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The secret to the crispiest baked potato skin isn’t the oven—it’s your air fryer.
Air fryer baked potatoes have extra-crispy salted skins and fluffy, tender centers in about 40–45 minutes without turning on the oven. After living in Idaho and making more baked potatoes than I can count, this has become my favorite method. All you need are russet potatoes, a little oil, and kosher salt.
Table of Contents
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- Best Potatoes for Air Frying
- How To Make Baked Potatoes in the Air Fryer
- How Long to Cook Baked Potatoes in the Air Fryer
- How to Know When a Baked Potato is Done
- Tips for Crispy Skins and Fluffy Centers
- Baked Potato Toppings
- What to Serve With Air Fryer Baked Potatoes
- Storing + Reheating
- Air Fryer Baked Potato FAQs
- Other Potato Recipes Your Family Will Love:
- Watch How These Baked Potatoes in the Air Fryer are Made…
- Baked Potato in Air Fryer Recipe
The key: Skip the foil, leave room between the potatoes, and cook them at 400°F until the centers reach 205°F to 212°F.
I used to think you had to wrap baked potatoes in foil to get them just right (didn’t we all?). Turns out, that’s exactly what you don’t want to do if crispy skin is the goal. Foil traps steam, while leaving the potato uncovered lets that salted skin get crisp and crackly.
Over the past year, our recipe for How to Make Baked Potatoes in the Oven with Crispy Skin has quickly climbed the charts as one of the most viewed recipes on our site. And I get it! That crispy skin is pure gold. But I’ll be honest: while I still love the oven method, the air fryer has officially won me over. It’s now my favorite way to cook baked potatoes.
Why You’ll Love This Method
- Crispy skin + fluffy centers: The hot circulating air crisps the salted skin while the inside gets soft and fluffy.
- No oven needed: You won’t heat up the kitchen just to bake a few potatoes.
- Only 3 ingredients: All you need are russet potatoes, oil, and kosher salt.
- Ready in under an hour: Most potatoes take around 35–45 minutes, depending on size.
Ingredients You’ll Need
You only need three simple ingredients to make perfect air fryer baked potatoes! Plus any toppings you love. This recipe is all about crisp skin, fluffy insides, and minimal effort.
- Russet Potatoes: Starchy with thick skin, ideal for baking.
- Oil (Olive Oil or Avocado Oil): Helps the skin get golden and crisp.
- Kosher Salt: A simple seasoning that boosts flavor.
- Toppings (Optional): Try butter, sour cream, cheddar, bacon, chives, or chili.
Best Potatoes for Air Frying
Russet potatoes are hands-down my favorite for baked potatoes. Their high-starch centers bake up light and fluffy, while their thicker skins get wonderfully crispy in the air fryer.
If you can’t find russets, Yukon Gold potatoes will work in a pinch, but expect a different texture. Their flesh is richer and creamier rather than light and fluffy, and their thinner skins won’t get quite as crisp.
How To Make Baked Potatoes in the Air Fryer
Whether you’re serving air fryer baked potatoes alongside your favorite steak or loading one up as a meal on its own, the method couldn’t be simpler.
- Scrub: Wash and dry russet potatoes thoroughly.
- Poke: Use a fork to prick each potato 6–8 times.
- Season: Rub with oil and generously sprinkle with kosher salt.
- Preheat: If needed, preheat your air fryer to 400°F.
- Cook: Air fry at 400°F for 40–45 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- Check: The potatoes are done when the center reaches 205–212°F and a fork slides easily into the center.
- Serve: Slice open and top with cheese, black pepper, sour cream, bacon bits, or your favorite toppings.
How Long to Cook Baked Potatoes in the Air Fryer
Potato size makes a big difference in cooking time. For the most consistent results, weigh your potatoes before cooking and use these times as a starting point.
| Potato Size | Approx. Weight | Air Fryer Time at 400°F |
|---|---|---|
| Small | 5–7 oz | 30–35 min |
| Medium | 8–10 oz | 35-40 min |
| Large | 11–13 oz | 40-45 min |
| Extra Large | 14+ oz | 40-45 min |
Pro Tip: Air fryers vary, so start checking your potato at the low end of the range. The best way to know it’s done is by checking the internal temperature rather than relying on time alone.
How to Know When a Baked Potato is Done
Don’t rely on the clock alone! The size of your potato and your specific air fryer can both affect the cooking time.
The most reliable way to tell if a baked potato is done is to insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the potato. The center should be around 205–212°F for that perfectly soft, fluffy texture.
No thermometer? Pierce the center with a fork or sharp knife. It should slide in easily with very little resistance. If the center still feels firm, air fry for another 5 minutes and check again.
Tips for Crispy Skins and Fluffy Centers
Dry them really well. Moisture is the enemy of crispy potato skin.
Skip the foil. Foil traps steam, which gives you soft skin instead of that crispy, salty exterior we’re after.
Choose similar-sized potatoes. They’ll finish cooking at roughly the same time.
Give them some breathing room. Arrange potatoes in a single layer with about an inch between them so hot air can circulate around each one.
Don’t cook by the clock alone. Potato size and air fryers vary. Use the timing chart as your guide and internal temperature as your final test.
Baked Potato Toppings
The best part about a baked potato? Loading it up with all the toppings! Keep it classic with butter and cheese, or pile it high and turn it into a meal. Here are some of our favorites:
- Butter: Let it melt right into that hot, fluffy center.
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese: Freshly grated melts like a dream!
- Sour Cream: Cool, creamy, and a baked potato classic.
- Bacon: Crispy, salty bacon adds the best crunch.
- Chives or Green Onions: A little freshness to balance all that richness.
- Chili: Add a big scoop of our chili and suddenly your side dish is dinner!
- Salt + Pepper: Simple, but don’t skip them.
Healthy Hack: Swap the sour cream for plain Greek yogurt. It’s creamy, tangy, packed with protein, and you might be surprised by how similar it tastes!
What to Serve With Air Fryer Baked Potatoes
These air fryer baked potatoes are incredibly versatile and make the perfect base or side for a variety of meals. Pair with your favorite protein for a hearty, satisfying dinner — they’re especially delicious alongside pulled pork, juicy smoked chicken, or a simple serving of roasted broccoli. Whether you’re keeping things classic or loading them up, these baked potatoes fit right in.
Storing + Reheating
Once cooled, store the potatoes in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
To reheat, pop them in the air fryer or oven to help bring back some of that crispiness.
Air Fryer Baked Potato FAQs
We cook our baked potatoes at 400°F in the air fryer.
You can cook as many potatoes as comfortably fit in a single layer with space between them. Don’t stack or tightly pack the potatoes because the hot air needs to circulate around the skins.
Yes! Using a fork or knife to pierce the potatoes is what allows steam to escape as they cook. If you skip this step, the potatoes could burst open in the air fryer. And I know from experience.😉
Everyone in Idaho is screaming, “NO!” right now. Wrapping potatoes in tin foil before air frying or baking makes the skin soggy. Instead, leave them alone and only season the potato skins with olive oil and sea salt. This is what makes them super crispy!
We don’t preheat our air fryer because the air fryer is small enough that it heats up really quickly.
We tested them without flipping and found that our air fryer circulated the heat evenly enough that it wasn’t necessary. If your air fryer tends to cook unevenly, you can flip the potatoes halfway through.
Most russet potatoes take 35–45 minutes at 400°F, but size matters. See our air fryer baked potato cooking chart above for times by potato weight.
It simply needs more time. Potato size can vary dramatically, so if the center is still firm, continue air frying in 5-minute increments until it reaches 205–212°F.
Make sure the potato is completely dry before adding the oil, don’t wrap it in foil, and leave space around each potato for the hot air to circulate. Crowding the basket or starting with wet potatoes can leave the skins soft.
Once you try an air fryer baked potato with crispy, salty skin and a perfectly fluffy center, you may never go back to the oven! With just three ingredients and no foil, it’s an easy side dish you’ll make again and again.
Other Potato Recipes Your Family Will Love:
- Twice-Baked Potatoes
- Smoky Fried Potatoes [+Video]
- Crispy Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Garlic Dill Fingerling Potatoes
- The Best Cheesy Funeral Potato Casserole [+Video]
Watch How These Baked Potatoes in the Air Fryer are Made…
Baked Potato in Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 2-4 Russet Potatoes
- Olive Oil
- Flaked or Kosher Sea Salt
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400℉.
- Use a fork to poke a few holes in the potatoes so they do not explode. Place on a plate.2-4 Russet Potatoes
- Rub all over with olive oil and sprinkle liberally with salt, turning to each side to well coat.Olive Oil, Flaked or Kosher Sea Salt
- Transfer potatoes to the air fryer basket and air fry for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender and the skin is crisp.
- Slice open each potato, by cutting in a jagged line to allow the potato to sufficiently open, fluff the insides, and serve with desired toppings like butter, chives, sour cream and/or cheese.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love the Air Fryer for the best baked potato. I am going to have to try this way next. I actually tried another way that I love and I will share. Instead of the oil on the out side do a quick salt bath (LOL) so you just wash and clean your potatoes, in a bowl of water add a ton of salt I would say 2 cups water and 1/2 salt then stir till the salt dissolves, then you just rotate the potatoes in the water for to cover the potato, I roll them like twice in the salt water then cook them in the Air Fry, and you will have a beautiful crispy salty jacket and fluffy inside. The perfect baked potato.
Ooooooh, that sounds yummy! I’m totally going to try that next! Thanks Desiree!