Air Fryer Jacket Potatoes

These easy Air Fryer Jacket Potatoes are THE quickest way to make the best baked potatoes ever! Making a jacket potato in the air fryer and microwave is so easy and an absolute game changer. Plus they’re naturally gluten free!

Nothing beats an air fryer baked potato that is gorgeously crisp on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. Slather with melted butter and you’ve hit the jackpot!

Jacket potatoes are a really simple, naturally gluten free meal and are also super budget friendly. But cooking them to crisp perfection in the oven can take hours.

That’s why I’m sharing my favourite air fryer jacket potato recipe!

Not only is it SO tasty, but using a combination of the microwave and air fryer for baked potatoes makes it super quick.

Trust me, once you’ve made air fryer baked potatoes with the microwave you’ll never go back.

Try them loaded with my slow cooker chilli con carne or easy coconut chicken curry, served with cold cuts of air fryer gammon or with your favourite Greek salad.

Ingredients

As this is the base recipe for a meal, it’s really very simple – you only need three ingredients to make these easy air fryer jacket potatoes:

• Baking Potatoes – These tend to be King Edward or Maris Piper potatoes. In the US use russet potatoes. I buy the loose ‘baking potatoes’ in the supermarket as you can pick the ones you like then look of, rather than the pre-packaged ones!
• Olive Oil – Just a little olive oil on the outside of the potatoes will really help to crisp up the skin. You can use other oils if you like, just be aware that oils like FryLite can damage the non-stick coating of the air fryer over time.
• Salt – I always use sea salt flakes and rub them into the oiled potatoes before cooking. It adds to the crunch and just makes them taste insanely good!

Should I microwave my potatoes before air frying?

You can make baked potatoes in the air fryer without microwaving them first. But a quick zap in the microwave makes it so much quicker!

Air frying baked potatoes will take around 40 minutes, but if you microwave them first to cook the inside you can pretty much halve this.

Yes, air fryers are cheap to run. But microwaves are even cheaper. So a 7-10 minute microwave cook followed by 20 minutes in the air fryer to crisp them up is my favourite way.

Baked potatoes in the air fryer and microwave is the dream combination if you ask me.

How long do you microwave baked potatoes for?

How long to microwave your jacket potatoes for completely depends on the weight of potato, how many you are cooking, and your microwave.

To microwave jacket potatoes before air frying you want them cooked enough that you can insert a sharp knife into them with ease.

It takes me 7-10 minutes to achieve this, microwaving two potatoes (around 200-250g each) in my 700W microwave.

If you’re cooking four potatoes you may find it takes 10-12 minutes. For one potato I usually microwave it for around 5 minutes.

And if you have a more powerful microwave you’ll probably need to cut the cooking time down a little too.

It can be a little bit of trial and error but once you’ve found the perfect timings for your chosen potato size/quantity and microwave, you’ll be away!

I always used to microwave my jacket potatoes before baking them in the oven to speed things along so it feels only natural to do the same with the air fryer too.

How to make a jacket potato in air fryer and microwave

Making jacket potatoes using the air fryer and microwave only takes a few simple steps:

Wash and scrub the potatoes then pat dry. This just removes any excess dirt from them.

Prick them all over with a fork then microwave for 7-10 minutes, until a sharp knife to easily insert into the potato.

Carefully remove the potatoes onto a plate. Drizzle on a little oil and sprinkle with salt, then rub this into the potato skins.

Place the potatoes in the air fryer basket. Air fry at 200C for 20-25 minutes, until crisp on the outside. Serve straight away, loaded with your favourite fillings!

That’s really how simple it is! Don’t forget to scroll down for my printable recipe card too.

Serving Suggestions

Baked potatoes are SUCH a great base for a meal and wonderful as a side dish. Some suggestions for serving these include:

• Filling them with baked beans and cheese, tuna mayonnaise, prawns and homemade marie rose sauce or bacon and brie for an excellent lunch.
• Layering them up with homemade chilli con carne, soured cream, easy guacamole and grated cheese on top for dinner.
• Having them as a side dish with my Greek Chicken Kebabs in summer or loaded up with my Slow Cooker Campfire Stew in the winter.
• As part of a summer salad or BBQ spread with Greek salad, a tasty Watermelon and Feta Salad and homemade burgers.
• Have them as a hearty winter warmer with my chicken casserole recipe or my creamy Tuscan chicken.
• Enjoy them with cold cuts after a roast dinner, with slices of my Air Fryer Gammon Joint or leftover Summer Roast Chicken.

Honestly the choice for filling these baked potatoes is endless – I’d love to know your favourite fillings in the comments below!

Frequently Asked Questions

The recipe for these air fryer jacket potatoes is below. But here are some answers to questions I frequently get asked. If you can’t find what you need, leave a comment!

If you make this recipe and love it, please do let me know by tagging me on my Instagram or using #theglutenfreeblogger. You can also share your creations in my Facebook group! And please do leave a 5* review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ to let others know you loved it too! It would mean the world to me and really helps support my website.