Baked Potatoes in the Instant Pot

Have you ever tried making baked potatoes in the Instant Pot? If not, you are missing out on my favorite perfect-every-time spuds method! Simple and done in less time than using the oven, making baked potatoes has never been easier!

Instant Pot Baked Potatoes

Baked potatoes are a STAPLE dinner side in many homes. But, is it just me, or are baked potatoes in the oven a bit of a gamble? One time you cook them in your oven and they are perfect. The next time, you do them the exact same way and they are still hard and need more time. And then the next time, some are cooked and some are not.

And don’t even get me started on the hour or so it takes to bake them in the oven. Arg!

So, I started cooking my baked potatoes in my Instant Pot and…woah! Instant game changer! Perfect every time. So much faster. And no more guessing if they were going to be done! This has become my go-to way of cooking baked potatoes and makes it so much easier enjoying them for dinner, even on the busiest of nights.

How to bake potatoes in the Instant Pot

So, it technically isn’t “baking” them, but rather them cooking them with steam under pressure. The result is close enough to the for me and this method couldn’t be easier.

It is as simple as:

1. Washing them. Scrub scrub scrub. Those spuds are root vegetables after all, so make sure you get the dirt off. And if you have a kiddo at home, make this their job! It is a fun, easy way to get kids involved in the kitchen and take one task off your to-do list! TIP: I highly suggest using a veggie brush to make this job a little faster.
2. Poking them a few times. That way, the steam can escape as they cook to perfection.
3. Putting them in your Instant Pot. Do it in a single layer, otherwise they might not cook through!
4. Adding water. Every pressure cooker recipe needs at least a cup of liquid in it, so be sure you don’t forget the water.
5. Locking the lid on and making sure the valve at the top is turned to “sealing”.
6. Set 15 minutes on HIGH pressure. It’ll take about 8-10 minutes for your pressure to build up. Once the cooking time is up on your baked potatoes, let the pressure naturally release from your Instant Pot.
7. Walk away and relax or make another part of dinner! Super easy and you already have a good chunk of dinner done!

Tips for making baked potatoes in the Instant Pot

Use cool water. Using hot or warm water will how long it takes for your pressure cooker takes to get up to pressure AND can impact the end result. Use cool water from tap or filter for best results.

Make sure to arrange potatoes in a single layer. This will ensure that your potatoes cook evenly and completely. I have an 8-quart Instant Pot and allows me plenty of room to cook 6 medium potatoes in a single later. If you are working with a smaller pressure cooker or your potatoes are a bit bigger, you can arrange them standing up in your IP to avoid stacking but still ensure even cooking.

Consider the size of your potatoes. Mother Nature doesn’t have a set size for potatoes (or anything else for that matter), so when making baked potatoes in your Instant Pot, make sure to consider how big or small they are when deciding how long to cook them for. I used medium Russet potatoes and they are the most commonly used (and found) for baked potatoes.

• For smaller potatoes (weighing 1/3 pound or less each), cook on HIGH pressure for 12 minutes. Let pressure naturally release at end of cooking.
• For medium potatoes (weighing about 1/2 pound each), cook on HIGH pressure for 15 minutes. Let pressure naturally release at end of cooking.
• For large potatoes (weight 3/4-1 pound each), cook on HIGH for 20 minutes. Let pressure naturally release at end of cooking.

Some recipes to serve with your Instant Pot baked potatoes

• The BEST Slow Cooker Black Beans
• Instant Pot Salsa Chicken
• Veggie-Loaded Chicken Bites
• Chickpea Vegetable Nuggets
• Glorious Green Veggie Chicken Burgers 
• Healthy & Easy Turkey Burgers