Perfect Instant Pot Baked Potatoes
A foolproof recipe for easy Instant Pot Baked Potatoes. Learn how to cook perfect baked potatoes in your pressure cooker, plus how to make baked potatoes with crispy skins.
One of my go-to quick and easy weeknight meals is a simple baked potato bar. Our usual toppings include butter or sour cream, shredded cheese, roasted broccoli and sometimes chili. My family loves baked potatoes, especially since everyone can choose their own potato toppings!
Baked potatoes are a filling and nutritious meal that is also budget-friendly. Russet potatoes are a good source of protein, fiber, iron, magnesium and Vitamin C, as well as other vitamins and minerals.
Since I’ve owned an Instant Pot pressure cooker, cooking baked potatoes in my Instant Pot is my preferred method. It’s faster than cooking them in the oven and the potatoes always turn out fluffy and tender. Just like with my Instant Pot mashed potatoes recipe and Instant Pot sweet potatoes, the Instant Pot works its magic on potatoes once again with these Perfect Instant Pot Baked Potatoes!
Besides being a delicious lunch or dinner on their own, baked potatoes are a good side dish to serve with baked salmon, steak, pork tenderloin or baked chicken thighs. You can cook your baked potatoes ahead of time and reheat them for an even faster meal.
If you are new to using an Instant Pot, you might find my post about how to use an Instant Pot helpful.
How to Make Instant Pot Baked Potatoes
These Instant Pot potatoes are so simple to make. You’ll start by scrubbing your potatoes. Then, prick the potatoes a few times with a fork. Pricking the potatoes will allow steam and pressure to escape from the potatoes as they cook.
Place 1 cup of cold water in your Instant Pot. Cold water is recommended because the water temperature will affect how long it takes your Instant Pot to reach pressure, and therefore how long your potatoes will cook.
Next, place the metal trivet in your Instant Pot. You want to cook the potatoes on top of the trivet so that they don’t sit in the water and get soggy.
Place the potatoes on top of the trivet. It is okay if your potatoes are stacked on top of each other in the pot. Close the Instant Pot lid and turn the steam release valve to the sealing position.
How long do you cook baked potatoes in an Instant Pot?
The pressure cooking time depends on the size of your potatoes. I have tested out lots of different potatoes of varying sizes to determine these cook times. It is important to cook potatoes that are roughly the same size so that they will cook in the same amount of time.
Small Potatoes (2 – 2 1/4 inches wide): 12 minutes at high pressure plus 10 minutes natural pressure release
Medium Potatoes (2 1/2 inches wide): 16 minutes at high pressure plus 10 minutes natural pressure release
Large Potatoes (3 inches wide, pictured in my hand above): 20 minutes at high pressure plus 10 minutes natural pressure release
When I’m not sure about the cook time for my exact size of potatoes, I always err on the side of adding an extra minute or two to the cook time. I’d rather end up with softer potatoes than under-cooked potatoes and have to do a second pressure cooking cycle.
How to Make Baked Potatoes with Crispy Skin
If you like crispy skins on your baked potatoes, you can place them under the broiler after you cook the potatoes in the Instant Pot. This step is optional and I often skip it when I’m short on time. It does add lots of flavor, though!
Place the cooked potatoes on a baking sheet. Rub the baked potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle them with salt before placing them under the broiler in your oven. Watch the potatoes closely so they do not burn. Mine took about 7 minutes to crisp under the broiler.
Cooking Tips for Instant Pot Potatoes
- Don’t forget to prick your potatoes a few times with a fork before cooking them. This allows steam and pressure to escape from the potatoes as they cook.
- Be sure to cook your baked potatoes on the metal trivet to keep them out of the water in the bottom of the Instant Pot.
- The cooking time for baked potatoes depends on their size. Cook the standard large size Russet potatoes that you find at the grocery store for 20 minutes at high pressure plus 10 minutes natural pressure release.
- If you want potatoes with more flavorful, crispy skins you can place them in your oven and broil for a few minutes after they have cooked in the Instant Pot. Rubbing the skins with olive oil and sprinkling them with salt and pepper helps them to crisp and adds flavor.
More Easy Instant Pot Recipes
- Easy Instant Pot Chicken Thighs
- Instant Pot Pot Roast
- Honey Garlic Instant Pot Chicken Breasts
- Best Instant Pot Recipes
Instant Pot Baked Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 medium Russet potatoes scrubbed
Instructions
- Pour 1 cup cold water into the bottom of the Instant Pot inner pot. Place the metal trivet in the pot.
- Prick the potatoes in a few spots with a fork.
- Place the potatoes on top of the trivet in the Instant Pot. It is ok if they are stacked on top of each other.
- Close the lid and turn the steam release valve to the sealing position.
- Press Manual/Pressure Cook and set the cook time: 12 minutes for small potatoes, 16 minutes for medium potatoes, 20 minutes for large potatoes (see box in the post above for more size details). The Instant Pot will take 8-12 minutes to reach pressure and then the cook time will begin counting down.
- When the cook time ends, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes by leaving the Instant Pot alone. Then quick release any remaining pressure by carefully turning the steam release valve to the venting position using the handle of a long spoon.
- When the float valve drops down, open the Instant Pot lid.
To Get Crispy Skins (Optional)
- Place the baked potatoes on baking sheet (line with foil if desired, but not parchment since you cannot place parchment paper under the broiler).
- Rub the potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with Kosher salt.
- Place under the broiler in the oven for 3-7 minutes, until skins begin to get golden and crisp. Watch the potatoes closely so they don't burn.
Nutrition
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In general…. thank you for giving such precise… complete instructions. I don’t know how many times I’ve started a recipe and then stood scratching my head because something wasn’t clear. Excellent job of communicating!!!
It must be the 3rd grade teacher in me… I’m used to explaining things very clearly. 😉
Thanks for an honest recipe. I just tried an instant pot baked potato recipe from another site that had woefully inaccurate cook times. First it went for 12 minutes, instant steam release. Out they came, still hard! Back they went for another 12. Still some crunchy bits. Gave up and they are finishing in the oven now. Made something completely different for dinner. Found 3 other recipe sites, similar cook times suggested.
Your recipe appears to be the only recipe with realistic cook and steam times. I will be trying the 20+10 next time and hope to report back!
I hope you have success with my recipe! The cook time really does depend on the size of your potatoes. 🙂
Question? Can you use sweet potatoes instead of russet potatoes?
Sweet potatoes take longer to cook in the Instant Pot. I plan to do some recipe testing for Instant Pot sweet potatoes soon, but in the meantime you might search for a recipe specific to sweet potatoes.
I did try sweet potatoes and added 1 minute to the cook time for med potatoes. They came out wonderfully. They were perfect. They melted in your mouth. This was my second use of the IP. Thanks for your recipes.
I’m happy to hear that they turned out so well! Thank you for taking the time to report back. 🙂
Thank you!!! I was hoping there was a sweet potato one and saw your comment after the article.
I’m working on testing sweet potatoes in the Instant Pot, so stay tuned. 🙂
So excited to try this for lunch today!!! Glad to see someone tried it with sweet potatoes and it came out well (with the added time). Thank you!!!
Does the cooking time vary depending on how many potatoes you have? TIA
Hi Maria,
No, you do not need to increase the cooking time for more potatoes. You only need to increase Instant Pot cooking time when the items are larger around or thicker as I discussed in this recipe.
Question. Using this recipe for dinner tonight. Is it ok to add 6 potatoes to pot? If so should I add a little more water in bottom and/or increase cook time by a minute or two? Thank you! Happy New Year!
Hi Lesley,
You do not need to add more water.
I just made this. I’m using big potatoes so I put them in for 20 minutes. The middle of the potatoes is still hard and uncooked. Very disappointed.
I’m sorry to hear that the 20 minute cook time didn’t work for you. Did you also allow the pot to naturally release for 10 minutes after the cook time ended? The potatoes will continue to cook during this time. My large potatoes measured 3 inches in width, if your potatoes are bigger than that they will need more cook time. I’ve found that different Instant Pots may cook a little differently, and there also may be some natural variation between potatoes so you may have to experiment to find your perfect cook time. Good luck!
This is a great recipe! My potatoes took about 25 mins.
They turned out perfect! I couldn’t find my trivet so I put 4 Mason jar lid rings in the bottom to keep the potatoes out of the water.
Worked perfectly! Much fast than the hour of oven time.
Hi. I cooked 2 large potatoes in my instant pot for 20 minutes. They were cooked all the way through but too dry. I put 1 cup of water on the bottom and set the potatoes on a trivet. How can I get moister potatoes?
The moisture of the potatoes probably depends on variation between potatoes more than anything else. I would try loading them up with your favorite toppings to help – butter, sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, cheese, etc.
Have you tried oil & salt on potatoes before baking in instapot? Why or why not would this work? Thank you.
You could put oil and salt on the potatoes before pressure cooking them to flavor the skins, but they will not crisp in the Instant Pot. If you want the skins crispy you have to put them in the oven.
It’s probably “cheating” on my part, but if my potatoes are still slightly underdone after the time I think they need to cook, I just microwave them for three minutes. I’m not about to wait until the IP cools down, then do another cycle, no matter how short. I LIKE-LIKE potatoes so much that when they’re done, I want them right NOW, and I don’t want to wait (of course, I live alone, and have nobody I have to consider feeding, so I can do that….) 😀
I’m just trying this but I’m super excited. I love to make twice baked potatos because they are so thrifty and flavorful but I hate the long oven cook times because i make big batches and then freeze. I’m hoping your recipe will save a ton of prep time.
Will the cooking time change if I use Gold potatoes instead of Russet potatoes?
You may need to reduce the cooking time because gold potatoes are smaller than russets. You may need to experiment. Measure your potatoes at the thickest part of the potato. If around 2 inches, try 12 minutes, if smaller reduce time further to 10 minutes.