Air Fryer Potato Skins Recipe

Crispy loaded potato skins with cheese and bacon are easy to make in the air fryer (with oven instructions too). This easy appetizer recipe is always a crowd-pleaser!

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Keyword Air Fryer Potato Skins, Air Fryer Potato Skins Recipe, Crispy Potato Skins Recipe, Loaded Potato Skins

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 45

Cool Time 20

Servings servings

Calories 244kcal

Author Faith Gorsky

Equipment

Air fryer (see Notes below for oven instructions)

Ingredients

4 medium-large Russet potatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil divided into 1 tablespoon + 1 tablespoon
3/4 teaspoon salt divided into 1/2 teaspoon + 1/4 teaspoon
1/2 teaspoon black pepper divided into 1/4 teaspoon + 1/4 teaspoon
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
4 slices beef bacon cooked until crispy and crumbled (or bacon of your choice)
8 tablespoons sour cream for topping
4 teaspoons minced fresh chives for garnish

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Bake the potatoes in the air fryer. Preheat the air fryer to 400F. Add the potatoes, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper to a large bowl and toss to coat. Arrange the potatoes in the air fryer basket. Air fry for 30 minutes, and then flip the potatoes over and cook until a paring knife slides out. This will take an additional 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the size of your potatoes.
Cool the potatoes and scoop out the flesh. Let the potatoes cool until they’re not too hot to handle, then cut each in half length-wise. Scoop out the potato flesh, leaving about 1/4 to 1/2-inch of potato intact.
Crisp the potato skins in the air fryer. Preheat the air fryer to 400F. Arrange the potato skins in the air fryer basket with the skin sides facing down. Brush the inside of each potato skin with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, and sprinkle on the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Air fry for 5 minutes to crisp up the skins.
Add the fillings and air fry to melt the cheese. Sprinkle the cheese into the potato skins, and then the bacon. Air fry at 400F until the cheese is melted, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Finishing touches. Transfer the potato skins to a serving platter and top each with 1 tablespoon of sour cream and 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh chives. Serve warm.

Video

Notes

Recipe Yield Yield and Serving Size: This recipe makes 8 large loaded potato skins; each serving is 1 potato skin.
Storage: Store leftover cheesy potato skins covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. Don’t add the sour cream and chives on top until right before serving because these toppings don’t reheat well.
Reheating: To keep them crispy, you can reheat potato skins straight from the fridge in the oven or in the air fryer. To reheat in the oven, place the potato skins on a baking tray and reheat in a 350F oven until they’re warm and the cheese is melted, about 10 to 15 minutes. To reheat in the air fryer, preheat the air fryer to 350F, put the potato skins in the basket of the air fryer, and air fry until they’re warm, about 5 minutes. Add the sour cream and chives on top after the potato skins are reheated.
Make Ahead: To make cheesy potato skins in advance, bake the potatoes and let them cool to room temperature. Once they’re cool, you can store them covered in the fridge for up to 3 days before making them into loaded potato skins.

How to Make Potato Skins in the Oven:

Prep the potatoes. Preheat the oven to 400F. Get out 4 Russet potatoes. Wash them, pat them dry, and use a sharp paring knife to poke a few holes in each potato.
Bake the potatoes. Once the oven is hot, place the potatoes directly on a rack set in the middle of the oven. Bake until the potatoes are tender, about 50 to 60 minutes. (Baked potatoes are done cooking when a paring knife inserted in the center slides right out.) Let the baked potatoes cool until they’re not too hot to touch.
Scoop out the flesh and crisp the skins. Turn the oven up to 450F. Cut the baked potatoes in half lengthwise. Scoop out the flesh, leaving about 1/4 to 1/2-inch so the skins are thick enough to pick up easily. Place the potato skins on a baking tray. Brush both sides with a little olive oil, and season with salt and black pepper. Arrange the potato skins with the skin side facing up on the baking tray, and bake for 10 minutes. Flip the potato skins so the skin side is facing down, and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
Stuff the skins and melt the cheese. Sprinkle the cheese and crispy bacon crumbles inside the potato skins. Return to the oven (preheated to 450F) so the cheese can melt, about 5 minutes.

Nutrition