Start making baked potatoes in the air fryer and enjoy them as a quick and easy lunch, dinner, or side dish option. If you aren’t cooking in bulk for a baked potato bar or a meal for a family of six, just pop 2-4 (depending on the size of your air fryer) Russet Potatoes in your air fryer and you’ll begin to wonder how you cooked baked potatoes any other way!
Baked potatoes from the air fryer taste every bit as good as oven-baked potatoes without the hassle of foil, cleanup, or heating up your whole kitchen.
Ingredients
Large Russet Potatoes – These are the best potatoes for baking. The size of the potatoes and the size of your air fryer basket will determine how many you can bake at once. Generally, you can fit from 2-4 baking potatoes.
Salt – Use a coarse salt if you have it. If not, table salt will work just don’t use quite as much.
Olive Oil – Use oil from the bottle or use olive oil cooking spray for less mess. It doesn’t take much oil for each potato and a spray makes it easier to use less.
Toppings – Butter, sour cream, etc. Whatever you like on your baked potato!
Preparation
Start by thoroughly washing each potato. You may need to use a scrub brush to get the skins really clean if you like to eat them If you don’t normally eat potato skins you might reconsider with this recipe because they come out so crispy, salty, and delicious!
Pierce each potato a few times with a fork to vent. My mother always did this for oven potatoes and microwave potatoes and I always do it too as a precaustion. It takes only seconds.
Use your hands to oil each potato. Rub them all the way around until each potato is evenly coated then do the same thing with the salt.
Cooking
Place the prepared potatoes in the air fryer basket making sure they are not overcrowded.
Cook in the air fryer at 400 degrees for 20 minutes then use tongs to flip the potatoes over and cook them for an additional 20 minutes.
Serving
Remove the potatoes from the air fryer using tongs and allow them to cool off slightly.
Use a steak knife to slice each potato starting about ¼″ from the top end and ending about ¼″ from the bottom end. Be careful not to burn your fingers!
Protect your fingers by holding half a paper towel in each hand and press inward and upward on each end to open each potato just right.
Top with your favorite toppings. Serve warm and steaming.
Tips
Don’t overcrowd the air fryer basket. This goes for making anything in an air fryer. Other air-fried items need to be placed in a single layer and the same goes for potatoes. Make sure they aren’t overlapping either.
You may need to cook the potatoes for more than 40 minutes total depending on their sizes. If 40 minutes isn’t enough you can always pop them back in the basket for a few more minutes.
Air fryers don’t heat your kitchen up as much as using the oven at 400 degrees. However, during the Southern summer heat, I will actually take my air fryer out to the back porch where there’s an outdoor outlet and let them cook for 40 minutes out there. Obviously don’t do this if there’s a chance of rain! You could also use your garage.
Anything to help the house stay cool when it’s triple digits outside, right?
Other Recipes
📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Baked Potatoes
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 3 Russet Baking Potatoes
- 1 teaspoon Olive oil
- ½ tablespoon Salt
Instructions
- Wash each potato and scrub with a brush if needed.
- Pierce each potato a few times with a fork.
- Spread or spray olive oil onto each potato and use your hands to spread it evenly all over.
- Sprinkle salt on each potato and use your hand to spread it evenly all over.
- Place the prepared potatoes in the air fryer basket. Do not overcrowd.
- Cook in the air fryer at 400° for 20 mintues. Flip potatoes using a pair of tongs and cook 20 more minutes or until done.
- Remove the potatoes from the air fryer using tongs and allow them to cool off slightly.
- Remove the potatoes from the air fryer using tongs and allow them to cool off slightly. Be careful not to burn your fingers!
- Protect your fingers by holding half a paper towel in each hand and press inward and upward on each end of each to open them for toppings.
- Serve warm and steaming.
Angela says
You just convinced me to finally purchase an air fryer.
Jenn says
Literally dragging mine out to the back porch has kept my kitchen cool all summer. I can’t decide if that’s genius or the most redneck thing ever. Either way, my stove isn’t battling the air conditioner and my baked potatoes are yummy. Thanks for stopping by!