How to Cook Frozen Potato Skins in Air Fryer – Secret Revealed!

When football season starts up, I’m always looking for easy ways to get some game day snacks on the table for the family. I never want to spend hours cooking, though! So, let me tell you how to cook frozen potato skins in the air fryer. Trust me, it’s a complete game changer and you’re going to love it!

If you’ve ever tried this before and were left with browned, burned looking cheese, don’t worry. There’s a secret trick to preventing that and I’ve got all the details for you below.

Flex your cooking muscles some, and see how incredibly easy it is to make homemade potato skins in the air fryer! You’ll β€œwow” your friends and family!

frozen potato skins in air fryer recipe card dinnersdonequick

What Temperature Do I Cook Frozen Potato Skins in the Air Fryer?

Frozen potato skins should be cooked at a temperature of 400 degrees Fahrenheit (204C) in the air fryer.

I prefer using the frozen version, which saves the additional prep time of cooking and stuffing the potato skins in advance. However, if you have food allergies or want to modify the ingredients for the health content, making your own is stillΒ  a great option as well.

How Long Do Frozen Potato Skins Take in the Air Fryer?

Frozen potato skins, such as TGI Fridays, should take about 4 minutes in the air fryer to cook on their own.Β 

If you plan to use our foil method to prevent burning, it will take about 8 minutes instead.

Homemade takes less time as you really just want the cheese to melt, but you won’t need to defrost the potato skins as part of the process. With these frozen ones, the trick is to get the cold out and then heat them up!

Should you need more appetizers (like for a Super Bowl party), then try making these delicious frozen air fryer mac and cheese bites! They definitely come out nice and cheesy in your air fryer!

How to Make Frozen Potato Skins in the Air Fryer:

  1. Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees F, following manufacturer instructions
  2. Remove frozen potato skins from all packaging
take frozen potato skins out of packaging
  1. Wrap 2 potato skins in a foil packet, securing at the top but leaving the ends open
place frozen potato skins on aluminum foil
  1. Place potato skin foil packet in air fryer basket
place aluminum foil potato skins packet into air fryer basket
  1. Cook at 400 degrees for 8 minutes
  2. Check the temperature of the potato skins in the middle, which should be 165 degrees F
  3. Return and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes if temperature isn’t high enough
  4. Transfer to a plate, top with sour cream or greek yogurt (optional) and enjoy!
serve air fryer potato skins with sour cream or garnish

Let me tell you – the foil packet is a game changer! We’ve tried every which way to Sunday to cook frozen potato skins in our air fryer. Different temperatures, times, and quantities – you name it. We always got brown, drab-looking cheese.Β 

It tasted fine, but those were some ugly potatoes. We even resorted to adding additional cheese on top just to hide how unappetizing they looked!Β  Once I figured out that I could use the foil to keep the cheese from browning during cooking though, I knew we had a winner.

Check out the full list of ingredients and instructions in the handy recipe card below!

This method works great for both FarmRich and TGI Fridays frozen potato skins, though I’m sure it would be great with any brand you have available.Β 

Are Air Fried Potato Skins Healthy?

Air fried potato skins contain less oil than their deep fried counterparts, so in that way they are healthier. However, most potato skins are stuffed with bacon and cheese, which isn’t making healthy food lists anytime soon.

That said, the skins of the potatoes themselves are considered healthy for you. Loaded potato skins make for a fun appetizer or game day treat. As long as you enjoy them in moderation like any snack food, you should be fine.

For reference, the frozen FarmRich brand potato skins that we often buy contains:

  • Serving size of 2 potato skins
  • 270 Calories
  • 7g Saturated Fat
  • 510mg Sodium
  • 11g Protein
  • 1g Sugar

If you decide to make homemade potato skins instead, you can sub turkey bacon and low fat cheese to shave down some of those numbers.

What Can You Eat With Potato Skins?

  1. Serve as a side with steaks (like a mini loaded baked potato)
  2. Other appetizers, such as wings, mozzarella sticks, jalapeno poppers, etc
  3. Dippers, such as sour cream, salsa, chipotle sauce, etc
  4. Meatloaf
  5. Cauliflower steaks
  6. Salad

The last two options may help you feel better about having something more β€œhealthy” to go alongside your loaded potato skins.

If you’re really interested in cauliflower, then find out how these delicious air fryer frozen cauliflower wings make another great handheld appetizer!

However, I really think you can sub potato skins wherever you’d think to add a potato dish, such as a baked potato or air fryer scalloped potatoes with ham, in general.

If you go the salad route, did you know you can make croutons in the air fryer to top it with? It’s simple and delicious!

Conclusion

Potato skins are a great snack, appetizer, or tailgating finger food. What’s even better is that you’re able to make frozen potato skins in your air fryer in under 10 minutes!Β 

For another easy handheld munchie, you can alsoΒ cook Hot Pockets in the air fryer!

Whether you start with frozen TGI Friday’s potato skins or decide to make your own, you’ll be happily enjoying this cheesy treat. Plus, since the potato skins themselves are technically healthy, I can feel less guilt and get back to enjoying the game!

If you’re interested in some crunchier appetizers, then check out my guide on cooking frozen onion rings in the air fryer! They equally delicious!

frozen potato skins in air fryer dinners done quick featured image

Frozen Potato Skins in Air Fryer

Learn how to make frozen potato skins in the air fryer that won't burn and taste great!
5 from 1 vote
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 8 minutes
Course Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine American, Tailgate
Servings 2 Potato skins
Calories 270 kcal

Ingredients
Β Β 

  • 2 frozen potato skins
  • Sour cream or other garnish

Instructions
Β 

  • Preheat air fryer to 400Β°F (204Β°C)
  • Remove frozen potato skins from all packaging
  • Place two potato skins in a piece of aluminum foil. Fold the top to secure, leaving the ends open
    2 frozen potato skins
  • Set the potato-filled foil packet in your air fryer basket
  • Cook for 8 minutes, or until potato skins reach 165Β°F
  • Remove carefully using tongs by grabbing the top

Notes

  • The foil packet is the secret to keeping your cheese from burning as it cooks!
  • If you want to forego the foil, reduce the cooking time to 4 minutes. The cheese will brown very quickly, so check your potato skins often and do any additional cooking time in small increments to prevent burning
  • You may want to top with additional cheese and melt for about 1 minute to hide any over browned cheese
  • The foil packets work best with only 2 potato skins in them. As you can see, I’ve tried 3 and the middle one is about 20 degrees colder than the other two. It’s best to do them in batches if you have a larger quantity
  • Make sure to leave space between potato skins for even cooking
  • Garnish with sour cream, chipotle sauce, ranch, or similar if desired

Nutrition

Serving: 91gCalories: 270kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 11gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 40mgSodium: 510mgFiber: 4gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 180IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 250mgIron: 4.5mg
Keyword air fryer, appetizer, frozen potato skins, potato skins, Super Bowl snacks
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how to cook frozen potato skins in the air fryer dinnersdonequick pin
Katie Vine