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16 Ways to Cook Potatoes in an Air Fryer, Ranked by Time
Published by the RecipeAirFryer editorial team · How we source times · Updated
Potatoes in an air fryer take from 11 minutes for potato skins to 40 minutes for baked potato. 12 of the 16 potato recipes on this site cook at 200°C / 400°F, the hottest common setting, because a crisp outside is the point of almost every one of them.
Key findings
- The median potato recipe cooks for 18 minutes, against 11 for all recipes. Potatoes are among the slower things to air fry.
- 8 of the 16 need shaking, because cut potatoes sit in a pile.
- Chips cost about 13.8p or 9.6¢ in electricity, and a baked potato about 28.3p or 19.7¢.
- Size sets the time. Cubes and thin chips cook in under 20 minutes, and anything left whole takes twice as long.
- Potato Skins11 min
- Twice Baked Potatoes12 min
- Hash Brown Patties12 min
- Hash Browns14 min
- Tater Tots14 min
- Sweet Potato Fries16 min
- Sweet Potato Cubes16 min
- French Fries18 min
- Breakfast Potatoes18 min
- Potato Wedges20 min
- Home Fries20 min
- Smashed Potatoes20 min
- Crispy Roast Potatoes25 min
- Hasselback Potatoes33 min
- Scalloped Potatoes35 min
- Baked Potato40 min
All 16 potato recipes
| Food | Temperature | Time | Flip or shake | Energy (UK) | Energy (US) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Potato Skins | 200°C / 400°F | 10-12 min | No need to flip | 9.2p | 6.4¢ |
| Twice Baked Potatoes | 190°C / 375°F | 10-14 min | No need to flip | 9.9p | 6.9¢ |
| Hash Brown Patties | 200°C / 400°F | 10-14 min | Flip halfway | 9.9p | 6.9¢ |
| Hash Browns | 200°C / 400°F | 12-15 min | Flip halfway | 11.2p | 7.8¢ |
| Tater Tots | 200°C / 400°F | 12-15 min | Shake every 8 min | 11.2p | 7.8¢ |
| Sweet Potato Fries | 190°C / 375°F | 15-18 min | Shake every 5 min | 12.5p | 8.7¢ |
| Sweet Potato Cubes | 200°C / 400°F | 15-18 min | Shake every 8 min | 12.5p | 8.7¢ |
| French Fries | 200°C / 400°F | 15-20 min | Shake every 5 min | 13.8p | 9.6¢ |
| Breakfast Potatoes | 200°C / 400°F | 16-20 min | Shake halfway | 13.8p | 9.6¢ |
| Potato Wedges | 200°C / 400°F | 18-22 min | Shake halfway | 15.1p | 10.5¢ |
| Home Fries | 200°C / 400°F | 18-22 min | Shake every 8 min | 15.1p | 10.5¢ |
| Smashed Potatoes | 200°C / 400°F | 18-22 min | Flip halfway | 15.1p | 10.5¢ |
| Crispy Roast Potatoes | 200°C / 400°F | 20-25 min | Shake every 8 min | 18.4p | 12.8¢ |
| Hasselback Potatoes | 190°C / 375°F | 30-35 min | No need to flip | 23.7p | 16.5¢ |
| Scalloped Potatoes | 180°C / 360°F | 30-40 min | No need to flip | 25.0p | 17.4¢ |
| Baked Potato | 200°C / 400°F | 35-45 min | Turn halfway | 28.3p | 19.7¢ |
Getting potatoes crisp
Dry them. Surface water has to boil off before browning starts, so wet potatoes spend the first minutes steaming. Rinsing cut chips removes surface starch, which helps, but only if they are dried thoroughly afterwards.
Give them room and shake them. A basket filled to the top steams in the middle. A single layer with one or two shakes browns evenly.
Use a little oil. About a tablespoon for a basket of fresh potatoes is enough to carry heat into the surface. Frozen chips need none, because they are par-fried before freezing.
How these figures were worked out
The figures are counted from the 304 recipes published on RecipeAirFryer.com on 2026-10-08. Each recipe has one temperature, a time range, a prep time, an ingredient list and a serving count, and those fields are what is counted here.
The times and temperatures are the starting points given on each recipe page for a standard basket air fryer. They are not laboratory measurements, and air fryers differ between models, so treat the counts as a description of this recipe set, not of every air fryer.
Potato recipes are those with potato, fries, wedges, tots or hash brown in the name, leaving out fries and chips made from other foods.
Energy cost uses a 1,500 W air fryer with a 3-minute preheat at 26.32p per kWh (Ofgem price cap, October to December 2026) and 18.31¢ per kWh (EIA U.S. residential average, July 2026). It is an upper limit, because the element cycles once the basket is hot.
Sources
- Ofgem energy price cap, 1 October to 31 December 2026 (26.32p per kWh, GB average, Direct Debit)
- U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A (18.31 cents per kWh, U.S. residential average, July 2026)
You may quote these figures with a link to this page. If you spot an error, tell us through the contact page and we will correct it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do potatoes take in an air fryer?
From 11 to 40 minutes depending on the cut. Chips take 15-20 min, wedges 18-22 min and a whole baked potato 35-45 min.
What temperature do you cook potatoes in an air fryer?
200°C / 400°F for most recipes. 12 of our 16 potato recipes use it.
Why are my air fryer potatoes not crispy?
Usually a crowded basket or wet potatoes. Dry them well, cook in a single layer, shake during the cook, and use about a tablespoon of oil for fresh potatoes.