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.
More delicious than the seafood restaurants around here! I never have eaten potato skin, but this was just too good! Absolutely amazing, this one made it into my bound recipe book for posterity! So thank you from me, my current family, and my future family!
Best baked potato that I’ve had in years!!!!
So glad you loved it!
I’ve tried other 5-star recipes from the internet, but this one tops those! The secret is the parchment paper. It makes the skin (my favorite part) so nice and crispy! Instead of salt, I like to use Red Robin French Fry Seasoning. It takes it to the next level! Thanks, Love&Lemons!
Hi Marina, I’m so glad your potatoes were perfect!
I didn’t have a problem with the olive oil at all. I put a line on one side and then pick up the potato and work it in on all sides. Then add the salt. These were cooked to perfection!
If you don’t mind your house erupting in a plume of smoke this is the recipe for you. It’s like the author hasn’t cooked before in their life… use a higher heat oil like grape seed if you actually want this to work.
I’ve used this recipe dozens of times with no plumes of smoke. I just rub the potato with oil, not soaking it. I’ve used other oils as well with no such issues. My fav to use is basil infused olive oil. Note: not a professional or acceptional cook, so the fact I can do this without any smoking billowing out should be a statement that this works.
Or maybe you don’t know how to apply a small amount of oil 😂
Sounds like someone needs to learn ratios before they do any cooking.
Olive oil at 425°? Gross. Learning about oils would be a good start.
Are you a child?? Maybe do a little more cooking before you leave embarrassing comments.
https://www.aboutoliveoil.org/can-i-cook-with-olive-oil-at-temperatures-beyond-its-smoke-point?hs_amp=true
Are you a child?? Maybe have a little more experience cooking before leaving embarrassing comments.
https://www.aboutoliveoil.org/can-i-cook-with-olive-oil-at-temperatures-beyond-its-smoke-point?hs_amp=true
Apparently no one else minds the smoke eruption through the whole house…olive oil burns under 400f
Parchment catches on fire at 425!!!
I couldn’t agree with you more. I’ve never cared for baked potatoes in restaurants, and would eat the toppings and leave the potato itself mostly untouched. They always seemed dry and bland. Eventually I stopped getting baked potatoes if an alternative was available.
But baking the potato this way, the whole thing was delicious. I had forgotten to buy sour cream, so I put only butter on it, and didn’t miss the sour cream at all. This is the only way to bake a potato.
hi! i made this recipe but unfortunately it didnt cook properly 🙁 i was so excited to do this and i left it in the oven at 250C for about one and a half hours but it was still raw
is it something i did? any tips? i really wanna try this again..
Oven temp needs to be higher at 450. That should help you next time.
250 degrees Celsius (she says 250C, so that’s what she means) is 482 degrees Fahrenheit, and the recipe calls for baking the pototoes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit, so unless her oven is malfunctioning, I don’t think too low a temperature caused her problem. If it wasn’t a malfunctioning oven, I don’t know what it could have been.
There might be something wrong with your oven . You did the conversion from Fahrenheit to Celsius right! Get a thermometer for inside your oven to check it’s reaching the right temperature..
Good luck!
If you have an outdoor grill throw it in there, put it in foil, wrap it up tightly with oil and salt inside and fire it up as high as you can get it for 30 minutes. I bake huge potatoes in under 30 minutes in the grill, the grill adds a lot of great flavors. Brings back a lot of good memories when potatoes were cooked in the fire while camping.
Hi!
I’ve tried this in the oven and have loved it! What time/temp would you suggest for the air fryer?
Thank you!
Savannah
Hi Savannah, it works at the same time and temp in the air fryer (if your air fryer temp doesn’t go that high, just put it on it’s highest temp.)
Very good recipe!!! Thank you
So glad you enjoyed it, Dani!
This is such a wonderful recipe for oven baked potatoes. Thanks!
Hi Molly, so glad you love it!
Would this work the same for 30+ potatoes?
Hi Sol, yep! The bake time may be slightly longer with a fuller oven.
I need
Sensational and perfectly crispy skin! I only made one potato for myself and baked at 425° for 40 mins and it came out great l! I will always make baked potatoes this way. I am going to try it with a sweet potato next time. I’m sure it will be delicious too! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Hi Terry, I’m so glad you loved the baked potato!
I made only 2 potatoes, instead of 4, but everything was the same. It took 60 minutes for my oven, but that crispy skin was so good. Such a simple step, but nice not having to do the whole foil wrapping business. Thank you!
I’m do glad you loved them!
I need to transport two hours to an event. Should I bake as directed then wrap each in foil before putting in the warming oven to transport or leave them unwrapped? There is no option to bake them at the event.
Hi Kim, you could either wrap each individually or put them in a dish and cover with foil to travel – the skin won’t be as crispy two hours later so I think either method of transporting will be the same.
We did this for a church event because we only had one oven at church but we transported in a cooler. We kept them in the cooler for 20minute travel time but an hour and half church service. It keep them hot. I leaned by this that Coolors can be used for hot foods as well a cold foods
Do not transport hot foods unwrapped for any distance so long that it allows their temperature to drop below 200 degF. Below that is ideal temp for dangerous bacteria growth (watch the cult movie, “Eraserhead!”). Rather, either heat-insulate them to stay above that temp, or choose an alternative event contribution.
I will never make potatoes like this again…. They were so good that I could just keep eating them.
Ha ha 🙂
Easy, delicious, and no need to use aluminum foil! It took about an hour, but was definitely worth the wait.
I’ll be always be making my baked potatoes like this from now on! Thanks for sharing
Hi Erica, I’m so glad you loved the recipe!