A perfect baked potato has crispy skin and fluffy insides. My method for how to bake a potato works every time, so load up your spuds, and dig in!
A perfect baked potato is hard to beat. The outside is brown and crisp, coated in a crust of sea salt. Pierce the skin, and your fork gives way to a soft, fluffy interior. It might be hard to resist eating the whole thing straight out of the oven, but if you take the time to top it with a pat of butter or a dollop of (cashew) sour cream, you won’t be able to deny that it was worth the wait.
Reading this, you might be surprised to learn that until recently, I wasn’t a baked potato fan. I thought they were bland on their own. Whenever I had them at restaurants or at home as a kid, the toppings were always the main attraction. The potatoes themselves would be shriveled and soft, meager vessels for sour cream, cheddar cheese, and bacon.
But this salt-crusted baked potato recipe changed everything for me. In it, the potato becomes the main event. Don’t get me wrong, a little butter or sour cream goes a long way here, but the potatoes come out of the oven with perfectly crispy, flavorful skins and creamy, piping hot interiors that taste delicious as they are. Serve them as a hearty side dish, or load them up and call them dinner. You’ll love them either way!
How to Bake a Potato
I like to use russet potatoes here, as their skin really puffs up and becomes crisp in the oven. Along with the potatoes, you’ll just need olive oil and salt to make this baked potato recipe. Once you’ve assembled your ingredients, follow these easy steps:
First, preheat the oven to 425, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
While the oven preheats, prep the potatoes. Scrub the potatoes well and pat them dry with a kitchen towel. Then, poke the potatoes with a fork a few times to create small holes across their surfaces.
Next, season the potatoes. Place them on the baking sheet and rub them all over with olive oil. Sprinkle them liberally with sea or kosher salt, and transfer them to the hot oven to bake.
Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, until the skins are crisp and puffy and you can easily pierce the potatoes with a fork. Use oven mitts to remove the hot baking sheet from the oven.
Finally, dig in! Allow the potatoes cool for a few minutes before slicing them open, fluffing up their insides, and topping them with your favorite fixings. I like cashew sour cream, tempeh bacon, chives, and salt and pepper!
Baked Potato Recipe Tips
- Skip the foil! The key to making a good baked potato is getting really crispy skin. If you wrap the potatoes in foil, the potato skins will shrivel and soften in the oven. For the best results, leave the potatoes unwrapped.
- Don’t skimp on the salt. Are you someone who likes to eat potato skins? If you make this baked potato recipe, you will be! Coating the spuds in salt makes the skins extra-crispy and flavorful. Plus, with a bit of the salty skin in each bite, you won’t need to worry about seasoning the potato flesh as you eat.
- Know that the cooking time will vary. In the recipe below, I say to bake your potatoes for 45 to 60 minutes. This is a wide range, but I list it for a reason. The cooking time will vary depending on the size of the potatoes. Be ready to take them out of the oven when they’re fork-tender and their skin is crisp. The baking time will be longer for larger potatoes and shorter for small ones.
Oven Baked Potato Serving Suggestions
You can’t go wrong by serving this oven baked potato recipe with a pat of butter, salt, and pepper, but a few well-chosen toppings can really take it to the next level. I love mine with cashew sour cream, tempeh bacon, and chives, but regular sour cream, “cheese sauce,” Greek yogurt, or cheddar cheese would also be delicious.
Enjoy this baked potato recipe as a meal on its own, or pair it with your favorite protein. It would also be yummy with a hearty salad like my Caesar salad, broccoli salad, or kale salad, or with roasted broccoli, cauliflower, or Brussels sprouts.
More Favorite Potato Recipes
If you loved learning how to bake a potato, try one of these favorite potato recipes next!
- Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Creamy Potato Soup
- Baked Sweet Potato
- Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries
- Oven Roasted Potatoes
Perfect Baked Potato
Equipment
- Baking Sheets (I use these nonstick ones from USA Pan Bakeware!)
- Parchment Paper (this one doesn't burn)
Ingredients
- 4 medium russet potatoes
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Use a fork to poke a few holes into the potatoes. Place on the baking sheet, rub with olive oil, and sprinkle liberally with sea salt all over. Bake 45 to 60 minutes, or until the potato is fork-tender and the skin is crisp.
- Slice open each potato, fluff the insides, and serve with desired toppings.
I’m thinking of having a baked potato bar for a luncheon. I’ll need to keep the potatoes warm for about 3-4 hours after they are baked. Do you think this would work ? Any suggestions would be appreciated! Thank you !
We had this at church and the kept the baked potatoes inside of a crockpot. They were wrapped in aluminum foil. But this kept them nice and hot.
I live alone and make 6 baked potatoes at a time; place them in plastic bags when cool and freeze them. When I want a baked potato., I simply bake a frozen potato at 375 for 30 minutes. or microwave for a few minutes.
I made six potatoes at once, and all came out perfectly! Thank you! No more boiled potatoes for this girl!
Oh my goodness. This is the best baked potato I have ever had! I even ate the skin, which is something I never do because it was crispy and so flavorful. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Worked out perfectly. Thank you
Quite possibly the best baked potato I’ve had in my life! Crispy salty skin and oh so fluffy inside!
Perfect.
So glad you loved it, Maggie!
5 stars
I think this is the best baked potato recipe I have used. I thought the temp would be too high but it was perfect! Made me want another it was so good. Thanks!
Meant to add 5 stars!!
I’m glad your potato was perfect!
More detailed oven settings would be super – modern ovens give us lots of options. Firstly, temp in Centigrade would be helpful, but mostly I’m wondering what setting you’re using. Fan? Fan-assist? Top and bottom elements or only bottom? Many thanks.
I honestly don’t know what the other comments are on about. This is an extremely valid criticism.
Fan vs non-fan will produce different results, similar to not giving an oven temperature. Nobody is looking up a recipe for a baked potato because they don’t know how to throw a potato in the oven. We’re aiming to achieve the same results as the author so I think its fair to want all the variables accounted for.
Hi Josh, we bake them at the oven’s regular setting, not convection or fan assisted.
Hi Rachel, we bake them at the oven’s regular setting, not convection or fan assisted and not using the top/bottom only elements.
Google the conversion, goes with any Celsius directions.
Just like Mom made growing up, except I add Pace Medium Salsa or homemade salsa as a topping.
Fantastic! TYSM!]]!
THIS is the baked potato I dream about! Soooo easy and sooooooooo delicious! Restaurant quality but BETTER! Thank you!
Yay, I’m so happy to hear!
This baked potato recipe looks so simple and delicious! I love how you’ve made it easy to customize with different toppings.
One suggestion could be adding a quick tip for making the skins extra crispy. Have you tried adding garlic or rosemary to the olive oil for more flavor? Thanks for sharing this recipe!
this baked potato recipe was THE BEST EVER!!! AT LEAST 10 OUT OF 10
I’m glad you loved it!
I usually hate potatoes… I know weird. These are a must be made once a month in our house!!! So so amazing!
I’m so glad you loved them!
I made these last year for our Christmas celebration. My granddaughter said it was the best baked potato she ever had. I’m making them today. Thanks so much.
I’m so happy they were loved!
Delicious! Even without any fixings, these taste like homemade fluffy French Fries!
I am cooking for three big families. Any recommendations on how many potatoes can I bake at once without compromising the results? Trying to save some time and sanity. Thank you.
These were very good, highly reccommend
I didn’t have parchment paper but foil worked, my potatoes were pretty small (8 instead of 4) and they cooked for about 50 mins