How long to bake a potato, in the air fryer or the oven

A medium potato takes about 45 minutes in the air fryer and an hour in the oven. Pick how you are baking it and how big it is, and the timer tells you when to turn it.

10:00

How are you baking it?

How big is it?

Press Esc to close, Space to pause

Sound Notify me in other tabs

You left this tab while the timer was running. A notification can reach you from a tab you cannot see.

How to bake a potato in the air fryer in three steps

Scrub, dry and prick it

Scrub the potatoes under the tap and dry them properly, because a wet skin steams instead of crisping. Prick each one four or five times with a fork, rub with a little oil and roll it in coarse salt.
Into the air fryer, with room around it

Preheat the air fryer to 200 °C (400 °F), then lay the potatoes in the basket with space between them so the air can reach all round. Start the timer and turn them over when it says turn. In the oven the method is the same, straight onto the middle shelf.
Test the middle with a skewer

A thin skewer or knife should slide into the thickest part with no resistance at all. If it catches, give it five more minutes. Cut it open straight away so the steam escapes and the inside stays fluffy.

Baked potato times by size and method

Air fryer and oven at 200 °C (400 °F), preheated, turned halfway. Microwave on high at about 1000 W, turned halfway, plus 2 minutes standing. Weights are for one potato. A jacket potato is the same thing by its British name.

Not yet Firm, waxy and see-through in the middle. Ten more minutes.
Just right White, dry and fluffy all the way through.
Too long Dry and yellow at the edges, the skin hard and shrunken.

Baking time for a potato by size in the air fryer, the oven and the microwave
Potato	Air fryer	Oven	Microwave
Small, 150 g	30–35 min	40–45 min	5–7 min
Medium, 250 g	40–45 min	50–60 min	7–9 min
Large, 350 g	50–55 min	65–75 min	10–12 min
Two medium at once	45–50 min	55–60 min	12–15 min
Sweet potato, medium	35–40 min	45–50 min	5–7 min
Sweet potato, large	45–50 min	55–65 min	8–10 min

A baked potato is done at about 96 to 99 °C (205 to 210 °F) in the middle, which is where the starch turns dry and fluffy. Below that it is cooked but still dense. A skewer that slides in with no resistance tells you the same thing without a thermometer.

At 180 °C (350 °F) add about 15 minutes to the oven times, and at 220 °C (425 °F) take about 10 off. Wrapping in foil does not make it faster. It steams the potato, so the skin comes out soft instead of crisp.

If you bake potatoes in foil, do not leave them sitting out. The CDC lists foil-wrapped baked potatoes as a source of botulism, and advises keeping them at 60 °C (140 °F) or hotter until served, or loosening the foil and refrigerating them.

Food safety

What the official guidance says

Potatoes baked in foil: A listed source of botulism. Keep them at 60 °C (140 °F) or hotter until served, or loosen the foil and refrigerate them at 4 °C (40 °F) or colder.
Source: CDC
Green or sprouted potatoes: Cut off any green, damaged or sprouted parts before cooking. They can hold higher levels of natural toxins.
Source: UK Food Standards Agency

Checked against the official pages, September 2026.

For crisp skin

Dry skin, a little oil and coarse salt, and no foil. The air fryer does this better than the oven, because the fan dries the surface the whole time the middle is cooking.

For an oven potato, give it the last five minutes at 220 °C (425 °F) to crisp the skin. Rubbing the oil on after the first half hour, rather than at the start, also helps.

Microwave first, then crisp

The fastest way to a crisp-skinned potato is both: 5 to 6 minutes in the microwave to cook the middle, then 12 to 15 minutes in the air fryer at 200 °C (400 °F) for the skin. It takes under half the time of the air fryer alone.

A potato that has only been microwaved has a soft, thin skin and a slightly wetter inside. It is fine under beans and cheese, and less good on its own.

Which potatoes to bake

Use a floury potato: russet in the US, Maris Piper or King Edward in the UK. They bake up dry and fluffy. Waxy and new potatoes stay dense and are better boiled, which the potato timer covers.

Pick potatoes of the same size if you are baking several. The times go by the biggest one in the basket, and a small one next to it will be done first.

Popular timers

Questions about baked potatoes

How long does a baked potato take in the air fryer?

40 to 45 minutes at 200 °C (400 °F) for a medium potato of about 250 g, turned over halfway. A small one takes 30 to 35 minutes and a large one 50 to 55. Preheat the air fryer and leave space around each potato in the basket.

How long do you bake a potato in the oven?

50 to 60 minutes at 200 °C (400 °F) for a medium potato, straight on the rack. At 180 °C (350 °F) it takes 65 to 75 minutes, and at 220 °C (425 °F) about 45 to 50. A large potato needs 10 to 15 minutes more at any of them.

How long do you microwave a potato?

7 to 9 minutes on high for a medium potato: 5 minutes, turn it over, then 3 to 4 more, and let it stand for 2 minutes before cutting it open. Prick it first. Two potatoes take 12 to 15 minutes, turned halfway.

How long do sweet potatoes take in the air fryer?

35 to 40 minutes at 200 °C (400 °F) for a medium sweet potato, turned halfway, and 45 to 50 for a large one. They cook a little faster than ordinary potatoes and are done when the flesh is completely soft and sugary juice starts to bubble out of the skin.

Should you wrap a baked potato in foil?

Only if you want soft skin. Foil traps the steam, so the potato cooks in the same time but the skin stays pale and soft rather than crisp. If you do use foil, do not leave the potatoes at room temperature afterwards: keep them hot or loosen the foil and refrigerate them, as the CDC advises.

How do you know when a baked potato is done?

A skewer or thin knife slides into the thickest part with no resistance, and the potato gives when you squeeze it gently in an oven glove. Inside, it should be white and fluffy all the way through, at about 96 to 99 °C (205 to 210 °F). A firm, waxy, see-through centre needs more time.

Do you have to prick a potato before baking?

In the microwave, yes. Steam builds up fast inside the skin and an unpricked potato can split open. In the oven or air fryer it matters less, but a few fork holes let the steam out and help the inside stay dry and fluffy.

How long does a jacket potato take?

A jacket potato is a baked potato by its British name, and the times are the same: about 45 minutes in the air fryer or an hour in the oven at 200 °C for a medium Maris Piper or King Edward. For a crisper jacket, give it the last five minutes at 220 °C.

Can you leave baked potatoes out overnight?

No. Cooked potatoes should go in the fridge within two hours, and potatoes baked in foil are a particular risk: the CDC lists them as a source of botulism when left at room temperature. Loosen or remove the foil and refrigerate them.