Air Fryer Baked Potatoes

These air fryer baked potatoes are the fluffiest and crispiest ones you could make. Top them with butter or sour cream for a delicious, healthy meal.

I love baked potatoes, I make them very often and we have them mostly as the main dish. When it comes to potato side dishes, we prefer baked or air fried potato wedges, mashed or smashed potatoes.

But when the tuber is the star of the show, then a nice tender jacket potato with crispy skin is the first choice. A knob of butter or a little sour cream is enough to make it really drool-worthy! Another favorite recipe is this Easy Jacket with Filling.

What do you need?

• The main ingredient – the potato - and some salt and oil.
• The potatoes I used were of medium size, about 200 – 250 g/ 7- 8.8 oz.

To serve:

• Freshly ground black pepper, a nice knob of good butter (I prefer Irish salted butter), or a tablespoon of sour cream for each potato.
• Some herbs on top – chives are my favorite in this case – and lunch is ready.

Best potatoes for baking?

• Preferably starchy ones, the high starch content will make the insides fluffy and the fact that their skin doesn't hold the moisture well will make them crispy on the outside.
• If you live in the US, Russet should be your first choice.
• If you live in the UK or Australia, Kind Edward or Desiree is what you are looking for.
• In Germany, mehligkochende Kartoffeln. If you are lucky, you might find potatoes labeled as Backkartofflen, but that happens rarely. Their advantage is that they are evenly sized, while when you buy the regular starchy ones, you might need to buy two packs to make sure you have enough larger ones for baking.
• However, no matter where you live and no matter the name of the spuds, just make sure you are using the starchy ones, they yield the best results.

How to make air fryer baked potatoes?

• Scrub the spuds well and dry them with kitchen towels.
• Rub them with just a little olive oil. You can use a spray but I prefer to do it with my hands.
• Sprinkle them with salt and rub again. Be generous with the salt, they need it, you will love the salty skin bits.
• Pierce them with a fork all over, this will help the steam escape.
• Preheat the air fryer if necessary. My machine needs to be preheated for 3 minutes, but some others don't need that. Check the instructions of your machine.
• Place the tubers in the basket.
• Cook on 200 degrees Celsius/ 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 40 to 50 minutes depending on the size. Turn them halfway using tongs. Make sure they are perfectly soft by piercing them with a fork or knife.
• Transfer to serving plates, split in the middle, fluff the insides a little (with a fork), and top with a knob of butter or a dollop of sour cream. Sprinkle with more salt, some pepper, chopped chives, and serve immediately.

Tips

• Make sure to use starchy potatoes. All-purpose will work as well, but you would notice the difference, starchy are just better for baking.
• Scrub very well before using, and dry them, they should not be wet at all.
• Choose evenly sized ones so that they are all ready simultaneously.
• Don't overcrowd the basket, the hot air needs to circulate well, which will make the skin crispy.

Can you reheat baked potatoes?

Yes, you can. Place them in the preheated machine again and reheat until piping hot, 3-4 minutes should do it, but check.

• Quark, Greek yogurt, or Smetana, mixed with salt, pepper, paprika, or other spices and herbs of choice. Add grated garlic to the mixture, if desired, I love that.
• Top with any of the above dairy mixtures and add some crumbled fried bacon or avocado on top.
• Make an omelet and serve it on top of the air fried baked potatoes.
• Top with a poached egg... so good!
• Crispy fried chicken breast strips with a little sour cream or chili sauce.
• Grated Cheddar or aged Gouda.
• Pulled pork or pulled chicken.
• Any kind of chili, either with meat or vegetarian.

More air fryer vegetable recipes:

• Eggplants
• Mushrooms
• Butternut Squash
• Zucchini
• Carrots