Air Fryer Potato Skins

Air Fryer Potato Skins are perfectly crispy and loaded with two types of cheese, sour cream, and lots of bacon. Of course, everyone has their own personal preference of what makes the best potato skins so put the toppings on the side. 

Looking for more great recipes? How about our Crispy Air Fryer Potatoes with crunchy outsides and fluffy insides? Or you might enjoy our Air Fryer Baked Sweet Potatoes with butter and cinnamon. For a different way to eat your sweet potatoes, our Air Fryer Sweet Potato Wedges are amazing with smoked paprika and cinnamon. 

This potato skin recipe is actually my family’s favorite appetizer so I try to make a batch every game day and sometimes just for an afterschool snack.

These can also be eaten as a side dish to any meal like our tangy cranberry orange pork tenderloin or this savory pumpkin pot roast. 

Also, this is a great way to enjoy the health benefits of potato peels with all sorts of delicious toppings like cheese, sour cream, and bacon. 

Ingredients needed:

For the precise measurements and instructions, scroll down to our handy recipe card at the bottom of the page. But these are the basic ingredients you need for these crispy skins:

• Baked potatoes: Try our recipe for air fryer baked potatoes.
• Cheddar jack cheese: Shredded and divided.
• Pepper jack cheese: Shredded.
• Bacon: Cooked and chopped.
• Sour cream: You can also use Greek yogurt.
• Chives: Freshly chopped.
• Olive oil

How do you make air fryer potato skins?

1. Preheat: First, preheat your fryer to 385 degrees F. 
2. Prepare: Meanwhile, prepare your skins by cutting your baked potatoes lengthwise and scooping out the inside of the potato halves, leaving about ¼ inch to make the shells stronger.
3. Oil: Next, brush the potatoes with olive oil and season them with salt and pepper. 
4. Cooking spray: Also, spritz the air fryer basket with cooking spray so the skins do not stick. 
5. Cook: Immediately, place the shells in a single layer upside down so the skin is on top. Cook for five minutes, flip, and cook for five more minutes. Cooking time may vary depending on the size of the taters and your air fryer. 
6. Cheese: Lastly, sprinkle a little bit of both cheeses inside the shells and cook for five more minutes. They are done when the skin is golden brown, and the cheese is melted.
7. Melted cheese: Then, remove and place these on a baking sheet in a warm oven while you finish cooking the rest of the skins. You want your cheese to stay melted.
8. Serve: Finally, place the homemade potato skins on a serving tray with your favorite toppings like sour cream, cheese, bacon, and whatever else you like. 

How to serve:

These loaded potato skins are the perfect appetizer for game day or any time you want a hearty snack. They are also great as a side dish.

• Don’t forget the butter. Place a bowl of your favorite butter or margarine for anyone who wants some. 
• Make pizza skins by using mozzarella cheese and pepperoni with the bacon bits. 
• Alternatively, make taco skins using ground beef, salsa, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese. 
• Why not add a dollop of chili to your taters and have them for the main dish? 
• Use the inside of the potatoes to make mashed potatoes for tomorrow’s dinner. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Are potato skins bad for you? 

No. As long as you clean the potato well, you should eat the skins. Just like many other vegetables and fruits, the skin is where most of the health benefits are.

In this case, potato skins are a good source of many of your daily values of certain vitamins. 

For example, you will get 28% of your RDI of vitamin C, 27% of your RDI of vitamin B6, and 26% of the potassium you need.

Potatoes and their skins are also full of fiber, antioxidants, and help control blood sugar. 

Is it safe to eat sprouted potatoes?

If your potatoes have turned green or started growing sprouts, you are better off throwing them away than taking the chance and eating them.

Potatoes have two kinds of natural toxins, chaconine, and solanine, that can cause gastrointestinal upset like abdominal pain, indigestion, diarrhea, and vomiting. 

Can I eat raw potatoes?

Eating raw potatoes is not bad for you per se, but it may cause stomach upset in some people. If you have a sensitive stomach or are allergic to any foods, it is probably a good idea to cook them first.

Raw potatoes have antinutrients, which can actually rob you of the nutrition you thought you were getting from the potato in the first place. 

How to store leftovers:

1. Store: Store leftover skins in your refrigerator in an airtight container for up to three days.
2. Freeze: To freeze, make sure they are cooled down to room temperature before putting them in a freezer-safe container and storing them for up to 90 days in the freezer. 
3. Thaw: Be sure to move these to the fridge the night before you want to serve them.  
4. Reheat: The best way to turn frozen potato skins into crispy potato skins is to put them in the oven at 375 degrees F for five minutes. 

More side dishes:

Cooking tips:

• You can bake the potatoes in the microwave instead of in the air fryer or oven to save time. Poke holes all around it and place it on a microwave-safe plate. Cook for five minutes, flip, and cook for seven or eight more minutes. Then, let them cool before using them for potato skins. 
• Russet potatoes are good baking potatoes, but you can use any kind of this recipe.
• Using a pastry brush to coat your skins in oil is much easier.
• It is also easier to use bacon bits instead of your own fresh bacon chopped. 
• If this is your first time using your fryer, make sure you leave enough space between the taters so the hot air can circulate.