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We are a meat and potatoes family, so this is the side dish I make more than any other. These baked potatoes come out with crispy, salted skin and a light, fluffy inside every single time. All you really need is russets, oil, and salt.
More ways to bake a potato: Twice Baked Potatoes | Hasselback Potatoes | Grilled Baked Potatoes
Before You Get Started
A baked potato is about as simple as a side dish gets, but a few small choices decide whether you end up with crispy skin or a soft, pale one.
- Buy potatoes that are the same size. Bake time depends on how big each potato is, not how many you are cooking. Matched sizes means they all finish together.
- Oil and salt the skin generously. This is the whole difference between a homemade baked potato and a steakhouse one. Salt draws moisture out of the skin so it crisps instead of steams.
- Poke each potato a few times. Steam builds up inside as they bake and it needs somewhere to go. Readers here have had potatoes burst in the oven without it.
recipe walk-through
How to Bake Potatoes Perfectly
See the recipe card below for full, detailed instructions
Baked potatoes are almost entirely hands-off. The oven does the work, so every decision that matters happens in the first five minutes.
1. Scrub and Dry the Potatoes
Give each russet a good scrub under cold water with a vegetable brush or a clean sponge. The skin is the best part of a baked potato, so it is worth getting it properly clean.
Dry them completely with a towel before moving on, because oil will not stick to a wet potato.
2. Poke, Oil, and Salt
Pierce each potato four or five times with a fork, going about a half inch deep. Rub the skins all over with olive oil or vegetable oil, then sprinkle generously with kosher salt.
Be more generous than feels reasonable here. Most of it ends up on the pan, and what stays behind is what makes the skin taste like it came from a steakhouse.
3. Bake at 425°F for 45 to 60 Minutes
Arrange the potatoes on a parchment-lined baking sheet with a couple of inches between them so hot air can circulate.
Leave them uncovered. Wrapping them in foil traps steam and gives you soft skin instead of crisp.
Start checking at 45 minutes. Larger potatoes can run closer to an hour and a half, and the size of your spuds is the only thing that really changes the timing.
If you need a different temperature. At 400°F they take about an hour. At 450°F you are looking at closer to 40 minutes, though the skin browns faster so keep an eye on them.
- Baking for a crowd: One potato and twenty potatoes take the same amount of time as long as they have a couple of inches of space around them. Use two sheet pans rather than crowding one.
Short on time? My Instant Pot Baked Potatoes get you there in about half the time, though you trade away some of the crispy skin.
4. Check for Doneness
A fork or a thin paring knife should slide into the center with no resistance at all. If you feel any drag, give them another ten minutes.
If you want to be exact about it, the inside reads around 205°F to 210°F when a potato is fully baked and fluffy.
{Note for writer: the 205°F to 210°F range is the standard target for a fully gelatinized potato, and no competitor on page one gives a number at all, so it could be a real differentiator. Easy to pull out if you would rather not commit to it.}
5. Cut, Fluff, and Top
Let the potatoes rest about 10 minutes until you can handle them.
Cut a slit lengthwise down the top, leaving an inch or two at either end, then pinch both ends toward the center to push the potato open.
Fluff the inside with a fork, add butter and salt while it is still hot enough to melt, then finish with fresh cracked black pepper.
- Baked potatoes are one of the easiest sides to make for a crowd. My Cookout Side Dishes collection has the rest of the spread covered.
Best Baked Potato Toppings
Potatoes have a mild flavor, which makes them a great vehicle for just about anything. Butter, salt, and pepper is the classic starting point, and everything below builds from there.
- Bacon, shredded cheddar, chives, and sour cream for a fully loaded potato
- Sour cream and chives
- Pesto, Parmesan, and red pepper flakes
- Salsa and cheese
- Ranch dressing and cracked pepper
- Broccoli and cheese sauce
- Shredded chicken or beef with salsa and cheese
A scoop of chili (or this Easy Chili Recipe) with cheddar on top turns a baked potato into an actual dinner. When we are doing steak night, this goes next to a Cast Iron Steak and nobody asks for anything else.
Storage Tips
Storing and Reheating
Refrigerator: Let the potatoes cool completely, then store them in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Take any toppings off first, since sour cream and cheese do not hold up the way plain potato does.
Reheating: The oven is worth the wait here. Bake at 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes and the skin crisps back up. The microwave works in a pinch, about 2 minutes, but you will end up with soft skin.
Holding them warm: If dinner is running behind, pull the potatoes when they are done and hold them in the oven at 200°F for up to an hour. Any hotter and the insides start to dry out.
Make-ahead: Baked potatoes are best fresh, so I would not bake them a day early just to reheat. If you want a head start, scrub, poke, oil, and salt them in the morning and keep them covered on the counter until you are ready to bake.
Leftover Baked Potatoes
Honestly, I bake extra on purpose. A cooled baked potato is the head start for half a dozen other dinners, and the flesh scoops out of the skin much more easily once it has spent a night in the fridge.
- Taco Stuffed Baked Potatoes
- Crack Chicken Stuffed Baked Potatoes
- Twice Baked Potatoes
- Homemade Loaded Potato Skins
- Baked Potato Soup
- Twice Baked Potato Casserole
Frequently Asked Questions
Should you wrap potatoes in foil to bake them?
No, and this is the single biggest thing standing between most people and a good baked potato. Foil traps the steam coming off the potato, so the skin softens instead of crisping. Bake them uncovered and you get that crackly, salted skin.
The one time foil earns its place is if you are transporting potatoes and want to keep them hot, and even then, wrap them after they come out of the oven rather than before they go in.
Can I bake red or gold potatoes the same way?
You can, and the method does not change, but the result will. Russets are starchy, which is what gives you that light, fluffy interior. Reds and golds are waxier, so they come out creamier and denser rather than fluffy. They are also usually smaller, so start checking them around 35 minutes.
How many potatoes can I bake at once?
As many as fit on your pans with a couple of inches between them. The timing does not change, because each potato is heating from the outside in regardless of how many neighbors it has. What does change things is crowding, so spread them across two sheet pans rather than packing one.
Can I bake potatoes ahead of time for a party?
Bake them as close to serving as you can, then hold them in a 200°F oven for up to an hour. That works far better than baking them early and reheating, which dries out the insides. If you need more lead time than that, the potatoes hold their texture better wrapped loosely in a towel inside a covered dish than they do sitting uncovered.
More Potato Sides
- Fluffy Mashed Potatoes (Make Ahead)
- Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes (Au Gratin)
- Crispy Garlic Roasted Potatoes
- Homemade Baked French Fries
- Potatoes Romanoff
Perfect Baked Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 russet potatoes roughly the same size
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- Butter for serving
- Fresh cracked black pepper for serving
- Optional toppings: sour cream, shredded cheddar, chives, crumbled bacon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Scrub the potatoes well under cold water and dry them completely. Oil will not cling to a damp skin.
- Pierce each potato four or five times with a fork, about a half inch deep.
- Rub the potatoes all over with oil, then sprinkle generously on all sides with kosher salt.
- Arrange the potatoes on the prepared baking sheet with at least 2 inches between them. Bake uncovered for 45 to 60 minutes, until a fork or thin paring knife slides into the center with no resistance. Larger potatoes will need the full hour.
- Let the potatoes rest 10 minutes, until cool enough to handle.
- Cut a slit lengthwise down the top of each potato, leaving an inch or two at either end. Pinch both ends toward the center to open the potato up, then fluff the inside with a fork.
- Top with butter, salt, and fresh cracked black pepper while hot. Add sour cream, cheddar, chives, and bacon for a loaded potato.
Notes
- Size matters more than quantity. Bake time is driven by how big each potato is. Choose potatoes of similar size so they finish together, and start checking at 45 minutes.
- Do not wrap them in foil. Foil traps steam and softens the skin. Bake uncovered for a crisp, salted exterior.
- Other temperatures: about 1 hour at 400°F, or about 40 minutes at 450°F. Watch the skin closely at 450°F.
- Doneness cue: a fork should meet no resistance in the center. The inside reads around 205°F to 210°F when fully baked.
- Be generous with the salt. Most of it falls off onto the pan. What stays behind is what gives you steakhouse skin.
- Baking for a crowd: timing does not change with quantity as long as the potatoes have 2 inches of space. Use two pans instead of crowding one.
- Holding them warm: keep finished potatoes in a 200°F oven for up to an hour before serving.
- Storage: refrigerate cooled potatoes in an airtight container up to 4 days. Reheat at 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes to bring the skin back.
- Russets only, ideally. Reds and golds work but come out creamy rather than fluffy, and they cook faster.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
I poked mine with a fork before coating them with margarine, dill, oil, salt and pepper. I thought the whole ones always had to be poked before baking to keep them from exploding. Anyways, great recipe!
I don’t always have the time to bake a potato. After experimenting with setting on my microwave, I’ve found setting it at half power for ten minutes then finishing on high makes a moist yet baked like potato. I now do corn for 5 min too wrapped in a damp paper towel. So good.
Poke the potatoes. I have exploded them when I forgot to do this. Proven.
i never knew how the restaurants did this!! thank you for sharing.
Some differences in temp and bake time… in one paragraph it says 425 for 45 minutes or 400 for an hour… but in the actual printable recipe it says 425 for an hour…. which is correct… don’t want to overbake or underbake.
In that paragraph, the times given are general, but it also says that it depends on the size of the potatoes. The printable recipe says 45-60 minutes. Check them at 45, and cook longer if they aren’t done. You can test with a sharp paring knife or a fork inserted into the center.
What amount of time and method do you recommend for 50 baked potatoes
As long as your oven is big enough to allow a couple of inches between potatoes for air to circulate, you can bake them at the same temp and time.
The easiest best baked potatoes ever. Family just loved them.