Perfect Baked Potato Recipe (2024)

Published June 7, 2021.This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Learn how to make the perfect baked potato every single time while making it salt-crusted and crispy on the outside and deliciously tender on the inside.

I can never say it enough, but we love side dishes. To us, the more options we have the better, so if you’re anything like us then definitely check out my Polenta or Cauliflower au Gratin.

Baked Potato

A baked potato is one of the most basic things to cook. It is essential that a potato is baked in the oven until it is crisp on the outside and cooked and tender in the middle. There are several ways to bake a potato believe it or not, and heck I’ve even seen people cook it in the microwave, although I don’t advise doing that.

Here are a few things you do not need to do when baking a potato:

Pierce with a fork – doing this is supposed to allow air to escape so that it does not explode. Doing this can dry out your potato while the chances of it exploding are very low.
Wrap in foil – This is not needed when baking it and doing so will cause you to lose out on the outer crisp skin.

Making it Salted

I truly believe the way to achieve the best-baked potato is by salting it. It’s a simple process of coating it in olive oil and salt and baking it. This will ensure the entire potato is seasoned from the outside in. I really like salt as I believe it enhances the flavor of food to another level, but if you don’t like it as much, no problem as you can brush quite a bit of it off after it is done baking.

How to Make Baked Potatoes

Follow these simple instructions for making the perfect baked potato:

Wash the them on all sides and dry with a towel.

Coat each potato in a bowl of salted olive oil until it is completely coated.

Place the salted baked potato on a cookie sheet tray lined with parchment paper and bake at 375° for 60 minutes.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Make-Ahead: These are meant to be eaten within an hour of making them.

How to Reheat: Place them in a pan or on a metal tray and bake in the oven at 350° for 15 minutes or until warmed. Likewise, you can microwave it until warm.

How to Store: Cover and place in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. These do not freeze that well, so I advise against it.

chef notes + tips

If you have a lot of leftover baked potatoes, they are excellent for making hash browns.
You do not have to salt the potatoes at all, but I do advise you to at least coat in oil before baking.

More Potato Recipes

Twice Baked
Mashed
Au Gratin
Scalloped
Oven Roasted

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Perfect Baked Potato Recipe

5 from 33 votes

Learn how to make the perfect baked potato every time while making it salt-crusted and crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

Servings: 5

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Ingredients

5 large baking potatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°.
Rinse the baked potatoes under cold water and rub with your hands to remove any dirt. Dry with a towel.
Mix together the oil and salt in a medium-size bowl until combined.
Taking one potato at a time add it to the bowl and completely coat it in the oil and salt.
Place the potatoes once coated onto a cookie sheet tray lined with parchment paper and bake at 375° for 60 minutes.
When they are done cooking serve whole, or slice in the center and push the outsides to the middle and serve.

Notes

Make-Ahead: Baked potatoes are meant to be eaten within an hour of making them.

How to Reheat: Place the baked potato in a pan or on a metal tray and bake in the oven at 350° for 15 minutes or until warmed. Likewise, you can microwave it until warm.

How to Store: Cover and place in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. These do not freeze that well, so I advise against it.

If you have a lot of leftover baked potatoes, they are excellent for making hash browns.

You do not have to salt the potatoes at all, but I do advise to at least coat in oil before baking.

Nutrition

Calories: 226kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 5gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gSodium: 1406mgPotassium: 889mgFiber: 3gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 2IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 29mgIron: 2mg

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American, French, latin

Author: Chef Billy Parisi

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52 comments

sue

February 24, 2024
Thank you ChefBilly tasty eaxtra’ good 😁😋
Reply
sue

February 24, 2024
Fabulous ChefBilly thank you😁😋
Reply
Sue

February 24, 2024
Thank you ChefBilly yummy recipe 😁🤩
Reply
sue

February 24, 2024
Enjoyed your recipe thank you ChefBilly 😁😋
Reply
sue

February 24, 2024
Thankyou Chef Billy loved recipe &your teaching 😋😁
Reply
sue

See Also
15 Pioneer Recipes That Taste Amazing Old Fashioned Pickled Beets Recipe - These Old Cookbooks How to Convert Recipes into Instant Pot Recipes (9 Tips)Grandma’s Old-School Roast Recipes
February 24, 2024
Thank you ChefBilly 😁😋👏
Reply
sue

February 24, 2024
Thank you ChefBilly love them crispy etc 😋😁
Reply
sue

February 24, 2024
Thank you ChegBilly 😁😋
Reply
sue

February 24, 2024
Thank you ChefBilly yummy 😋 B….potato 😁🥔
Reply
sue😁

February 24, 2024
Thank you ChefBilly so enjoyed them this way 😁😋
Reply
sue😁

February 24, 2024
Thank you ChefBilly tasty Baked Potatoes 😁😋
Reply
Sue Moore

January 19, 2024
Love to olive oil and salt the potato, then put it on the grill until the skin gets a little char and crispy. Yummy!
Reply
Donna Pullman

January 19, 2024
Love this recipe
Easy peasy & delicious
Reply
sue 😁👋

January 18, 2024
Thank you so much wonderful learning’s teaching …tasty ChefBilly 🙏👋😋🤩
Reply
sue 😁😋

January 18, 2024
Thank you enjoying your teaching learning sooogood video fab ChefBilly 😁😋👋🤩
Reply
sue 😋😁

January 18, 2024
Delicious out come thanks ChefBilly😁😋🤩👋
Reply
sue 👋😁

January 18, 2024
So appreciate you help fabulous ChefBilly recipes 😁👋😋🤩
Reply
sue 😁

January 18, 2024
Thank you ChefBilly loving this help the extras bits 😋😁🤩👋
Reply
sue 😁👋

January 18, 2024
Thank you for you knowledge &helpChefBilly yummy 😋 😁👋
Reply
sue 😁

January 18, 2024
Love this ChefBilly thank you 😋😁👋🤩
Reply
sue 😋

January 18, 2024
Thank you so for your tasty recipe love potatoes ChefBilly have a wonderful day 😁😋🤩🍰
Reply
Thomas Murin

See Also
Soft and Chewy Snickerdoodles - The Best Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe!
January 18, 2024
Always on point!
Reply
Gloria Martino

January 18, 2024
Perfect baked potato crispy skin soft fluffy potato inside thank you
Reply
Carol Baumgartner

September 5, 2023
Thanks for this, Chef! I made them this way for the family and now everybody wants to have another baked potato party! Best ever!
Reply
- September 15, 2023
  perfect!!
  Reply
Carla

August 29, 2023
The best baked potato! Perfect inside and out. Love them.
Reply
- August 30, 2023
  yes indeed!
  Reply
MB

June 6, 2023
Perfect also for twice baked
Delicious and easy
Reply
- June 10, 2023
  so good!!
  Reply
Lindley Sharon

June 6, 2023
Very good!
Reply
- June 10, 2023
  Perfect!
  Reply
Jean

June 5, 2023
Best baked potatoes ever…must try you certainly will not be sorry!!!
Reply
- June 10, 2023
  thank you so kindly!!
  Reply
White Ronda

June 5, 2023
This is how I do it every time! Yummy
Reply
- June 10, 2023
  Perfect!
  Reply
Sheila

May 4, 2023
Beat baked potato. My new go to recipe!
Reply
- May 13, 2023
  awesome!
  Reply
Virginia Ardolino

April 26, 2023
Just a delicious potatoe !
Reply
- May 3, 2023
  yes!
  Reply
Nanci Robison

April 25, 2023
Have you tried thee same recipe but in an air fryer…. they really turn out great!! Your recipe is wonderful!!
Reply
- April 25, 2023
  I have not. I actually do not own an air fryer.
  Reply
Jean

April 21, 2023
Made these and they were the best baked potatoes I’ve ever made. What a difference the evoo and salt did.
So very tasty. Only way to do it now. Thanks Chef.
Reply
- May 3, 2023
  That’s awesome!
  Reply
Pamela

April 21, 2023
Excellent..in every way..
Thank you.
Reply
- May 3, 2023
  Great!
  Reply
Sandy Dutton

April 21, 2023
So yummy!!
Reply
- May 3, 2023
  so good!!
  Reply
Mary

September 16, 2022
Your potatoes came out great I even added more sea salt to the potatoes before baking them.My new way of doing bake potatoes I opened them up put some sharp cheddar cheese and real butter and Italian seasoning on them .Thanks for the recipe
Reply
Fred Sanchez

November 14, 2021
Thx they were awesome 😎
Reply
Pat

September 17, 2021
I tried your recipe for baked potatoes. They were delightful but a question? Is it really 2 tablespoons of salt? And any particular type of salt? I used 2 tablespoons of regular table salt and found I had to brush the salt off after the potatoes were baked as they were just too salty.
Reply
- September 18, 2021
  I prefer sea salt. It’s also definitely ok to scrape off some of the salt.
  Reply
Betty

June 7, 2021
Billy, I tried your recipe for the “baked potatoes, they turned out perfect. I received excellent comments on them. Thank you so much!
Reply

FAQs

Should you wrap baked potatoes in foil? ›

NEVER BAKE POTATOES IN FOIL.

Foil wraps will not decrease baking time, but will result in a soggy potato interior with wet skin. Wrapping a baked potato in foil after it has been baked will allow you to hold up to 45 minutes, but the best method for holding a baked potato is in a bread warming drawer.

Is it better to bake a potato at 350 or 400? ›

We recommend baking potatoes at 400 degrees F for about an hour. Smaller spuds might take a little less time, while larger baking potatoes over 1 pound might take a little more. For a fully baked Idaho Russet Burbank, the internal temperature should be right at 210 degrees F.

What temperature should you bake a potato? ›

3. Use an Oven That's Hot (But Not Too Hot) Potato baking temperatures range from 350˚ to 450˚F. The sweet spot seems to be at 400˚F, a temperature that cooks the potato all the way through and crisps the skin without singeing it.

Get More Info ›

Do you poke holes in a baked potato before baking? ›

It's important to note that not every baked potato will bust open if it is not pierced beforehand, but since you (and we) are unable to predict if a potato is liable to explode, it's a good idea to pierce the surface as a precaution. Extra Tip: we do not recommend wrapping a potato in aluminum foil when you bake it.

Show Me More ›

Why are restaurant baked potatoes so good? ›

The olive oil helps the seasonings adhere to the surface of the potato. To save time, restaurants often apply the oil with a spray bottle. Thanks to their naturally high starch content, which creates a plush texture under heat, Russet potatoes make a good fit for baking.

See Details ›

Why do restaurants bake potatoes in foil? ›

Some say wrapping baked potatoes in aluminum foil helps them cook faster (aluminum conducts heat, then traps it), and it does keep them hot for longer once they come out of the oven, which is why we think restaurants use this method. Wrapping potatoes will also give you a softer, steamed skin, if that's what you like.

View Details ›

How do most restaurants bake potatoes? ›

How to cook How to Make Restaurant Style Baked Potatoes

Preheat the oven to 425.
Wash the potatoes.
Drizzle with oil and rub until fully coated.
Season with the salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder.
Place on baking sheet and cook for 45 minutes.
Cut a slit into the top of the potato.

More items...

Jun 3, 2019

Explore More ›

How long does it take to bake potato at 400? ›

Directions. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Toss the potatoes in a bowl with the oil, salt, and pepper until completely coated. Place on a baking sheet and bake until fork tender, about 45 minutes.

Tell Me More ›

Can you overcook a baked potato? ›

Visual signs: The potato skin will start to wrinkle when over cooked. The potato, when wrapped in foil or placed on the bottom of a pan will have a dark brown spot on the bottom, a sure sign of over cooking. Foil traps the moisture in the potato causing the skin to be wet and the inside flavorless or gummy.

Get More Info Here ›

Are baked potatoes healthy? ›

They're a good source of vitamins, minerals and fiber. As a bonus, potatoes are low in calories, contain no fat or cholesterol, and are sodium-free. They're high in vitamin C and potassium and are a good source of vitamin B6. A medium potato, about 5.5 ounces, contains only 145 calories.

Is a russet potato a baking potato? ›

Baking: Opt for Russets when it's a baked potato you crave. Mashing: High-starch, low-moisture potatoes like Russet and Idaho are best not just for baking but also for mashing. Idaho potatoes are most commonly used for French fries.

Get More Info ›

What happens if you don't stab a potato before baking it? ›

A: I would just skip poking the potato all together. It is very rare that a baked potato will burst if the steam can't escape.

Get More Info ›

Why does putting a nail in a potato help it to bake faster in an oven? ›

They're usually made out of aluminum or stainless steel, and they're intended to conduct heat into the potato's flesh, enabling them to cook faster. And to be fair, while the idea of lodging nails into potatoes may seem strange, it's not that different than other cooking hacks.

View Details ›

Why does a potato need to be pierced before baking in the oven? ›

"It pokes holes in the skin, which allows steam to escape. Otherwise, they could explode—it doesn't happen all the time, but it happens every once in a while. The potato is full of water it's trying to turn to steam, or water vapor. The skin acts like a pressure vessel.