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Instant Pot Baked Potatoes

30 Minute Meals· Budget Cooking· Dairy-Free· Gluten-Free· Instant Pot· Real Food· Side Dishes

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Instant Pot Baked Potatoes: Make fluffy, fork tender potatoes in the pressure cooker every singe time! Directions on how to cook potatoes in Instant Pot with troubleshooting tips.

Fluffy baked potato on white plate with Instant Pot in Background. Post has directions for perfectly cooked instant pot potatoes.

Don’t you agree that a baked potato is one of the most perfect side dishes?

Baked potatoes compliment just about every main course perfectly. My family loves a good baked potato with  Chicken Cordon Bleu, Apple Pork Roast, and of course a steak.

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But on busy nights, I don’t have a lot of time to roast potatoes. But I always have time if I use my Instant Pot to make Baked Potatoes.

And after learning how to perfectly cook fresh and frozen chicken, cook dried beans without soaking, and cooking frozen ground beef in the Instant Pot–you all wanted to know—How do you make a potato in the Instant Pot?

And I am going to walk you through my tips and help you learn from my failed experiements (I have finally PERFECTED a Pressure Cooker Baked Potatoes!)

Pressure Cooked Baked Potato with Butter, Sour Cream and Parsley.

How to Perfectly Cook Baked Potatoes in the Instant Pot:

Growing up, potatoes were always served up as a side dish. My family was a meat and potato kind of family when I was a child.

I will never forget going to my aunt’s house one night for dinner (she was watching up for my parents to go on a date) and she served up Baked Potatoes as the main course. I thought it was BRILLIANT!

I was not much of a fun of meat myself, so the fact that I could top my potato with broccoli and cheese and call it dinner sounded like heaven to me. 30 years later, I still like to call baked potatoes dinner.

Instant pot with text overlay saying let's rock your instant pot with step by step recipes, troubleshooting advice, and pressure cooker tips with button to subsribe to get cooking

Step By Step Directions for Making Baked Potatoes in the Instant Pot:

How to cook fluffy baked potatoes in the pressure cooker.

 

Step 1: Pour 1 cup cold water over the bottom of the pot, and then place in your trivet that came with your instant pot.

Place Trivet in Instant Pot and cover bottom of pot with 1 up water.

Step Two: Place anywhere from 4-8 scrubbed potatoes into your Pressure Cooker.

How to perfectly cook potatoes in Instant Pot

Important Tips to Remember when Cooking Potatoes in Instant Pot:

  • Be sure to prick your potatoes with a knife or fork to allow steam and pressure to exit or your potatoes could explode while cooking.
  • Make sure your potatoes are resting on rack and not touching the water–if they cook in water, they will get mushy instead of perfectly fluffy (I know this from experience!)

Step Three: Set to high pressure and cook:

  • 10 minutes on high pressure for small potatoes.
  • 12 minutes on high pressure for medium potatoes (standard potatoes that you find in most bulk bags from grocery store)
  • 20 minutes for extra large potatoes (like the ones you get at Costco)

Step Four: Allow pressure to release naturally for 8-10 minutes and then turn valve to release to release any remaining pressure. 

Perfectly cooked Potatoes in Instant Pot in 12 minutes

Step Five (optional) Brush potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and crisp in 400 degree oven for 10 minutes–this is NOT necessary!

Step Six: Serve plain with butter and sour cream or stuff with Pulled Pork and shredded cheese for a great meal!

 Instant Pot Baked Potatoes: Make fluffy, fork tender potatoes in the pressure cooker every singe time! Directions on how to cook potatoes in Instant Pot with troubleshooting tips.

Now a few things you may be wondering about Cooking Potatoes in the Instant Pot:

The inside of a pressure cooked baked potato reveals how perfectly fluffy the potato turns out in Instant Pot.

  • What is the texture like of potatoes cooked in Instant Pot? Fluffy and creamy–just like an oven baked potato. This method is SO much better than the texture of a microwave baked potato.
  • Do you have to use your trivet? YES!! The trivet prevents the potatoes from getting watery;
  • Do you have to add water to bottom of Instant Pot? Yes, that moisture allows the pressure to build up in your instant pot.
  • Do you have to use cold water in your Instant Pot? Yes! If you start with warm water, the cooking time will vary and that may result in under or over-cooked potatoes.

Tips and Trouble-Shooting Cooking Potatoes in the Instant Pot:

  • I have tested this recipe out with 4, 6, 8, and 10 potatoes. At 10 potatoes, my 6 quart instant pot needed longer than 12 minutes to perfectly cook the potatoes, but at 4, 6 and 8 the 12 minutes was a perfect time.
  • I would not recommend cooking more than 8 potatoes at a time. Doing so, would overcrowd your Instant Pot and therefore would cause it to take forever to reach pressure.
  • If you are using giant potatoes, I would not use more than 6 at at time.
  • In all my tests, it has never taken longer than 8 minutes to reach pressure for this recipe. So from heating up to releasing pressure these potatoes are ready in less than 30 minutes.
  • Looking to cook Sweet Potatoes in Instant Pot? Check out my recipe for Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes (spoiler alert–it is NOT the same!)
  • Be sure to check out all my Easy Healthy Instant Pot Recipes. 
  • If you are a new Instant Pot user, be sure to read my Instant Pot 101, where I walk you through important must knows when using an electric pressure cooker.Instant Pot Baked Potatoes: Make fluffy, fork tender potatoes in the pressure cooker every singe time! Directions on how to cook potatoes in Instant Pot with troubleshooting tips.

Be sure to check out Instant Pot Potato Soup and Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes from my blogging friends as well.

How to cook fluffy baked potatoes in the pressure cooker.
4.21 from 39 votes
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Instant Pot Baked Potatoes

How to cook fluffy baked potatoes in the pressure cooker.

Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword Instant Pot Baked Potatoes
Prep Time 6 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 22 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 123 kcal

Ingredients

  • 6 medium potatoes scrubbed clean

Instructions

  1. Place 1 cup cold water in Pressure cooker pan and place trivet in instant pot. 

  2. Pierce potatoes 5-6 times with a fork to allow pressure to release while cooking.

  3. Add potatoes carefully on trivet (stacking on top of each other if needed). Place lid on instant pot and seal the valve. 

  4. Set to high pressure for 12 minutes.

  5. Once cook time has elapsed, allow pressure to naturally release for 8-10 minutes, do a quick release. Remove potatoes from Instant Pot and serve up with whatever toppings you like. 

Recipe Notes

Time to get to pressure: 5-6 minutes

Time to cook: 12 minutes

Time to release pressure: 10 minutes

Nutrition Facts
Instant Pot Baked Potatoes
Amount Per Serving
Calories 123
% Daily Value*
Sodium 21mg 1%
Potassium 879mg 25%
Total Carbohydrates 26g 9%
Dietary Fiber 5g 20%
Protein 5g 10%
Vitamin C 29.4%
Calcium 6.4%
Iron 38.3%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Comments

        • Hey Laura,
          I have not tried NOT pricking potatoes. It only takes one potato exploding to make me NEVER risk that again 😉
          I will say by pricking the potatoes, you also change the cooking time and the way the skin on the potato cooks up as well.

          Reply

        • Laura: UM, YES, potatoes certainly will explode! It happened to me. And you’re right, Kristen, it only took one time for me to never, ever bake potatoes without poking them, again. What a mess! Definitely, always poke those potatoes!

          Reply

          • Our ancestors pricked em for a reason. They can start splitting on their own without pricking. And very likely to explode whether in a microwave, oven, or instant pot. Good cooks prior to us knew what they were doing and why. I blanche my corn and peanuts before freezing…the old way…and others put them in without blanching. Even leaving the husks on the corn.

  2. If it is important to use cold water, I recommend that it says “Place one cup COLD water in Pressure cooker pan” under Instructions. The only place where cold water is mentioned is in the “Now a few things you may be wondering about….” section.

    Reply

        • Hi Fran, For one potato, it should be the same amount of time, but I can’t say for sure as I have never tested that. One thought would be to cook several to use throughout the week–you can even dice the baked potatoes up for a frittata.

          Reply

          • I am almost sure you would use the same cook time no matter how many. What changes with anything you put in the IP ( meat, large quantities of liquid, more vegetables, and if its frozen, etc) is the time it comes to pressure. That is what I do and never have issues.

          • You are EXACTLY right for most things Cheryl. The pressure cooker is all about volume, not quantity—BUT for whatever reason in the 6 and 8 quart IP,cooking less than 3 large potatoes, INCREASES time. So just be aware that your potatoes may not be perfectly cooked if you only do 2 at 12 minutes. And if you try at 12 minutes and they aren’t cooked through, just pop the lid back on and cook for an additional 2-4 minutes. 🙂

    • Jo, I am so sorry I misunderstood that you were meaning to clarify cold water in recipe card–someone just pointed that out to me! You are absolutely right and I fixed the post to say that! Thanks!

      Reply

  3. Dear Kristen
    I do not have Instant Pot brand, and my brand came with the most useless manual. However, I am determined to make this work, as it was a gift. Since I do not have a manual over-ride option, what setting would you recommend I use? I have the following options:
    Soup/ Porridge, Meat/Poultry, Rice/ Multigrain, Cake, Bean/ Chili, Steam, Slow Cook, Yogurt.
    Thanks!

    Reply

  4. Followed directions to a T, potatoes came out pretty much raw. I did two large potatoes, could this be the reason why? Do you HAVE to do 4 or more for it to cook properly?

    Reply

    • Hi Gail, I am sorry you had an issue with this. Did you use the cooking time for extra large potatoes?
      In my experience, less than 4 potatoes don’t cook up the same way, hence why I recommend only using this method with at least 4 potatoes (it has to do with pressure)

      Reply

  6. Thank you for this recipe! I just got a Mini Duo 3qt as a secondary pot. I put one plastic cup worth of water (the one that comes with the pot) and used your method including the oven finishing with just 2 russett potatoes. Results: SUBLIME. Just in case anyone with a mini is wondering 😎

    Reply

  7. For 4 baking-sized potatoes (large) 22 minutes isn’t long enough. We each cut into 1 and they hadn’t cooked through. 2 remained in the pot so I’m hoping high pressure for additional 10 minutes and NR will salvage them.

    Reply

    • Oh dear Julie I am so sorry. They must have been really large potatoes!
      A few things to check–make sure you use 1 cup water and prick your potatoes. The other 2 potatoes should be just fine too!

      Reply

    • Hey Jennifer. Unfortunately, NO you can not cook anything in your pressure cooker without water. The water (or liquid) of some type is needed to create pressure. I STRONGLY recommend getting a trivet or metal rack. I have links to amazon on this post you can check out. You don’t want to sumburge the potatoes either as that would create soggy potatoes. Sorry.

      Reply

  9. Thanks for providing these instructions and cooking times. Why is it the cooking times in the recipe books that come with the instant pots are always so off?!

    Reply

  10. I used 3 very large potatoes with 1 cup water… poked them with fork and put kosher salt on them. Did 19 minutes and they were raw on the inside and mushy on the outside. All the water was gone an pot was dry when I opened it up. Are we supposed to close the valve or leave it open? I am very new at this and my pot is a faberware pressure cooker which looks and has settings just like the instant pot. Mine is a six quart also. So far my microwave potato bag works best for quick baked potatoes.

    Reply

    • Hi Mish! Well a couple things, first…you need to be sure your valve is SEALED. If not the pressure will not be reached and the water will evaporate. Also for very large potatoes you need 2o minutes on high pressure. Hope that helps!

      Reply

  11. Late to the game here but I just got this same result, the outsides were cooked beautifully but when I tried to open them up the core was hard. I noticed on my IP on manual it auto set to the low pressure setting, I’m going to try high pressure for 10 minutes and see if that fixes the problem!

    Reply

    • Hi Sally! Yes, this exact thing happens to a lot of people. If your potatoes are not cooked at 12 minutes–it is typically because your pressure was on low, not high. Always best to double check the pressure setting 😉
      I hope that you have perfect instant pot potatoes from here on out!

      Reply

  12. Hi I have bought the mini lux and the 6 oz instant pot. I have only used the 6 oz one so far, once. Roast came out GREAT!! My question is where can I find recipes for the mini? I cook for only myself so they are small meals. I really would like to know how long to cook one baked potato in the mini please. Thank you.

    Reply

    • Hi Brenda! So the mini instant pot can be used just like a regular pressure cooker. In my experience, the timing is the same (just the amount of cook is less) you should be able to cook your one potato (with at least 1/2 cup to 3/4 cups water) for same time I direct in recipe based on size of your potato. Enjoy 🙂

      Reply

  13. Thanks for posting this ! I get overwhelmed by my instant-pot and appreciate you taking the time to post these recipes for free and without subscription. It’s funny how rude peoples comments can be – as if they are paying you for a service and received a faulty product!

    post script :
    I don’t know how the potatoes are going to turn out, but I appreciate your time regardless!

    Reply

  14. Oh my goodness, these look AMAZING!! You take beautiful photos! Thanks so much for sharing your recipe/tricks, it makes cooking so much more manageable. Can’t wait to try these out with dinner tomorrow!

    Reply

  16. Bought my Instant Pot yesterday…started googling today and found your blog. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!! Baked potatoes were my maiden voyage and they worked perfectly!! I’m so grateful!

    Reply

  17. I put 3 medium Idaho potatoes in under high pressure for 25 min with 10 min NR and they were hard. I had tried doing these before on another similar recipe and had the same result. I put them in my convection oven to finish. I don’t get it. Maybe I’ll try 45 min next time. This should be easy peasy.

    Reply

    • Hi Pam. I am sorry you are having issues with your pressure cooker. A couple things to consider—if you are using a 6 quart or 8 quart pressure cooker, this recipe works best with 4-8 potatoes. Also, be sure you have a full cup of water underneath your rack and that your pressure is on HIGH not low. My mom had many issues herself and then found out it was that her pressure was set to low. Now she has success at 12 minutes every time. Hope that helps Pam!

      Reply

  18. I heard if you use hot water that it will come to pressure quicker. Sounds like we might be trying to cook potatoes in the instant pot for the first time tonight. Just like Carl, we also have a 2nd pot that is a 3qt. And was thinking about using that since we will only be doing 2 potatoes.

    Reply

    • Hi Stacy! Please don’t use hot water in your pressure cooker. You are right it will come to pressure quicker, but that DRASTICALLY changes the cooking time. So you don’t want to mess with that 🙂 And for your 3 quart, 2 potatoes is PERFECT–just be sure to still use 1 cup water. Enjoy!

      Reply

  19. It worked! Such a nice time saver. They did kind of bust apart a little but maybe they needed to be poked more. Thanks!

    Reply

    • Instant Pot baked potatoes are SUCH a time saver!! And yes, if they burst open a bit, poke them a few more times in the future. I hope you use this recipe again and again Brittany 🙂

      Reply

  20. I finally got around to trying to make Bake Potatoes in the Instant Pot. I had some left over potatoes today that really needed to get used. I was completely skeptical about making them in the IP as I was afraid they would be mushy. I followed your directions exactly. They were PERFECT. Finishing them in the oven with the Olive Oil and Kosher Salt put them over the top. Great texture and not mushy at all. 12 minutes was perfect for the size of Potatoes I had. Thank you for your detailed recipe down to sizes of Potatoes and time.

    Reply

    • Oh thank you so much Werra for sharing your success with all of us! I am SO SO glad you found this recipe successful–it will make your life easier (and your house cooler in the summer!)

      Reply

  21. Got home pretty late after my son’s baseball game, and needed to get dinner on the table quick. Occurred to me that maybe I could cook baked potatoes in my IP. I found your recipe, and it worked like a charm. They were so fluffy. Just perfect. Thank you so much! (I forgot to poke them with a fork, and just about had a heart attack, but they were fine. Whew!)

    Reply

  22. Trying baked potatoes in the Instant Pot for the first time… Googled instructions and yours was the first to pop up. They’re in there right now, fingers crossed, I only did two, for 12 minutes, I hadn’t read through the comments to see about changing the time for less than four. But I want to know about your plates! They look like my Mikasa Stanton pattern, which I love!

    Reply

    • Hi Melodi! I sure hope you enjoyed your potatoes last night 🙂 We use this method almost weekly at my house.
      As for my plates, they are from Kohls (the Food Network Brand) I just love how basic they are and go with everything!

      Reply

  23. thanks for the instructions. I cooked 8 chicken drumsticks below 2 backed potatoes – used a trivet under the chicken and 2nd one under the potatoes – 20 min for all – was perfect.

    Reply

  24. I forgot to put water in my instant pot while I was cooking potatoes and when I realized I added it. It never sealed but I had it on. My question is did I mess up my pot because I have turned on my potatoes 3 times already and it hasn’t cooked them all the way did I mess up something please help. My email is vnelson7626@gmail.com

    Reply

    • Hi Vicki!
      I don’t think you ruined your Instant Pot. However, it can be hard to seal the instant pot after opening it up. First of all, let it cool down. Then retry by adding 1 cup of water and then recooking your potatoes with your lid fully sealed. Because your instant pot was not sealed when cooking, water will evaporate, pressure will not be reached and your potatoes (or anything) can’t cook properly. You can find more about why your IP won’t seal here: https://amindfullmom.com/instant-pot-not-sealing/

      I really think all will be okay. Keep me posted.

      Reply

  25. These are great. The inside is cooked just the way I like them. I had no idea that you could make these in an instant pot. I am eating a lot more baked potatoes now that I’ve found this recipe. Thanks!

    Reply

  26. I successfully cooked 5 potatoes last night using your method. They were from Costco, and I picked through the bag to find 5 of similar size (and not the gigantic ones). I stabbed each one almost through with my paring knife (only one poke). My only alteration was to cook them for 24 minutes, as we live at 5,600 feet elevation.
    I didn’t do the oil/salt step as we were eating two as broccoli cheese potatoes for dinner, and the others were saved to be used at a later time. The interior was fluffy and delicious, fully cooked.
    Thanks for your research and sharing!

    Reply

  27. Thanks for this recipe!
    We made 5 potatoes (from a 10lb bag) at high pressure for 14min and they came out slightly underdone. Not inedible, just not as cooked as I would have preferred.
    We are assuming this may be a result of living at altitude…
    And thoughts?

    Reply

    • I am so sorry you had issues Emily! And yes, it must have had to do with altitude. I need to post about altitude adjustments. But this should help:
      3000 ft–5% increase
      4000 ft–10% increase
      5,000 ft–15% increase
      Keep adding 5% additional time per 1000 ft of altitude.

      Reply

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