Air-Fryer Potato Skins

These air-fryer potato skins combine all the flavor of a loaded baked potato with the fun of finger foods. Cooking potato skins in the air fryer is the best way to ensure crispy, flavorful skins and golden edges—and the potato skins are ready to serve in about 10 minutes.

Seasoned with garlic salt and stuffed with a blend of shredded cheeses and crunchy cooked bacon, these potato skins are the ultimate hand-held snack or appetizer, perfect for parties and game day entertaining.

How to Make Potato Skins in an Air Fryer

Before making potato skins in an air fryer, you’ll need to bake two large potatoes. Baked potatoes in the oven take about an hour, but you can speed things up by cooking them in the microwave or making air-fryer baked potatoes. The good news is that you can bake potatoes in advance, which will reduce prep time if you’re serving these potato skins at a party.

Once cooked, slice the potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out some of the pulp to create a shell. Next, brush the potatoes all over with melted butter, oil and seasonings, then air-fry to get the skins nice and crispy. Finally, stuff the skins with shredded cheese and cooked bacon, and return them to the air fryer until the cheese is melted.

Ingredients for Air-Fryer Potato Skins

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• Potatoes: Russet potatoes are the best type of potatoes for potato skins. Their thick skins crisp well, and the larger size is ideal for holding plenty of cheese, bacon and toppings. You’ll need to prebake the potatoes to ensure the insides are cooked and easy to scoop. You can also transform leftover baked potatoes into air-fryer potato skins—a great way to cook once and enjoy twice!
• Butter and oil: Coating the potato skins with melted butter and olive oil adds rich flavor and helps the skins crisp evenly.
• Seasonings: The potato skins are seasoned with savory garlic salt and coarsely ground pepper. Mixing the spices into the melted butter and oil makes it easier to adhere the seasonings to the potatoes.
• Shredded cheeses: We’re stuffing these potato skins with shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese, but you could swap in other varieties. Just make sure to use melting cheese, such as Colby or provolone.
• Bacon: Whether you cook bacon on the stovetop or in the microwave, you’ll need approximately eight slices for enough bacon crumbles to fill the potato skins. Precook the bacon until it’s super crispy, then use a sharp knife to chop it finely.
• Toppings: We like to serve these cheese and bacon potato skins topped with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of minced chives, but the sky’s the limit!

Directions

Step 1: Prepare the baked potatoes

Cut the prebaked potatoes in half lengthwise. Scoop out the pulp, leaving 1/4-inch shell, and save the potato pulp for another use.

Editor’s Tip: I like to use a paring knife to make a border around the potato, and then I use a small spoon or melon baller to scoop out the pulp.

Step 2: Brush the potato skins with oil and seasoning

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Combine the melted butter, olive oil, garlic salt and pepper in a small bowl. Brush the mixture over both sides of the potato skins.

Step 3: Air-fry the potato skins

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Preheat the air fryer to 400°F. Cook the potatoes, cut side down, for four minutes. Flip the potatoes so the skin side is down and cook for three more minutes.

Editor’s Tip: The potatoes and air-fryer basket will be hot, so flip the potatoes with tongs to keep your hands safe.

Step 4: Top the potatoes with cheese and bacon

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Sprinkle the shredded cheese and crumbled bacon inside the potato skins. Bake in the air fryer until the cheese is melted and the bacon is crisp, three to four minutes longer.

Editor’s Tip: Each potato skin should contain approximately 4 tablespoons of cheese and 1 tablespoon of bacon.

Step 5: Serve the potato skins

Top the potato skins with sour cream and chives, if desired. Serve immediately.

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Recipe Variations

• Add veggies: Fill each potato skin with finely chopped broccoli, bell pepper or mushrooms before topping with the cheese and bacon.
• Season with Parmesan: Add a tablespoon of grated Parmesan to the melted butter and olive oil, then brush it on the potatoes for an all-over savory, cheesy flavor.
• Make them spicy: Drizzle the potato skins with hot sauce or Buffalo wing sauce before serving.
• Try Tex-Mex potato skins: Use pepper jack cheese instead of Monterey Jack and top the skins with black beans, sour cream, and salsa or pico de gallo.
• Turn them into a meal: Top potato skins with a protein for a complete meal. Try a scoop of beef and bean chili, shredded Buffalo chicken or barbecue pulled pork.

How to Store Air-Fryer Potato Skins

Transfer leftover air-fryer potato skins to an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for up to four days. Reheat potato skins at 350° in the air fryer until warmed through, about five minutes. You can also reheat the potato skins in the microwave, but they will be soggier than if you use the air fryer.

Can you freeze potato skins made in an air fryer?

You can technically freeze these potato skins for up to three months. However, they have the best flavor and texture when enjoyed fresh.

Can you make air-fryer potato skins ahead of time?

You can partially prepare these potato skins in advance. You can bake the potatoes a few days ahead and store them in an airtight container in the fridge. If your potatoes are chilled, add an extra minute or two to the cooking time for the skins. I don’t recommend filling and air-frying the potatoes ahead of time since the skins taste best warm and are crispiest right after cooking.

Air-Fryer Potato Skin Tips

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How can I use the scooped-out potato pulp?

The most obvious use for the scooped-out potato pulp is mashed potatoes, but we have lots more creative ideas too! Put those taters to good use with a batch of potato waffles, use them to fill homemade pierogi, or chop and add them to a skillet with veggies, sausage and eggs for breakfast hash.

Why are my potato skins not crispy?

Potato skins won’t crisp if they’re damp or crowded in the air-fryer basket. Pat your potatoes dry before slicing and filling, especially if you stored prebaked potatoes in the fridge where condensation can form. Make sure the potato skins aren’t touching in the air-fryer basket—there needs to be space between them to allow the hot air to circulate and evenly crisp the skins.

Lastly, double-check the temperature setting on your air fryer. The potato skins recipe in the air fryer should cook at 400°, but different models produce different levels of heat. If your air fryer runs on the cool side, you may want to bump the temperature to 425°.

What are some other topping ideas for air-fryer potato skins?

Sour cream and chives deliver classic loaded baked potato flavor, but they aren’t your only topping options. Other topping ideas include chopped red onion, green onions, crispy onions, pickled jalapenos, salsa, Buffalo sauce, hot sauce and ranch dressing. You can even turn cheese and bacon air-fryer potato skins into a hearty meal by topping them with your favorite chili recipe or pulled pork.