Create these scrumptious crispy Air Fryer Potato Skins from scratch in under 10 minutes using pre-cooked potatoes. Fill them with cheese, bacon, sour cream, and green onions for a delightful game day or party appetizer treat. Enjoy the easy preparation and deliciousness!
Air Fryer is a game changer in the kitchen, we use it for just about everything! Some of my air fryer readers’ favorites include Garlic Butter Salmon and Zucchini Chips.
I've also shared my method for preparing Air Fryer Baked Potatoes, which is my preferred way to cook the potatoes for this recipe.
We love to serve these potato skins with all sorts of toppings from simple sour cream and green onions to jalapeños, healthy green goddess yogurt dip, tahini sauce, ranch dressing, buffalo sauce, blue cheese crumbles, or anything else you fancy!
Table Of Contents
- Homemade Potato Recipes
- Ingredients
- Instructions
- How To Cook Baked Potatoes
- In the Microwave
- Baked Potato In The Oven
- How to Reheat
- Recommended Equipment
- Tips
- Serving Suggestions
- Freezing And Storing Instructions
- How to Freeze Potato Skins
- FAQs
- Thinking About Dessert? Try These!
- Favorite Air Fryer Recipes
- Recipe
- Comments
Homemade Potato Recipes
Potatoes offer incredible versatility, and I've got some favorite recipes I'd like you to explore! They're a budget-friendly option for feeding a crowd.
Consider trying out these side dishes next to impress your family and friends:
Ingredients
My few comments on the ingredients + don't forget to read the Tips section!
The full recipe and ingredients can be found in the recipe card below this post.
To make it simple, I like to cook the potatoes in the air fryer. But I'll also mention other methods for you in the next section.
- Potatoes - For the fluffiest air fryer baked potatoes, opt for Russet (Idaho) potatoes known for their starchiness, or try red or Yukon gold potatoes for a creamier, buttery texture. Ensure your potatoes are of similar sizes and clean off any dirt from their skins. You can even mix Russets with yellow or sweet potatoes of similar size, making them all excellent choices for this dish.
- Cheese - Feel free to mix up the cheeses, we love melty cheese options such as Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Gouda, and Colby Jack Cheese.
- Bacon - Cooked and crumbled for serving along with a dollop of sour cream and green onions.
- Sour cream - Or you can use Greek yogurt.
- Salt and black pepper to taste.
Instructions
Take the halved cooked potatoes, and gently hollow out a small portion of the potato flesh to create a pocket.
Be careful not to remove too much since we intend to enjoy the potato itself. Repeat this process for all the potatoes.
Brush the olive oil evenly onto the surface of the potatoes, ensuring they are fully coated.
Sprinkle a bit of salt and black pepper onto the potato skins. If you like, you can also add some extra seasonings here such as ranch dressing seasoning.
Place the potato skins in single layer, with the skin side facing up, into the air fryer basket.
Set the temperature to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and set the timer for 5 minutes. Afterward, carefully remove the basket.
Fill the potato skin pockets with shredded cheese and bacon crumbles.
Close the air fryer basket and lower the temperature to 350 degrees.
Set the timer for 2 minutes (add an extra minute if necessary for extra crispy skin). Carefully take out the cheesy potato skins when done.
Add your preferred toppings, like sour cream and green onions, on top of the potato skins. Now, savor and enjoy!
📋 FLAVOR & TEXTURE - These potatoes have crispy skins and soft inside, cheesy and savory.
How To Cook Baked Potatoes
In Air Fryer - use my air fryer baked potato recipe here.
In the Microwave
To prepare potatoes in the microwave, start by piercing the potato with a fork.
Then, put the whole potatoes on a microwave-safe dish and microwave them for 5 minutes.
Flip the potatoes over and continue microwaving for an additional 7-8 minutes or until they are easily pierced with a fork.
Baked Potato In The Oven
For oven-baked potatoes, begin by piercing the potato with a fork.
Then, gently coat the potatoes with olive oil and season them with salt and pepper.
Lay the whole potatoes on a baking sheet.
Bake at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 45-55 minutes, adjusting the time based on the size of the potato, until they're tender and perfectly cooked.
How to Reheat
Here's how to reheat potato skins:
Place them in the air fryer and cook at 350 degrees for 3-4 minutes. Add your favorite toppings if desired.
Recommended Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Airtight Food containers
- Ninja Foodi - with air fryer setting, as an alternative to air fryer.
- 5.8 quart Air Fryer Cosor
Tips
- If you like more cheese, increase the amount to ½ cups.
- Potato size. Opt for large potatoes, preferably russets, as they're sturdy and hold up well when baked.
- Cooling. Allow the potatoes to cool completely before cutting into them to prevent them from falling apart.
- Cutting technique. Slice lengthwise along the potato skin, then gently scoop out the potato's interior, leaving approximately a ¼-inch layer for stability.
- Use up the potato insides for mashed potatoes, creamy potato soup or savory pancakes.
- Make it sweet by using sweet potatoes.
Serving Suggestions
Transforming crispy potato skins into a satisfying meal is effortless with the addition of toppings.
Here are some great ways to load them up:
- Cheese sauce (vegan)
- Buffalo chicken dip - similar to my stuffed zucchini skins.
- Create pizza skins by adding mozzarella cheese, marinara sauce, pepperoni, and bacon bits.
- Taco potato skins - use this taco meat with my homemade taco seasoning for a delicious Mexican flavor.
- Chili - fill it up with your favorite chili recipe or try one of these: pumpkin chili, vegetarian chili or creamy chicken chili.
- Air-fried potato skins are the perfect appetizer or side dish for mains like this rump roast, tilapia, quick pork chops or holiday favorite pork tenderloin with berry sauce.
Freezing And Storing Instructions
- To Store. Once cooled, place the leftover potato skins in an airtight container and store them in the fridge; they will stay fresh for up to 4 days. Remember to add sour cream, bacon, and green onions just before serving.
- To Reheat. To reheat, return the potato skins to the air fryer and cook at 350 degrees for 3-4 minutes. Add your preferred toppings afterward. If your potatoes are larger, you might need to add an extra 1-3 minutes to ensure they are thoroughly heated.
How to Freeze Potato Skins
Follow the potato skin preparation instructions as directed, but refrain from adding sour cream or green onions on top. Let them cool completely.
Next, place the cooled potato skins into a freezer-safe bag or container, ensuring you remove any excess air. Store the potato skins in the freezer, where they will remain fresh for up to 6 months.
FAQs
When using frozen potato skins extend the cooking time by an additional 5-7 minutes.
Absolutely! Potato skins, in fact, contain more nutrients and fiber compared to the flesh of the potato.
After stuffing the potato skins with cheese and bacon, air fry them for approximately 7-8 minutes to melt the cheese and achieve a crispy skin.
To reheat your potato skins and achieve a crispy texture, simply return them to the air fryer for a few minutes. Avoid using the microwave, as it can make them turn soggy and mushy.
Thinking About Dessert? Try These!
Favorite Air Fryer Recipes
Air fryer is hands down the quickest way to have a dinner ready in minutes.
You can cook, reheat your favorite foods, and make delicious desserts in it. Perfect for anything!
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Recipe
Air Fryer Potato Skins With Cheese and Bacon
INGREDIENTS
- 2 large cooked russet potatoes (cut in half, see notes)
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- pinch of salt
- pinch of pepper
- ⅓ cup freshly grated Colby jack or cheddar cheese
- 2 slices bacon (cooked and crumbled)
- sour cream for topping (optional)
- green onions for topping (chopped, optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Take the halved cooked potatoes, and gently hollow out a small portion of the potato flesh to create a pocket.
- Be careful not to remove too much since we intend to enjoy the potato itself. Repeat this process for all the potatoes.
- Brush the olive oil evenly onto the surface of the potatoes, ensuring they are fully coated.
- Sprinkle a bit of salt and black pepper onto the potato skins. If you like, you can also add some extra seasonings here such as ranch dressing seasoning.
- Place the potato skins in single layer, with the skin side facing up, into the air fryer basket.
- Set the temperature to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and set the timer for 5 minutes. Afterward, carefully remove the basket.
- Fill the potato skin pockets with shredded cheese and bacon crumbles.
- Close the air fryer basket and lower the temperature to 350 degrees.
- Set the timer for 2 minutes (add an extra minute if necessary for extra crispy skin). Carefully take out the cheesy potato skins when done.
- Add your preferred toppings, like sour cream and green onions, on top of the potato skins. Now, savor and enjoy!
NOTES
- For this recipe, we used cooked whole potatoes. You have three options how to make them:
- In Air Fryer - use my air fryer baked potato recipe here.
- Microwave option - To prepare potatoes in the microwave, start by piercing the potato with a fork. Then, put the whole potatoes on a microwave-safe dish and microwave them for 5 minutes. Flip the potatoes over and continue microwaving for an additional 7-8 minutes or until they are easily pierced with a fork.
- Baked Potato In The Oven option - For oven-baked potatoes, begin by piercing the potato with a fork. Then, gently coat the potatoes with olive oil and season them with salt and pepper. Lay the whole potatoes on a baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 45-55 minutes, adjusting the time based on the size of the potato, until they're tender and perfectly cooked.
- Nutrition info is calculated without sour cream, green onions and salt.
PRIVATE NOTES
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
Recipe inspired by Domestic Superhero.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Enjoy delicious appetizer made with whole potatoes that can be cooked easily in the air fryer.