These easy Instant Pot baked potatoes are light and fluffy with almost no effort at all. They turn out perfect every single time!
Use this instant pot trick to make our yummy Cheesy Broccoli Stuffed Baked Potatoes! It’s one of our favorite potato side dishes.
Baked Potatoes in Minutes!
We don’t make baked potatoes very often, mainly because they take forever to bake and often hog much needed oven space. However, that’s completely changed now that we started making them in the Instant Pot. I’m obsessed!
What’s great about using the Instant Pot is that you don’t have to babysit the potatoes, and they’re guaranteed to cook perfectly every time.
If you’re like me and you like crisp potato skins, you can rub them with oil after they come out of the instant pot, sprinkle some coarse sea salt them and bake them for 10 minutes in the oven. This trick gives you the best of both worlds!
Tips for the Instant Pot
To get started, you’ll want to pour 1 ¼ cups of water into insert of the Instant Pot. Grab the steamer insert or another type of metal collapsable vegetable steamer. I use the same one I use in my regular pots. Place it in the Instant Pot and place the potatoes inside.
How many potatoes can you cook at one time? In the standard size (6 quart) Instant Pot you can do up to 8 potatoes. You do not need to adjust the cook time if you are doing more or less.
Select MANUAL pressure (HIGH) for the given times below:
- 11 minutes for small potatoes
- 14 minutes for medium potatoes
- 17 minutes for large potatoes
- 20 minutes for extra large potatoes
Once the potatoes are fully cooked, let the pressure come down naturally. This means you won’t switch the valve over to venting. Instead, you’ll wait for 7-10 minutes until the pin drops.
What potatoes can you use for this recipe?
I would suggest using Russet potatoes. You’ll want to pick potatoes that are all roughly the same size. This will ensure that all of the potatoes cook evenly.
For Crispy Skins…
Now you have two choices:
- Eat the potatoes as-is
- Roast the potatoes in the oven for 10 minutes until crispy
To roast the potatoes (which I highly suggest), preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Spray or rub the potatoes with oil. Make sure you choose one that has a high smoke point. Some examples include:
- Canola oil
- Grapeseed oil
- Avocado oil
Rub with coarse sea salt, then bake for 10 minutes or until the skins are nice and crisp.
Add Toppings
Let the potatoes cool for 5 minutes before cutting them down the center lengthwise and pressing the ends towards the center of the potato. This will help them “pop” open.
Add a small pat of butter along with some freshly cracked black pepper.
If plain potatoes are your thing, enjoy! If you’d rather fancy them up a bit, go for it! Try these garnishes:
- Grated cheese
- Sour Cream
- Chives or green onion
- Bacon crumbles
Storage Tips
Keep leftover instant pot baked potatoes STORED in an airtight bag/container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Reheat in the microwave or in the oven until warmed through. If you want to keep the skins crispy you should probably reheat the potatoes in the oven.
To FREEZE, wrap each potato individually in plastic wrap and then place them in a freezer safe bag. Keep potatoes in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and then reheat until warmed through.
We love these easy, practically effortless “baked” potatoes… or as my kids call them, dinosaur eggs! They’re soft, fluffy and perfect with a big pat of butter.
LOOKING FOR MORE POTATO RECIPES? TRY THESE:
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
- French Onion Soup Stuffed Potatoes
- Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
- Cheesy Broccoli Stuffed Potatoes
- Loaded Twice Baked Potatoes
Instant Pot “Baked” Potatoes Recipe
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Ingredients
- 1 1/4 c. water
- 4-8 Russet or sweet potatoes - scrubbed and poked 3 times each with a fork
- Canola oil - grapeseed or avocado oil
- Coarse kosher sea salt
Instructions
- Pour water into the insert of the Instant Pot. Add the steamer rack trivet or a metal folding steamer basket.
- Place the potatoes into the Instant Pot, stacking if necessary.
- Place the lid on. Make sure valve is switched to sealing. Select MANUAL mode (high pressure) for 11-20 minutes (11 minutes for small potatoes, 14 minutes for medium potatoes, 17 minutes for large potatoes, 20 minutes for extra large potatoes).
- Once cooked, let the pressure release naturally. This will take anywhere from 8-12 minutes. Once the pin drips, open the lid and use tongs to remove the potatoes form the Instant Pot.
- Enjoy as is, or place on a parchment lined baking sheet and rub with oil and salt and bake in the oven at 450 degrees for 10 minutes.
- Let cool for 5 minutes before slicing lengthwise down the center, then pushing gently at bot ends to “pop” the potato open.
This is the only way to make Baked Potatoes!They turn out perfect every single time.