Instant Pot Baked Potatoes come out fork-tender and 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 beets, Instant Pot corn on the cob, and Instant Pot boiled eggs are a few other easy single ingredient recipes.
Table of contents
- Instant Pot Potatoes
- Why Make Potatoes in Instant Pot?
- Ingredients for Pressure Cooker Baked Potatoes
- What Are the Best Potatoes to Use?
- How to Make Baked Potatoes in Instant Pot?
- How Long to Cook Potatoes Instant Pot?
- Optional Add-In’s and Variations
- More Tips for Baked Potatoes
- FAQs
- How to Serve Baked Potatoes?
- What to Serve with Instant Pot Potatoes?
- How to Store Leftover Instant Pot Russet Potatoes?
- More Instant Pot Basic Recipes
Instant Pot Potatoes
Ok, so the cat’s out of the bag, Instant Pot baked potatoes aren’t baked at all! They do, however, 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 favourite Instant Pot recipes because the pressure cooker tenderizes the versatile potato which makes it a quick and easy side dish for turkey chili but it’s just as good mashed with butter, salt, and pepper.
As part of your summer Instant Pot recipes, it’s a great way to enjoy your grilled steak with a potato without heating up the house!
Why Make Potatoes in Instant Pot?
- 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 for Pressure Cooker Baked Potatoes
- Potatoes
- Water
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).
What Are the Best Potatoes to Use?
Truth be told when making “baked potatoes” Russet potatoes are the best. Sure you can use another kind, but believe me, it won’t be the same. The same goes when making Instant Pot potato soup. They are large starchy potatoes of dark brown colour and often look or are “dirty”. However, if you buy them in a bag, they often come pre-washed.
However, any thin-skinned potato like red, yellow, or Yukon Gold can be “baked”. The texture will be more buttery than fluffy. Alternately, save those red or Yukon Gold to make Instant Pot potato salad.
How to Make Baked Potatoes in Instant Pot?
- 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. Prick them with a fork or knife about 8 times each.
Pierce your potatoes! The reason for this is because exploding potatoes is a thing! The holes allow the steam to escape rather than build up with nowhere to go.
- Add cold water and trivet: Add 1 cup of 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.
Why cold water? Adding anything but cold water will affect the cooking time. When water starts cold, it will increase its temperature as the Instant Pot pre-heats. Otherwise, the potatoes will start cooker sooner than they should.
- Cook potatoes: Close the lid and set the valve to seal. Pressure cook potatoes and choose either a Quick or Natural Release.
How Long to Cook Potatoes Instant Pot?
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:
Small potatoes (2″ wide) – 15 minutes on High Pressure.
Medium to large potatoes (2.5″ – 3″ wide) – 20 minutes on High Pressure.
Optional Add-In’s and Variations
- 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.
- Smaller 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 with a 5-minute natural release.
- Jumbo potatoes: You know, the kind you get from Costco. I would cook them for 23 minutes and cook no more than 8 large potatoes at once.
More Tips for Baked Potatoes
- 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.
- 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.
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.
When you can pierce them with a fork no resistance, you know they are done.
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.
You can, but you don’t have to. Sometimes it’s nice to wrap individual potatoes in foil if you’re going to be serving a crowd and everyone can just take one for themselves. It can also help to keep any moisture in. If you do choose to use foil, tack on a couple of extra minutes of cook time. Otherwise, it’s not at all necessary, so don’t waste your foil.
Yes and no. Size doesn’t matter in terms of what the Instant Pot can cook. It can cook any size you need! It’s important that whatever size potatoes are in there, they should all be the same size for even cooking.
It’s fluffy on the inside which is the best part. You won’t necessarily get that crispy skin that so many people love when enjoying a baked potato, but a quick trip under the broiler or in the oven at 400 degrees will fix that.
How to Serve Baked Potatoes?
- Basic: Besides butter, salt, and pepper our other favorites include sour cream, plain yogurt, green onion or chives, shredded cheese, and bacon bits.
Once cut open, a pat of butter that melts into the potato is everything.
- Chilis: Turkey chili, beef chili, or even white chicken chili.
- Meat sauces: Meat sauce or try my Instant Pot bolognese.
What to Serve with Instant Pot Potatoes?
Baked potatoes are classic as healthy dinner sides! Enjoy them with these favorites.
- Grilled food: Grilling and potatoes go hand and hand! Grilled lemon rosemary chicken or grilled chicken with a side of Instant Pot mac and cheese and Instant Pot corn on the cob to complete the meal.
- Soup: Serve on the side of a hearty bowl of chicken tortilla soup or buffalo chicken chili for weeknight comfort food.
- Chicken: Both Instant Pot BBQ chicken and buttery lemon chicken would be great with a side of baked potato and a cucumber and tomato salad.
- Holiday meals: If you’re planning to host a smaller holiday meal or a special occasion roast turkey breast, switch up your potato side to a loaded Instant Pot baked potato.
How to Store Leftover Instant Pot Russet Potatoes?
Storing: Baked potatoes taste best fresh or at least the same day. If you must, 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.
More Instant Pot Basic Recipes
Instant Pot Baked Potatoes
Equipment
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.
Storing: 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. Thankfully, it is quite easy.
Notes
- 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.
- Stacking: It is OK to pile up potatoes on top of each other.
- Jumbo potatoes: Let’s say from Costco, I would cook them for 23 minutes. Just in case.:) I would not recommend cooking more than 8 large potatoes at once.
- Smaller potatoes: 2 lbs of baby potatoes will take about 2 minutes of cook time with a 5-minute natural release.
- 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.
Nutrition
Recipes and images are a copyright of ifoodreal.com. It is against the law to republish recipes without permission. Nutritional info is approximate.
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.