Loaded Crunchy Baked Potato Skins: Air Fryer Recipes

Super crunchy Air Fried Potato Skins topped with melted cheese, crumbled bacon and cool creamy sour cream will be the hit at your next get-together! These are so good you’ll want to have a second batch ready to go as they will fly off the plate! They are good for game day watching, Friday night card games or a light meal during the week.

These are great alone or when you want to have a little variety! Other things to pair them with are some Sticky Air Fryer Teriyaki Wings or even another variety of tater skins like these Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Potato Skins!

We’ve been playing lots of card games recently with the world as it is right now and these AIR FRYER LOADED POTATO SKINS have been the main snack we’ve been eating while playing!

Better than any restaurant-style potato skin because they are hot, crispy and still fluffy on the inside—- and did I mention they aren’t deep fried either? (A win for healthier made snacks!)

They are stuffed with all kinds of melted cheddar cheese and crazy amounts of crispy bacon — then once they are done cooking we have a topping bar to with jalapenos, pepperocinis, sour cream, salsa, and just about anything you would ever want on top of your loaded potato skin!

They are great on their own, but you could have a whole party by pairing them with my extra crispy fried chicken wings, 5-minute crack dip or crunchy fried onion rings!

Freaky Friday Time Again!

Today’s post is another edition of Freaky Friday. It’s a fun event with several other food writers that is put on by Michaela at An Affair from the Heart. We all swap sites and introduce you to another site you might have not been familiar with.

It’s a super fun event for me because I can make someone else’s recipe and just enjoy the food! You get a chance to see a new site where you will find lots of new and different recipes you might enjoy!

Take Two Tapas~

This round I have Jennifer from Take Two Tapas– Her website is all about appetizers and cocktails! Jennifer is the real deal— what you read in her work is just how she talks. She can make anything fun.

I’m lucky to be really good friends with Jennifer and have personally had her make some of her recipes for me—- her Mariachi Mash Cocktail to this day is one of my favorite drinks!

She has just about every deviled egg recipe you would ever think of and has and end-all of end-all post on making the BEST deviled eggs ever! If you’ve ever had any question about making the perfect egg, I guarantee you she answers it here!

She can hook you up for any occasion with perfectly themed appetizers from game day dips to large batch cocktails for any get-together. I served her margarita dip for our Cinco de Mayo party this year!

Be sure and bookmark her site so you are covered with all of the latest cocktails and appetizers for your next party!

Today I’m sharing a tip I learned from Jennifer’s oven-baked potato skin recipe. It makes ALL THE DIFFERENCE in having the crispy crunchy skin that makes the Best POTATO SKIN EVER!

It’s been unseasonably hot here so I have tweaked her recipe just in one way to avoid using my oven so my house doesnt get hot! I used my air fryer to make the potato skins.

Why using an Air Fryer is the best way to make Potato Skins

I must admit I’m really loving air fryer cooking and making potato skins in my Phillips air fryer is no exception. The air that swirls around the food gives the potato skin a super crunchy texture just like it was deep-fried, but none of the greasy oil leftover.

Any air fryer works for making potato skins, the NuWave, Gourmia or the Ninja Foodie. All of them will give you a nice crispy texture!

The added bonus of using the air fryer over the oven and not making my house temperature increase was pretty fantastic too!

How to make the best Potato Skins?

• Use the right potato- Idaho and russet potatoes work best.
• The skin will get very crispy and the starch content will still give you a fluffy texture.
• Bake the potatoes (or do as I did for these and baked the potatoes in the air fryer)
• Use a melon baller or a large spoon to remove the potato centers leaving a 1/4″ edge of potato (see photo above)
• Jennifers no-fail trick for the best crispy potato skins is to oil the outside and inside of the potato and bake/air fry on both sides, the potato will get nice and crunchy.
• Be sure and season the potato very generously on the outside for maximum flavor.
• Cook the potatoes at 390° for about 15 minutes total. 5 minutes face down, 5 minutes face up, then 5 minutes after you top them with cheese and bacon.
• Once the potato has gotten crispy, load in all the cheese and bacon to have it melt in the air fryer right before serving!

Common Questions in Making Air Fried Potatoes

Chili Variation

Top with Chili you can make in 30 minutes for another topping option!

More Game Night Party Appetizers:

• Korean Chicken Wings
• 5 minute Crack Dip
• Cream Cheese Shrimp Dip
• Air Fried Pretzel Bites
• Beer Cheese Dip
• Hot Crab Dip
• Meatball Skillet Dip

Be sure and check out all of the other Freaky Friday Recipes!

FREE TIPS FOR ENTERTAINING WITH EASE AND FUN DELICIOUS RECIPES WHEN YOU SIGN UP FOR THE MAILING LIST  BELOW THE RECIPE!

Yield: 8 (2 skins each)

Crispy, Loaded AIr Fried Potato Skins

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Crispy homemade air fryer potato skins come together in no time. Perfect game day snacking or an appetizer for any get-together. Topped with all of your favorite toppings, melted cheese, crumbled crispy bacon, cool sliced green onions and creamy sour cream! Once you've had them air-fried you'll never want them another way again! (Easy to make ahead and serve a crowd too!)

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 8 Air Fryer Baked Potatoes
• 1 Cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded
• 8 Slices of crispy Bacon (see notes about cooking them in the air fryer)
• 1/2 Cup Sour Cream
• 2 green onions, sliced thin horizontally
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil or Olive oil Spray

Instructions

1. Cut the baked potatoes in half lengthwise. Using a spoon or a melon baller remove the potatoes inside, leaving a 1/4" of the potatoes attached to the shell.
2. Brush on olive oil to both sides of the potato. Generously season the skin side with salt and pepper.
3. Place the potato into the air fryer on the tray skin side up.
4. Cook at 390° for 5 minutes.
5. Flip over air fry for 5 more minutes.
6. Open AIr Fryer and sprinkle the cheese over the inside of the potato. Once the cheese is in, crumble the bacon over the top of the cheese.
7. Air fry for 5 more minutes until potato skin is golden brown and the cheese is completely melted.
8. Remove from air fryer and serve with sour cream, green onions and any other toppings you like.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 302Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 34mgSodium: 345mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 4gSugar: 3gProtein: 12g

This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. Please calculate your own nutritional information if you want it exact to what you make and use my calculations as a guide only.

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