Air Fryer Baked Potato

7 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy.

Jump to Recipe

Air fryer baked potatoes are a fast and convenient way to achieve perfectly cooked potatoes! The skin becomes crisp, the insides turn soft and fluffy, and then you just have to add your favorite toppings. No fuss and so easy!

A plate of air fryer baked potatoes
Photo: Gayle McLeod

I love baked potatoes and once I learned you could air fry them I was ecstatic. Air frying cuts the cook time by almost half and produces equally delicious results. Prefer sweet potatoes? Feel free to swap them in for an air fryer version of my baked sweet potato recipe. But the key here is nailing the proper temperature and time. So after a few test rounds in the air fryer, I can now say this air fryer baked potato recipe will be perfection every time.

Then, all that’s left to do is serve them up! Baked potatoes with a slab of butter, salt, and black pepper are a classic side dish, but there’s plenty of room to get creative! You can stuff them with vegetables, legumes, sauces, and more – see the ideas I’ve listed below to make this one exciting meal!

Ingredients for air fryer baked potato

Air Fryer Baked Potato Ingredients

  • Potatoes: Grab Russet potatoes for the perfect set of baked potatoes that can be sliced opened, and piled with salt, pepper, and all kinds of toppings!
  • Olive Oil: Since Russet potatoes are not as soft as sweet potatoes, rubbing them with olive oil will help soften them as they cook in the air fryer. I’ve also linked my favorite olive oil brand in the recipe card below.

Find the printable recipe with measurements below

How To Make Baked Potatoes In the Air Fryer

Poke holes in the potatoes. Always thoroughly wash and scrub (with a brush) your potatoes to ensure you don’t consume any excess dirt or debris! Then pat them dry with a paper towel and poke a few holes with a fork. I’ll explain why this step is important below!

Poking holes in potatoes with a fork

Rub them with oil. Drizzle the olive oil on the potatoes and gently rub it all over the skin.

Rubbing olive oil on potatoes

Air fry the potatoes. Add the potatoes to the basket of an air fryer. Set the temperature to 400°F (200°C) and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, turning them halfway through. This will ensure that the potatoes are cooked evenly on the inside.

Baked potatoes in an air fryer

Baked Potato Topping Ideas

Once the potatoes are done, use tongs to transfer the potatoes to a plate to let them cool to the touch before adding toppings. There are so many ways to dress up a baked potato, so here are a few tasty ideas to jazz up this side dish or even make it a full-on meal!

  • The classics. You can never go wrong with a dollop of sour cream, crispy bacon bits, grated cheese, and chopped green onions or chives. Alternatively, roasted broccoli and grated cheddar cheese is also a timeless filling.
  • Tex Mex flair. Pile on black beans, corn, a dollop of guacamole or lime crema, pickled red onions, grated cheese, and chopped cilantro.
  • Make it meaty. Add pulled pork, grated cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and a sprinkle of chopped chives.
  • Mediterranean twist. Stuff the potatoes with sauteéd spinach, blistered tomatoes, sliced olives, and grated parmesan cheese. You can even throw sauteéd mushrooms into the mix!
A plate of air fryer baked potatoes

Common Questions

Do you have to pierce potatoes before baking in the air fryer?

Poking might seem unnecessary, but keep in mind that potatoes will build up heat and steam as they cook in the air fryer or oven! To prevent them from bursting in your air fryer, the holes will allow air to escape and help the potatoes cook evenly.

Do you need to boil potatoes before air frying?

There’s no need to boil the potatoes before air frying. Otherwise, your potatoes will become overly cooked and mushy.

How do you know if your baked potatoes are fully cooked?

Your baked potatoes are done when you can slice into them with ease. If you want to check by temperature, use an instant-read thermometer to see if the thickest part has reached 210°F.

Storage and Reheating Tips

  • To store for the week: You can store the baked potatoes whole or scoop out the flesh to make mashed potatoes later in the week! Either way, they will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 to 5 days.
  • To freeze for later: If you’re freezing them, it’s best to freeze just the potato flesh. Scoop it into a freezer-safe container and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. If you end up freezing the whole baked potato, wrap it in foil before storing it away to prevent ice crystals from forming inside the potato (which makes it more watery).
  • To reheat in the air fryer: Cook the potatoes at 350°F (177°C) for about 5 minutes or until warmed through.

More Air Fryer Recipes

I hope you enjoy these perfect baked potatoes in the air fryer! If you make the recipe, I’d love to hear how it turned out in the comment box below. Your review will help other readers in the community.

Air fryer baked potatoes on a plate

Air Fryer Baked Potato

5 from 2 votes
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 35 minutes
Total: 40 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Lisa Bryan

Description

This air fryer baked potato recipe achieves crisp skin and soft and fluffy insides in under an hour! Serve them up with a pat of butter, or see the ideas listed above to make this the best side dish or full-meal.

Equipment

Ingredients 
 

Instructions 

  • Prepare the potatoes. Thoroughly wash and dry the potatoes. Use a fork to pierce each potato a few times. Then rub with the outside of the potatoes with oil.
    Prepping potatoes for the air fryer
  • Air fry the potatoes. Add the potatoes to the basket of an air fryer. Set the temperature to 400°F (200°C) and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, turning halfway through.
    Air fryer basket with potatoes in it
  • Serve with your favorite toppings. Use tongs to remove the potatoes to a plate. Once they're cool to the touch, slice each potato in half and season with salt and pepper, or your favorite baked potato toppings!
    A white plate of air fryer baked potatoes

Lisa’s Tips

  • You can swap sweet potatoes in this recipe and as long as they’re about the same size as Russet potatoes, the cook time should be the same. But sweet potatoes are often bigger, and if that’s the case, you may need to cook 5 to 10 minutes longer. 

Nutrition

Calories: 199kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 11mg | Potassium: 888mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 2IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 2mg
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Air Fryer Baked Potato, Air Fryer Baked Potato Recipe
Did you make this recipe?Mention @downshiftology or tag #downshiftology!

You May Also Like

About the author

Lisa Bryan

Lisa is a bestselling cookbook author, recipe developer, and YouTuber (with over 2.5 million subscribers) living in sunny Southern California. She started Downshiftology in 2014, and is passionate about making healthy food with fresh, simple and seasonal ingredients.

5 from 2 votes

Leave a comment

All comments are moderated before appearing on the site. Thank you for sharing your feedback!

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




7 Comments

  1. Air fryers come with multiple settings such as air fry or bake. The term bake seems to be used in many air fryer recipes including this one.

    Regardless of the brand of air fryer, do I use the air fry setting or the bake setting for this and for your air fryer chicken breast recipe?

    Thank you,
    Rebecca

  2. I have a ninja air fryer with basket then an ninja air fryer oven one. As I was doing more than potatoes I used the oven one but they took 1 hour and 10 mintes at 400. Should you put them on bake or air fryer at that setting?

    1. Hi Debbie – I don’t have an oven-type air fryer, so I’m not sure what setting you would need to do. I would search for a recipe that matches your air fryer!

  3. Another great recipe! I’m not a confident cook, but I find these recipes (including videos and tips) give me welcome confidence! Keen to have more air fryer recipes (including tips!), now that I have a new Corsair! Thanks!!5 stars

    1. Thrilled to hear the videos and extra tips in the posts have been helpful! Hope you enjoy all the air fryer recipes to come.