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Air Fryer Baked Potatoes turn out perfectly fluffy on the inside, and with a crispier skin than the kind baked in the oven! Below, I’ll show you how to choose the right cooking time to get fool-proof results every time.
How to Determine the Cooking Time
Baking potatoes is easy, so the only challenge is determining how long to cook them. After cooking potatoes in my air fryer for over a month, I’ve found that the following cooking times result in perfect baked potatoes.
For potatoes that weigh:
- 8 oz. or less:Bake at 400ºF for 45 minutes
- 9 oz. to 16 oz.: Bake at 400ºF for 1 hour
- Over 16 oz:Bake 400ºF for 1 hour and 15 minutes (or until an internal temperature of 207ºF is reached)
Use a kitchen scale to weigh your potatoes, if you’d like to estimate an accurate cooking time.
Alternatively, you can just start cooking the potatoes for 45 minutes, then add additional 10 minute intervals until the center of each potato reaches an internal temperature of at least 207ºF.
Ingredients You’ll Need
To make perfect air fryer baked potatoes, you’ll need 3 ingredients:
- Baking potatoes
- Olive oil
- Salt
Once the potatoes are baked, you can add any toppings you love. I usually stick to a pat of butter on top, but you can also add sour cream, freshly chopped chives or green onions, or even some crispy bacon pieces.
The crispy skin is irresistible on these, making them the perfect side dish.
How to Cook Air Fryer Baked Potatoes
1. Prepare the potatoes.
Choose potatoes that are roughly the same size, and scrub them well under running water. Dry them off, then pierce the potato several times with a fork or knife, to allow for venting.
Rub the outside of each potato skin with olive oil, then sprinkle salt on top. If you’d rather use another oil, like avocado oil or cooking spray, that works too.
2. Cook.
There’s no need to preheat your air fryer for this recipe, but some models will force you to run a preheating cycle before the timer will start working. (The Instant Pot Vortex and Breville Air Fryer do this, for example.) You’ll need to bake these potatoes at 400ºF.
Place the prepared potatoes in the air fryer basket, then set the timer on your air fryer to cook for 45 minutes at 400ºF. (This is for medium potatoes that are 8 ounces or less; see the guide above for different sizes.)
3. Test.
When the timer goes off, you’ll need to check the potatoes to see if they are fork tender on the inside. Traditionally, this is done by poking a fork into the center of the potato.
However, if you want to ensure that the potato is perfectly cooked and fluffy on the inside, use an instant read food thermometer instead! When the inside of a potato reaches at least 207ºF, you’ll know it’s tender on the inside. Just be sure to test at the very thickest part of the potato.
If the potato isn’t done yet, simply return the basket and air fry for an additional 5 to 10 minutes at 400ºF, checking on the potatoes until they are done.
4. Enjoy!
Let the potatoes cool slightly, then cut them open and fluff with a fork. You can add any toppings you love, like butter or sour cream, plus some extra salt and pepper.
You can store leftover baked potatoes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
To reheat, I usually cut them in half and cook in the air fryer again for about 10 minutes at 400ºF, or until the center is heated through.
Need more topping ideas? Try these with my favorite black bean soup or veggie chili on top, for a heartier meal. They are also great with cheddar cheese, salsa, or with fresh chives on top.
Tips for Choosing the Best Baking Potatoes
1. Choose potatoes that are roughly the same size.
This will ensure the potatoes all finish cooking at the same time. Russet potatoes are the classic choice for baked potatoes, because they have a starchy inside that makes them extra fluffy, but you can also use Yukon gold potatoes for a creamier middle.
This method works for baking air fryer sweet potatoes, too.
2. Look for a narrow shape.
A long, narrow potato will cook faster and more evenly than a potato that is very wide in the middle. Keep this in mind if you are in a hurry!
3. The smaller the potato, the faster it will cook.
I’ll give you specific cooking guidelines down below to determine the cooking time based on weight, but in general, a smaller potato will cook faster than a very large potato. Look for ones that are 8 ounces or less, if you’d like to keep the cooking time under 1 hour.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you put aluminum foil in an air fryer? Yes! Unlike a microwave, you can use aluminum foil in an air fryer, since it’s more similar to an oven. If you don’t want your baked potato skins to get too crispy, you can cover the potatoes in aluminum foil if you would like to.
I personally avoid using aluminum when possible, since cooking with it may leach small amounts of aluminum into your food. This study suggests that wrapping meat in aluminum foil can significantly increase its aluminum content. The increase ranged from 89% to 378% higher aluminum in red meat, and 76% to 215% in poultry. But, the choice is up to you!
In terms of cooking, I tested a potato wrapped in aluminum foil side-by-side with an unwrapped potato, and they cooked in the exact same amount of time. The only difference is the skin wasn’t quite as crispy in the foil-wrapped potato.
Which is the best air fryer to use? I’ve tested these air fryer baked potatoes in both a basket-style air fryer and an oven-style air fryer, with very similar results. If you’d like to know more about a specific brand, be sure to read my complete air fryer review.
Looking for more air fryer recipes? Be sure to try Air Fryer Chicken Breasts, Air Fryer French Fries, and Air Fryer Salmon, or browse more air fryer recipes.
Ingredients
- 2 (8 oz or smaller) Russet potatoes (or other variety)
- olive oil
- salt
Instructions
- Scrub the potatoes to remove any dirt, then dry well and pierce them several times with a fork or knife to vent. (I think it's easier to pierce them with a knife.)
- Rub the potato skins with olive oil and season them generously with salt. Arrange them on the air fryer basket. You don't need to preheat the air fryer, but some models will force you to, anyway.
- Set the air fryer to cook at 400ºF for 45 minutes. (If using a larger potato, see the Notes.) I like to turn the potatoes over halfway through the cooking time, but sometimes I forget and they still turn out just fine!
- The potato should be crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. You can use a thermometer to make sure the internal temperature of the potato has reached roughly 207ºF, which will ensure a fluffy result. Cut the potatoes in half, fluff the middle with a fork, and then serve with your favorite toppings.
- Leftover baked potatoes can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. You can reheat baked potatoes in the air fryer for 5-10 minutes at 400ºF. (This works best if they are cut in half already, so the middles heat through faster.)
Video
Notes
- 8 ounces or less: Bake at 400ºF for 45 minutes
- 9 to 16 ounces: Bake at 400ºF for 1 hour
- 16+ ounces: Bake at 400ºF for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the center reaches an internal temperature of 207ºF
Nutrition
If you try this air fryer baked potato recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how it works out for you!
So easy, good and Yukon gold potatoes come out so creamy on the inside!
Made these this weekend and they turned out great. I never thought to use my air fryer for baked potatoes. I loved the crispy skin and from now on will be making my baked potatoes this way!!
Made the air fryer potato today. Now husband wants me to make it everyday 😀
Wow so tender! It works
All recipes I saw looked great & yummy.