Air Fryer Baked Potatoes are super crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside! Baked potatoes in the air fryer are ready quickly and perfect for a weeknight dinner!

Potatoes are always my go-to. Whether they are cut into fries or chips, diced and put into a hash, or baked whole, I’m always down for potatoes! Baked potatoes are nearly perfect… They can be a classic, simple side dish, or you can stuff them full of delicious ingredients (like these Pizza Stuffed Baked Potatoes) and they become an amazing entrée!

The only downside of baked potatoes is the amount of time they take. Instead of waiting an hour, you can cut that time to as little as 40 minutes by using an air fryer! (And if you’re wanting that heavenly potato goodness faster, try these Air Fryer Baby Potatoes instead!)

If you do not have an air fryer yet I HIGHLY recommend one! Here and here are my picks. The air fryer can cook food quicker and crispier with the help of their high fan speed and concentrated heat resulting in today’s absolute best-baked potato! You can even make desserts (like this Air Fryer Brownie for one)!

Potatoes in Air Fryer vs. Oven

• Time – To bake a potato in the oven, you’ll need a full hour of cooking time + time for the oven to pre-heat. To bake a potato in the air fryer, you need 40-50 minutes of cooking time + no time for preheating.
• Quantity – With an oven, you can bake dozens of potatoes at once (convenient if you are preparing for a potato bar for a large party). The number of potatoes you can bake in the air fryer at once depends on the size of your appliance. You’ll likely be able to cook 3-6 depending on your model and the size of potato.
• Crispiness – The air fryer circulates air quickly, leading to a crispier skin on the potato. For a super crispy skin in the oven, you would have to broil the potato a bit after cooking (adding more time).

How To Make Baked Potatoes in the Air Fryer

1. Wash the potatoes well, then pat dry with a towel.
2. Spray or Rub with cooking oil, then liberally sprinkle with coarse black pepper and salt.
3. Cook for 40-50 minutes (check to see if it’s fork tender to decide if it’s done).
4. Carefully remove your potato, cut it open, and top with your favorite toppings!

How long to cook baked potatoes in the air fryer

Air Fryer potatoes should be finished in 40-50 minutes. The larger the potato or the more potatoes you’re cooking at once, the more time it will take.

Tips & Tricks for the BEST Air Fryer Baked Potato

Baking potatoes in the air fryer is pretty straight forward, however there are some things that can go wrong.

• Use the same size potatoes so they will all cook together in the same amount of time.
• You may want to shake the basket or turn the potatoes halfway through the cooking time. This is optional, but it does help the potato skin get crispy all the way around.
• Check your potato by sticking it with a fork and feeling for tenderness or holding it with oven mitts and squeezing to feel for softness.
• It’s okay if your cook time varies. All air fryers are not made equal and potatoes come in every shape and size. Give it time and I bet you will have a nice crispy and tender potato!
• Don’t overcrowd the Air Fryer basket and do not stack the potatoes on top of one another. If your air fryer has multiple racks, you can put 3-4 potatoes on each rack, depending on the size.

What to Serve with Air Fryer Baked Potatoes

If serving baked potatoes as your side dish, you have a LOT of freedom with your entree! Baked potatoes go with pork, chicken, beef, and seafood, so here are some of my favorites combinations:

• Perfect Blackened Pork Chops with a baked potato and Cheesy Roasted Asparagus
• Lemon Garlic Fish with a baked potato and Garlic Butter Green Beans
• Broccoli Cheddar Stuffed Chicken with a baked potato and an Asparagus Salad
• Keto Steak Rolls with a baked potato and Spinach Cheese Bites

What toppings should go on a potato bar?

A potato bar can be a super simple, kid-friendly party food idea! We also really like to use this to get use up leftovers. Simply bake all the potatoes and set up the toppings, then let everyone customize their potato.

Some easy obvious toppings include butter, sour cream, chives, green onions, and shredded cheese. Add easy meal prep meats like Zesty Ranch Chicken, Shredded Mexican Beef, or Smoked Pork add a ton of flavor and protein, too. Consider adding some sauces like Cheese Sauce, Pesto Sauce, or this Chuy’s Copycat Jalapeno Ranch to add beautiful texture and flavor!

More Air Fryer Recipes

Like I said before, I love the speed and versatility of the air fryer! Here are some of my favorite air fryer recipes:

• Air Fryer Pizza Zucchini Boats
• Air Fryer Mushrooms
• Air Fryer Buffalo Wings
• Air Fryer Sausage

Want more? Here are ALL of my air fryer recipes!