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Instant Pot Baked Potatoes is the easiest way to enjoy a fluffy, tender baked potato in record time! Regardless of the size of your potato, this recipe will walk you through the step-by-step process to guarantee fork-tender, creamy baked potatoes--without the need to turn on the oven!
Looking for more Instant Pot potato recipes? Don't miss my recipes for Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes, Instant Pot Potato Soup, Instant Pot Potato Corn Chowder, and Instant Pot Potato Salad.
My Favorite Way to "Bake" Potatoes
Don't you agree that a classic baked potato is one of the most perfect side dishes? From London broil to blackened chicken to a pan-seared ribeye steak, baked potatoes 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 make baked potatoes.
The Instant Pot solves those issues by making perfect baked potatoes in record time without heating up the kitchen.
Kristen's Tips for Perfect Potatoes
- Russet potatoes make the BEST baked potatoes. Their high starch content yields a pillowy, fluffy interior.
- Always start with cold water. Use cold tap water, not warm or hot water, as the temperature of the water will change the time it takes the Instant Pot takes to come to pressure, which impacts the cook time.
- Use a trivet to keep the potatoes from being submerged in the water as they cook. No trivet? Ball up some tin foil and place it right into the water in the inner pot and lay your potatoes on top of the foil.
- Size Matters! Cook time is based on size of potatoes, so be sure to select potatoes similar in size and follow the guidelines provided to ensure accurate cooking time.
How to Make Baked Potatoes in the Instant Pot
The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the ingredient quantities and detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Prepare Instant Pot. Pour 1-½ cups of cold tap water into the inner pot and insert the trivet.
- Prepare Potatoes. 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.
- Stack the potatoes on trivet. Place the prepared potatoes onto the rack inside the inner pot. It will not impact the cooking time if you make 1 or 6 baked potatoes.
- Pressure Cook. 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.
- Let the Pressure Release Naturally. Allow the pressure to release naturally for at least 10 minutes. This just means to DO NOTHING and leave your instant pot alone. If after 10 minutes the pressure has not released fully, you can turn the valve to the venting position to release any remaining pressure.
- Serve. Cut the potato open, season with salt and pepper and serve with toppings of choice.
How to Determine Cook Time
While I have provided timings based on the diameter and/or weight of your potato, don't stress over being exact. Most potatoes sold in bulk bags at the grocery store are medium-sized. Those sold in bulk bins are typically large, and those sold at warehouses (like Costco) are extra large.
- Small Potatoes: 12 minutes (2-3 inches in diameter/5-7 ounces)
- Medium Potatoes:16 minutes (3-4 inches in diameter/8-10 ounces)
- Large Potatoes: 22 minutes (4-4.5 inches in diameter/11-13 ounces
- Extra Large Potatoes: 26 minutes (5 inches in diameter/15-16 ounces)
Serving Suggestions
Baked potatoes are great served classically with butter, sour cream, cheddar cheese, chives and/or crumbled baked bacon 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 or Potatoes Romanoff
- Dice up cooled baked potatoes and use to make a quick breakfast hash or as the base for a 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."
- Transform the leftover potato skins into crispy, cheesy potato Skins using my recipe for baked potato skins or air fryer potato skins.
Storage Instructions
- Store: 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: 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 one potato at a time on a heat-safe plate for 1 to 2 minutes or reheat the potatoes in a 400 degree F oven for 15-30 minutes until warmed through.
Recipe FAQs
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.
While Instant Pot Baked Potatoes, have the same texture of oven baked potatoes, they don't have the same crispy exterior as an oven-baked potato. You can achieve that texture by broiling or quickly baking the potatoes. Simply place the pressure-cooked potatoes onto a rimmed baking pan, brush with olive oil or melted butter, sprinkle with kosher salt, and bake at 400-degrees F for 10 minutes or place under broiler on high for 2-3 minutes per side.
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 Staple Instant Pot Recipes
If you enjoyed this easy method for making Instant Pot Baked Potatoes, I would love for you to leave a comment and review below.
Instant Pot Baked Potatoes
Video
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.
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)
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post was originally shared in 2017 but updated in 2024.
Even though I had fairly small potatoes, I followed the recipe to the letter for large potatoes and they were nowhere near done. I put them back on high pressure for 4 more minutes and allowed the pressure to naturally release for another 10 minutes. Still not done! Frustrated, I applied a thin coat of oil and salted them before placing them in a 375 oven for 15 minutes. I think they may be done now. Thanks but I'm looking for a different recipe next time.
Hi Mike. I am sorry you had issues with your baked potatoes. On high pressure cooking for at total of 20 minutes (16+4 per your comment) for small potatoes should have been more than enough time. A few things to take note: be sure to use cold water in your instant pot and be sure your pressure is set at high. It is easy to accidentally adjust to low pressure and that would cause your potatoes to not cook in the allotted time.
same thing happened to me...my water was ice cold and my potatoes were hard on the inside...this is the second or third time I tried...so frustrated
Oh goodness Katie! That sounds like an issue with your pressure cooker. The water should be extremely hot, way too hot to touch. I would be happy to help further troubleshoot for you. A good place to start is to try the water test again (or for the first time) if you have not already to ensure your Instant Pot is working correctly. Reach out with questions and I can help you get on the right path to making the instant pot work for you!
She probably meant she started out with ice cold water. 🙂 I used 4 medium potatoes and I needed 4 extra minutes on high for mine to be cooked through. I'm at high altitude, not sure if that's the difference.
HAHAHA! You are probably right Christy! I was thinking she meant the water was ice cold AFTER cooking. But using ice water would not cause the need for longer cook time, in fact it may result in shorter cook time as it takes longer to come to pressure. Higher elevation would need longer cook time.
Same here, I did 16 minutes and 10 minute natural release for 3 potato’s, skins started to come off but the potatoes were hard, put them back in for 5 minutes with another 10 minute release. Still too hard to eat so I threw plastic wrap over and had to finish in the microwave. I could have done them in the oven in that amount of time and had crispy intact skins. Sorry it just did not work for me either.
Hi Matt! I am sorry you had issues. As stated in my recipe notes, this recipe takes longer if using less than 4 potatoes. I would add 5 minutes cook time if making less than 4 potatoes.
So no aluminum foil?
Not needed Pamela.
I was always bad at making potatoes in the oven, they never cooked through. These turned out awesome, thank you!
So glad this recipe helped you perfect potatoes Shannon!
Made these today - the fourth thing I've cooked in my Instant Pot. I had 8 potatoes in there, so I increased the pressure cook time to 14 minutes, and then I had to drive kids around so it natural released for an HOUR. They were PERFECT - moist and fluffy. The joy of the instant pot is that the food can wait for you without being ruined, and you don't have to babysit it. Thanks for this recipe!
YAY! I am so happy you are enjoying your Instant Pot Becky! And that these potatoes turned out perfectly for you! I hope you find many more recipes to enjoy here!
Perfect! Thank you so much! I used 6 medium to small Idaho potatoes and 12 min was perfect for me in 8qt Pot will never cook them any other way now
I followed your directions exactly as written but set my time to 14 minutes for 4 potatoes that seemed to be in-between medium and large, ha! I think one extra minute would been perfection, but even at 14 minutes the potatoes were wonderful and I could not believe how easy that was! Thirty minutes start to finish for a great "baked" potato - amazing! Thank you so much, this will be my go-to recipe for baked potatoes from now on.
YAY! I am so glad you enjoyed this method and had success Lisa! It amazes me how perfect they turn out!
I have cooked potatoes several times in the instant pot and each time comes out so soft and creamy. I always use your guide and it never fails. Thank you.
I love hearing that you have such success with this recipe Lee! Thank you for taking the time to share!
Worked perfect in my Ninja Foodi. 20min for huge Sams club potatoes, brushed with olive oil and sea salt, flipped lid and broiled for 10 min. Perfection.
YAY for perfection! I am so glad you enjoyed CJ. Thank you so much for leaving a review.