Name: Air Fryer Potato Skins
Prep time: 6 min
Cook time: 24 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 6 small Yukon Gold Potatoes; 2 tsp olive oil; 1/2 cup vegan shredded cheese (or regular); 1/4 cup vegan sour cream (or regular); 2 tbsp fresh chives (finely chopped)

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These air fryer potato skins are filled with vegan cheese and topped with a dairy free sour cream and fresh herbs. They’re crispy on the outside, and warm and cheesy on the inside. They make a perfect appetizer or snack for casual parties, game day gatherings, and tailgates! Nobody will know they’re made with vegan ingredients! Or make them with regular ingredients if you prefer!

potato skins filled with cheese, sour cream, and topped with chives

Cheesy potato skins are one of my husbands all time favorite appetizers! He loves cheesy potatoes, topped with sour cream. Potato skins are the epitome of cheesy potato goodness!

They’re something like a cross between a potato chip, and a baked potatoes. Yukon gold potatoes are baked, with the fleshy center scooped out (leaving a good border of potato around the skin), then filled with cheese, and baked until warm and melted. They’re often topped with bacon bits, sour cream, and chives.

With New Year’s Eve just a few days away, I decided to give myself a challenge and create a vegan version of potato skins in the air fryer! Here are some of my other favorite vegan party snacks!

The air fryer is my all time favorite appliance to use when I’m making potatoes! I’ve made air fryer potato wedges, air fryer tater tots, frozen French fries, and even air fryer baked potatoes!! But these potato skins, might be my new favorite!

They’ve got all my favorite elements of a cheesy potato, only much healthier!

air fryer potato skins on a white square plate filled with cheese, sour cream, and chives

Why you’ll love these Air Fryer Potato Skins…

Simple ingredients
Quick and easy to make
Crispy on the outside, warm and cheesy on the inside
A cross between a baked potato and potato chips!
Healthier than traditional potato skins
Great for parties as an appetizer
Enjoy as a side dish with dinner

Recipe Ingredients and Notes

Yukon Gold Potatoes: I like using Yukon gold potatoes, mostly due to their size, but also because they have a nice creamy texture. They are smaller than russet potatoes, which makes them a great bite sized appetizer. If you’re making these as a side dish to serve with dinner, feel free to use russet potatoes. They will have a nice crispy skin.

Dairy Free Shredded Cheese: There are many dairy-free cheeses to choose from, and not all are created equal. Many dairy-free cheeses are full of processed ingredients, and don’t melt well. You can opt to make your own vegan shredded cheese, or I like Whole Foods Plant-Based Mozzarella Shreds, or So Delicious Cheddar Shreds.

Vegan Sour Cream: The same goes for vegan sour cream. Not all are created equal. You want to look for a brand without processed ingredients, or you can make your own! My favorite brand of vegan sour cream is Follow Your Heart Sour Cream.

Tools and Equipment

Air Fryer: You’ll need your handy air fryer to create these fantastic potato skins! If you don’t have an air fryer yet, check out my post about air fryer buffalo cauliflower where I review in detail several different brands!

How to Make Air Fryer Potato Skins – Step by Step

Step 1: Wash, scrub, and dry potatoes. Slice in half. Brush with oil. Place in air fryer, flesh side down. Do not overcrowd! Bake for 12 minutes at 400 F. Flip at 6 minutes.

Yukon gold potatoes cut in half and baked on baking sheet

Step 2: Scoop out the center, when the potatoes are done and cool enough to handle. Be sure to leave a good amount left around the edge of the potatoes. Lightly brush the outside and inside of the potato with olive oil. You want just enough to the skin create a nice crisp!

yukon gold potatoes with centers scooped out on white round plate

Step 3: Fill each potato skin with vegan cheese shreds. Don’t overfill!

potato skins filled with cheese in air fryer basket

Step 4: Place potato skins in the air fryer in a single layer. Bake at 350 F for 6 minutes or until cheese is melted.

potato skins with melted cheese in air fryer basket

Step 5: Transfer to a serving plate. Add a dollop of vegan sour cream, and top with fresh chopped chives. Serve warm.

air fryer potato skins topped with sour cream and chives

Top Tips for Making the Best Air Fryer Potato Skins

Bake the potatoes before scooping out the flesh, and adding the cheese.
Reserve the potato you scoop out to make mashed potatoes!
Leave a good amount of the potato flesh around the edge of the skins.
If making for an appetizer use smaller potatoes like the Yukon Golds. But if you’re making for a side dish, use russet potatoes that are larger.

Do I have to use vegan cheese and sour cream?

If you are stumbling upon this post, and do not follow a vegan diet, then no, you do not need to use vegan cheese or sour cream to create these air fryer potato skins. Simply substitute with your favorite shredded cheese, and sour cream.

I do however, recommend sticking to the ingredient amounts of half a cup of shredded cheese, and a quarter cup of sour cream. You can easily go overboard with these ingredients and that increases that fat, calories, and cholesterol.

potato skins on white square serving plate

What makes these air fryer potato skins healthy?

Less Fat and Calories-Potatoes are baked, not fried, using a small amount of oil that reduces the overall calories and fat.
Lower in Cholesterol-Most potato skins are made with loads of cheese, sour cream and bacon bits, which makes them high in cholesterol. This version uses dairy free ingredients which is lower in cholesterol.
Rich in Vitamins and Nutrients-While potatoes are thought to be an unhealthy food by some due to their high carb content, they are actually very high in many nutrients. A typical potato has 5 grams of protein, 4.8 grams of fiber, and are rich in vitamin C, B6, potassium, manganese, magnesium, phosphorous, niacin, and folate.

close up of two potato skins stalked on top of one another topped with sour cream and chives

How to Serve

Serve on a platter topped with sour cream, and sprinkled with fresh herbs. If you want to add a bit of a bacon flavor, I recommend sprinkling my vegan chorizo crumbles on top too!

These should be served warm. They’re great for casual parties, like tailgates, and Super Bowl parties. But they can also be made for any get together like New Year’s Eve, a backyard picnic, or a gathering at the park.

This is a great recipe to make when you’re away from home at a park or tailgate because you can easily bring your air fryer with you, plug it in, and make these warm and fresh on the spot!

How to Store, Keep, and Reheat

Store: If you have leftovers, transfer to an airtight container. It’s best to store these without the added sour cream and herbs on top, as they will keep longer, and reheat better.

Keep: These will keep refrigerated for 3-4 days, if they are not already topped with sour cream.

Reheat: When ready to enjoy again, remove from the container, pop them back in the air fryer, and warm for 5 minutes at 375 F. They should crisp back up, and become nice and melty again. Then add your sour cream and chives.

air fryer potato skins crowed together on white serving plate

Check out these other healthy air fryer recipes!

If you’ve tried this Air Fryer Potato Skins recipe, please rate the recipe and let me know how they turned out. You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for more plant-based vegan family recipes your whole family will enjoy!