There’s nothing better than a perfectly baked potato with crisp, golden skin and a soft, fluffy center! The air fryer makes it easier than ever. These fluffy air fryer baked potatoes cook up faster than the oven and turn out restaurant-quality (with that salty skin!) every time. Just add your favorite toppings, and you’ve got the ultimate easy side dish for any weeknight or holiday meal.
We all love a fluffy baked potato with our holiday meal, but what do you do when the oven is full with turkey, ham, and sides? Utilize the air fryer! I like to keep these baked potatoes wrapped in foil after baking, then my guests can grab their own potato, and loda it up with a topping buffet.
Looking for more potato side dishes, try my garlicky scalloped potatoes or these twice baked sweet potatoes with white cheddar! Find all of my side dish recipes here for dinner inspiration.
Why You’ll Love This Method
- Fluffy centers, crispy skin: The air fryer gives you tender insides with perfectly crisp, golden skins every time!
- Faster than the oven: No long preheating or waiting, these cook in about 35–40 minutes depending on size.
- Hands-off and simple: Just season, pop them in, and let the air fryer do the work.
- Perfect for any meal: A versatile side dish that pairs with everything from grilled meats to weeknight casseroles.
- Endless topping options: Load them up with butter, sour cream, cheese, bacon, or fresh herbs.
Key Ingredients
- Potatoes: Russet potatoes work best for fluffy insides and crispy skins. Yukon golds can be used for a creamier texture.
- Olive Oil: Helps the skins crisp and turn golden brown, avocado oil works too.
- Salt: Kosher salt sticks well to the skins and seasons every bite. Sea salt is a good alternative.
- Toppings: Butter, sour cream, shredded cheese, chives, or crumbled bacon, use your favorites!
How To Make The Baked Potatoes
Let’s talk a little about how to make these Fluffy Air Fryer Baked Potatoes (Easy Side Dish) (The printable instructions are in the recipe card below.)
Quick overview:
- Rub potatoes in oil and salt, wrap in foil.
- Air fry until fluffy and enjoy with toppings.
- Take one potato and place it in the middle of a square of tin foil, drizzle heavily with olive oil and season with salt. Rub to coat the entire potato, wrap tightly in tin foil. Repeat with remaining potatoes.
- Preheat your air fryer using the “air fry” setting, at 400 degrees F for 35-40 minutes.* Once preheated add in the prepared potatoes. Cook for 35-40 minutes until soft and tender, flipping halfway through. Enjoy immediately with your favorite toppings.
Rachel’s Chef Tips
- Pick the right potato: Russet potatoes give the fluffiest centers and crispest skins, aim for medium ones (8–10 oz.) so they cook evenly.
- Dry them well: After washing, dry the potatoes completely. Moisture can prevent the skins from crisping.
- Oil and salt generously: Rubbing the skins with olive oil and salt gives that classic steakhouse-style bite.
- Don’t overcrowd the basket: Leave space between potatoes so hot air can circulate and crisp them evenly.
- Check for doneness by feel: They’re done when the skins are crisp and a fork slides in easily, usually 35–40 minutes depending on size.
Fluffy Air Fryer Baked Potatoes (Easy Side Dish)
Ingredients
- 6 medium-sized Russet potatoes, scrubbed clean, 8-10 ounces each
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Sour cream, butter, cheese, bacon, or herbs, for topping
Instructions
- Take one potato and place it in the middle of a square of tin foil, drizzle with olive oil and season heavily with salt. Rub to coat the entire potato, wrap tightly in tin foil. Repeat with remaining potatoes.6 medium-sized Russet potatoes, scrubbed clean, Olive oil, Kosher salt
- Preheat your air fryer using the "air fry" setting, at 400 degrees F for 35-40 minutes.* Once preheated add the prepared potatoes in a single layer. Cook for 35-40 minutes until soft and tender, flipping halfway through. Enjoy immediately with your favorite toppings.Sour cream, butter, cheese, bacon, or herbs
Notes
- Choose evenly sized Russet potatoes (about 8–10 oz.) so they cook at the same time.
- Dry the potatoes thoroughly before oiling to help the skins crisp.
- Don’t overcrowd the basket, space allows air to circulate for even cooking.
- For extra-crispy skins, rub with olive oil and salt halfway through cooking.
- Use a fork to check doneness, they should be tender all the way through. Add more cooking time as needed.
Nutrition
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Storage, Serving, & Reheating
Storage:
Let baked potatoes cool completely, then store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Serving:
Slice open, fluff the insides with a fork, and load them with your favorite toppings like butter, sour cream, shredded cheese, chives, or crumbled bacon. They’re perfect as a simple side dish or as a base for hearty toppings like chili or pulled pork!
Reheating:
Reheat in the air fryer at 350°F for 5–7 minutes until hot and skins are crisp again. You can also warm them in the microwave (about 2 minutes), but the skins will be softer.
Recipe FAQs
Smaller potatoes will be soft in 25-30 minutes. Medium potatoes, 30-40, and large potatoes will take about 40-45 minutes. Start with 30 minutes and add time as needed, potatoes are done when they are fork tender.
To reheat a baked potato in the air fryer, preheat to 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes. This will keep the skin crispy and heat the interior up.
Crispy bacon bits, sour cream or sour cream dip, shredded cheeses, chives, butter or flavored butter are all great ideas!
Tools I Recommend
- Tongs – a must have kitchen tool! I love these for flipping things in the air fryer. They are stainless steel and clean up super easy.
- Instant 6 qt. Air Fryer – Sleek and functional, the perfect size for 2-3 people. I like this because it has a tray in the bottom which make cleaning easy and it allows for air to circulate evenly. It has a large tray so you don’t have to do so many batches and a window to see into the air fryer while cooking!
Did you try this recipe?
Let me know what you thought by leaving a comment below and sharing your final dish on Instagram, Facebook, & Pinterest!
Cheers!
-Rachel
