Instant Pot Baked Potatoes

It’s easy to make Instant Pot Baked Potatoes in less than half the time it takes to bake potatoes in the oven! Depending on the size of the potatoes, you can cook 2-6 potatoes in an Instant Pot in just 30 minutes for a quick and easy side dish.

Pressure cooking is nothing new, but with the ease of an Instant Pot it has become all the rage in recent years, and for good reason!

This recipe for Instant Pot Baked Potatoes makes creating the perfect baked potato effortless! It works for small, medium, and large russet potatoes, as well as any other potato variety.

The pressure cooker creates a delicious baked potato with a tender and fluffy inside in a fraction of the time of the oven. The cooked potatoes can be simply topped with melted butter and a sprinkle of salt and pepper, or fully loaded into a complete meal. 

One medium russet potato has 161 calories, around 36 carbohydrates, and adds potassium, protein, fiber, vitamin C, and vitamin B6 to your diet, making it a great addition to your weekly menu!

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Instructions

1. Place the trivet that came with the Instant Pot, in the bottom of the Instant Pot. Add 1 cup of water to the Instant Pot. Scrub potatoes clean, then use a fork to poke holes all over the potatoes. This will allow steam to release as the potatoes cook and prevent them from exploding in the Instant Pot. Place the potatoes on the trivet inside the Instant Pot, making sure that none of the potatoes are touching the water in the bottom of the Instant Pot.
2. Secure the lid on the Instant Pot and set the steam release valve to sealing. Use the “manual” button to set the timer on the Instant Pot to high for 12-16 minutes. (See below for timing chart, based on the size of the potatoes.)
3. When the timer beeps, allow for a natural pressure release. Remove the lid from the Instant Pot and use tongs to remove the potatoes and serve.

Instant Pot potato cooking time

• For 12 ounce potatoes, you’ll be able to fit 2-3 potatoes in a 6 quart Instant Pot. And you will need to cook the potatoes for 16 minutes on high.
• For 8 ounce potatoes, or medium potatoes, you’ll be able to fit 4 potatoes in a 6 quart Instant Pot. And you will need to cook the potatoes for 14 minutes on high.
• For 6 ounce potatoes, or smaller, you’ll be able to fit 5-6 potatoes in a 6 quart Instant Pot. And you will need to cook the potatoes for 12 minutes on high.

Tips and tricks

• If you don’t have a trivet for the inside of your Instant Pot, you can use two small ramekins instead. Place the ramekins with the opening facing down, in the Instant Pot. Place the potatoes on the ramekins. This will allow you to add the water to the bottom of the Instant Pot, while still keeping the potatoes from touching the water.
• Make sure to poke holes all over the potato with a fork before cooking. This allows the steam to escape the potato.
• Choose potatoes of an even size. This will ensure they cook at the same rate.
• Check to see if the baked potatoes are done cooking by gently pushing a knife into the center. If it glides in without resistance the potatoes are done, if it still feels firm, the potatoes need to cook more.
• If the potato is not done at the end of the cooking time, continue to cook on high pressure in increments of 3-5 minutes at a time. Start with three minutes for small potatoes and five minutes for large potatoes.
• This works for all types of potatoes, but depending on the size of the potato, you may need to adjust the cook time.
• I do not recommend wrapping the potatoes in foil before pressure cooking them. Wrapping the potatoes in foil means all of the moisture is kept inside and this will actually add to the cooking time in an Instant Pot. Since the point is to cook the potatoes faster than in the oven, I do not recommend using foil for this method.

Storage and reheating

• Store: Keep the cooked potatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
• Freeze: You can also place cooled leftover baked potatoes in a freezer-safe airtight container, and freeze for up to 6 months.
• Reheat: To reheat baked potatoes, you can use the microwave for the quickest results. To get a crispy skin on the potatoes, place them in an air fryer or oven. I recommend 2 minutes in the microwave, 5 minutes in the air fryer at 400°F, or 15 minutes in the oven at 350°F.

Serving suggestions

Baked potatoes topped with butter, salt, and pepper make a great side dish to go along with any of these recipes.

• Steak: whether it’s a Prime Rib, a simple Grilled Steak, or a Grilled New York Strip Steak, there’s nothing better on the side than a classic baked potato.
• Chicken: pair the potatoes with poultry dishes such as Lemon Rosemary Chicken or Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Chicken Breast.
• Seafood: serve on the side of Grilled Scallops with Jalapeño Lemon Butter Sauce, Baked Chilean Sea Bass with Pesto, or Chimichurri Grilled Salmon.
• Pork: Smoked Pulled Pork, Crock Pot Pork Chops with French Onion Gravy, or Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin would all taste great, served with an Instant Pot baked potato on the side.

Topping ideas

Larger baked potatoes can also be stuffed to make a full meal! Slice the baked potato in half, use a fork to mash the inside, and load it up with any of the following topping combinations.

• Loaded: butter, sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, green onions or chives and cooked bacon, or bacon bits. To level this loaded potato up, replace the sour cream with French Onion Dip or Roasted Garlic Dip!
• Chili: spoon your favorite chili over the potato, then garnish with shredded cheddar cheese and diced green onions. Try it with this Gluten Free Chili, Slow Cooker Vegan Chili or Buffalo Chicken Chili.
• BBQ: load up your potato with a BBQ flavored meat, like this Instant Pot BBQ Chicken. Drizzle on BBQ sauce, then top with cheddar cheese and green onions.
• Cheesesteak: cook up tender slices of ribeye, or ground beef, then top with provolone, white American cheese, or cheese whiz. Omit the Fritos in this Philly Cheesesteak Frito Pie recipe, and instead, stuff the filling into baked potatoes.
• Taco: ditch the tortilla and load a baked potato with Carne Asada or Carnitas. Top it with Salsa, Guacamole, cotija or jack cheese, onions, and cilantro.
• Breakfast: instead of hash browns, try your scrambled eggs, sausage or bacon, and veggies on top of a baked potato!
• Broccoli: cook the broccoli then chop it up, stuff in the potato, and melt on some cheddar cheese or top with cheese sauce.
• Alfredo: fill the potato with Instant Pot Shredded Chicken, then pour on your favorite Alfredo sauce.
• Pizza: drizzle on tomato sauce, melt some mozzarella cheese, and customize with all your favorite pizza toppings like pepperoni, sausage, onions, olives or bell peppers.
• Buffalo: fill up the potatoes with Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken, buffalo sauce, blue cheese, shredded carrots and diced celery.

More Instant Pot recipes

• Instant Pot Shredded Chicken
• Instant Pot Mushroom Risotto
• Whole30 Instant Pot Thai Beef
• Instant Pot Chicken Stroganoff
• The BEST Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
• Instant Pot Beef Ragu

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