and salt so that all sides of the potatoes are coated, and then place in the air fryer basket. Make sure you don’t overcrowd the air fryer – you want the air to circulate evenly around the potatoes.
- Air Fry – Cook in a Basket-style Air Fryer at 400˚F or a Toaster-style Air Fryer at 375°F (since it runs a little hotter) for about 35-45 minutes (flipping halfway). Cook until a knife easily pierces through the center. The timing will depend on the size and thickness of your potatoes – see the time chart below for reference.
Pro Tip: Ditch the foil
You may have heard to wrap potatoes in foil to cook–but there’s no need! Foil steams the potato flesh and keeps the skin from crisping.
Air Fryer Baked Potato Time Chart
Small potatoes will take less time, while larger and thicker potatoes will take longer. If your potatoes need a longer cooking time, just return the basket to the air fryer and cook another 3-5 minutes at a time. Here are some timing guidelines for the air fryer:
- 7 oz = 35 minutes
- 8 oz = 40 minutes
- 9 oz+ = 45-50 minutes
How Do You Know When a Baked Potato Is Done?
The cooking time of the baked potato will vary slightly depending on the size of the potato and your air fryer machine.
- Poke Test – Cook until you can easily pierce into the center of the potatoes with a knife without resistance.
- Feels Soft to the Squeeze – use an oven mitt to squeeze the potato – it should give slightly when squeezed.
- Internal Temperature – the potato should reach 205˚F to 210˚F on a thermometer.
Toppings for Baked Potatoes
When we’re serving potatoes as the main event, I love building a baked potato bar with all the fixings. The topping options are endless:
Helpful Reader Review
“I made this tonight adding shrimp as an extra topping…these were lovely. Very creamy on the inside, a hit with the family definitely a keeper” – Lucylu ★★★★★
How to Cut Open a Baked Potato
Baked potatoes are best served when they are hot and fresh and here’s the correct way to pop open a baked potato. Slice lengthwise across the top without going all the way to the edges and without going all the way through. Use your fingers to gently press on the ends of the potato to open it up.
Storing and Reheating
Baked Potatoes are great to make ahead since they keep well in the fridge and reheat nicely. Let them cool completely and then place them in a covered container.
- To Refrigerate: store covered for 3-5 days in the fridge
- Freezing: wrap each potato separately to avoid freezer burn, store in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months, and cook them right from frozen. The texture may be less fluffy after freezing.
- To Reheat: cook potatoes in the air fryer at 400 until heated or use a microwave
What to Do with Leftover Baked Potatoes?
I have so many genius ways to use leftover baked potatoes, and some of them might surprise you, and you’ll hope for leftovers after seeing this list. It’s brilliant for meal prep!
Air fryer baked potatoes are so satisfying, especially when they are loaded up with all the fixings. The air fryer makes this recipe simple to make and faster than heating up the oven. And I love the crispiness of the skin! I’d love to hear how you like cooking potatoes in the air fryer and about your favorite toppings in the comments.
Air Fryer Baked Potato Recipe
This recipe for Air Fryer Baked Potato comes out perfectly every time. The skin of the potato is salty and crispy while the inside is tender and fluffy. You’ll love how easy it is to cook the potatoes in the air fryer since you don’t need a long preheating time.
Prevent your screen from going dark
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Scrub potatoes under running water then thoroughly dry with a towel.
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Poke the potato all over with a fork, 4-5 times, rub with oil and sprinkle all over with salt. Add the potatoes to the air fryer basket.
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Cook the potatoes in a Basket-style air fryer at 400°F or Toaster-Style Air Fryer at 375°F for 35-45 minutes, flipping halfway. Cook time will depend on the size of your potatoes. Air Fry until easily pierced with a knife. Use tongs to transfer potatoes to a plate.
- 7 oz = 35 minutes
- 8 oz = 40 minutes
- 9 oz+ = 45-50 minutes
Storage: Let the potatoes cool to room temperature and then store leftovers covered in the fridge for 3-5 days, or in the freezer individually wrapped for 3 months.
To Reheat: cook straight out of the fridge or freezer in a 400°F Air fryer until cooked through. You can also use the microwave, but the skin won’t be as crispy.
199kcal Calories38g Carbs5g Protein4g Fat
Nutrition Facts
Air Fryer Baked Potato Recipe
Amount per Serving
% Daily Value*
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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