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 followed recipe exact. They were perfect 😛
So glad you loved them!
Can you Barbaque them
Great and easy recipe. Potatoes were really delicious.
Ok ok you forgot the part where your WHOLE house will smell like oil!!! Ewww I absolutely hate this smell!! I wish I would’ve know! I would have never done it this way!
Your whole house smelled like oil? How much did you use? I have baked my potatoes this way for many years and never once had this issue. Either you used way too much or you are over-reacting to the scent of potatoes baking. Either way, your issue, not anyone’s here.
I had an issue too I have been doing baked potatoes for over 30 years and I thought I would give this recipe a try and my house almost burned down. I even used a lower temperature by 25 degrees.
If you cooked bacon at the same time for a topping the smell of bacon overrides everything. Also depending on what oil you used as vegetable, peanut, olive oil for example smell different. I used vegetable oil personally.
These potatoes were delish! I used my oven on convection and still set it to 425. I used Maldon flake salt. My whole family raved about the crispness of the potato skin. We topped with roasted broccoli cooked at the same time in the oven.
Perfect baked potatoes were the star of the show! Easy and accurate recipe.
I’m so glad your potatoes were perfect!
We have used this recipe many times and it is as good as any high ranked steak house ! Today is Christmas witch is Jesus’s Birthday ! Very important Day for our family! We are serving them this recipe with Pride ! Merry Christmas and Thank you for such a Great Baked Potato Recipe ! Greg&Amy
I’m so glad you enjoyed the potatoes!
Very crispy on the outside and perfectly soft on the inside. I’ve always been a “wrap it in foil” kind of person but this is way better!! Topped with butter, salt & pepper, shredded cheese, and sour cream!! So good!
So glad you loved it!
Can I bake the potatoes at 350 for longer? I’m doing a ham also,
Hi Ellen, you can, but they might not get as crispy on the outside.
I love a good steakhouse-style baked potato. Yours looks perfect!
It looks beautiful. Then try it now! Especially good cooking.
So glad you enjoyed it!
excellent, inside is fluffy!
I’m so glad you enjoyed!
Can yellow potatoes be used instead?
Yep! The skin might be a tad less crispy, but they should still be delicious.
Perfect scrumptious baked potato
Glad you enjoyed it!
These came out great! I used the parchment paper and it was neat to see the olive oil turn brown on it. Easy and delicious. Will definitely be making these again!
We’re so glad you loved them!
The time range was perfect but the parchment paper stuck to the bottom of the potatoes so I had to cut off that part of the potato skin which was a waste. I’m disappointed because this is for my husband’s birthday dinner with all of our family and this is what I have to present now. I have never used parchment paper for baked potatoes before and, having tried it with this recipe, I never will again.
Crap… here I am first time using it! They are in the oven.. 🤞
I didn’t cut the paper off, I put them in casserole dish with foil over them to show my MIL and by the time I showed them NO PAPER WAS VISIBLE. So weird. Did it absorb? Did the olive oil dissolve it a little as it sat?? Either way I served them as they were and every single person said they were the best baked potatoes they had had. I’m not sure what to think about the parchment paper but the recipe is very good
🤣 I’d like to know the answer to this!
Most likley what you yhought was parchment was disolved salts hardend on the bottom of the spud.
don’t worry. Many of us use parchment without issue. Chances are yours will be fine as well.
I’ve used this recipe 4 times and never had a problem with the parchment paper. I used Wilton parment paper. I don’t know if it is bc of the brand I used or that I used enough olive oil that there is oil on the paper. The potatoes come out perfectly every time. Best recipe ever for baked potatoes.
I’m so glad you’ve loved the recipe!
I will be doing 16 potatoes….any suggestion on how to adjust the cooking time?
It’s possible they might take longer with a larger quantity in the oven? But it should be similar.
Don’t over crowd the pan. Use more than 1 pan. Cooking time to should remain the same for a recipe.
Thank you, undoubtedly this is the best recipe. It’s quick and easy to make and my family loved it. Thanks for the recipe.
I’m so happy to hear!
This recipe should be required for graduation from high school! Thanks
True!
I just baked my first batch and they are great! So easy!!! Thank you so much. They are one of my favourite dishes and hard to find a place to buy some here in Bangkok, Thailand 🇹🇭. Now I can enjoy them wherever 🥰🥰
I’m a little confused about “line 2 baking sheet with parchment paper” ? And, if you’re going to keep that line in there, it really should be 2 baking sheets. Not sheet.
Hi Jim, I’m sorry, that’s a typo. It’s one baking sheet.