These air fryer potato skins are such an easy, crispy and cheese appetizer. Made with baked russet potatoes, they are air fried until golden, topped with cheddar cheese and bacon bits, then cooked again until the cheese melts. They make the perfect appetizer for game days, parties, or as a delicious side dish.
Using the air fryer is an absolute game-changer for potato skins, it gets them super crispy without the hassle of deep frying, and you use way less oil. Just a quick heads-up before start, as this recipe uses pre-cooked potatoes. If you are not using leftover skins from the night before, your total cooking time will be a bit longer since you'll need to bake the potatoes first. Personally, I love to bake my whole potatoes right in the air fryer because it's quick and so convenient. That said, use whatever method works best for you! You can easily bake them in the oven, or if you're short on time, pop them in the microwave for the quickest shortcut.
Crispy potato skins are a staple in many casual restaurants, right up there with my other favorite food, chicken wings. But here is the thing, when I crave wings, I just make wings. When I crave potato skins, it's a whole different game. Instead of making them from scratch all at once, I play the long game. I'll bake a batch of potatoes to make a cozy potato soup or mashed potatoes for dinner, and then save the shells to make crispy potato skins the next day. It is so much more practical and nothing goes to waste. In fact, over time, I have learnt a great little kitchen hack. Whenever I bake potatoes, I just scoop out the centers and freeze empty skins. This way, I always have a stash ready to go whenever I crave them.
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Ingredients
Please, see the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for the ingredients quantities and full instructions.
- Baked potatoes: Russet potatoes are the best potatoes to use, their skins are always so crispy. But you can also use Yukon gold instead.
- Olive oil: I like to use olive oil here. But you can also use avocado oil or vegetable oil.
- Seasonings: salt, paprika, garlic powder, and black pepper.
- Cheddar cheese: I shredded my own sharp cheddar cheese. You can also use Colby Jack or Monterey cheese instead.
- Other toppings: bacon crumbles, sour cream, fresh herbs.
How to make air fryer potato skins
Follow these 5 easy steps with images to make this recipe.
Scoop out the potato flesh. Cut baked potato in half. Using a large spoon, scoop out the white flesh, leaving a layer attached. Otherwise, they might break apart, and they also taste better this way.
Brush with oil and season. Brush both sides of the potato skins with oil. Season them with salt, paprika, garlic powder, and black pepper. If the baked potato already gets plenty of salt on the skin, season only the inside part.
Air fry for 5 minutes at 400°F. Preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes. Arrange the potato skins in the air fryer basket, skin side down. Air fry them for about 5 minutes at 400 degrees F or until they become golden and crispy.
Meanwhile, shred the cheese. Add as much as you like to each potato skin. Add cheese and air fry potato skins for another 1 minute at 375°F.
Serve the potato skins. They are ready to serve, but we like to add a few toppings such as green onions or chives, bacon bits and sour cream.
Recipe and storage tips
- Do not scoop out all the flesh. leave about ¼ inch to enjoy with the skins and to avoid tearing them.
- Use the potato flesh to make air fryer potato croquettes.
- If making for a crowd, cook them in batches to avoid overcrowding the air fryer.
- If the potatoes are very large, you can easily cut each in half.
- You can store the leftovers for a few days in the fridge in an airtight container or freeze them for up to 2 months.
Loaded potato skin toppings variations
Similar to loaded baked potatoes, you can do the same with the potato crispy skins:
- Classics: bacon, chives, and sour cream.
- Buffalo chicken: you can make them with shredded buffalo chicken and blue cheese dressing - perfect for game nights
- Taco style: ground beef or turkey, with cheese, pico de gallo, sour cream, and sliced avocado.
- Chili and cheese: homemade chili topped with shredded cheese and sour cream.
Fun serving ideas
- Easy appetizer: This will be one of the most popular appetizers when served during game days or parties.
- Breakfast: You can serve them with scrambled eggs or add on top some cream cheese, smoked salmon, capers, and dill.
- Snack: I often enjoy leftover potato skins as a filling snack.
- Side dish: When you are tired of french fries, these potato skins are a great side dish for wings, steak bites, air fried chicken legs, hamburgers, sandwiches, and more.
Frequently asked questions
The best way to prepare them ahead of time is to bake and scoop out the potatoes in advance. You can keep them in the fridge until ready to air fry, which takes less than 10 minutes.
If you have frozen potato skins, air fry them for about 10 minutes at 400°F or until golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
Yes, you can make them in the oven. Arrange the prepared potato skins on a baking pan lined with parchment paper and bake them for about 15 minutes at 425°F. Take the potato skins out and top them with cheese, then bake them again for another 5 minutes or until the cheese melts.
📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Potato Skins
Equipment
- Air fryer I used Ninja
Ingredients
- 4 baked potatoes
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese or other cheese
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons diced chives
- 3 tablespoons bacon bits
Instructions
- Cut baked potatoes in half lengthwise. Scoop out the flesh, leaving about ¼ inch or more attached to the skin.
- Brush each potato half inside and outside with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt paprika, garlic powder and some black pepper. If the skin was previously salted while baking the potatoes, season only the insides.
- Preheat air fryer for about 5 minutes at 400°F. Place the potato halves in the air fryer basket, skin side down. Air fry for 5 minutes at 400°F. Sprinkle each potato skin with shredded cheese. Air fry for 1 minute at 375°F until the cheese melts.
- Top the potato skins with diced chives, bacon bits, sour cream or any other toppings.
Notes
- wash and dry them with a paper towel. Poke them with a fork, rub with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt.
- Bake on a baking pan lined with parchment paper for about 1 hour or until the fork goes in with little to no resistance.
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