The perfect baked potato has the best crispy skin seasoned with salt and a soft and fluffy center. It’s a simple method for baking them in the oven, then just load with your favorite toppings!
We love potato side dishes! Some nights we even make a baked potato bar, turn them into a hasselback potato or make them into this potato skins recipe. YUM!
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Best Baked Potato
There’s nothing I love more than a classic baked potato! Especially if it’s served alongside a juicy steak in the oven or my favorite hamburger recipe. You just can’t beat the crispy skin and fluffy inside topped with your favorites like butter, sour cream, cheese, bacon or chives!
It may sound simple, but following my quick tips to make the perfect baked potato in the oven will leave you with perfectly seasoned baked potatoes that are crisp on the outside and soft and tender on the inside.
How to Bake a Potato in the Oven
Give your potatoes a good scrub and then dry them off completely. If they are still wet when placing in oven, they won’t get as crispy. Once dry, lay on a lined baking sheet and brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. This gives them the best flavor!
Pierce a few times with a fork or knife so they don’t burst in the oven then Bake at 400°F for about 1 hour, or until the insides are tender. Slice in half, then add your favorite toppings.
Other Baking Methods
Although my favorite way to make them is in the oven, you can also use these other methods below. The skin most likely won’t get as crispy as it does in the oven, but they will still turn out soft and yummy.
- Air fryer: If you have an air fryer, you definitely need to try making these air fryer baked potatoes. Scrub, wash and poke holes in your potato, then brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Cook in air fryer for 30 minutes, then flip and cook an additional 8-10 minutes.
- Microwave: Scrub and dry your potatoes, then pierce a few times with a fork. Place on a microwave-safe plate, then cook in microwave for about 5 minutes on full power. Remove from microwave, flip, then cook for an additional 5 minutes. Slice, then add toppings of choice.
- Crockpot: Scrub and dry potatoes, then pierce with a fork a few times. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle on some salt, then wrap tightly in foil. Place in the bottom of crockpot and cook for about 4-5 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low. Remove foil (be careful, they are hot!), then slice and add favorite toppings.
- Instant Pot: Add 1 cup water to bottom of Instant Pot, then add trivet to pot. Scrub and dry potatoes, then pierce a few times with a fork. Place on top of trivet (you can stack if they all don’t fit) and cover with lid. Seal the valve, then set on high pressure for 12 minutes. Once time is up, let naturally release for about 10 minutes. Then quick release and remove potatoes from instant pot. Slice and add toppings of choice.
- Grill: Preheat grill to medium-low heat. Scrub and dry potatoes, then drizzle with oil and add a sprinkle of salt. Wrap tightly in foil, then pierce foil/potato with a fork a few times. Grill for about 1 hour, until tender (make sure to flip several times while grilling). Carefully remove foil, then slice and add toppings of choice.
Tips for the Perfect Baked Potato
- Type of potato: Russet potatoes are the best to use. They are super starchy, making them perfect for baking. The interior remains light and fluffy once fully baked, while the skin gets a really nice crisp.
- Foil: I’ve found that the skin doesn’t get as crisp and seasoned when wrapped in foil, so I don’t typically wrap mine. I do, however, lay them on a pan covered in foil to make the clean up a lot easier.
- Seasoning: This is key for perfect baked potatoes! Don’t skimp on the brushed olive oil and course kosher salt…it gives them the absolute BEST flavor.
- Fork tender: Every oven is different, so be sure to keep an eye on your potatoes. It usually takes about an hour for mine to bake. To test if they’re done, simply poke with a fork to see if they’re nice and tender on the inside.
Favorite Baked Potato Toppings
- Classic: butter, salt and pepper
- Loaded baked potato: butter, cheese, sour cream, bacon, chives
- Southwest: taco meat, salsa, cheese, black beans, guacamole
- Chili: homemade chili, cheese, sour cream
- BBQ: bbq chicken, mozzarella, red onion, cilantro,
- Buffalo: buffalo chicken, mozzarella, ranch, cilantro
- Sloppy joe: sloppy joe filling, cheese, chives
- Veggie: steamed broccoli, cheddar cheese
More Easy Potato Recipes
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Baked Potato
Ingredients
- 6 russet potatoes
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon Kosher salt
Optional Toppings: Butter, cheese, sour cream, bacon, chives, chili (or anything else you want!)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spray foil with nonstick spray.
- Give potatoes a good scrub and then dry them completely with a paper towel.
- Lay on a foil-lined baking sheet, then brush them all over with olive oil. Sprinkle with coarse salt.
- Pierce a few times with a fork or knife.
- Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, or until soft and tender. Slice in half, then add your favorite toppings. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Categorized as: American, Dairy-Free, Potatoes, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
This couldn’t look any more perfect! I love this! looks so good!
Looks amazing! I love all those tips, definitely having them on the table!
This is such an easy and delicious side dish. I should make it for dinner!
Fast, Easy, and delish!!! Thanks! My husband, myself and our friend all declared that these were the best baked potatoes we have ever had! This will be my “go to “ baked potatoes recipe from now on. Making again on Saturday for guests. Thank you for posting 😀
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
I pinned this recipe because it is how my husband makes baked potatoes! They come out perfect every time!!! Love that you shared this. I usually forget what to set the oven for. Thank you!!!
I always forgot too! It is such a simple recipe but they turn out amazing every time! :)
I make them this way but in place of regular salt I use Crazy Mix Up Salt. Taste so yummy!!
Sounds delicious, I’ll have to give it a try! :)
I love potatoes too and I am just like you, no way on potato salad. Everyone thinks I am a little different but I love potato bar as a meal. Potato with taco meat, potato with pulled pork, potato just any way. With the taco meat you can mix sour cream with salsa and pulled pork I mix sour cream with BBQ sauce. Mix a little cheese and green onions YUMMY! Thanks for sharing this post!!
My family loves when I do a potato bar! Those all sound amazing, thanks for sharing and stopping by April! :)
My family loves them like this but they really like it when I add a little garlic powder as well. The course salt and the garlic powder together is a great combo. Plus…it makes the house smell great while cooking.
ooo I’ll have to try it with the garlic powder. thanks for the tip! :)
pottaoes, easy dig a trench row 2in. deep ad pottao seed ,water cover lightly with soil. add fertilizer on side of row. some 12-12-12 or organic equivalent cover with straw. don`t dig pottaoes just rake back straw. Potatoes should be 1-2in. size. Veggies to start July/ august beets, radishes,turnips, kohlrabi, cabbage, swish chard, cauliflower,garlic these will work in most cases. It all depends on location. but this should work for central states.
Oh yum! My husband is gone and I am just baking some french fries for myself. : ) I cook my bakers like you too, but use shortening instead of olive oil. mmmm!
haha love it! i’ll have to try it with shortening!
we love spuds, too! but, i confess, i rarely think an hour in advance to allow time for cooking….we’ve always cleaned them, poked them, kept them wet (with water) and rubbed w/salt…then pop them in the microwave for 10 min. for big fatties (i’m referring to the potatoes) you might need a minute or two more. cooks ’em up crispy on the outside and tender on the inside! :)
I’ll have to try them this way. I love potatoes!
Oh girl…we could be BFF! I too LOVE potatoes any form any way. LOL..Thanks for sharing!
lol!! yes we could be bff! in highschool me and my friends used to go to wendy’s and dip our fries in frostys ..healthy right!?
Oh yea…that’s the best! :)
I love potatoes too! My mom always jokes that I’ve never met a potato I didn’t like. haha!
haha that’s funny! love it
When I was a child, we had potatoes with every meal, since my dad worked hard, outside. I hated boiled potatoes and even today, they aren’t my favorite. I’m with you on baked, however. Girl, you have to try potato salad again. When I was married, my ex did not like boiled eggs. So, I had to give up my mom’s awesome, egg loaded potato salad. I now make a German type, where the spuds are marinated in oil, vinegar, garlic and onions. When my children lived at home, I had to hide the container if I had hopes of bringing it somewhere for a picnic or saving it for dinner. Funny thing, I made some for an end of school celebration and it was hardly touched. Think the people I work with (lovely fold, by the way) were totally confused by what looked like a very dull, bland potato salad. Well, BIG on flavor, for sure, pass the garlic, as my children would say.
You are one of my peeps! I too adore potatoes. Fried, mashed, baked, scalloped, perogied (sp?)… and yes potato salad. – btw I have a couple great recipes if you’d like to ease back into potato salad :). I come by my spud love genetically – my mom is deemed Queen of Spud around here. ;)
Your baked spuds look awesome … and are now, at 7am, making me crave the mighty spud. :)
yay! love it! maybe i’ll have to give yours a try ;)
Totally the best way to cook potatoes! I need to do them more often. Thanks for sharing!
i know they’re so easy and cheap.. but i always forget about them!
I have brushed with the olive oil before but I need to try the salt. That potato looks so good. My husband is from Idaho so we love potatoes in this house. Thanks for the post.
oh yeah the salt makes them taste so much better.. especially if you eat the skins. yum!
That’s how I cook my baked potatoes too and I also looove every kind of potatoes (except potato salad yuck). Mmmm now I’m craving some!
They are so good huh?! Mmm now I want one too… and it’s after ten! haha.