Kumpir in the air fryer is my home version of the Turkish stuffed potato that is sold from the stalls in Istanbul. A large baking potato is baked until completely tender, split open and mashed right in its skin with butter and cheese while it is piping hot, so the cheese pulls into long strands. Afterwards it is filled with spiced minced beef and topped with sweetcorn, black olives, pickled gherkins and a fresh red cabbage salad.
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In Turkey, people use kaşar cheese, but in Denmark grated mozzarella gives the same stretchy pull. The only thing the dish really demands is patience: the potato must be tender all the way to the middle, otherwise the flesh cannot be mashed until creamy. The air fryer does the rest, and you get a crisp, salty skin into the bargain.
Table of Contents
Why I love kumpir in the air fryer
Kumpir is street food at its best: filling, creamy and with room for exactly the toppings you feel like. What I love most is the contrast. The skin turns crisp from olive oil and coarse salt, the flesh becomes a soft mash with butter and cheese, and on top comes the hot, spiced minced beef together with the cold, tangy touch of pickled gherkins and red cabbage. Every bite tastes a little different, and that makes the dish fun to eat.
The difference between an air fryer and an oven
A baked potato turns out fine in the oven too, but the air fryer’s powerful hot air hits the potato all the way around and gives a dry, crisp skin, without you having to heat up a big oven for four potatoes. When the skin has been rubbed with oil and salt, it gets a surface that can withstand the flesh being mashed and filled without the potato collapsing.
My kitchen test of kumpir
I tested the dish in my Philips XXL, where four large baking potatoes of about 300 g sit in the basket with a little air between them. The recipe needs an air fryer of at least 5 litres if all four are to be baked at once. At 200 °C the potatoes got 25 minutes, were turned with tongs and got another 25 minutes, and then a sharp knife glided through the middle without resistance. If yours are still firm in the middle, give them another 5-10 minutes at 200 °C.
In my Cosori Dual Blaze, which has heating elements both above and below in the same basket, the skin turned evenly crisp on both the top and the underside. I still turn the potatoes halfway, as the recipe says. With 15 minutes of preparation and 50 minutes in the air fryer, the whole dish takes 65 minutes, and the red cabbage salad and the minced beef are made while the potatoes bake.
Mash the butter and cheese into the potato while it is piping hot. If you wait until it has cooled down, the cheese will not melt properly and will not pull into strands.
Tips and tricks from the author: Morten Jensen
The typical mistakes and how to avoid them
The most common mistake is taking the potatoes out too early. If they are even slightly firm in the middle, the mash turns lumpy instead of creamy, so push a sharp knife all the way into the middle, and give them another 5-10 minutes at 200 °C if you feel resistance. The next mistake is skipping the preparation: the potatoes must be dried completely and pricked 6-8 times with a fork so the steam can escape, before they are rubbed with olive oil and coarse salt, otherwise the skin will not turn crisp. The third mistake is waiting to mash. The butter and cheese should go in as soon as the potatoes come out of the air fryer, and the cheese is stirred in a little at a time so it melts evenly and pulls into strands.
How to serve kumpir
Kumpir is served straight away, while the cheese is still soft, and you can vary the toppings to taste:
- A dollop of yoghurt on top, which gives a fresh and tangy contrast to the minced beef
- A little ketchup and mayonnaise, the way you get it at the street stalls in Istanbul
- Melted cheese on top: sprinkle the cheese over the hot minced beef, give the potatoes 2-3 minutes in the air fryer at 200 °C, and add the cold toppings last
- A mild Cheddar or Gouda in the mash, if you do not have mozzarella
Storage and reheating
Kumpir tastes best freshly made, but leftovers can be stored covered in the fridge for up to 1-2 days. Ideally, keep the cold toppings separate. Reheat the filled potatoes without the cold toppings in the air fryer at 180 °C for 10-12 minutes, until heated through, and add the sweetcorn, olives, pickled gherkins and red cabbage salad only afterwards. The dish is not suitable for freezing, because the texture and colour deteriorate.
Kumpir in the air fryer is mostly about giving the potato the time it needs. Once the skin is crisp and the mash is creamy, the rest is just a matter of piling on the fillings. You will find the recipe with all the quantities at the bottom of the page.
FAQ
Yes. In Istanbul, kumpir is mashed with kaşar cheese, and mozzarella gives the same stretchy pull. A mild Cheddar or Gouda can also be used.
Push a sharp knife through the middle of the potato. It should glide through without resistance. If the potato is still firm in the middle, give it another 5-10 minutes at 200 °C.
Yes. Four large baking potatoes need an air fryer of at least 5 litres, but if yours is smaller, you can bake the potatoes in two batches and mash and fill each batch as soon as it is done.
Recipe
Kumpir in the Air Fryer
Cooking Guide
Keep the screen on and follow the recipe step by step while you cook.
Step 1:
Avoid the screen turning off while you cook.
Step 2:
Start the guide and follow the recipe one step at a time.
Cost of the dish
Prices may vary depending on where you shop.
Our estimate is based on average food prices for the current year 2026.
Estimated price for the whole dish:
Airfryer size
All our recipes are tested in a Philips Airfryer 2000 Series NA230/00 – 6.2 L
Does the recipe fit my Airfryer?
If you’re unsure, you can always reduce by one serving in the recipe, or click the 0.5x button.
You can also Ask the AI Chef
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Recommended equipment
- 1 Air fryer
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Chefs knife
- 1 Frying pan
- 1 Wooden spoon
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Tongs
- 1 Spoon
Shopping list
Ingredients
Minced beef
- 400 g minced beef (8-12% fat)
- 1 tbsp olive oil (For frying)
- 1 pcs onion (Finely chopped)
- 2 clove garlic (Finely chopped)
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 0.5 tsp chilli flakes (Optional)
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 0.5 tsp black pepper (Freshly ground)
Toppings
- 150 g sweetcorn (Tinned, drained)
- 80 g black olives (Pitted, sliced)
- 100 g pickled gherkins (Sliced)
- 50 g grated mozzarella (For the topping)
How to make it
Preparation
Cooking in the air fryer
- Preheat the air fryer to 200 °C fan.
- Place the potatoes in the basket with a little space between them, and bake them at 200 °C for 25 minutes.
- Check that the potatoes are completely tender: a sharp knife should glide through the middle without resistance. If they are still firm in the middle, give them another 5-10 minutes at 200 °C.
Filling and toppings
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat when the potatoes have about 20 minutes left, and sauté 1 pcs onion for 3-4 minutes, until soft and glossy.
- Add 400 g minced beef and 2 clove garlic, and fry the meat for 6-8 minutes, until browned and cooked through. Break the meat into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon as you go.
- Stir 1 tbsp tomato purée, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp ground cumin, 0.5 tsp chilli flakes, 0.5 tsp salt and 0.5 tsp black pepper into the meat, and keep frying for 2 minutes. Keep the minced beef warm over a low heat.
Plating up
- As soon as the potatoes come out of the air fryer, cut a deep slit lengthways in each one without cutting all the way through. Press the ends lightly towards each other so the potato opens up.
- Add 50 g butter and 0.5 tsp salt to the hot potatoes, and mash the flesh until creamy with a fork or spoon, right in the skin.
- Stir 150 g grated mozzarella into the hot mashed potato a little at a time, until the cheese melts and pulls into strands.
- Sprinkle 50 g grated mozzarella over the top, and serve the potatoes straight away.
Our notes for the recipe
The potatoes must be completely tender before you open them, otherwise the flesh cannot be mashed until creamy. Choose baking potatoes of the same size so they are done at the same time, and mash in the butter and cheese while the potatoes are piping hot, so the cheese melts and pulls into strands. Variation:
In Istanbul, kumpir is mashed with kaşar cheese. Mozzarella gives the same stretchy pull, and a mild Cheddar or Gouda can also be used. If you want melted cheese on top, sprinkle the cheese over the hot minced beef, give the potatoes 2-3 minutes in the air fryer at 200 °C, and add the cold toppings last. Serving:
Serve the potatoes straight away, while the cheese is still soft. A dollop of yoghurt or a little ketchup and mayonnaise on top is all part of the experience when kumpir is sold as street food in Istanbul. Portion size:
Four large baking potatoes need an air fryer of at least 5 litres. If your air fryer is smaller, you can bake the potatoes in two batches and mash and fill each batch as soon as it is done.
Your notes for the recipe
Nutrition per serving (Guideline)
Important about shelf life and nutrition
Nutrition per serving (guideline): Calculations are based on data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Shelf life (guideline): Shelf life data is provided, as far as possible, by public institutions, including national food authorities. Our information is therefore only indicative, and it is your responsibility to obtain and calculate accurate information about shelf life and nutrition for all recipes on airfryerkogebogen.dk
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