Baked potatoes in the air fryer create a tantalizingly crispy skin and soft, fluffy interior. Like oven baked potatoes, they are a great comfort food that go well with just about any main dish. They are great with traditional toppings or you could serve them with some of your favorite gravies or sauces for added flavor. You and your family will love this method more than any other way of making potatoes!
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Baked Potatoes in Air Fryer Video
What are air fryer baked potatoes?
Baked potatoes made in the air fryer are similar to oven-baked potatoes. The main difference is that the air fryer creates a much crispier skin on the potatoes. This is great for anyone who likes a bit of crunchy outside and soft inside to their potatoes.
Baked potatoes are also served with all sorts of toppings like sour cream, butter, scallions, and cheese. And with the toppings or without, you can make them into a side dish, a main dish, or as part of another recipe.
Air Fryer vs Oven Baked Potatoes?
One of the things we love most about using the air fryer to make baked potatoes is the crispy skins it creates. When the extremely hot air of the fryer cooks the skins, they become very crispy - much more than baking them in the oven. Even though we love our Instant Pot baked potatoes, we often found we missed the crispy skins.
Air fryer baked potatoes are also super easy to prepare. You just need to wash and then pat them dry.
And if you only make a few potatoes for your family, you won’t have to heat up your whole oven (or house!) to make them. It also frees up space in your oven if you are baking something else.
What do I need for this Baked Potatoes recipe
For the basic recipe, you really don’t need much. When you are ready, here’s what to have on hand:
- Russet or baking potato
- Oil or oil spray - this helps give the potatoes a crispy skin.
- Sea salt
Once they are cooked, you can garnish the potatoes with your favorite toppings. Some of our suggestions include:
- Butter
- Sour cream
- Chives
- Chilli flakes or Red pepper flakes
- Salt
What are the best potatoes to use for this recipe
When we make baked potatoes, we look for russet potatoes or baking potatoes. They have the best skins for crisping up as they cook. Other varieties, like gold potatoes, don’t hold up as well.
How to prepare your potatoes for air frying
Pick similarly sized potatoes so they cook evenly. Most air fryers should be able to fit between 2 and 4 at a time in a single layer. Next, wash the potatoes thoroughly to remove any dirt or debris. Once they are clean, dry them well with a towel.
How to make air fryer baked potatoes in 4 steps
- Coat the cleaned and dry potatoes with oil and salt.
- Then, place them in the air fryer basket and cook them at 400 F / 204 C for 45 to 50 minutes or until tender on the inside.
- Next, carefully remove the air fryer potatoes and then gently cut a slit into them.
- Gently separate the potato at the slit being careful not to break it all the way through. Next, add butter, sour cream, chives, red pepper flakes, and salt. Or you can add your favorite toppings, gravies, or sauces.
Tips for the best baked potatoes
When you are ready to make a great tasting air fryer baked potato, follow these simple tips:
- Don’t skip coating them with a thin layer of oil or cooking spray! The oil helps the skin crisp up as it cooks.
- Make sure to leave a little bit of room between the potatoes in the air fryer basket. If needed, cook them in batches.
- Carefully turn the potatoes halfway through cooking to help ensure even cooking.
Air Fry baked potato topping ideas
Baked potatoes are very versatile. They lend themselves well to gravies, sauces, cheese, butter, sour cream, chives, and all sorts of tasty foods.
When we make them, we love sour cream, butter, salt, chilli flakes, and chives. But you can definitely skip these toppings or modify them to fit your taste and palette. You can add coleslaw or a sharp cheddar like we have done in the pictures below. We’ve also added vegetable korma to them or navratan korma.
If you like gravies, you can add your favorite gravy. A lot of Indian curries, sauces, and gravies go great with potatoes. You can check out some of our favorite Indian Recipes here for some additional ideas of what to top the potatoes with.
How to store air fry baked potatoes
Before storing a baked potato, allow it to cool completely first. Once it is cooled, we recommend wrapping it in plastic wrap, placing it in a sealable bag, or placing it in an airtight container. When they are sealed in a container, you can place them in the refrigerator. We also recommend storing them without their additional toppings. By storing them separate, they will last for a longer period of time.
How long can air fry baked potatoes be stored for?
In the fridge, they should last about 5 to 7 days.
What oil should I use in the air fryer?
When you use an air fryer, you should choose oils with a high smoke point. In other words, you want to use an oil that won’t cause your house to fill with smoke at high temperatures.
Some of the best oils for this are:
- canola oil
- peanut oil
- sunflower oil
- corn oil
- avocado oil (refined)
- almond oil
- sesame oil
- grapeseed oil
- safflower oil
If you have to use olive oil, try to use the lightest color one you can find. It is less likely to create a lot of smoke.
How can I make these vegan?
The baked potatoes themselves are vegan. They only use potatoes and oil. When adding toppings, you should avoid using butter or sour cream unless you want to use vegan versions of these toppings.
You can also top baked potatoes with your favorite vegan sauces and gravies. Like rice, potatoes are great at absorbing flavors and moisture.
How do I make them ahead of time?
One of the nice things about baked potatoes is they don’t require much prep at all. You can pre wash all your potatoes when you bring them home from the store to save some time.
Otherwise, you can make them ahead on a weekend day and then reheat them when you want to serve them on a busier weeknight. Of course, if you have the time, they are best served fresh when you are ready to make them.
Can I bake the potatoes?
Of course you can bake the potatoes. There are two main disadvantages to baking them though. First, they will lose the crispy skin from the air fryer. Also, the oven creates a lot more heat and takes longer to heat up than the air fryer.
But if you want to bake them, follow the same preparation instructions except for coating them with oil. Once they are washed and dried, place them in a 400 degrees F oven for about 45 to 50 minutes or until they are tender on the inside.
Finally, you can serve them with your favorite toppings.
How to reheat air fry baked potatoes
When you are ready to serve the leftovers, you can reheat them a few of different ways.
- The first way is to place the potato on a tray in the oven at 350 degrees F until it has warmed through.
- Another way is to place the potato back in the air fryer set at 325 for about 8 to 10 minutes or until warmed through.
- Finally, you can wrap the potato in a damp paper towel and microwave on a plate until it has warmed through.
Other air fryer recipes you’ll love
If you love your air fryer as much as we do, then you will absolutely love some of our other favorite treats. When you want a healthier snack, check out these delicious recipes:
Let us know what you think
If you make our air fry baked potato recipe, let us know how it went! When you make this, be sure to take a pic and tag us on Instagram @dbellyrulesdmind or Facebook @thebellyrulesthemind!
Baked Potatoes in Air Fryer
Baked potatoes in the air fryer create a tantalizingly crispy skin and soft, fluffy interior. Like oven baked potatoes, they are a great comfort food that go well with just about any main dish. They are great with traditional toppings or you could serve them with some of your favorite gravies or sauces for added flavor. You and your family will love this method more than any other way of making potatoes!
Ingredients
- Russet or baking potato 2-4
- Oil or oil spray 1 tablespoon
- Sea salt ½ teaspoon
Garnish
- Butter 1 tablespoon
- Sour cream 1 tablespoon
- Chives 1 tablespoon diced
- Chilli flakes or red pepper flakes
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Prepare your potatoes for air frying
- Pick similarly sized potatoes so they cook evenly. Most air fryers should be able to fit between 2 and 4 at a time in a single layer.
- Next, wash the potatoes thoroughly to remove any dirt or debris. Once they are clean, dry them well with a towel.
How to make air fryer baked potatoes in 4 steps
- Coat the cleaned and dry potatoes with oil and salt.
- Then, place them in the air fryer basket and cook them at 400 F / 204 C for 45 to 50 minutes or until tender on the inside.
- Next, carefully remove the air fryer potatoes and then gently cut a slit into them.
- Gently separate the potato at the slit being careful not to break it all the way through. Next, add butter, sour cream, chives, red pepper flakes, and salt. Or you can add your favorite toppings, gravies, or sauces.
Notes
Tips for the best baked potatoes
- When you are ready to make a great tasting air fryer baked potato, follow these simple tips:
- Don’t skip coating them with a thin layer of oil or cooking spray! The oil helps the skin crisp up as it cooks.
- Make sure to leave a little bit of room between the potatoes in the air fryer basket. If needed, cook them in batches.
- Carefully turn the potatoes halfway through cooking to help ensure even cooking.
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