Let’s talk about baked potatoes for a second. This simple food is waaaaay overlooked. They’re inexpensive, simple to make, and can be turned into so many different meals. But there’s a little more to making a good baked potato than just tossing a potato into a hot oven. So today I’m going to share my simple baked potato recipe, plus some fun topping ideas so you can turn your baked potatoes from a simple side dish into a decked-out main dish.
How to Make a GOOD Baked Potato in Three Steps:
There are a million different ways to bake a potato, but here is my simple, tried and true method for the perfect baked potato:
- Prep the Potatoes: Wash and dry the potatoes, then prick them all over with a fork. Drying the skin helps it crisp up in the oven instead of staying leathery. Pricking the skins allows steam to escape while they bake, preventing the potato from exploding in the oven.
- Season the Potatoes: Rub the outside of each potato with oil, then season with salt. Rubbing the skins with oil prevent the skins from becoming dry and papery. Seasoning with salt keeps the skins flavorful, and helps them crisp up a bit.
- Bake the Potatoes: Bake the potatoes in a preheated 400ºF oven until tender. Total baking time will depend on the size of your potatoes.
How Long Do You Bake Potatoes?
The total baking time depends on the size of your potatoes and the temperature of your oven. When baked at my recommended 400ºF oven, a ½ pound potato will take about 45 minutes, and a ¾ potato will take about 60 minutes. Always make sure to test your potato by piercing the potato in the center with a fork to make sure the potato has cooked through. The fork should slide into the potato easily without resistance.
What Temperature Should You Bake Potatoes At?
There are many different opinions on this, but my preferred temperature is 400ºF. I find this temperature to be a happy medium between long baking times and even cooking. Lower temperatures can make the potato take forever to cook through, while higher temperatures can sometimes overcook the outside before the inside of the potato has a chance to become tender.
Should I Wrap My Potato in Foil?
I don’t like the foil method. I like the way the potato skin has a nice “snap” to it when the skins are coated in oil and seasoned with salt, but are baked uncovered. Potatoes wrapped in foil have a much more delicate skin and I prefer my potatoes to have plenty of texture.
What is the Best Potato for Baking?
I’m team russet for baked potatoes. The flesh of russet potatoes gets nice and fluffy when baked, compared to waxier varieties, like Yukon Gold or red potatoes, that tend to be more dense. I also like the russet potato skins quite a bit (when cooked correctly–see tips above). Plus, russet potatoes come in a great size for single portions!
Baked Potato Topping Ideas:
My favorite part about baked potatoes are that they are a total blank slate and can be turned into so many different meals! They’re a great way to use up leftover odds and ends in your fridge, so get creative! Here are some of my favorite combos, starting with those pictured in the photo above, top to bottom:
- Broccoli, cheddar, and ranch
- Pizza sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni
- Chicken, buffalo sauce, cheddar
- Sour cream, bacon, green onion
- Black beans, cheddar, BBQ sauce, green onion
- Chicken, cheddar, ranch
- Chili, cheddar, green onion
- Homemade Nacho Cheese Sauce, chicken, jalapeños
- Salsa, cheddar, sour cream
- Curried Chickpeas with Spinach
- Spinach Artichoke Dip
- BBQ Beef and Beans
- Pesto, tomatoes, mozzarella
- Chana Saag
- Ham, diced green bell pepper, cheddar
- Sloppy Joes (plus)
- Louisiana Style Red Beans
How to Make Baked Potatoes
Servings 4 1 potato eachIngredients
- 4 russet potatoes (½ lb. each) ($1.20)
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.04)
- 1 pinch salt ($0.02)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Wash the potatoes well, then dry them with a towel. Use a fork to prick each potato several times.
- Drizzle the cooking oil over the potatoes, then use your hands to smear the oil over each potato until it is fully coated. Place the potatoes on a baking sheet (you can line the baking sheet in parchment or foil for easy cleanup, if desired). Season the potatoes with a pinch of salt.
- Bake the potatoes in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes, or until the potatoes can be pierced easily with a fork. Total baking time will depend on the size of your potatoes.
- Carefully cut the potatoes open, fluff the inside with a fork, and add your favorite toppings!
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Equipment
Nutrition
Video
Scroll down for topping ideas!
How to Make Baked Potatoes – Step by Step Photos
Preheat your oven to 400ºF. Wash the potatoes well, since they grown underground and even the factory washing can still leave some remaining dirt. Dry the potatoes well so the skins crisp up nicely in the oven. Prick the potatoes several times with a fork to allow steam to evaporate while they bake. Rub oil all over each potato, then season each potato with a pinch of salt. The salt helps give the skin flavor and helps them crisp up a little.
Note: I like to place the potatoes on a baking sheet for easy transfer in and out of the oven. You may want to line the baking sheet with parchment or foil for easy cleanup.
Bake the potatoes for 45 minutes, or until they’re tender all the way through. Test the potatoes for doneness by piercing with a fork. The fork should slide easily into the center of the potato with no resistance.
Slice open the potatoes, fluff the insides with a fork, and add a little salt and pepper and your favorite seasonings or toppings! Pictured with butter and pepper.
Have fun with it! What are your favorite potato toppings? Share with the rest of us in the comments below!
Excellent site and recipe. You might mention that the internal temperature of the potato when done should be 210F degrees.
I love baked potatoes!! I’ve been using this method for a couple years, it’s night and day compared to foil-wrapped ones that I struggled through as a kid.
My favorite toppings are olive oil inside, a handful or two of baby spinach, and some black beans with BBQ sauce on top. Also had a nice gooey one with refried beans, a poached egg, cheese, and sriracha. Mmm.
I top my baked potatoes with cottage cheese and salsa. Great combination!
I was a picky eater as a kid and anytime I didn’t like what was being served for dinner, I’d make myself a baked potato instead!
I’ve always wrapped my potatoes in foil when I cook them in the oven (I have also been known to nuke them, without foil, in a pinch). I’ll have to try unwrapped and see the difference! I usually just do butter and cheddar (sometimes broccoli, too), but I love the idea of adding black beans and BBQ sauce!
I love the baking dish! What brand is that?
It’s Rove + Swig!
I grew up on a potato farm in the Upper Midwest. We grew french fry potatoes for McDonalds, chipping potatoes for Frito-Lay and a small amount of “eating” potatoes. We always had at least 20 lbs of potatoes in storage for the winter. I just love a good potato, in any form…baked, fries, hashbrowns. YUM!
Does this method also work well for sweet potatoes?
It sure does! Just be aware that you may need to bake longer if the sweet potato is larger and you’ll definitely want to line your pan with something (parchment or foil) because sweet potatoes ooze a lot of sugary juices. :)
Fantastic method! One of my ex’s favorite foods was baked potatoes. He always lamented the start of summer, because he didn’t want to turn on the oven and heat up the house. I reminded him that a closed grill is essentially an oven, and his mind was blown.
I rub mine in olive oil and bake them on the oven rack with out a pan. I put foil on the rack below just in case.
This is how I was taught to bake them too. More direct heat and one less pan to wash!!
I love this site. something as simple as this yet has eluded me for years. My Maw Maw made baked potatoes wrapped in foil along with practically every restaurant where I have ordered one. this makes so much more sense! Thank you for not forgetting about the basics!
PS- I still can’t scramble eggs or make pancakes. But I can cook up a mean pulled pork or some traditional Shrimp & Crawfish couvillion!
At night markets in Taipei, you can get a fried potato that’s been cut open and topped with: broccoli, corn, pineapple, hard-boiled egg pieces, and then covered in nacho cheese sauce. Sounds so weird, but it all works, somehow.
I’ve been pressure cooking mine lately. Prepare as you do. Put 1 cup water in pressure cooker and put potatoes on trivet. Cook on high pressure for 14 minutes and natural release for 10 minutes. Really great for summer time when you don’t want to run the oven.
I prefer red potatoes, usually, or a russet. Fave topping is refried beans, nacho cheese, taco seasoning, and sour cream. …and now I need to change my dinner plans to be a baked potato!
I’ve recently rediscovered my love of the simple baked potato. They’re such a satisfying, simple meal. And if you have leftover baked potatoes, you can slice them into circles and fry them in a frying pan. Amazing how good they are like that. Or you can slice them into circles and put them in a frittata. That’s one of my favorite things to do. And frittatas are great for cleaning out the odds and ends in your fridge. Pretty much anything is good in a frittata.
Great article! Foil wrapping creates a steamed potato and the internal texture will not be as light and fluffy as a “baked” one. You might as well microwave it, and I’ve done plenty of those through the years–great idea if you are pinched for time, but it’s not ever as good as a real baked one. Since there are just 2 of us now, I usually put a sheet pan of veggies in to roast whenever I bake a couple of russets–roasted veggies make terrific leftovers. My local supermarket, Harris Teeter, always sells 8 lb bags of small russets for under $3. I prefer baking little ones, 5-6 oz, to the giants that are sold as bakers, and like them best with just butter or butter and sour cream–but no one at my house ever says no to some crumbled bacon. Leftovers make wonderful baked potato soup!
A baked potato is a great way to use up a small amount of any leftover stew or thick soup. Not enough left for one serving? Just spoon it over a baked potato and melts little cheese on top or sprinkle on some Parmesan.