Instant Pot Baked Potatoes are the easiest way to enjoy a fluffy, tender baked potato in record time!
Regardless of the size of your potato, this recipe for Instant Pot Baked Potatoes will walk you through the step-by-step process that will guarantee you have fork-tender, creamy baked potatoes--without the need to turn on the oven!
![Instant Pot Baked Potatoes Fluffy baked potato on white plate with Instant Pot in Background.](https://amindfullmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/How-to-Make-Baked-Potatoes-in-Instant-Pot.jpg)
Instant Pot Baked Potatoes
Don't you agree that a baked potato is one of the most perfect side dishes? From London Broil, Apple Pork Roast, to pan-seared steak, a baked potato complements just about any main course.
But on busy nights, I don't have a lot of time to bake potatoes. And on hot summer nights, the last thing I want to do is turn on the oven to roast potatoes.
The Instant Pot solves BOTH those issues by making baked potatoes in record time without heating up the kitchen.
How to Make Potatoes in the Instant Pot
Step 1: The first thing you need to do is prepare your Instant Pot by pouring water into the inner pot and then placing a metal trivet or rack in the inner pot. This will keep the potatoes from being submerged in the water as they cook.
- Use 1 cup of cold water for a 6-quart model
- Use 1.5 cups of cold water for an 8-quart model
Be sure to use COLD water, as using warm water will change the time it takes the Instant Pot takes to get to pressure, which will change the actual cook times and your results.
![Instant Pot Potatoes Place Trivet in Instant Pot and cover bottom of pot with 1 up water.](https://amindfullmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Instant-Pot-with-Trivet.jpg)
Step Two: Scrub the potatoes well and prick the potatoes several times with a fork or knife to allow steam and pressure to escape the potatoes as they cook. Place the prepared potatoes onto the rack inside the inner pot.
![Baked Potatoes Instant Pot Potatoes in Pressure Cooker on metal rack.](https://amindfullmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/How-to-Cook-Baked-Potatoes-in-Instant-Pot.jpg)
Step Three: Place the lid on the inner pot and be sure the vent knob is sealed. Set the cooking time to HIGH pressure and adjust the time according to the size of your potatoes.
- 10 minutes for small potatoes (less than 2 inches in diameter or 4-5 ounces)
- 12 minutes for medium potatoes (between 2-3 inches in diameter or 5-7 ounces)
- 16 minutes for large potatoes (between 3-4 inches in diameter or 8-10 ounces)
- 20 minutes for extra-large potatoes (4-4.5 inches in diameter or 11-13 ounces)
Step Four: Once the cooking time has elapsed, allow the pressure to release naturally for 8-10 minutes. This just means to DO NOTHING and leave your instant pot alone. It is important to allow the pressure to release naturally to keep the potatoes intact and finish cooking. If after 10 minutes the pressure has not released fully, you can turn the valve to the venting position to release any remaining pressure.
![Instant Pot Baked Potatoes Perfectly cooked Potatoes in Instant Pot .](https://amindfullmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Instant-Pot-with-Cooked-Potatoes.jpg)
Step Five (optional) If you like crispy skin on your baked potatoes, you can achieve this by finishing them in the oven or under a broiler. Simply place the cooked potatoes onto a sheet pan and brush them with olive oil or melted butter and sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake at 400-degrees F for 10 minutes or broil for 2-3 minutes per side.
Storage & Reheating
Allow the Instant Pot Baked Potatoes to cool fully and then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Reheat the potatoes by placing them on a rack in the instant pot over 1.5 cups of cold water and cook on high for 3 minutes. Alternatively, microwave for 1 to 2 minutes or heat in a 400 degree F oven for 15-30 minutes until warmed through.
Serving Suggestions
Baked potatoes are great served classically with butter and sour cream, but there are so many more delicious ways to use Instant Pot Baked Potatoes.
- Stuff the Instant Pot Baked Potatoes with leftover Instant Pot Pulled Pork, Taco Meat, or Instant Pot Chili and shredded cheese for an easy meal that transforms leftovers into something spectacular.
- Use these baked potatoes to make speed up the process of making Twice Baked Potatoes.
- Dice up cooled baked potatoes and use to make a quick breakfast hash or as the base for a Oven Baked Potato Frittata.
- Allow the potatoes to cool fully then cut into wedges. Brush with olive oil and season with Seasoned Salt and bake the potato wedges at 450 degrees F for 10-15 minutes until crispy and golden for easy "fries."
Recipe FAQs
Fluffy and creamy--just like an oven-baked potato. This method is SO much better than the texture of a microwave-baked potato.
YES!! The trivet prevents the potatoes from getting watery. If you don't have a trivet or a metal rack, you can use crumpled-up pieces of foil in a bind. But I highly recommend investing in a $10 rack, as they are useful in MANY recipes.
Yes, that moisture allows the pressure to build up 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.
Just like ovens, the way an instant pot cooks can vary. If your potatoes are not fully cooked after the suggested cook time, place the lid back on the inner pot and cook for 2-5 minutes longer on high pressure. Take note of that added time so you can adjust the cooking time in the future.
You can cook as few as 1 potato or up to 8 potatoes in a 6-quart instant pot, and up to 8 potatoes in an 8-quart instant pot. However, if you are working with extra large potatoes, I would not cook more than 6 potatoes at a time.
If you are cooking at a higher altitude, you will need to adjust the cooking time. Refer to my Instant Pot Altitude Guide for guidance.
More Instant Pot Basic Recipes
- Instant Pot Baked Sweet Potatoes
- Instant Pot Quinoa
- Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs
- Instant Pot Chicken Breast
- Instant Pot Chicken Stock
If you enjoyed this method for making Instant Pot Baked Potatoes, I would love for you to leave a comment and review below.
![Baked Potato on White Plate](https://amindfullmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Instant-Pot-Baked-Potato-360x360.jpg)
Instant Pot Baked Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1-8 medium potatoes scrubbed clean
Instructions
- Place 1 cup cold water in the inner pot of pressure cooker pan and place trivet in instant pot. Note: Use 1.5 cups of cold water in an 8-quart Instant Pot.
- Scrub the potatoes well and then pierce potatoes 5-6 times with a fork to allow pressure to release while cooking.
- Add the potatoes carefully on trivet (stacking on top of each other if needed). Place the lid on the instant pot and seal the valve.
- Hit the manual or pressure cook button and be sure HIGH pressure is selected. Adjust cook time to 12 minutes for medium potatoes, 16 for average/larger potatoes, and 22 minutes for really large potatoes. See notes on sizes.
- Once cook time has elapsed, allow pressure to naturally release for at least 10 minutes before doing a quick release of pressure. Remove potatoes from Instant Pot and serve up with whatever toppings you like.
- If desiring crispy skin, brush the pressure-cooked potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, and place onto a baking sheet. Bake at 400-degree F for 10 minutes or broil for 2-3 minutes per side until crispy.
Equipment Needed
Notes
- 10 minutes for small potatoes (less than 2 inches in diameter or 4-5 ounces)
- 12 minutes for medium potatoes (between 2-3 inches in diameter or 5-7 ounces)
- 16 minutes for large potatoes (between 3-4 inches in diameter or 8-10 ounces)
- 20 minutes for extra-large potatoes (4-4.5 inches in diameter or 11-13 ounces)
Pam
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.
Kristen Chidsey
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!
Angie
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!
marcia
These turned out absolutely perfect--much better than a microwave. Thanks for the clear directions.
Kristen Chidsey
Yay Marcia! So glad you enjoyed!
Alice
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!
Kristen Chidsey
Oh Alice, you are SO welcome. Thank you for the compliments! I absolutely LOVE helping to make cooking more manageable and enjoyable for people. Enjoy!
Brenda Necaise
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.
Kristen Chidsey
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 🙂
Sally
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!
Kristen Chidsey
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!
Mish
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.
Kristen Chidsey
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!
John
So I had 2 jumbo potato’s that were so big, I cut them in half to make 4 large potatoes. This filled up the bottom of my 6qt IP. Following a different website, I put them in for 16 minutes, sealed valve, natural vent for 4 minutes. When I released the valve, it definitely had some pressure and spewed water for a second and steam for a few more seconds. They were not done so I did another 8 minutes plus 6 minutes natural vent. Same thing when I released the valve, spray and steam. Not done yet.
I search the internet again and this time find this site. It says 20 minutes for large, well I’ve already done 16 plus 8 of cook time so that should be equal to 24 minutes. I ask my wife, she says check the seal. Seal looks good to me but I take it off and put it back on anyways. This time I do 10 minutes plus 6 minutes natural vent. It releases the same amount of steam as before when I release it. The smallest potato is starting to be a little softer but still pretty firm.
Right now they are in there for another 12 I think. So maybe the 4th time is a charm.
Do you think these potatoes are just that big? Or is my IP not dealing correctly? I mean the potatoes are the biggest I’ve evwr seen, which is why I cut them in half. Also I used just a tad over a cup of water and it never evaporated. I mean it might have gone down a little bit not a lot.
Thanks.
Kristen Chidsey
Hmmm, John. That does sound like something was up with your pressure cooker--you are up to 36 minutes and 4 quick releases with the same amount of liquid? You are right that you should have lost liquid AND that 36 minutes is way too long for your potatoes not to be cooked. A few things I would check--that you had pressure set to high not low (my mom made this mistake and called me frustrated her potatoes were not cooked in the time I stated either--now it is fool proof for her) and did you prick your potatoes? That is likely NOT the cause, but still wanted to check as I do think it changes how the potatoes cook a tiny bit. Also, tell me how big in diameter each potato is--just in case these really are that large. Also, if your valve floated up, pressure was reached, which means your Instant Pot was sealed correctly.
Amber
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?!
Kristen Chidsey
LOL!!! Isn't that the truth Amber?! I use those as guides and then I test and test and test some more 🙂
Syd
Just my 2 cents, but, I believe altitude may be an issue and I'm pleased you added altitude information :
3000 ft–5% increase
4000 ft–10% increase
5,000 ft–15% increase
Keep adding 5% additional time per 1000 ft of altitude
Jennifer
What if you don't have a trivet in your instapot? Can you just bake the potatoes without the water?
Kristen Chidsey
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.
Pat
You don’t need to wrap potatoes in foil? Also...I have 4 really good sized potatoes. 20 minutes will be enough??
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Pat! No need for foil 🙂 Just be sure to prick with a fork. If you feel your potatoes are over 4 inches in diameter (width wise) I would do 22 minutes. Hope you enjoy!
Heather
I have heard you can roll up foil to use as a makeshift trivet.
Kristen Chidsey
YES!!! It is really easy to do as well. Just be sure to not to use tin foil when cooking something acidic--as it will react to the acids and ruin your dish. But it will work with potatoes well. And add in the 1 cup liquid!
Beth
I used tin foil and did 2 medium potatoe and it works fine.
Kristen Chidsey
Thanks for sharing your success Beth 🙂
Julie
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.
Kristen Chidsey
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!
Carl
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 😎
Kristen Chidsey
WAHO!!! Thak you so much for sharing your success Carl 🙂
Alice
Thank you for posting about the Mini! I got one recently and have: boiled water, made rice one time, made chili last night. I want a potato and am short on time, so this is perfect!
cindy3539
Thanks for that post pn the mini. I just got pne and always appreciate tips and recipes for the mini.
Courtney Lopez
What a thorough explanation on how to make instant pot baked potatoes!! 🙂 Thank you for breaking it all down and really making this so much easier!
Kristen Chidsey
You bet Coutney! I love that you found this useful <3
Gail
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?
Kristen Chidsey
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)
Eleanor
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!
Kristen Chidsey
Do you have a manual button? If you do, set for high pressure for 12 minutes. If not meat function for 12 minutes SHOULD be high pressure and work 😉
Bridget
This is genius, thank you.
What time length do you recommend for just two baked potatoes? Would that work or am I better off doing four and calling it leftovers?
Kristen Chidsey
Hey Bridget! You can do two potatoes, but 4 work much better and the leftover are great for another dinner, or diced up for breakfast hash 🙂 Enjoy!
Jo
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.
Kristen Chidsey
Hey Jo! Sorry you missed it, but I have in Step 1 to place 1 cup water in Instant Pot. I also state it in the recipe card. But yes, the water is very important.
Fran
How much time for one only baked potatoe?
Kristen Chidsey
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.
Cheryl
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.
Kristen Chidsey
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. 🙂
Lani Minson
Her point was that it only says water...not COLD water ☺
Kristen Chidsey
Oh my goodness, Lani--you are SO right. Isn't funny how easy it is to misunderstand things online?! I changed post to say "Cold" water. Thanks for that clarification!
Regenia
How long will a rack of pork ribs do I need to cook
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Regina! Here is my recipe for Instant Pot Ribs.
Kristen Chidsey
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!
Lauren
Please fix your post. The instructions above the photo says to start with 1/2 cup of water in the IP.
Kristen Chidsey
Hey Lauren, good catch. The post is updated. My recipe stated 1 cup and I accidently put 1/2 cup in directions. Sorry about that!
Laura
One other thing, you do not need to ‘prick” or score potatoes. They will not explode.
Kristen Chidsey
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.
Jessica Hughey
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!
Kristen Chidsey
Exactly Jessica! It is quite a mess!
Penny
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.