These Air Fryer Twice Baked Potatoes are the ultimate creamy, cheesy side dish. Soft and fluffy potatoes, sour cream, bacon, cheese, and chives stuffed inside crisp potato skins, they pair perfectly with all kinds of main dishes.
Air fryer twice baked potatoes start as air fryer baked potatoes but take things one step further. We scoop out the insides and mix it with all the loaded goodness like sour cream, cheese, bacon, and plenty of seasonings. Then we add the filling back into the potato skins and bake once more until golden on top!
They come out with crispy potato skins with a flavorful, creamy potato filling. They’re like a loaded baked potato with the toppings mixed in!
I love the convenience of air fryer twice baked potatoes because I can make enough to serve 4 without turning on the oven. And they’re an easy side dish that pairs well with almost anything!
Twice Baked Air Fryer Potatoes
Why you’ll love this recipe
- They’re basically a loaded baked potato with a twist!
- Leftovers are just as good.
- If you love all things sour cream, cheese, and bacon, you’re going to love these.
- They’re a side dish, but they’re filling enough to be a main meal.
Helpful Tools
Ingredients
Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this recipe, why you need them, and possible substitutions. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card with measurements.
Jump- Potatoes: I prefer to use Russet potatoes for most types of baked potatoes. The skin is sturdy enough to hold the filling and it crisps up very nicely.
- Olive oil, salt, and pepper: Used to coat the potato before the first bake. You’ll also need salt and pepper in the filling.
- Garlic powder and onion powder: A little extra seasoning for the filling!
- Salted butter: Adding butter to the baked potato flesh helps to make it creamy. The buttery flavor doesn’t hurt either.
- Sour cream and cheddar cheese: Provides tang and creaminess from the sour cream and a bit of sharpness from the cheddar. Shred the cheese off the block for maximum creaminess.
- Bacon: If your oven is on, cooking bacon in the oven is my favorite method. You can crisp it up however you like.
- Optional garnish: Chopped chives or green onions.
How to make Twice Baked Potatoes in the Air Fryer
This section shows you how to make this recipe, with process photos showing the steps to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
Jump- Step One: Preheat the air fryer to 375°F, and while it heats, wash and dry the potatoes and prick each one with a fork. Make sure to dry the potatoes well to remove any surface moisture.
- Step Two: Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Do this over a baking sheet so it catches any mess. Place the potatoes in the air fryer to cook for 35 minutes until the potatoes can be pierced easily with a fork.
- Step Three: Use tongs to remove the potatoes to a plate. Carefully slice them in half lengthwise and scoop out the flesh into a mixing bowl. Leave a 1/4 inch border along the rims of the potato. This ensures they won’t be too flimsy.
- Step Four: Add the seasonings, butter, sour cream, cheese, bacon, and chives to the bowl of potatoes and mash with a fork. Divide the potato mixture and stuff the potato skins with even amounts of filling.
- Step Five: Increase the air fryer temperature to 400°F and bake the stuffed potatoes for another 8-10 minutes until the tops are golden and the cheese is melted. Top with extra sour cream, bacon, and chives, and enjoy while warm!
How to serve it
Air fryer twice baked potatoes can be served as any other potato side dish would! With a nice juicy steak, slow cooker steak bites, or a big bowl of slow cooker chili. You could serve it with crockpot honey bourbon chicken or as one of many holiday side dishes.
If you’re having one for lunch, all you’d need is a light chopped veggie salad to pair it with.
- Fresh minced garlic can be used in place of the garlic powder.
- You can also use Plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream for something a little lighter.
- If shredded cheddar isn’t your favorite, you can use Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, or Colby Jack instead.
- Be generous with the seasoning on the potato skins. There’s nothing better than a salty crispy skin!
- Be careful when scooping out the potato flesh. If you don’t leave enough of a border, the skin may break.
- If you want more stuffing in your twice baked potatoes, bake an extra potato and use the filling from that one too!
Storage & Reheating
How to store leftovers
Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The skins won’t be soggy, but they’ll be softer than they once were.
Reheating Instructions
I recommend reheating them in the air fryer for 8-10 minutes at 375°F to crisp them back up again. You can also use the microwave if you’re in a hurry.
FAQs
Can I bake the potatoes a different way?
You can bake the potatoes however you want. I’ve made a baked potato in air fryer, slow cooker baked potatoes, and baked potatoes in the oven at 400°F for an hour. In a pinch, you can microwave them for 5-8 minutes on high.
What else can I add to my filling?
Anything you want! Jalapeños for some heat, ranch dressing (or ranch seasoning) for the bacon and ranch flavor combination, caramelized onions, blue cheese crumbles, diced ham—you name it!
Need more potato side dish recipes? Try these:
Crispy Roasted Baked Potato Wedges
Click here to view my entire collection of side dish recipes.
Did You Make This?
If you made this recipe, I’d love to know how it went in the comments section below.
You can also tag me on Instagram – @melissa_ppplates or share a pic in the Persnickety Plates Community Facebook group. I love seeing what you’ve tried!
Air Fryer Twice Baked Potatoes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 medium russet potatoes
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons salt divided
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- garlic powder to taste
- onion powder to taste
- 2 Tablespoons salted butter
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ⅓ cup shredded cheddar cheese divided
- 2 strips cooked bacon divided
- chopped chives or green onions optional garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 375°F while you're preparing the potatoes.
- Wash, dry and prick each potato with a fork.2 medium russet potatoes
- Over a baking sheet or plate, drizzle the potatoes with olive oil and salt and place them in the basket of the air fryer.2 teaspoons olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt
- Cook at 375°F for 35 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Use tongs to remove the potatoes from the air fryer basket, then carefully slice them in half lengthwise.
- Use a spoon to scrape the insides into a medium mixing bowl, leaving approximately ¼" border along the rim of each potato.
- Add the remaining 1 teaspoon salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, butter, sour cream, cheese, bacon and chives to the bowl and mash with a fork.½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, 2 Tablespoons salted butter, ¼ cup sour cream, ⅓ cup shredded cheddar cheese, 2 strips cooked bacon
- Stuff the potato skins with the mixture and return to the air fryer to cook at 400°F for an additional 8-10 minutes or until the tops are golden and the cheese is melted.
- Top with additional sour cream and sprinkle with bacon and chives before serving warm.chopped chives or green onions
Notes
- Swap garlic powder with fresh minced garlic if preferred.
- Greek yogurt works as a lighter sour cream alternative.
- Try other cheeses like Monterey Jack or Colby Jack.
- Season potato skins well for extra flavor and crunch.
- Leave a border when scooping to keep skins intact.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
