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Air Fryer Baked Potatoes

Everybody needs to know how to make air fryer baked potatoes, and this post will teach you how. An air fryer baked potato is perfect for the times you have a protein on the grill or in the oven. It’s a set-and-forget side dish or even a star player with things like stuffed spuds, but we’ll get to that in a minute.

For now, let’s cover the basics.

baked potato with butter, salt, pepper, and parsley

How to Make Baked Potatoes in an Air Fryer

For this recipe, I’ll be using an Instant Vortex Pro air fryer. This is the fastest cooking air fryer I’ve ever used. So keep in mind, your air fryer may take a few extra minutes. But have no fear, I’ll teach you how to tell when baked potatoes are fully cooked.

Preparing the Potatoes

cooking russet potatoes in an Instant Vortex Pro air fryer

Wash and dry the potatoes before rubbing with oil. I like using avocado oil spray to keep my hands clean.

Russet potatoes are the classic choice of potato for baked potatoes, but any kind of potato will work here. My BBQ chicken stuffed sweet potatoes are cooked in an air fryer for 30-35 minutes at 400ºF just like these. And my air fryer smashed potatoes cook smaller baby gold potatoes for 15-20 minutes at 400ºF.

Do you need to poke holes in a baked potato?

It’s a good idea to use a fork or knife to poke small holes in potatoes before baking. The holes work as a ventilation system for steam and can prevent potato explosions.

I’ve never had a potato explode in my day, but other home cooks say cleaning up a potato explosion is for the birds. It might be worth the extra 30-60 seconds to poke the holes.

How Long to Cook Baked Potatoes in an Air Fryer

how long to cook baked potatoes in an air fryer

For 8-ounce potatoes in most air fryers, 30-35 minutes at 400ºF should fully cook the centers of the potatoes while keeping the skin crispy golden brown.

Like I mentioned above, other air fryers may need a slight cook time adjustment. My Ninja Foodi baked potatoes, for example, take around 40 minutes at 400ºF to fully cook.

How to Tell When Baked Potatoes are Done

checking doneness of baked potatoes with an food thermometer

Potatoes are ready when their internal temperature reaches 208 to 211° Fahrenheit. A fork easily pierces a baker when it’s done.

Dr. Potato of Idaho Potato

I like to pull potatoes when they’re in the 200ºF range when making baked potatoes in an air fryer without foil. There will be some carryover cooking that gets the center to the perfect doneness, and the skin will stay nice and golden brown. Taking the potatoes all the way to 210ºF in an air fryer without wrapping in foil might lead to overly dark or burned potato skins.

Serving Air Fried Baked Potatoes

air fryer baked potatoes topped with chili, cheese, diced onion, and jalapeño

You’ll never go wrong serving a baked potato with a pat of butter, salt, and pepper. Going this route makes a great side dish for something like our smoked tri tip, grilled chicken breast, or blackened chicken tenders.

To transform an air fryer baked potato from side dish to star player, I like making stuffed spuds. Add a little taco chili or turkey chili and shredded cheese before popping the spuds back in the air fryer for 2-3 minutes, and you have a solid meal. This also works great with pulled pork or bbq pulled chicken.

chili stuffed potato and bbq chicken stuffed sweet potato

You could also slice the baked potatoes in half, scoop out the centers, and mix together with my Traeger twice baked potatoes filling. (I also have a recipe for air fryer twice baked potatoes, in case you want to keep it indoors.)

Air Fryer Baked Potatoes

Air Fryer Baked Potatoes

Yield: 4 Baked Potatoes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

How to make baked potatoes in an Instant Vortex Pro or any air fryer.

Ingredients

  • 4 Russet Potatoes, about 8 oz each
  • Avocado Oil Cooking Spray or 1/2 Tablespoon of Your Choice of Oil

Instructions

  1. Wash and dry the potatoes before spraying with cooking spray or rubbing with oil to evenly coat. Optional: Poking holes with a fork to vent steam during cooking can prevent potato explosions.
  2. Air fry for 30-35 minutes at 400ºF until the potatoes are fork tender or reach an internal temperature of 190ºF to 200ºF.
  3. Let the baked potatoes cool briefly before slicing the tops and pushing the ends toward one another to open the potatoes. Top with butter, salt, pepper, sour cream, cheddar, or your choice of fixin's.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1 Baked Potato
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 180Total Fat: 1gCarbohydrates: 41gFiber: 5gProtein: 5g

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