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Air Fryer Baked Potatoes (crispy skin, fluffy middle)

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These air fryer baked potatoes have that crispy skin and tender, fluffy inside, and they are the best baked potatoes!

Air fryer baked potato with melted butter on a plate with chicken and salad

I confess that the Instant Pot used to be our go-to for baking potatoes. But my go-to just got overturned! As much as I love Instant Pot potatoes, if you want crispy skin, you have to choose another method.

And my new method of choice? Air fryer baked potatoes! 🎉🙌🏻 In my opinion, this is the best way to make baked potatoes.

So why do I like these so much?

(1) You don’t have to wait for an oven to preheat.

(2) It’s energy efficient.

(3) The air fryer doesn’t heat up the entire house like the oven does. This is no small thing in Alabama summers, y’all.😎

And finally (4) This method results in the crispiest skin and the best texture of any baked potato method I have ever used.

Plus, it is just such an easy recipe. Side note: check out ALL my air fryer recipes here.

How to Make Air Fryer Baked Potatoes

First, gather your ingredients.

Ingredients

For tastiest results, always use the best ingredients you have access to. To make this air fryer baked potato recipe, you will need the following ingredients:

  • Potatoes (I am using russets, but yellow potatoes, sweet potatoes, or any potatoes work!)
  • Oil – I prefer avocado oil spray, but you can use any oil – olive oil, coconut oil, cooking spray, etc.
  • garlic powder
  • salt
  • favorite toppings of choice – cashew cream, sour cream, butter, cheddar cheese, etc.

Please note that there is no need for aluminum foil! Cooking them without foil crisps the skin better, and leaves you with perfectly fluffy insides.

Prepping air fryer baked potatoes

I start with my favorite type of potato for baking – russets.

Russet potatoes in a bag on gray counter

I wash and pat them dry. Then I place them in the Air Fryer basket. I give them a light coat of cooking spray.

You can use any type of cooking spray. I am using avocado oil, and it works great. I just rotate the potatoes to be sure and spray them on all sides. This helps crisp up the skin, plus it helps the seasoning to stick to the potato skins.

Seasoning

If you don’t have cooking spray, you can use a little drizzle of oil and just rub to coat the potato skins. I would recommend an oil with a high smoke point, such as avocado or even canola.

Next, I sprinkle them generously with sea salt and garlic powder. I use 1/2 teaspoon of each for either 3 or 4 potatoes. I use my hands to spread everything around and make sure it has an even coat.

Potatoes in air fryer basket coated in oil and seasonings

Air fryer baked potatoes cook time and temperature

So what temperature and how long do you cook air fryer baked potatoes? I cook them in the Air Fryer on 400 degrees F for about 40 minutes. Note: This will vary by potato size!

I did take a peek at them about 25 minutes in to that cook time. The skins were looking pretty brown on top. So I used some tongs and carefully flipped them over.

After forty minutes, mine were perfect!

Cooked potatoes in Air Fryer basket

Yum!!! 😍👌🏻

Chicken, baked potato and salad on a white plate overhead

Tips for Making Air Fryer Baked Potatoes

First, don’t overcrowd the Air Fryer basket. Four medium potatoes would probably be my maximum recommendation. You want to make sure that the skin has enough space to crisp up.

Also, I recommend piercing with a fork first. Although I have made these many times without piercing, it is better to just go ahead and take this proactive step.

When I made my first batch, I remembered that I did not poke holes about half-way through and freaked out a little. And you know what? They did fine! So don’t worry too much if you forget.

Last, different sized potatoes can have different cook times. Small red potatoes, for example, won’t need near as much time. So definitely be aware that you will need to adjust cooking time for the size of the potato. The good news is that you can always put them back in for a few extra minutes.

If you want to try this method with red potatoes or gold potatoes, it will still taste great! Just check them during cooking. They may have a different cook time.

Tools used in this recipe

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Air Fryer Baked Potato Recipe

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Air fryer baked potato with melted butter on a plate with chicken and salad
4.9 from 112 votes
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Air Fryer Baked Potatoes

These air fryer baked potatoes have that crispy skin and tender, fluffy inside, and they are the best baked potatoes!

Course Basics, Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword air fryer baked potato, how to bake a potato in the air fryer
Prep Time 2 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 42 minutes
Servings 3
Calories 169 kcal
Author Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy

Ingredients

  • 3 russet potatoes (medium sized, scrubbed and rinsed)
  • cooking spray (I used avocado oil spray)
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (use a bit less if you are using a finer salt, like table salt)
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

  1. Place your potatoes in the Air Fryer basket, and spray with cooking spray on both sides.

  2. Sprinkle sea salt and garlic on all sides, rotating the potatoes as you got. 

  3. Use your hands to rub the potatoes to make sure everything gets evenly coated.

  4. Cook in the Air Fryer on 400 degrees for about 40 to 50 minutes, until fork tender. (Note: I used tongs to rotate mine after about 25 minutes, as they were getting pretty brown on top.)

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

Don’t overcrowd the Air Fryer basket. 4 medium potatoes would probably be my maximum recommendation. You want to make sure that the skin has enough space to crisp up and that the potatoes all lie flat (not stacked on top of each other).

Different sized potatoes can have different cook times. The good news is that you can always put them back in for a few extra minutes.

If you want to try this method with red potatoes or gold potatoes, it will still taste great! Just check them during cooking. They may have a different cook time.

Nutrition information is approximate and was calculated using a recipe nutrition label generator.

Nutrition Facts
Air Fryer Baked Potatoes
Amount Per Serving
Calories 169
% Daily Value*
Sodium 398mg17%
Potassium 888mg25%
Carbohydrates 38g13%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 4g8%
Vitamin C 12.1mg15%
Calcium 28mg3%
Iron 1.8mg10%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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Comments

  2. mICHAEL says

    5 stars
    bEST POTATO i HAVE EVER HAD. THE CRISPIEST SKIN EVER. I CRAVE THEM NOW…THANK YOU…

    p.S. FORGIVE THE LACK OF CAPITALIZATION. FOR SOME REASON MY KEYBOARD WON’T ALLOW ME ON THIS SITE….BUT HAD TO COMMENT AND GIVE THE WELL DESERVED 5 STARS…

    Reply

  3. Greg says

    5 stars
    Fantastic came out the best tasting crisp skins I used olive oil and onion powder only cause that’s what I had on hand and just maybe the best I’ve ever had

    Reply

  5. Shannon H says

    5 stars
    I made up a couple of potatoes in the air fryer this weekend and they turned out fantastic! With the weather starting to get cooler, one of these was the perfect snack. I admit that the first one I poked holes in – it’s just one of those things hard coded into you. The next day when I made the second one, I forced myself to try without holes, even though it hurt all the way down to my DNA not to do so. It turned out just as good!

    I used olive oil, and to save messy fingers, I just put a drizzle into a plastic bag with the salt and garlic powder and shook it around to coat.

    Reply

  6. Tina says

    5 stars
    I only got my actifry 3 weeks ago and was desperate to try something other than fries.
    I love a baked potato but can never seem to get the skins crispy enough and end up scooping out the middle and leaving the skins, but this recipe is just perfect. I rubbed mine with olive oil, garlic powder and sea salt and they were perfectly fluffy on the inside and oh so crispy on the outside. Not a morsel left on the plate. This is now my go to recipe for baked potatoes. Thank you x

    Reply

  7. Cindy says

    5 stars
    I made 4 average sized potatoes. Rubbed olive oil on them, fresh pepper, garlic salt and a little extra garlic powder. Cooked at 375` for about 40 minutes total, turning them once. Fantastic!!

    Reply

  8. Dawn says

    4 stars
    My potatoes were charred on the outside by the time the inside was cooked. I still gave the recipe 4 stars because I think it’s operator error LOL. I’m new at the air fryer… Should I try cooking them at a lower temperature for a longer time? Any advice would be appreciated!

    Reply

  10. Linda C Galdieri says

    5 stars
    Best bake potatos we have had, crispy on the outside side and fluffy in the inside. WE have made them 4 times In two weeks.

    Reply

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