These air fryer baked potatoes have that crispy skin and tender, fluffy inside, and they are the best baked potatoes!
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.
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.
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!
Yum!!! 😍👌🏻
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
Note: These are Amazon affiliate links.
- Air Fryer – I am using the Avalon Bay brand
- Measuring spoons
- Tongs are helpful for flipping and removing the potatoes from the basket
Air Fryer Baked Potato Recipe
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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!
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
-
Place your potatoes in the Air Fryer basket, and spray with cooking spray on both sides.
-
Sprinkle sea salt and garlic on all sides, rotating the potatoes as you got.
-
Use your hands to rub the potatoes to make sure everything gets evenly coated.
-
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.
Doug in Texas says
I want to try making these. I’ve been doing them in the microwave because it’s fast. They are not as good as potato’s in the conventional oven but they are a lot faster to cook.
Have you tried starting them in the microwave? If you cook them until the potato gets hot, but not fully cooked. Then do the final time cooking them to crisp up in the Airfryer? This may be an experiment to try.
Nicole Johnson says
I’ve done this several times. Just make sure to poke holes in the potato before it goes in the microwave. I usually do 2-3 minutes per potato.
Janye Iberri says
Do you think this would work in an air fryer that has trays rather than a basket, such as the Elite Oven Air Fryer?
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
I have not done that myself, but I don’t see why not.
Susan See says
I am trying this tonight. It’s got to be delicious! We’re having it with tenderized pork loins, also air fried.
Lauren says
Do the potatoes need to be pierced before cooking?
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
You certainly can, and it would not hurt to pierce them. That being said, I almost never piece mine, and it has not been a problem so far. 👌🏻
makalove says
Oh, please do pierce them! You don’t pierce potatoes before baking because potatoes with intact skins ALWAYS explode. You do it because they sometimes do. Trust, one time of having your oven or air fryer damaged, or just having to clean up the mess of an exploding potato, will convince you it’s better to pierce!
Gina Woodrum says
No
Philip brandham says
Just waiting for my new fryer to be delivered then deffo having baked potatoes later.
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Enjoy, Philip!🙌🏻
Pat mccammack says
Best baked potato’s.
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Yay!
Dave says
Worked out as explained. Great way to make baked potatoes. New at air fryers. Thx!
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Yay, Dave!🙌🏻
Tami Yeomans says
These are fantastic! Question… for twice baked loaded potatoes, how long and at what temperature should I do the second bake?
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Yay, Tami! I an glad you are enjoying the recipe. I have not made twice baked ones myself. So it make take some experimentation. I’d be curious to hear, if you end up trying it, though.
Amy says
I made theseast night and they are AMAZING! This will be the only way I make baked potatoes from now on. Thank you!
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Yay, Amy!🙌🏻
rohit aggarwal says
thank you apinchofhealthy for giving me wonderful information