The Perfect Baked Potato Recipe

This easy Baked Potato recipe makes the perfect side dish for any meal! Crispy skin on the outside and fluffy on the inside, a perfect baked potato is easier to achieve than you might think. Learn how to bake a potato with my foolproof method and then load it up with your favorite toppings and dig in!

Oven Baked Potatoes are the best! Here are more baked potato recipe favorites: Twice Baked Potato Casserole, Baked Sweet Potato and Twice Baked Potatoes.

Baked Potato Recipe

There’s nothing better than a perfect baked potato. Crispy, salty, fluffy, and filling. The best part about oven baked potatoes is that they are easily transformed by the toppings you choose to put on them. No longer do you have to wait for a night out at a restaurant to get a good quality baked potato, with this baked potato in oven method, you’ll get a delicious and expertly baked potato every time!

The Perfect Baked Potato

If there ever was a perfect side dish to any and every meal, the baked potato would have to be it. Making the baked potatoes in the oven is simple and easy. Less than 5 minutes of prep and then off to the oven they go.

This recipe makes a perfect baked potato, brushed with oil, salted and baked until the skin is crispy perfection. It’s the perfect canvas for your favorite baked potato toppings including some of our favorites: crockpot chili and cheese, sour cream and chives, or the classic butter and salt and pepper. Each and every way is a delightful.

Whether you’re serving this perfect baked potato recipe as a side dish for dinner tonight or for a holiday, you really can’t go wrong!

The Best Side Dish

What do I love about this easy baked potato recipe? Preeettttty much everything. We make baked potatoes about once a week and never tire of this simple side dish.

• It’s foolproof. The oil and salt create the best flavor and texture to these potatoes and the oven baking method ensures they are cooked to perfection every time. I know I can pop these in the oven, go about the rest of my meal prepping, and the potatoes will come out exactly how I want them. 
• They’re customizable. This recipe is just the base, the toppings can easily turn this side dish into a main meal. Keep them light with a little butter and sour cream to compliment a seafood dish. Load them up with cheese and baked bacon or broccoli to go with chicken or steak. Or pile them with crockpot chili and cheese and make the oven baked potatoes the main course. Plus, you can choose different toppings each time to keep things fresh and fun.

Perfect Potato Dishes

Potatoes are always the star of the show no matter how you serve them. Here are more of our favorite potato side dish recipes:

1. Grilled Potatoes
2. Air Fryer Tater Tots
3. Cheesy Potatoes
4. Sweet Potato Casserole
5. Candied Sweet Potatoes

What You’ll Need

These Oven Baked Potatoes are crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Add your favorite toppings for the perfect side dish to any meal! As always, you can find the full printable recipe with complete instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post. Let’s take a look at what you’ll need…

• russet potatoes: You’ll need 4 large potatoes.
• olive oil: Olive oil helps the salt stick to the potatoes and is a lighter alternative to using butter.
• kosher salt: To add flavor and texture to the potato skins.
• toppings: Any of your favorite baked potato toppings. Butter, sour cream, chives, bacon bits, cheese, to name a few suggestions. 

How To Bake A Potato

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and set aside.
2. Scrub the potatoes under cold water and then pat dry. Dry skin now ensures a crispy skin later when cooking.
3. Prick each potato with a fork all over. Pierce just the skin.
4. Place the potatoes on the prepared baking sheet and brush liberally with the olive oil.
5. Sprinkle all sides of the potato with salt.
6. Bake the potatoes for 1 hour or until an inserted toothpick or knife slides in easily, they should be crispy on the outside but fork tender on the inside.
7. Remove the potatoes from the oven and using a sharp knife, cut the top of the potato open. Fluff the insides of the potato with a fork and then top with your favorite toppings.
8. Serve and enjoy!

How Long To Bake A Potato

Wondering how long to bake a potato at 400? You’ll want to bake the potatoes for about one hour or until an inserted toothpick or knife slides in easily. The potatoes should be crispy on the outside but fork tender on the inside. If you have smaller potatoes, start checking at 45 minutes. Really large potatoes can take up to 1 hour and 20 minutes. If the potatoes are not done after an hour, continue checking every 10 minutes until they are done.

What Type of Potato Makes the Best Baked Potato?

For me, the answer will always be russet potatoes. Sure, you can use any potato to make baked potatoes but russet potatoes will give you that perfect baked potato with a fluffy interior that you know and love from your favorite steakhouse.

If you don’t have Russets on hand and decided to use another potato, the method for cooking remains the same but the time will likely be altered.

Storage Information

Store leftover baked potatoes, without any toppings, in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge. 

To reheat the baked potatoes, warm in the oven at 400°F for about 15 minutes. You can reheat the potatoes in the microwave as well but the skin won’t be as crispy. Wrap in a damp paper towel and heat until warmed through. 

Store any toppings separately of the baked potatoes and top with fresh toppings when enjoying leftovers.

Baked Potato FAQs

Trish’s Tips and Tricks

• The salty, crispy skin of this baked potato recipe is phenomenal! Make sure to really dry the potatoes well before brushing with oil for a really crispy skin.
• Make sure to thoroughly pierce the skin of the potatoes to allow steam to escape. Otherwise the baked potatoes may explode during cooking.
• I suggest not wrapping the potatoes in foil. This creates a steaming effect and the skin will not become crispy.
• Making just one potato? Easy, just divide the ingredients by 4.
• If you are cooking more than four potatoes at one time, the baking time may need to be increased slightly.
• You can use other oils in this recipe such as vegetable or canola oil, but do not use melted butter – it will burn as the potatoes bake in the oven.

More Potato Recipes

1. Baked French Fries
2. Duchess Potatoes
3. Mashed Potatoes
4. Oven Roasted Potatoes
5. Scalloped Potatoes
6. How To Bake Sweet Potatoes

How To Bake A Potato