The perfect baked potato recipe comes out with a soft texture inside and delightfully crispy, buttery skin. You can load it with butter, sour cream, or anything else you love using it as a vessel for a light meal or a great side dish with your steak. My family loves when I put baked potatoes on the table to go with our meals.
Best Baked Potato Recipe
Not sure how to make the best baked potato recipe? You’re in the right place. The thing is that baked potatoes in the oven are super-easy. But it does take a few little tricks to get it to come out just like the kind you’d order at a steakhouse. The recipe below will teach you the best way to bake potatoes.
Easy Baked Potato Recipe
This easy baked potato recipe will have potatoes ready for your dinner in just under an hour. There’s only a few ingredients and only a few minutes of prep time. The rest of the magic happens in the oven!
The Perfect Baked Potato Ingredients
- Russet potatoes – Otherwise known as oven baking potatoes, you’ll want to choose the largest russets you can find. Russet potatoes are easily the best potatoes for baked potatoes.
- Butter – Melted butter will go on the outside. Trust the process! Also, choose unsalted butter to keep from going into salt overload.
- Salt and pepper – Just a pinch of each will season your spuds spectacularly!
How do you Make a Baked Potato from Scratch
When making baked potatoes, you’ll preheat your oven and prep a baking sheet with foil. Then you’ll poke each well-scrubbed potato 15 to 20 times with a fork on all sides. Bake it for 25 minutes, then remove so you can brush the exterior of your potatoes with melted butter and season them with salt. Bake for 25 more minutes on the reverse side and then slice them lengthwise, add pepper and serve.
Potatoes give us chips, fries and vodka. Memo to all other vegetables…get it together!
Megan
Expert Tips and Tricks for the Perfect Baked Potato Every Time
- Use russet potatoes. When cooking baked potatoes in the oven, use russet potatoes. Sure, you can use other varieties but russet is drier and fluffier inside, rendering a better baked potato.
- Poke it. Poking the holes in the potatoes helps them to cook properly inside and release steam while cooking.
- Get the baked potato temperature right. To properly cook a baked potato in the oven, the correct oven temperature for baked potatoes is 425F. Once your internal baked potato temp reaches 210F your potato is done.
- Butter it up. Yes, butter on the outside is the secret to scrumptious baked potatoes every single time!
How do I cook a baked potato?
Baked potatoes are best, well, baked in the oven. You can hack it in the microwave but you’re not going to get quite the same wonderful texture and taste. Making a baked potato in the oven is 100% the way to go.
Is it better to bake a potato in the oven or microwave?
Obviously, you’ll get the best flavors from your baked potato by baking it in the oven. I’ve used the microwave method before when I’m in a hurry. It works, but you can definitely taste the difference.
Are you supposed to boil potatoes before baking them?
No, you do not need to boil your jumbo potatoes before baking them. Just follow this recipe for your best baked potatoes!
Why do they put salt on the outside of baked potatoes?
You might think it’s for flavor so you can eat the skin. And it does add a nice flavor to the crispy baked potato skin. But the reason salt is added is to help draw the moisture out of your potato. This gives it that wonderful fluffy texture when you cut it open.
Should baked potatoes be wrapped in foil?
No. But lining the baking tray with foil is perfectly fine. Oven baked potatoes in foil will trap moisture and steam the potatoes. You’ll want to turn the potatoes halfway through the baking time to get the skins evenly cooked on both sides.
Do baked potatoes cook faster with or without foil?
Not necessarily. You’ll still cook them the same length of time. However, I advise against making a baked potato in the oven wrapped in foil as they can steam and ruin the texture. Also, if you don’t remove the foil right away it can breed bacteria.
Do you poke holes in potatoes before baking in oven?
Yes, you must do so to let the steam out and have the potatoes cook properly and evenly every time.
What temperature should you bake potatoes at?
The best baked potato temperature in the oven is 425F. This will cook them perfectly through and through.
How Long to Bake a Baked Potato?
To make crispy oven baked potatoes, your cook time at 425F is 50 minutes. Halfway through that time, you’ll coat the potatoes with butter. It is important you follow the instructions to get your baked potato time and temp correct.
How long does a baked potato take at 325°F?
At 325°F a large baked potato will take about 90 minutes for the baked potato internal temp to reach 210°F.
How long does a baked potato take at 350°F?
At 350°F a large baked potato will take about 80 minutes for the baked potato internal temp to reach 210°F.
How long does a baked potato take at 375°F?
At 375°F a large baked potato will take about 70 minutes for the baked potato internal temp to reach 210°F.
How long does a baked potato take at 400°F?
At 400 a large baked potato will take about 60 minutes for the baked potato internal temp to reach 210°F.
How long does a baked potato take at 425°F?
At 425°F a large baked potato will take about 50 minutes for the baked potato internal temp to reach 210°F.
How can you tell if a baked potato is done?
With this cook time, your baked potatoes should be done. But you can test them with a fork. If you can insert a fork into the thickest part with ease, your potatoes are ready.
What temp is a baked potato done?
Even if you give your baked potatoes the fork test, you can use a thermometer to determine if it’s perfectly cooked. The correct baked potato internal temp will measure between 205F to 215F when it is perfectly done.
What goes well with Baked Potato
Any topping you desire goes well with baked potatoes! We’ve done broccoli and cheese, bacon, shredded cheese, sour cream, chives, chili, even just butter with salt and pepper. If you want to serve baked potatoes with a main dish, steaks, roast chicken, and pork chops are all suitable options. Baked potatoes themselves can be a meal depending on what you fill them with. In that case, they’ll be great with a nice salad.
How to Store Baked Potatoes
Baked potatoes need to be served immediately. I recommend not wrapping each in aluminum foil unless you remove it immediately after baking. Otherwise it can grow bacteria. Never store it with the foil on it for the same reason.
How Long Do Baked Potato Last?
You can keep baked potatoes in the fridge stowed in shallow airtight containers. They’ll be good for up to 5 days in this way.
Can You Freeze Baked Potatoes?
Yes, you can. The best way to do so is allow them to cool and then wrap them each up and put in an airtight freezer bag. They’ll be good up to 3 months like this.
How to Reheat Baked Potatoes?
If you want them to taste as good as when you made them, heat your oven to 350 and bake the potatoes for 15 to 20 minutes.
Watch How To Make Baked Potatoes (Video)
The PERFECT Baked Potato Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 large russet potatoes
- 2 tbsp butter (melted)
- salt (pinch)
- black pepper (pinch)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425F and line a baking sheet with foil. With a dinner fork, poke each potato 15-20 times on all sides and place on the baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes.
- Then, brush the outside of the potatoes with the melted butter and sprinkle generously with salt. Place the potatoes back on the baking sheet reverse side up before baking an additional 25 minutes. Once the potatoes are soft, slice halfway lengthwise, sprinkle with pepper and serve immediately with your toppings of choice (butter, salt, pepper, sour cream, chives, bacon bits, etc!)
Nutrition
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