You are going to love how quick and easy you can make air fryer potato skins! I have streamlined the process to make this easy appetizer or side dish by filling them and putting then in the air fryer one time. Many recipes call for you to cook just the potato skins for a bit, then take them out, fill them and cook them again. We just fill them and air fry them, all with no added oil!
The best part is air frying results in crispy potato skins in about 10 minutes and you don’t have to wait for the oven to preheat or heat up the house.
Potatoes are one of my all time favorite foods and I even have a section on the blog called “My Love For Potatoes”. If you love them as much as I do you’ll want to check it out. Potatoes can be fried, baked, boiled and roasted. They are perfect for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, snack or appetizer.
They can be used to make pasta (gnocchi), bread and I have even seen candy made out of them. I am definitely going to have to try that someday.
And, even though get a bad rap they can be good for you! There is a website called Potato Goodness that gives you the run down on just how good for you a potato is. So check that out. After you make this recipe, of course.
Jump to:
Can you put potato skins in the air fryer?
Absolutely! Baking potatoes to make this recipe and making air fried potato skins takes less time than doing it in a conventional oven.
Why you’ll love these air-fried potato skins
- It is an easy recipe using just a few basic ingredients.
- They are the perfect appetizer for game day or any other get-together where you need snacks.
- These cheesy loaded potato skins also make a great side dish.
Ingredients
See recipe card for exact amounts.
Ingredient Notes
Just a few ingredients are all you need to make classic loaded potato skins. You will see later on in the post some ideas for variations.
Baked Potatoes – we like Russet potatoes, you can use Yukon Gold or red potatoes for this.
Cheddar Cheese – grated fresh off the block or pre-shredded will both work.
Bacon Crumbles – we use center cut bacon but you can use any type you like, even the pre-cooked will work.
Green Onions – can substitute chives or leave them off if you aren’t a fan of onions.
Sour Cream – full fat or low-fat sour cream will work here.
Ranch Dressing – your favorite brand, we like Hidden Valley best.
How to make air fryer baked potatoes
It just makes sense to make your baked potatoes in the air fryer in order to make this air fryer potato skins recipe, right?! It only takes 30-40 minutes to make them.
You can make them ahead of time and refrigerate them until you are ready to make this recipe. There is an in depth post on how to make baked potatoes in the air fryer here, and full instructions in the recipe card below.
How to make homemade potato skins in the air fryer
- Spoon out the inside of the potato leaving about 1/4 inch of potato in the skin.
- Put 2 tablespoons of cheese into each potato skin. Divide the bacon between them.
- Coat the inside of the air fryer basket with a little bit of nonstick cooking spray.
- Place the filled potato halves in the air fryer basket in a single layer.
- Air fry at 380° for 10 minutes.
- Top with green onions, sour cream, Ranch dressing, or your favorite toppings.
Recipe Note – our potatoes were about 7-9 ounces each, smaller baked potatoes may have less cooking time than these.
Tips
- If you have just made baked potatoes in the air fryer then you can skip the cooking spray, if you have’t then it is a good idea to ensure they don’t stick.
- I use a regular teaspoon to scoop out the potato.
- How much potato you leave in the skin is personal preference really, we leave about a 1/4 inch.
- I put the sour cream and dressing in a zip top bag and cut a small hole in the corner to “pipe” it onto the cooked potato skins.
Variations
There are no limitations when it comes to baked potato skins. You can use another meat instead of bacon such as chicken or ground beef.
Some ideas are:
- Taco – use ground beef seasoned with taco seasoning, cheese, salsa and sour cream.
- Buffalo Chicken – shredded chicken, buffalo sauce and Ranch dressing.
- Chili & Cheese – chili, with or without beans, and cheese.
- Broccoli Cheddar – steamed broccoli and cheddar cheese.
- Pizza – pepperoni and pizza sauce.
Do you have an idea I didn’t mention? Let me know in the comments.
Storage & Reheating
Store leftover potato skins in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The quickest way to reheat them is in the microwave, it takes literally 30 seconds or less.
Can you reheat leftover loaded potato skins in the air fryer?
Of course you can! Put them in at 380° for 3-5 minutes.
More air fryer recipes
Air Fryer Loaded Potato Skins
Ingredients
For the baked potatoes
- 4 potatoes 7-9 ounces each
- 2 tsp canola oil
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
For the loaded air fried potato skins
- 8 baked potato skins
- 1 cup shredded cheese
- 6 slices bacon cooked and cut into small pieces
- 2 tbsp green onions or to taste
- sour cream
- Ranch dressing
- Cooking spray
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Instructions
To make air fryer baked potatoes
- Scrub potatoes under cold water and dry with a paper towel.4 potatoes
- Pierce each potato several times with a fork. I usually poke them on all 4 sides and on each end.
- Brush each potato with a little oil and sprinkle with salt and put in the air fryer basket in a single layer making sure that there is a little room in between each potato.2 tsp canola oil, 1 tsp salt
- Air fry at 400° for 30-40 minutes or until a fork goes into the potato easily.
To make loaded air fried potato skins
- Spoon out the inside of the potato leaving about 1/4 inch of potato in the skin.8 baked potato skins
- Put 2 tablespoons of cheese into each potato skin. Divide bacon between them.1 cup shredded cheese, 6 slices bacon
- Coat the inside of the air fryer basket with a little bit of nonstick cooking spray.Cooking spray
- Place the potato halves in the air fryer basket in a single layer.
- Air fry at 380° for 10 minutes.
- Top with green onions, sour cream, or Ranch dressing, or your favorite toppings.2 tbsp green onions, sour cream, Ranch dressing
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