Air Fryer Twice Baked Potatoes Irish Style

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Crispy, creamy Air Fryer Twice Baked Potatoes Irish Style loaded with rich flavors. A quick and satisfying side dish the whole family will love. Ready faster than the oven!

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Irish Style Air Fryer Twice Baked Potatoes

We are just a few days away from St. Patrick’s Day, and as a major potato lover, I had to share a spuddy recipe for the occasion! Does anything say “Irish” more than potatoes?

Although I’m not Irish myself and have no Irish roots, that hasn’t stopped me from being called the King of Potatoes. Surprisingly enough, it actually feels like it’s been some time since I’ve shared a potato recipe! If you’re new here, then I gotta give you a quick recap on my love of potatoes. Ever since I was a little boy, I would jump for joy when it was time to eat potatoes. As a small boy, I actually would eat potatoes for every single meal! Yes, breakfast, lunch and dinner! I wouldn’t eat if there weren’t potatoes being served. I eventually grew out of that phase, but to this day I still eat some sort of potato dish nearly every day, to be honest! What’s not to love about potatoes? From McDonald’s Hashbrowns to Indian-style potatoes such as Aloo Tikka Chaat, Indian Aloo and Matar Sabji or Aloo Bhujia, give me any potato and I’ll eat it!

Ever since I shared my British Jacket Potato recipe last year featuring homemade Heinz-style baked beans as the main topping, I was thrilled to make yet another baked potato recipe! This time, we’ll make use of the air fryer to help us out baking these. Also, this is the first time I’ve ever made twice baked potatoes, and let me tell you that they are definitely addictive! This post will show you how easy and fastit is to prepare these twice baked potatoes for any occasion, but the Irish Colcannon filling is going to make these twice baked potatoes extra special for St. Patrick’s Day soon approaching!

Three golden air-fried twice-baked potatoes with creamy Irish colcannon filling on a white plate.

If you’ve always wanted to make the best ever twice-baked potatoes, then take advantage of your air fryer and St. Patrick’s Day to check this off your bucket list as part of your Live to Cook one-month challenge! To get started on your cooking journey for free today, then sign up to my free email newsletter, plus all of my latest recipes will be sent straight to your inbox so you’ve always got new kitchen inspiration!

Check out the video to follow along with the steps to guarantee ultra crispy twice baked potatoes with a super satisfying Irish Colcannon filling! If you’re not already, be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel, and don’t forget to press the bell icon so you’re notified when all of my video recipes are live! Let’s get cooking!

Air fryer twice baked potatoes with Irish colcannon filling being cut open with a fork on a white plate.

What Are Twice Baked Potatoes?

As the name suggests, these potatoes are baked twice! Well, actually, as you’ll soon see in the recipe, there is an option third bake in the middle, but we’ll get to that! The idea is that you first bake the potatoes, and once they’ve finished baking you scoop out the inside and leave just the skins, transferring the insides into a bowl. You add some other mix-ins to create a filling, and you’ll add that filling into your potato skins and bake to get the cheese molten! The optional third bake is to bake the empty shells a little more to get the skin even crispier and hotter before adding the filling in.

Typical ingredients for the filling include butter, sour cream, cheese, herbs, and seasoning. To celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, I’ll be making an Irish Colcannon filling, featuring a sautéed greens mix!

Why You’ll Love Irish Style Air Fryer Twice Baked Potatoes

Glass-shattering crispy skins: The skins on these potatoes are unbelievably crisp! You need to watch the video above to hear for yourself, but trust me, I’ve never had such perfect potato skins before:
Cheesy potato filling: This filling has got everything! Amazing creamy cheese, greens, and crispy bacon if you’re not a vegetarian!
Easy to prep: The prep for the potatoes themselves is super easy, and then you’re just ready to air fry! You can make the greens mix for the colcannon filling as the potatoes are baking, and it’s also super simple to make that too!
Faster than an oven: Baking the potatoes in the air fryer is much faster than an oven, since you cut down on the preheating time by a landslide! I also find that the air fryer does a really fantastic job getting the potato skins even crispier thanks to the way the air circulates rapidly in the confined space.

To Air Fry The Potatoes Wrapped in Foil Or Not?▼

Whatever you see online, the answer is… without the foil! To prove how much of a difference it makes whether you air fry baked potatoes with the foil on or not, I made two proper twice baked potatoes without foil on, and then I made another sacrificial potato that was not properly dried after washing it, not seasoned well, no oil added, and wrapped in foil. The results are definitely telling, as you can see in the images below!

Hand holding a cooked potato above others on a wooden board, demonstrating air fryer baked potato results.

Baked potato wrapped in aluminum foil being held in hands, showing soft skin after air frying without foil.

While fully cooked inside, as is shown by the fork test, the skin was super soft. I wanted to be fair and try to load up the colcannon filling inside the “bad” potato, but the skin was so limp that I couldn’t even proceed to baking the potato twice.

Hands holding a baked potato without foil next to foil-wrapped potato, comparing air fryer cooking results.

Hand holding a soft-skinned baked potato wrapped in foil, demonstrating air fryer texture without foil wrapping.

Hand peeling crispy skin off a soft air-fried baked potato on a white plate

These potatoes would still be great for Mashed Potatoes or some other dish where you would need some boiled potatoes, but that totally defeats the purpose of making twice baked potatoes, right? So don’t waste your time and make sure to air fry without foil!

Tools Needed for Irish-Style Twice Baked Potatoes in the Air Fryer

Air fryer twice baked potato topped with creamy Irish colcannon filling on white plate.

Ingredients for Irish Style Air Fryer Baked Potatoes

To save the recipe for later and to see all ingredients and their quantities, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD, or press the “Jump to Recipe” button! You can also use the recipe card to scale the quantities based on how many potatoes you’re looking to air fry so that there’s enough colcannon filling to really pile up in the potato skins!

Ingredients for Irish style twice baked potatoes arranged on dark surface including russet potatoes, bacon, kale, leeks, cheese, and seasonings.

For the Twice Baked Potatoes

Potatoes: North Americans will want to look for Russet potatoes, as I’m using here. If you’re in the UK, then go for Maris Piper or King Edwards potatoes. Ideally, choose fairly large ones so that they are nice and satisfying! Keep in mind that the size of potatoes will impact the baking time.
Olive oil: Rub some on the skin to help it get nice and crispy in the air fryer!
Salt and pepper: Basic seasonings to add flavor to the potato skin.

For the Irish Colcannon Filling

Butter: I’m using my compound garlic-chive butter to add lots of flavor! If you’re using plain butter, simply add some extra chopped chives and minced garlic into the filling.
Cheese: I’m using Dubliner cheese, which is an Irish cheese that’s kind of a blend of cheddar and Parmesan. It’s absolutely delicious and the perfect choice for this Irish-style twice baked potato recipe in the air fryer!
Milk: We’ll add a little bit to add richness to the filling. If you want the filling to be even heartier, then add some cream.
Bacon: Cook your bacon however you’d like and chop it into pieces. I like to cook my bacon over the stove in a non-stick pan.
Kale: Traditionally you use green cabbage, but I wanted to go for kale! If you already have cabbage on hand, then I highly encourage you to use it! As I describe in my free motivational guide to explore your potential, Make Cooking Fun!!, if you already have a suitable substitute on hand, then I recommend you use that instead of going out to buy something else, especially when it comes to perishables! This colcannon filling will be absolutely scrumptious whether you use kale or cabbage!
Chives, green onions, and leeks: Freshly chop the chives and green onions and slice the leeks.
Salt and pepper: To season the filling.

How to Make Air Fryer Twice Baked Potatoes

Cooking the Potatoes

Preheat the air fryer at 390°F.

Air fryer display showing 390°F temperature for preheating potatoes in kitchen.

Wash and dry the potatoes thoroughly.

Hands washing a golden potato under running water in a kitchen sink.

Hands patting a potato dry with a white paper towel over a wooden surface in a kitchen.

Rub with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper.

Two washed potatoes on a wooden board with bowls of salt and pepper seasoning nearby.

Two washed potatoes on a wooden board with bowls of salt and pepper nearby, ready for seasoning.

Two russet potatoes rubbed with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper on a wooden cutting board.

Hands rubbing a raw potato with olive oil and seasoning over a wooden board during preparation.

Prick all over with a fork.

Fork pricking raw potatoes on wooden board after seasoning with oil, salt, and pepper.

Air fry at 390°F (200°C) for 40–50 minutes, flipping halfway, until a knife slides in easily and the skins are crisp.

Two golden-brown baked potatoes in an air fryer basket, crisped and ready to cool.

Cosori air fryer displaying 390°F temperature setting for cooking potatoes.

Digital air fryer display showing 390°F temperature setting for cooking potatoes.

Let cool for 5–10 minutes.

Hand using a fork to test doneness of air-fried potatoes wrapped in foil in an air fryer basket.

Preparing the Shells

Slice each potato in half horizontally.

Hand holding a halved potato on a wooden cutting board while slicing it horizontally with a knife.

Hands scooping fluffy potato interior from a halved baked potato skin using a spoon on a wooden surface.

Scoop the fluffy interior into a bowl, leaving a thin layer of potato attached to the skin so the shells hold their shape.

Hand scooping fluffy potato interior from halved baked potato shell on wooden board.

Scooped potato flesh in a glass bowl, fluffy and crumbly, ready for filling preparation.

Place the empty shells back in the air fryer and cook 3–4 minutes at 390°F to crisp them slightly.

Crispy potato shell in air fryer basket after crisping at 390°F for 3-4 minutes.

Two crispy potato shells with golden-brown skin in an air fryer basket after crisping at 390°F.

Preparing the Filling

In a pan over medium heat, add the garlic-chive butter. Once molten, sauté the leeks and kale with a small splash of water until wilted and tender.

Garlic-chive butter sliced on a wooden plate, showing herb-flecked yellow butter ready for the filling.

Leeks and kale wilting in garlic-chive butter in a black skillet over medium heat.

White bowl containing sautéed kale and zucchini noodles with green onions and chives for twice baked potato filling.

Sautéed leeks and kale wilting in a black pan with garlic-chive butter on a stovetop.

Stir in the green onions and chives and cook for about 1 minute more.

Chopped green onions and chives in a white mortar and pestle, ready to be stirred into sautéed greens.

Sautéed leeks and kale wilting in a dark skillet with garlic-chive butter over medium heat.

Mash the scooped potato with garlic chive butter, followed by the greens, milk or cream, and half the grated cheddar cheese.

Mashed potatoes with garlic chive butter, green onions, and chives being prepared for twice-baked potatoes.

Mashed potatoes mixed with chopped green onions and chives in a glass bowl during preparation.

Mashing scooped potatoes with greens, butter, and cheese in a glass bowl using a red masher.

Hand grating yellow cheddar cheese over a box grater onto a wooden cutting board.

Mashed potatoes mixed with shredded cheddar cheese and chopped green onions and chives in a glass bowl.

Mashed potatoes mixed with chopped green onions and chives in a glass bowl, ready to be seasoned.

Season with salt and pepper.

Mashed potatoes mixed with green herbs and cheese in a glass bowl, ready for stuffing.

Mashed potatoes mixed with chopped greens and cheese in a glass bowl during preparation.

If adding bacon, add chopped cooked bacon bits.

Colcannon filling with bacon bits mixed into creamy mashed potatoes with herbs in a glass bowl.

Colcannon potato filling with bacon bits and green herbs mixed in a glass bowl, being prepared for stuffing potato shells.

Finishing the Potatoes

Spoon the colcannon filling back into each potato shell, piling slightly high.

Colcannon filling being spooned into a glass bowl, showing mashed potatoes mixed with bacon and chopped greens.

Spoon filling colcannon mixture being added back into halved potato shells on a wooden board.

Hand holding an air fryer twice baked potato filled with colcannon, showing the creamy potato and herb filling.

Top with the remaining grated cheddar.

Hands spooning colcannon filling into halved potato shells topped with melted cheddar cheese on a wooden board.

Return the filled potatoes to the air fryer.

Hand holding a twice-baked potato topped with melted golden cheddar cheese before air frying.

Cook at 375–390°F for 6–10 minutes, until the cheese is melted, golden, and bubbling. Serve hot.

Air fryer display showing 385°F temperature set for cooking twice baked potatoes with cheese topping.

Two air fryer twice baked potatoes with melted golden cheese and herb filling on parchment paper.

Tips for the Best Air Fryer Twice Baked Potatoes

For the best fluffy interior stick to floury/starchy potatoes like Russet, King Edward, or Maris Piper.
For proper crispy skin on the potatoes, don’t foil wrap the potatoes. Instead bake them directly in the air fryer. Flip them once halfway through baking so both sides crisp up evenly.
Rest for 5 minutes after baking before cutting open — this helps the interior fully steam and fluff.
Bake the potato skin shell in the air fryer to get them extra crisp while you prepare the filling.
Add butter while the potato is piping hot so it melts into the fluffy flesh. This is the base for any great topping.

Crispy baked potato skin topped with fluffy mashed potato filling and melted butter on a white plate.

Can I Make Air Fryer Twice Baked Potatoes in Advance?▼

No, I would not suggest you do that! The problem is that the insides of the potato skins will get cold, meaning that they won’t be a good base for holding the coclannon filling. In addition, the potato skins will be the crispiest when they are piping hot and fresh out of the air fryer.

There are two ways you can get prepped up for success, however! Firstly, you can definitely make the greens mix in advance and keep it in the fridge until ready to make the colcannon filling. In addition to this, you can bake your potatoes and ensure to keep them warm in the air fryer basket until ready to serve. With the first option, you can make the greens mix up to a day in advance, while the second option can hold for only about an hour or so.

At the end of the day, these Irish Twice Baked Potatoes are truly best served fresh with the crispy potato skins and molten cheese. The good news is that there is minimal hands-on work, so you can plan your time accordingly!

How to Serve Air Fryer Twice Baked Potatoes

These potatoes are very versatile, and you’ve got plenty of options to pair with them either for lunch or dinner. Here are some suggestions:

A light side dish: Salad, such as myArugula Salad with Goat Cheese and Roasted Almonds, or soup, such as my Roasted Tomato Soup or Carrot and Ginger Soup with Coconut Milk.
Veggies: Garlic-Butter Broccoli or Coconut Green Beans.
Chicken: Air fryer chicken thighs, air fryer chicken breast, Garlic and Thyme Pan-Fried Chicken Breast, Italian-Herb Grilled Chicken, or even No-Fail Roast Chicken!
Fish & Seafood: Air Fryer Salmon, Pan-Seared Blackened Salmon, or even some Popcorn Shrimp.
Beef: Air Fryer Steak, Jamaican Jerk Pepper Steak, or Brazilian Beef Churrasco Skewers.

Twice baked potato topped with creamy filling on a white plate

Other Air Fryer Potato Recipes

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Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cooking.with.anadi. Thank you!

Recipe by Anadi Misra