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For the best easy baked potato recipe, flip on your air fryer. Convection heat bakes potatoes quickly while crisping up the skin. You won’t want to cook potatoes any other way after mastering how to Air Fry Baked Potatoes!
Confession: It took me a few months (okay, years) to jump fully on the air fryer train. Do I really need another countertop appliance? And how is this all that different from an oven anyway?
After playing around with an air fryer to crisp up my kids’ favorite freezer snacks, like fish sticks and pizza pockets, and perfecting Air Fryer Chicken Wings, Air Fryer Meatballs, and now, Air Fryer Baked Potatoes, the answer to question one is a firm, “absolutely.”
And the answer to question two, or how an air fryer compares to an oven, is waiting for you below in “Recipe FAQ.”
The quickest, and in my opinion, best, baked potato recipe can be made in air fryer, and I’m sharing exactly how to make Air Fryer Baked Potatoes today. In a matter of weeks, this has become one of my favorite easy potato side dish recipes; my entire family requests it often, and you’re about to taste why.
No air fryer yet? No sweat; try my foolproof oven method in my guide for How to Bake Potatoes. Otherwise, let’s dive in.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Potatoes: Technically, you can air fry any potato. But for the best air fryer baked potato, choose a russet which has a higher starch content. This makes for a fluffier Air-Fried Baked Potato. Sweet potatoes work beautifully as well.
Step-by-step instructions
- Preheat an air fryer to 400 degrees. Poke a few holes in each potato with a fork. Rub each potato all over with olive oil, then season generously with salt and pepper.
- Transfer potatoes to preheated air fryer.
- Bake until tender when pierced with a small knife, about 40 minutes, turning potatoes after 20 minutes to ensure even browning.
- Make and “X” in the top of the potatoes, then press the opposing sides together to open. Fluff with a fork and serve with your favorite toppings.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This Air-Fried Baked Potato recipe makes four fluffy spuds, enough for four generous side dish servings (or six to eight if you’re offering another carbohydrate side dish like quinoa, rice, or bread).
- Storage: Transfer leftover Air Fryer Baked Potatoes to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Reheat in the air fryer until warm, or give leftovers a whole new life: Slice and fry in bacon fat, add to scrambled eggs or omelets, or make a small batch of potato salad.
Frequently Asked Questions
An air fryer is essentially a mini countertop convection oven. Convection cooking involves a fan that circulates the heat around the food, allowing even cooking. Since its size is smaller, an air fryer tends to preheat and cook food even quicker than a regular size convection or conventional oven.
While handy for many single-serving to family-sized recipes, and works like a dream to reheat pizza and to cook frozen snack foods, air fryers aren’t ideal for every purpose. They can’t tackle sheet pan dinners, for instance, or other big-batch cooking tasks. Extremely greasy, battered, or “wet” recipes aren’t ideal, either. I also suggest cooking cheese (uncoated), eggs, rice, and tender greens using other methods besides air-frying.
Slice them open to allow some of the steam to escape, fluff the flesh with a fork, and dive in as-is; pure potato goodness! A pat of butter, scoop of shredded cheese, or dollop of sour cream with a pinch of chives is never a bad idea, either. For even more flavor, consider upping the ante with a “toppings bar” featuring fixings like crumbled fried bacon, broccoli, cheese sauce, beef chili, pulled pork, pulled chicken, black beans, and salsa.
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Air Fryer Baked Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 large russet potatoes scrubbed and dried (2 pounds, see note 1)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat an air fryer to 400 degrees. Poke a few holes in each potato with a fork.
- Rub each potato all over with olive oil, then season generously with salt and pepper.
- Transfer potatoes to preheated air fryer and bake until tender when pierced with a small knife, about 40 minutes, turning potatoes after 20 minutes to ensure even browning.
Notes
- Potatoes: Technically, you can air fry any potato. But for the ultimate air fryer baked potato, choose a russet which has a higher starch content and makes a fluffier potato. Sweet potatoes work, too.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
Thank you for all the delicious recipes and insight especially for the air fryer
You have become my go to for any new recipes!
Regarding baked potatoes, real baked potatoes, the air fryer does a wonderful job however, I have found if you microwave the potatoes for 3 to 5 minutes depending upon size first, you can cut the air fryer time in half and still have real baked potatoes with a nice crispy skin!
Patience is not my virtue😂
You’re welcome! Thanks for the tip! – Meggan