The best baked potatoes come from the Air Fryer. Fluffy, steaming potato on the inside, crispy, salty outer shell. I cannot tell you how much we love them! Air Fryer Baked Potatoes are the best!
As far as budget meals go, baked potatoes are definitely a good option to help you get through a month.
Just buy a 5lb bag of russett potatoes, some extra toppings and you’re good to go. But keep in mind, it isn’t necessary to purchase toppings, because these Air Fryer Baked Potatoes are incredible as is, with just a bit of butter on top. Sooooo good! So fluffy with a crispy, delicious outer shell.
Why you’ll love these Air Fryer Baked Potatoes
- a cheap idea for lunch or dinner
- the air fryer makes the potato on the inside fluffy and moist and the outside crispy, salty and delicious.
- one bag lasts for a week of lunches or dinners, so you’re able to get a lot out of one purchase.
- depending on what toppings you love, you can keep the cost down further by being reserved in what you top with.
- Air Fryer Baked Potatoes pair great with a simple salad or roasted veggie.
Why is the Air Fryer better?
So I feel like this is a very opinion based question. In our opinion, the crispiness of the outside, the fluffiness of the inside and the timing are all reasons why we think the Air Fryer Baked Potatoes are better than any other method.
Is it easy to make Air Fryer Baked Potatoes?
It definitely is. Simply follow what we do and you’re going to wind up with delicious, steaming potatoes just in time for your next meal.
Start by preparing the potatoes. Here’s how: Simply wash each potato thoroughly, poke several holes into the potato with a fork. This will allow the steam to escape while cooking which helps get you that fluffier potato.
Coat the entire potato in olive oil and sprinkle salt to coat. Place in your air fryer basket and try to keep them from touching.
This is what the potatoes look like after they are cooked. As you can see they have a now crispy outside with a nice coating of salt and in a moment I’ll show you the inside.
Now like I said, depending on what toppings you love, you can even stretch those and your budget if you shop smart. Here are a few tips.
- purchase bulk bacon, fry it up and crumble it yourself. This bacon can both be refrigerated in an airtight container, but it can also be frozen until you’re ready to use it. Look for coupons, sales and deals to be able to get the best bargain on bacon.
- two ways to save on cheese – either buy blocks of cheese and grate it or shred it yourself. With blocks you can cover them and just shred when you’re ready to use it. You can also purchase large over size bags of shredded cheese that can last you for a bit. You can also freeze the cheese if needed.
- for green onions, you can purchase a bunch of green onions, and as soon as you get them home, remove the bands and place them into a glass of water nearby where you would use them. Every few days you can chop them down a bit and place them in a mason jar with a sealed lid to save for the next time you need them. I’ve had the same green onions for about a month now and I just keep trimming them every time I need them.
- Having herb plants in your kitchen that you can trim when you need the flavoring in a meal. It’s an easy, inexpensive way to flavor your meals.
However you choose to save money, budget friendly meals are an important part of your food budget.
You can just put butter, and some salt and pepper on these potatoes and you have a full meal or a nice side dish either way.
Recommended Air Fryers
These are the three air fryers we recommend. We will not recommend an appliance that we don’t own in our own kitchen and these are almost always the different appliances we test all of our recipes on.
Your air fryer will be a personal choice, but if you decide to purchase one through one of our links, we may earn a small commission.
- Instant Pot Vortex Plus 6-Quart Air Fryer
- Instant Pot Vortex Plus XL 8-quart Dual Basket Air Fryer
- PowerXL Air Fryer 7 QT Maxx Classic
Printable Recipe
Air Fryer Baked Potatoes
Suggested Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 baking potato
- 1 tbs olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Begin by preheating your air fryer to 400 degrees F. Prepare your potato by poking holes all over with a fork. Cover the potato in olive oil, and then sprinkle well with salt.
- Set the timer on your air fryer for 15 minutes. At 15 minutes, flip the potato over.
- Return to air fryer for an additional 15 minutes or so.
- Carefully remove potatoes, split down the middle and serve with any toppings you love.
