Instant Pot Baked Potatoes – Easy and Perfect Every Time!
Making Instant Pot Baked Potatoes is significantly faster than baking them in the oven and yields great results! Once you try this method, it’s going to be your preferred method of making baked potatoes. Make them tonight and you’ll see!
Hi, my name is Rachel, and I confess that I continue to be addicted to my Instant Pot.
I’ve been bringing you guys a mix of basic recipes like Instant Pot Boiled Eggs and Instant Pot Shredded Chicken, as well as complete meals like Instant Pot Chili, Healthy Chicken Piccata, and Instant Pot Pasta with Sausage. This recipe is on the basic side, but baked potatoes are such a versatile building block in the kitchen. The method of making Instant Pot baked potatoes is similar (very, very similar) to the method you use to make Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes, and you are going to love it!
They’re perfect for a busy night because they cook much more quickly than baked potatoes in the oven. They might just be a game changer for you!
PS While it isn’t quite as fast (40 minutes), your air fryer does a great job of baking potatoes, too!
Ready to get on the bandwagon? This is the Instant Pot I have, and I love it! No complaints. I wrote a complete pressure cooker guide that covers various models of pressure cookers, as well as accessories, cookbooks, and tons of pressure cooker recipes!
How to Make Instant Pot Baked Potatoes:
It couldn’t be easier, you guys. Here’s the rundown, but as always, keep scrolling to find a printable recipe.
- Pick out potatoes that are similar in size to each other to ensure equal cooking time.
- I won’t rant on you again about cleaning your potatoes, because we’ve been there before, but start off by giving them a good scrub to get them clean (I like this brush).
- Next, poke them all over with a fork. Four or five times per potato will be good. This will prevent potato explosions. No need for foil!
- Place the steamer basket in the bottom of your pressure cooker, along with 1 cup of water.
- Secure the lid, turn the valve to seal. Use the manual mode and set your timer to 12 minutes on high.
- When time timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally (in other words, don’t turn the valve to vent).
- Test the potatoes with a fork to make sure they’re tender. If they’re not, you could reseal and cook again for 2-3 minutes with a natural release. As long as your potatoes aren’t huge, they should be done!
Cooking Guide:
If your potatoes are extraordinarily small or large, cooking time will vary.
- If you have teeny tiny potatoes, they’ll cook faster. 10 minutes will likely do the trick.
- If you have giant, giant potatoes, you might need up to 18-20 minutes.
FAQ:
What kind of potato makes a good baked potato?
Russet potatoes are the classic choice but any type will work! Yukon Gold are great, and of course, sweet potatoes are an option, too.
How to Use these Baked Potatoes:
There are so many different things you could do with these Instant Pot baked potatoes, but here are a few suggestions!
- Make ahead if you’re a meal prepper! These will keep well in your fridge for 4-5 days.
- Dress it up with all your favorite toppings! Here are some ideas of what you can pile on top of a baked potato:
- Bacon. Obviously. Try baking your bacon. It’s easy, there’s way less cleanup, and it turns out perfect.
- Chili, because we’re taking things seriously here.
- Cheese or cheese sauce. Or both.
- Sour cream or Greek yogurt – I used sour cream in my photos.
- Green onions or chives, or caramelized onions, because caramelized onions make everything better.
- Avocado, because like bacon and caramelized onions, it makes everything better.
- Broccoli – the perfect match to creamy cheddar cheese sauce.
- Salsa! I like to do a southwestern baked potato with taco meat, salsa, cheese, avocado, and heaps of cilantro.
- These Shepherd’s Pie Stuffed Baked Potatoes from Cupcakes and Kale Chips look amazing!
- BBQ Chicken Stuffed Baked Potatoes – Mary is on to something with these!
- Anything you love! What’s your favorite way to top a baked potato?
- Hollow them out and use them for twice baked potatoes.
- If you want, you could grab the insides of them and make mashed potatoes, because why not?
PS: These would also be great served alongside Instant Pot Ribs!
Instant Pot Baked Potatoes - Easy and Perfect Every Time!
Making Instant Pot Baked Potatoes is significantly faster than baking them in the oven and yields great results! Once you try this method, it's going to be your preferred method of making baked potatoes. Make them tonight and you'll see!
Ingredients
- 4-5 medium Russet potatoes
- 1 cup of water
- Steamer basket
Instructions
- Scrub skin of potatoes with a brush until clean. Stab with fork 5-8 times.
- Pour 1 cup of water into the insert of the Instant Pot. Place steamer basket (the one that comes with the Instant Pot works great) in the bottom of the Instant Pot. Place potatoes on top of/inside steamer basket.
- Secure the lid and turn valve to seal.
- Use the manual mode of Instant Pot and set to pressure cook on high for 12 minutes.
- Allow pressure to “release naturally” – takes 15-20 minutes.
- Once the pressure valve lowers, remove lid and serve immediately with desired toppings. You can also store in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
Notes
- If you have teeny tiny potatoes, they'll cook faster. 10 minute will likely do the trick.
- If you have giant, giant potatoes, you might need up to 18-20 minutes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 5 Serving Size: 1 potatoAmount Per Serving: Calories: 168Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 26mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 4gSugar: 2gProtein: 5g
RachelCooks.com sometimes provides nutritional information, but these figures should be considered estimates, as they are not calculated by a registered dietician. Please consult a medical professional for any specific nutrition, diet, or allergy advice.
42 Comments on “Instant Pot Baked Potatoes – Easy and Perfect Every Time!”
I live alone, want to cook one baked potato instant pot. Please help I am new with instant pot
That should work just fine! Keep all the directions the same. :) Enjoy!
I’m new at instapot. This was my second recipe to try and it worked! When done I put the potatoes…..skins and all….in a large zip lock bag and squish them with a rolling pin or big cup. They make the best mashed potatoes. Then I throw in some seasoning/butter/cheese and squish some more. These are so easy with absolutely no lumps and no mess.
Oh yum! What a quick and easy way to make mashed potatoes. Thanks for sharing!
I dunno what the problem is, but so many sites tell me 20 minutes for giant potatoes, but man mine take longer than 35 minutes. When I cook them at 35 minutes I still need to nuke them for additional time because they are still hard in the middle. So irritating.
Do you have your valve turned to seal and your rubber ring in correctly?
Would the time be the same for just 2 large potatos?
Yes, it would!
Rachel, the first time I fixed potatoes, they were perfect. Tonight, my pot steam released after On. Food BURN flashed. I have started all over. Don’t know what is wrong .
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Hmmm….could it be the plastic ring wasn’t fit in correctly or the valve wasn’t turned to seal? This causes the pressure cooker to take longer to come to pressure (or it doesn’t at all) and then it typically gives the burn message. I hope that helps!
Four medium potatoes for 12 minutes exactly, and turned out perfect!! Telling my friends. Thanks.
So glad to hear it! Thank you for taking time time to come back and leave a comment!
Man, 12 minutes for one large potato at high pressure and it is hardly cooked at all. Fork gets maybe 1/8″ in.
Hi Brad! That doesn’t seem possible if the pressure cooker was set up correctly. My guess would be one of two things; that either the rubber ring wasn’t in place correctly (letting pressure escape), or that the valve was turned to vent and not seal. These are the two most common problems. Double check those two things next time and I bet you’ll have much more success.
Best baked potatoes every time,thanks.
So glad to hear it! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment!
Can russet potatoes and yams be cooked at the same time?
Yes, they can!
These were so good! I topped with your instant pot shredded chicken but now I need to get a second instant pot so I can do both at the same time!
Perfect! You definitely need two!
2 med-large russets were still hard after 12 minutes so back in… we will see how it goes… giving 5 more minutes.
I hope it worked out for you! Make sure your plastic ring is intact and your valve is turned to seal!
I used 4 extra large russet potatoes (5″ long; each about 8.5 oz.), 1 cup of water, Instant Pot Lux 6 Quarts, on high pressure, Manual option for 22 minutes with natural pressure release. The outcome was perfection. I hope this helps those who prefer to use large russets such as these.
Thank you so much for those additional details and taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
Recipe was great! I had smallish potatoes, so I went with 11 minutes, and they came out perfectly. Only thing I missed versus baking was the salted/oiled skins. I know I could have done that with an extra step, but I was too lazy. :)
So glad this method worked for you! They definitely don’t get that crispy skin that you get in the oven, but it’s a quick and easy way to get the job done.
Simple and good! Also, the scrubbing brush she recommends (green, by Progressive–in case she changes it in the future) is the one I have been thrilled with for a long while and buying for gifts–it’s that effective and comfortable.
Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment! I won’t ever stop recommending that brush – I love it so much!
I used medium sized Russets. I set them at 14 minutes initially. They were mushy on the outside and hard on the inside. I put them back in for 4 minutes. Still not cooked all the way through and ended up taking as long as oven baking. I don’t think I’ll do this again for baked potatoes, but it might be a good pre-cook method for small potatoes to then be browned with seasoning.
Sorry to hear it didn’t work well for you – we love this method for busy nights or food prepping…but the oven is always a great way to do them, too! Love the crispy outside that the oven gives the potatoes.
Wow these are perfect! Did 12 minute natural release. Thank you! So easy
Awesome! I’m so glad to hear it! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
What if my pot (from Walmart) doesn’t have a rack?
I would pick up one that fits – silicone or metal. You’ll find it’s helpful for many instant pot recipes including this one.
for me even large medium potatoes only take six minutes nad fast release. if i lef thtem that long they would be mush. anything mroe than 8 minutes they are dead poatoes. veg just doesnt like a long time cooking. sinc ei ttakes ten minutes to heat up it would be way faster to just stick em on teh stove and steam them for fifteen twenty minutes without pressure. otherwise you are talking ten minutes heat up time and then 15 mins pressure… which is way too long. i tried the recomended amounts when i first go tit and kept going down and down becuase all i got was exploded mush in water.
These always turn out great for me and never explode. Sorry you had that experience. 6 minutes would not be enough for a normal size potato in my experience.
I am wondering what the instructions would be for cooking 2 potatoes in the 3 quart Duo Mini
I haven’t tested it, but cooking time should be similar. Let me know if you try it!
Thanks for the article! Very pleased!
I’m so glad it was helpful, thanks!
Thank you!!! I am going to have to try this out!
Let me know what you think, Tarah! What do you like to top yours with?