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These Air Fryer Twice Baked Potatoes are the perfect side dish or appetizer! Get that cheesy center and ultra-crispy potato skin quickly with this easy recipe.
Twice Baked Potatoes
Every potato lover knows that the creamy, cheesy filling in the perfect Twice Baked Potato simply cannot be beat. Plus, it’s paired with a great crunchy potato skin, so it’s no wonder why this is a decadent, popular side dish and appetizer. This recipe gives you quick, satisfying, melty twice baked potatoes you’ll want to add to your meal prep rotation!
Why you’ll love these potatoes:
- EASY – If you use jarred pre-minced garlic and pre-shredded cheese, this is a recipe that doesn’t even require a cutting board or any special tools beyond an air fryer.
- VERSATILE – Classic flavors like garlic, cheddar, and sour cream are used for these traditional twice baked potatoes. It’s perfect for nearly any main course! I’ve included tons of pairing ideas below. Plus, it works as an appetizer for parties, too!
- MEAL PREP FRIENDLY – This is a great recipe to use when you bought potatoes in bulk! Air fry several pounds of potatoes for lunches, sides, and this delicious appetizer. You can also make several batches of these and freeze them for an easy movie night dinner next month.
Ingredients for Air Fryer Twice Baked Potatoes
Here’s a quick overview of what you’ll need for this recipe. Keep scrolling down to the printable recipe card below for exact measurements.
- Baked Potatoes – I used already baked (actually, air fried) potatoes for this recipe. We often meal prep several pounds of baked potatoes to use as sides or lunches throughout the week (this Pizza Stuffed Potato is a big favorite). If you’ve got raw potatoes, add 45-60 minutes to this recipe because you’ll want to bake those and let them cool a bit before proceeding. If your baked potatoes have been in the fridge, microwave just a bit so that they’re warm and easy to mix.
- Butter (melted), Sour cream, Cheddar cheese (shredded), Milk – These make the potato filling super creamy! I recommend using unsalted butter as you can always add extra later. Feel free to use full- or low-fat sour cream, and you can use any type of plain, unsweetened milk you prefer.
- Garlic (minced), Salt, and Pepper – These just add delicious flavor! Fresh minced garlic has a stronger flavor, but the jarred version makes this super quick and easy.
You’ll need a mixing bowl and an air fryer for this recipe.
How to Make Twice Baked Potatoes in the Air Fryer
This is a simple recipe that comes together quickly! Here’s a step-by-step for this cheesy side dish.
Hollow potato skins
Carefully slice your baked potatoes lengthwise into two halves. Scoop the center of the potato out and add it to a mixing bowl. Be sure to leave about 1/4 inch around the potato skin so that it will remain sturdy. Continue until all potato halves are emptied shells.
Mix filling
Add your melted butter, sour cream, 1/4 cup of cheese, and milk to the bowl with the scooped potato flesh. Mash this all together, sprinkling in salt and pepper to taste and stirring until creamy.
Stuff potato skins
Once the mixture is creamy and ingredients are well incorporated, spoon the filling into the potato skins. Top with remaining shredded cheese for extra melty goodness.
Air fry
Preheat the air fryer to 390 degrees F for 3 minutes. Carefully add the stuffed potatoes to the air fryer in a single layer (cook in batches if your air fryer is small). Cook 4-5 minutes until the top is golden brown and the potatoes are warmed through.
What to serve with twice baked potatoes
These are best served hot and fresh! A sprinkle of fresh herbs or green onions adds a nice flavor and presentation, too. We love serving these at parties with other easy appetizers like Caprese Salad and Lil’ Smokies. They work as a versatile side with any meat, too — Perfect with Steak Rolls, Air Fryer Chicken, or Instant Pot Pork Chops.
More dinner ideas to serve with twice baked potatoes:
- Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
- Pecan Crusted Chicken
- Flank Steak with Chimichurri
- Salmon & Broccoli Sheet Pan
- Air Fryer Stuffed Chicken
Storage
These should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days. I highly recommend placing a paper towel underneath and on top of the baked potatoes to soak up any moisture. This will help prevent the skins from becoming really soggy.
Can you freeze twice baked potatoes?
Yes, twice baked potatoes are perfect for stocking the freezer and long-term meal prepping! However, you actually want to freeze these BEFORE air frying them — So you would scoop out the baked potatoes, mix up the filling, spoon the filling into the potato skins, and then freeze. Don’t top with cheese and don’t air fry. This helps prevent the potato from drying out from being cooked so many times. Twice is perfect–Thrice is too much!
To freeze, wrap each stuffed potato skin tightly with plastic wrap, then store in a freezer bag. These are best eaten within 3 months. You can allow them to defrost overnight in the fridge, then top with cheese and air fry 4-5 minutes as recipe indicates. If it’s a last minute decision, skip the defrosting! Air fry for 4-5 minutes, top with cheese, then continue air frying another 5-8 minutes until warmed through.
How to Reheat Twice Baked Potatoes
Now that the potatoes have been air fried twice, you want to be very careful to not dry out the potato skin too much. Reheat in the air fryer or oven at 350 degrees until warmed through. You can microwave them at 50% power, but the skin will get soggy.
If you love this easy side dish, you’ll love these potato recipes:
- Stuffed Potato Skins – Skip the spinach artichoke dip and dig into these crispy, creamy dip-filled potatoes! Great vegetarian recipe everyone will love.
- Gouda & Jalapeno Twice Baked Potatoes – Talk about delicious! You can easily make this decadent recipe in the air fryer, too.
- Breakfast Potatoes – Potatoes filled to the brim with baked eggs?! Definitely the best start to the day. Easy to make ahead of time for a simple reheated meal on a busy day.
- Potato Skins with Buffalo Chicken – Spicy, creamy, crispy, and SO delicious! We love this as an easy party appetizer that makes a great lunch the next day.
- Crispy Parmesan Potato Skins – Full of tender chicken, marinara sauce, and gooey mozzarella cheese! These always go quickly.
Twice Baked Potato FAQs
Sometimes the filling can come out gummy for two possible reasons. First, there may have been too much moisture trapped in the potato when it was baking the first time. To avoid this, make sure you pat your potatoes dry before cooking and you don’t cook them wrapped in foil. The second possibility is that the potato starch was too cold when you mixed it with the fillings. Simply avoid this by using warm (just cool enough to touch) potatoes.
This isn’t likely to happen in the air fryer because the circulating air is SO good at crisping up food! However, if it has happened there’s likely excess moisture. Make sure potatoes are pat dry before cooking or before reheating. Make sure your food has cooled before putting it in a container in the fridge as this can cause moisture to become an issue.
Yes, simply bake these at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Remove when warmed throughout and the cheesy is golden brown.
Air Fryer Twice Baked Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 russet potatoes, baked or air fried (link in notes)
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- 2 tablespoons milk
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Start with already-baked potatoes. You can cook them in under an hour using the air fryer or you can use leftover/meal-prepped baked potatoes.
- Scoop the center of the potato out (let it cool if it's freshly baked) and add it to a bowl. Be sure to leave about 1/4 an inch around the potato skin.
- Add the melted butter, sour cream, 1/4 cup cheddar, and milk, to the bowl with the cooked potato. Mash the filling and add salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the filling to the potato skins and top with the remaining shredded cheese.
- Preheat the air fryer for 3 minutes at 390 degrees. Add the stuffed potatoes to the air fryer and cook 4-5 minutes until the top is golden brown and the potatoes have warmed through.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
