These Crispy Air Fryer Pizza Potato Skins will be your new favorite air fryer recipe for game days or parties! They’re similar to traditional potato skins except with pizza toppings, including marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese and pepperoni. You only need 6 ingredients and they’re so simple to make. Just bake your potatoes, scoop out the flesh, add the fillings and air fry! The result is a crunchy potato skin with melty cheese and crispy pepperoni! There’s no deep frying required and you only need minimal oil in the air fryer.
What I love about this recipe is that it actually does double duty. Once you have your potatoes baked, you scoop out the flesh to get the skins for this recipe, but you can then use the flesh you scooped out to make mashed potatoes! Those mashed potatoes can be enjoyed on their own or as leftover mashed potato cakes in the air fryer!
Table of contents
Ingredient notes and substitutions
You only need 6 ingredients to make this recipe!
- Potatoes – A good baking potato is essential for this recipe and Russet potatoes are the perfect option. They have a thick skin which crisps up well, making them ideal for potato skins. As a bonus, they’re low moisture and high starch, which makes the flesh great for mashed potatoes. You’ll want 4 medium-sized potatoes for this recipe.
- Marinara sauce – Any store-bought marinara or pizza sauce will work for this recipe. If tomatoes are in season, I usually use my homemade marinara sauce, which is super flavorful with fresh tomatoes and fresh basil.
- Mozzarella cheese – You can use cheddar cheese if you wish, but mozza is a classic pizza topping. I like to finely grate it so it melts quickly, and I always use full fat because it melts much better than reduced fat or partly skimmed cheese.
- Pepperoni – I love to use cup and char pepperoni. The edges curl up and crisp quickly. Regular pepperoni slices work well too and you can also substitute with salami slices.
- Oil – Brushing the potato skin with oil will crisp it up in the air fryer. I use olive oil but canola oil or avocado oil work too.
- Salt – Just a little salt on the skins adds flavor.
How to make pizza potato skins in the air fryer (step-by-step with photos)
Below is a quick overview of the steps to make this recipe. Scroll to the recipe card at the end for the full set of instructions.
Leanne’s tips for recipe success
- Don’t overbake the potatoes. When air frying (or baking) the baked potatoes, be careful not to overbake them. This will make the skins tough and chewy instead of crispy.
- Leave some flesh on the skins. When you’re scooping out the flesh, you’ll want to leave about 1/4 inch of flesh on the skins. This will help keep the skins sturdy enough to hold up to all the toppings.
- Air fryer capacity. I have a 5.8 quart air fryer and it can easily fit 8 potato skins in a single layer. If your air fryer is smaller, I recommend halving the recipe or air frying in two batches.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can bake the potatoes a day ahead and scoop out the flesh. Store the potato skins in an airtight container in the fridge. When you’re ready to eat, just follow the recipe to crisp up the skins in the air fryer, add the fillings and air fry again.
I like to reheat leftovers in the air fryer at 350F for 6-8 minutes. They’ll crisp up again without drying out. I don’t recommend microwaving leftovers as the skins will just end up soft.
I don’t recommend freezing the fully loaded skins, but you can freeze the hollowed out skins before filling. Once the flesh is scooped out and the skins have cooled, just arrange them in a single layer in a freezer safe container and store them in the freezer for 2-3 months. Defrost in the fridge before following the rest of the recipe to crisp up, add fillings and air fry.
Absolutely! Instead of pepperoni, you can use cooked bacon or crumbled sausage on top of the cheese. You can also add black olives, chopped peppers or diced red onion. For the veggie toppings, I would add them between the marinara and cheese layers.
More air fryer party appetizers
- Homemade Air Fryer Tortilla Chips
- Quick and Easy Veggie Air Fryer Nachos
- Air Fryer Crispy Boneless Chicken Wings
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below!
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Air Fryer Pizza Potato Skins
Ingredients
- 4 medium-sized baking potatoes, (I use Russet potatoes)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup (120 ml) marinara sauce, (or pizza sauce)
- 1 cup (60 g) finely grated mozzarella cheese, full fat
- 16 slices pepperoni, cup and char or regular
Instructions
- Scrub the potatoes clean and blot dry with a paper towel.
- Use a fork to pierce holes in the potatoes. Brush with oil and sprinkle on salt. Air fry at 400F for about 40 minutes, or until fork tender. Let cool enough to handle. (You can also bake the potatoes in the oven at 400F for 50-60 minutes).
- Cut potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out the flesh, leaving about 1/4 inch of flesh in the potato skins.
- Place the skins back in the air fryer basket, skin side up. Air fry at 400F for 3-4 minutes to crisp up the skin again.
- Carefully remove the skins from the air fryer basket and place them flesh side up on a work surface.
- Add a tablespoon of marinara to each potato, spreading it out over the potato flesh. Top each one with 2 tablespoons of mozzarella cheese and 2 slices of pepperoni. (You can use more if your potatoes are larger).
- Air fry at 400F for 4-5 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the pepperoni is crispy.
- Serve with more marinara and some chopped fresh parsley or basil.
Notes
- Be careful not to overbake your potatoes as the skins will be tough and chewy instead of crispy.
- When scooping out the flesh, leave about 1/4 inch of flesh on the skins. This will help keep the skins sturdy enough to hold up to all of the toppings.
- This recipe was tested in a 5.8 quart air fryer and fit 8 potato skins (from medium-sized potatoes). If you have a smaller air fryer, you may wish to half the recipe or air fry in batches.
Nutrition Facts per Serving
Disclaimer
Nutrition information is an estimate only and will vary depending on the substitutions made and the brands used.
Did you make this recipe or have any questions?
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