Air Fryer Jacket Potatoes

This recipe will show you how to bake a potato in an air fryer to achieve a deliciously crispy skin and a fluffy centre.

Air-fried foods, like jacket potatoes, are taking the world by storm due to the many benefits it can bring, from being energy efficient to speeding up the cooking by 40 minutes! In contrast, baking a jacket potato in the oven at 200C will take roughly 1 hour – 1 hour 20 minutes – that’s a pretty long time when you can have a perfectly baked potato in minutes. Plus, it’s a easy to make, you simply put the potato in the air fryer basket and bake!

You can use two methods to make a showstopping jacket potato in the air fryer:

1. Microwave them first, and then finish off the baking process in the air fryer.
2. Air frying them for the full length of time.

Our recipe follows the second method, where we will be air frying the jacket potato for the whole duration. This is the easier method to follow as you do not need any further equipment!

If you are wanting to microwave the potatoes first, we recommend cooking on high for 8 minutes, and then air frying for a further 8 minutes. This method will is quicker than our method, as you are speeding up the cooking process with heating the jacket potato in the microwave first, softening the outer, hard skin.

When choosing what type of jacket potato to bake with, we recommend medium to large varieties that have soft, fluffy centres. Specific types of potatoes you need to look for are Maris Piper or King Edwards as these are considered the best for baking. If you are based in America, we recommend looking for Russet Potatoes, which are also known as Idaho potatoes.

How to cook jacket potatoes in an air dryer?

1. Start by washing the potatoes to remove any dirt and impurities. Then, pat dry with kitchen paper or a towel.
2. Begin pricking the potatoes with a fork. We recommend pricking about 4 times around each potato.
3. Transfer the potatoes to a plate or bowl, rubbing with olive oil and a generous sprinkle of Maldon sea salt flakes. Set aside.
4. Spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray or cooking oil to create a non-stick layer so that the potatoes will not stick together.
5. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer in the air fryer basket.
6. Set the air fryer to 200c and cook for 40 minutes until the potatoes are crispy on the outside and fluffy in the middles. We rotated the potatoes after 20 minutes to have an even bake on each side. The baked potatoes should be done when a sharp knifes can go through them easily.
7. When baked, the skin on the jacket potatoes should be perfectly crisp and the inside tender and fluffy as you cut through the centre.

What to have with jacket potatoes?

Toppings and fillings:

We chose to fill our jacket potato with a classic tuna mayonnaise. The combination of tuna, creamy mayonnaise with a handful of spring onion and chives gives this lunchtime favourite plenty of flavour and is easy to make.

Here is how to make tuna mayonnaise:

1. Drain the tuna and add to a bowl.
2. Mix with the mayonnaise, a pinch of Maldon sea salt flakes, cracked black pepper, chopped chives and spring onions.
3. Open the jacket potatoes and melt some butter on first.
4. Spoon in the tuna mayonnaise, and top with grated cheddar. Sprinkle with a final few chives.

Other toppings can include:

• Baked beans. Either home-made or branded like Heinz, this is the ultimate comfort food dish and makes a great healthy option for your supper.
• Chilli / Chilli con carne. Use up your leftovers by filling your jacket potatoes with chilli. Perfect when you are short on time and want to feed a family.
• Cheese. Simple but much-loved. There are many types of cheese that you can use, but cheddar is the most common due to the irresistible creaminess is gives out when it melts on top of a steaming baked potato.

What to serve with jacket potatoes:

• Salad. A refreshing caprese salad is the perfect pairing for a jacket potato. The sweet heirloom tomatoes mixed with creamy buffalo mozzarella compliments the fluffy centre of the baked potato, creating a delicious, melt-in-your-mouth experience.
• Broccoli. Roasted tender stem broccoli provides nutrients and is infused with sweet, earthy goodness which matches the same flavour profile of the jacket potato. Laid on a bed of creamy feta, you’ll be going in for seconds!
• Steak. It’s a classic combination that you see in most restaurants! A juicy ribeye steak with a jacket potato on the side is a match-made-in-haven as the tender meat and juices are soaked up nicely with the baked potato, holding flavour as you savour every bite.

Can you cook frozen jacket potatoes in an air fryer?

The simple answer is yes!

You can certainly cook frozen jacket potatoes in the air fryer. We used McCain Ready Baked Jacket Potatoes, which are already pre-oven baked and are super convenient if you are struggling for time and want a tasty, fuss-free meal!

As the jacket potatoes are already pre-oven baked, simply put them in the air fryer at 180C for around 20 minutes. Depending on the size of the potato, cooking time may vary slightly so keep having intervals between baking to see if they are baking evenly.