Can You Cook A Baked Potato In An Air Fryer?
You can cook a baked potato in the oven, in a pressure cooker, and even in the microwave if you so desire. But can you cook this simple dish in an air fryer? Air fryers are versatile pieces of equipment that can be used for anything from roasting vegetables to cooking whole chickens; they can certainly handle a potato or two. And not only will the air fryer cook that potato to perfection, but the exterior skin of the potato also gets nice and crisped up from the circulating air, while the interior turns into fluffy, starchy goodness.
Air frying a potato is as simple as poking a few holes in with a fork (don't skip this step, as it helps to let steam out of the potato while baking), coating it in cooking oil (a small teaspoon will do, or you can use cooking spray), and putting it in the air fryer at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cook time will vary, but usually it only takes a baked potato about 40 minutes to fully cook in the air fryer — compare that to about an hour in a conventional oven.
The benefits of air fryer baked potatoes
When it's just as simple to throw a baked potato in the oven as it is into the air fryer, why not make your baked potatoes the old-fashioned way? Well, there are a number of reasons you might prefer using an air fryer, one being temperature.
Heating the oven will heat up your whole kitchen by proxy, and if you're craving a baked potato in the dead of summer, you might not want to raise the temperature several degrees just for dinner. Using the air fryer helps keep the kitchen cool while still giving you delicious results.
Air frying the potatoes will also help cook them faster and more thoroughly. The smaller size of the air fryer means the hot air circulates more quickly and the heat stays sealed into a tighter space, warming up the potato and cooking it in less time.
The best toppings for air fryer baked potatoes
After your potato is fully cooked, you can finish it off with any of the usual baked potato toppings you might enjoy. Butter, cheese, sour cream, and chives all pair well. Due to the crispiness of the potato skins from air frying, you can also upgrade these baked potatoes with slightly wetter ingredients, such as queso, chili, or guacamole. Get creative — there's no wrong way to top your potato.
If you're eating the potato as a main course, we recommend adding some protein in the form of bacon, beans, ground meat, or shredded chicken. If your potato is a side dish to a larger meal, you can go as simple as a pat of butter and a dash of salt and pepper.
The next time you're craving a baked potato, remember that air frying is a faster, simpler way to prepare the classic dish.