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These Air Fryer Baked Potatoes are your favorite classic side dish made quick and easy. These potatoes come out perfectly tender and fluffy in the middle and crispy on the outside in half the time of a classic baked potato. Serve plain or load up with all your favorite potato toppings!

above image of air fryer baked potatoes on a plate loaded with cheese, bacon, sour cream, and chives.

An Easy Recipe for Baked Potatoes in the Air Fryer

Who doesn’t love a really good baked potato? I mean, not only are they delicious, but they’re so incredibly versatile. You can serve them up as a side dish to go along with practically any entree, OR you can serve them as the main course piled with all of the various toppings!

These Air Fryer Baked Potatoes have become one of my favorite methods for cooking a baked potato. The air fryer cooks the potato much quicker than the oven, and it makes the skin SO crispy – that’s a win!

Enjoy as-is, with a little bit of butter, or load the potatoes up with the classic of butter sour cream bacon bits, chives, and cheese, or get fancy with pizza toppings, taco fixings, chili, you name it.

Ingredients For Your Air Fryer Baked Potatoes

Potatoes: I recommend Russet potatoes for baking. They’re nice and fluffy in the middle, and the skin is thick, so it gets that delicious crispy texture.
Oil: You can coat the potatoes with olive, avocado, or an oil spray.
Salt and Pepper: No need to get fancy here, salt and pepper add just a bit of flavor to the potato skin. Feel free to add more to taste after cooking, too!

Baked Potato Topping Ideas:

You can, of course, serve your air fryer baked potatoes as a simple side dish with a pat of butter and sprinkled with salt and pepper. You can also load them up with toppings and serve them as a meal all on their own.

Here are some ideas:

Classic: Top with butter, salt, pepper, sour cream or Greek yogurt, crispy bacon bits, cheddar cheese, and scallions.
Broccoli Cheddar: Pile with a scoop of cooked broccoli and finish it with your favorite cheese sauce or shredded cheddar.
Taco: Load up with taco meat, beans, cheese, lettuce, guacamole, cashew cream or sour cream, diced tomatoes, salsa, and any of your favorite taco fixings.
Chili: Ladle a generous helping of my famous chili over your potatoes, then finish it off with your favorite toppings. Try regular or gluten-free tortilla strips, lettuce, diced avocado, and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro.
Pizza: Top your potatoes with marinara sauce, shredded mozzarella, sliced pepperoni, or any pizza toppings you love.

side view of air fryer baked potatoes on a plate topped with cheese, bacon, sour cream, and green onions.

How to Make a Baked Potato in an Air Fryer

This air fryer baked potato recipe requires just a few minutes of prep! Here’s a quick rundown of the recipe:

Prep the potatoes: First, scrub the potatoes under water, then dry them well with a towel. Next, poke holes all over the potato with a fork, then rub all over with oil and salt. Add the prepared potatoes to the air fryer basket.
Cook and serve: Cook the potatoes at 400ºF for 30 minutes, then flip and cook for an additional 10 minutes (or longer if you’re working with larger potatoes. You’ll know the potatoes are done when they can be easily pierced with a fork!) Use tongs to transfer the potatoes to a plate, slice them open, then serve topped with all your favorites.

Alternative Methods!

No air fryer? You can make classic baked potatoes using pretty much any of your favorite kitchen tools:

above image of four plain baked potatoes cut open on a plate.

FAQS

Is It Faster to Bake a Potato in the Oven or Air Fryer?

The air fryer! Of course, you can’t go wrong with a classic oven-baked potato, but if you’re shorter on time, the air fryer is the way to go. It takes about half the time to make a baked potato in the air fryer as in the oven!

How Long Does it Take for a Potato to Get Soft in the Air Fryer?

While that depends on the size of the potatoes you’re using, you can plan for about 40 minutes of air frying for the perfect baked potato! You’ll start with 30 minutes, flip the potatoes, then air fry for another 10 minutes, adding time as needed.

To test your air fryer baked potatoes, simply pierce them with a fork. If the fork slides into the potato easily, it’s baked and ready to eat. If you feel any resistance, then it needs more time, start with just a few minutes before checking again.

Should I Wrap the Potato in Foil Before Air Frying?

No! Part of the beauty of air frying to bake potatoes is that the skin gets perfectly crispy. Wrapping it in foil will trap the steam and make the skin soggy.

What Type of Air Fryer to Use

That’s definitely a personal preference! We’ve tried quite a few air fryers over the years. We have and use this basket style, this Instant Pot air fryer attachment and this toaster-style air fryer! They all work great, so what you really need to do is consider a couple of questions: 1) Do you want/need a new toaster? 2) Do you have space for a new solo appliance?

You should also be aware of what size air fryer you want. Some can be quite small so you may have to air fry certain foods in batches.

Tips and Notes for Air Fryer Baked Potatoes

Clean and dry before air frying. Before cooking, scrub the potato well to remove any dirt left on the potatoes. Once it’s clean, dry completely with a towel to ensure it gets nice and crispy in the air fryer. Excess moisture will steam it and make the skin soggy.
Rub well with oil and salt. Make sure you rub all over the potato with oil, salt, and pepper before air-frying it. The salt adds so much flavor to the skin, and the oil helps it get that perfect crispness!
Pierce the potato before cooking. Poking holes in the potato gives the steam a place to escape during cooking. Without them, you run the risk of the potatoes exploding. This is rare, but the holes are an easy way to prevent it.

Serving Suggestions

Enjoying your potatoes as a side dish? Here are some classic pairings!

above image of air fryer baked potatoes on a plate loaded with toppings.

How to Store Them

To store leftover baked potatoes, let them cool completely, then wrap them tightly in plastic wrap or foil. Store them in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

For longer storage, you can freeze your baked potatoes—although the quality won’t hold up as well. To freeze your potatoes, let them cool completely, then wrap them tightly in foil and place them into a freezer-safe bag. They will last for up to 3 months.

To reheat, thaw the potatoes in the fridge if frozen, then warm them in the oven or air fryer until heated through.

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These Air Fryer Baked Potatoes are your favorite side dish made extra quick and easy. These potatoes come out fluffy in the middle and crispy on the outside in half the time of a classic baked potato. Serve plain or load up with all your favorite potato toppings!

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Ingredients

4 Russet or Idaho potatoes medium/7 ounces each, washed and dried
olive oil, avocado oil, or avocado oil spray
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Optional Toppings

Bacon
Butter
Sour Cream
Scallions
Cheddar Cheese
Chili

Instructions

Scrub the potatoes under water, then dry thoroughly with a towel.
Use a fork to poke holes all over the outside of the potato, then rub it generously with oil and season with salt. Add into the air fryer basket.
Air fry the potatoes at 400ºF for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, flip the potatoes and cook for another 10 minutes or until a fork easily pierces through to the middle.
Use tongs to transfer the potatoes out of your air fryer, then serve open topped with salt, pepper, and all of your favorite toppings!
To store leftover baked potatoes, let them cool completely, then wrap them tightly in plastic wrap or foil. Store them in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Notes

- Clean and dry before air frying. Before cooking, scrub the potato well to remove any dirt left on the potatoes. Once it’s clean, dry completely with a towel to ensure it gets nice and crispy in the air fryer. Excess moisture will steam it and make the skin soggy.

- Rub well with oil and salt. Make sure you rub all over the potato with oil, salt, and pepper before air-frying it. The salt adds so much flavor to the skin, and the oil helps it get that perfect crispness!

- Pierce the potato before cooking. Poking holes in the potato gives the steam a place to escape during cooking. Without them, you run the risk of the potatoes exploding. This is rare, but the holes are an easy way to prevent it.
- To store leftover baked potatoes. Let them cool completely, then wrap them tightly in plastic wrap or foil. Store them in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. For longer storage, you can freeze your baked potatoes—although the quality won’t hold up as well. To freeze your potatoes, let them cool completely, then wrap them tightly in foil and place them into a freezer-safe bag. They will last for up to 3 months.
- To reheat, thaw the potatoes in the fridge if frozen, then warm them in the oven or air fryer until heated through.

Air Fryer Baked Potatoes