Fork tender Instant Pot Baked Potatoes come out perfectly fluffy in your pressure cooker in half the time it takes in the oven. This is a foolproof recipe for potatoes of any type or size!
Instant Pot potatoes and Instant Pot mashed potatoes are other favorite timesavers.
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Instant Pot baked potatoes come out as creamy and fluffy as any oven baked potato in a fraction of the time. Perfect for loading it up with toppings!
This is one of my favorite Instant Pot recipes because the pressure cooker tenderizes the versatile potato which makes it a quick and easy side dish for slow cooker ground turkey chili. But it’s just as good mashed with butter, salt, and pepper.
With summer Instant Pot recipes like this Instant Pot baked potatoes recipe, it’s a great way to enjoy your grilled steak with a potato without heating up the house!
Why This is the Best Way to Bake Potatoes
- Easy: Toss in up to 8 potatoes (no foil needed), water, close the lid, and set the timer. Done!
- Versatile: Can be used as a side dish, as a main loaded with toppings, or for healthy mashed potatoes.
- Quick: A baked potato ready in 22 minutes is a dream.
- Efficient: Doesn’t require turning on the oven and takes up very little space.
- Texture: Light and fluffy, creamy potato flesh possible with pressure cooking.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Baked potatoes are so versatile from an easy lunch to a dinner side! And the best part of this Instant Pot baked potatoes recipe is you don’t need to use any foil.
- Potatoes: Russet potatoes are a popular choice for baked potatoes. They’re large enough to only need 1 per person (maybe 2) and they have enough starch in them to make them light and fluffy. You want them overall smooth, with no soft spots, no eyes, and no signs of mold (obviously).
- Water: Use cold water as it will prevent potatoes from overcooking.
How to Make Baked Potatoes in the Instant Pot
Making baked potatoes in the Instant Pot really is so easy, just follow these steps!
Prep potatoes: Give potatoes a good rinse and scrub, if necessary. Supermarket potatoes often are very well pre-washed and don’t need much scrubbing.
Poke potatoes with a fork or knife about 8 times each.
Add cold water and trivet: Add 1 cup cold water. Place the trivet or steamer basket inside.
You don’t want the potatoes to touch the water, otherwise, they’ll be soggy “baked” potatoes.
Place up to 8 large potatoes and it is OK to pile up potatoes on top of each other.
Cook potatoes: Close the lid and set the valve to Sealing position. Pressure cook potatoes and choose either a Quick Release or Natural Pressure Release.
How Long Do I Cook Instant Pot Baked Potatoes?
For this Instant Pot baked potatoes recipe, I have tested numerous sizes of potatoes. The most important thing is to make sure potatoes are of similar size and then follow these cooking times:
- Baby potatoes: Using baby potatoes means you’re no longer in “baked potato” territory but it is still possible to use them. 2 lbs of baby potatoes will take about 2 minutes of cook time, then pressure release naturally for 5 minutes before turning valve to Venting position to release remaining pressure.
- Small potatoes (2″ wide): 15 minutes on High Pressure.
- Medium russet potatoes to large potatoes (2.5″ – 3″ wide): 20 minutes on High Pressure.
- Jumbo potatoes: I would cook them for 23 minutes and cook no more than 8 large potatoes at once.
Recipe Tips
Instant Pot baked potatoes recipe is such a simple method to master for beginners of Instant Pot cooking. Here are a few tips for a perfect baked potato.
- Cold water: Make sure to use cold water as it prevents potatoes from overcooking.
- Prick potatoes: Poking holes in the potatoes helps steam to escape and prevents potatoes from exploding.
- Stacking: It is OK to pile up potatoes on top of each other.
- Use a rack: Or trivet to prevent potatoes from touching water.
- Size counts: The cook time remains the same no matter what type of potato you use, as long as they are all the same size.
- Seasoning: Olive oil and simple salt and pepper seasoning can not only be added to the flesh after cooking but also rubbed on potato skins before pressure cooking!
- Crispy skin: Brush cooked potatoes with oil and sprinkle with salt. Then bake on baking sheet for 10 minutes in preheated 400 degrees F oven, or place under the broiler. You could also make these baked potatoes in an air fryer instead.
Serving Suggestions
Baked potatoes are of course delicious for healthy sides with just butter, salt and pepper or you could get fancy and turn them into twice baked potatoes!
- Loaded: Besides butter, salt, and pepper our other favorites include sour cream, yogurt, green onion or chives, shredded cheese, and bacon bits.
- Stuffed: Transform leftovers of Instant Pot beef chili into a new dinner!
- Topped: Skip the pasta and top these naturally gluten free spuds with my Instant Pot bolognese.
- Holiday meals: If you’re planning to host a smaller holiday meal or a special occasion with roasted turkey breast, switch up your potato side to loaded Instant Pot baked potatoes.
- Weeknight dinner: Plain baked potatoes pair well with flavorful honey garlic chicken wings.
Storage, and Reheating
Storing: Instant Pot baked potatoes taste best fresh or at least the same day.
Reheat: You can reheat in a microwave the next day but not past that. Potatoes are not good freezer candidates either. Instead, cook only as many as you need. Thankfully, it is quite easy.
FAQs
The Instant Pot won’t come to pressure if the valve isn’t in the sealing position. You may also want to check your silicone sealing ring around the lid to make sure it’s intact and not broken. Last, don’t forget to add your water! The pressure won’t build without it.
You can. Any potatoes will work. If you’re using a creamier potato like Yukon Gold or red potatoes, they make great mashed potatoes and have delicate skin, which is a pleasure to eat. As long as you follow the size guide as to how long to cook them, it doesn’t matter what kind.
This depends on the size of the potato and the size of your pot. The rule of thumb is no more than 8 large potatoes. Stack them if you need to.
When you can pierce potatoes with a fork and no resistance, you know they are done. If they feel firm, cover the lid and pressure cook for 2 more minutes.
Yes. Poking holes in the potatoes helps steam to escape and prevents potatoes from exploding.
More Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot potato soup
- Instant Pot pot roast
- Instant Pot potato salad
- Instant Pot chicken and potatoes
- Instant Pot sweet potato casserole
Browse all healthy Instant Pot recipes.
Easy Instant Pot Baked Potatoes
Equipment
Ingredients
- Up to 8 large russet potatoes
Instructions
- Wash potatoes well. Prick them with a fork or knife about 8 times each.
- Add 1 cup of cold water and place trivet or steamer basket inside your Instant Pot. Place up to 8 large potatoes on a trivet. It is OK to pile up potatoes on top of each other.
- Close the lid and make sure pressure valve is set to Sealing. Cook small potatoes (2" wide) for 15 minutes on High Pressure with Quick or Natural release. And medium to large potatoes (2.5" – 3" wide) for 20 minutes.
- Remove potatoes onto a plate, cut lengthwise open in a middle, fluff with a fork and serve with your favorite toppings.
Notes
- Store: Baked potatoes taste best fresh or same day. Maximum you can reheat in a microwave next day but not past that. Potatoes are not good freezer candidates either. Instead cook only as many as you need.
- Cold water: Make sure to use cold water as it prevents potatoes from overcooking.
- Prick potatoes: It helps steam to escape and prevents potatoes from exploding.
- Crispy skin: Brush cooked potatoes with oil and sprinkle with salt. Then bake on baking sheet for 10 minutes in preheated 400 degrees F oven.
Perfect!!! No hard spots like you get in a microwave. Might try the airfryer recipe next as a backup plan. Thank you thank you thank you Olena
So glad you enjoyed them and they turned out great!
The only way I will bake potatoes, now. Easy.
Good potatos thank you
Can you cook 1 or 2 potatoes for time or reduce time?
Johnna Roberts
Yes but same time.
This begs the question: Does it work for sweet potatoes? Microwave sweet potatoes have no flavor. I’ll let you do the experimenting.
It does but way shorter cook time. Depending on thickness I would do 6-10 mins.
Olena, your directions say “Always with Quick or Natural Release.” Two different releases – So which is correct, ‘quick’ or ‘natural’ for an Instant Pot Baked Potato?
Either will work. Should read “all sizes” instead of “always”. I fixed it.