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

Be sure to follow me onFacebook,YouTube,Instagram,andPinterest,and if you’ve had a chance to make this then definitely drop me a comment and a rating below.

Save

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

Elevate Your Every Day Cooking

Get Chef Billy’s go-to tips that transform “blah” into “brilliant” plus weekly newsletter!

Add a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

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
Christmas stuffing recipes New York Strip Roast with Savory Crust • Recipe for Perfection The Best Easy French Dip Recipe 17 Polish Christmas Eve Foods (Wigilia 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
Best Gluten-Free Quiche Recipe | Gluten-Free Palate
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

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.

Tell Me More ›

Is it best to wrap potatoes in foil when baking? ›

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.

Get More Info ›

Do you poke holes in potatoes before baking in oven? ›

"Yes, it's good to prick them," Smith told Food52. "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.

What happens if you don't wash potatoes before baking? ›

To help prevent foodborne illness caused by harmful residue, it's vital that you clean potatoes, even if you plan on peeling them. When leaving the skin on—like for a baked potato—it's important to properly clean potatoes even if you don't plan on eating the skin.

Discover More Details ›

Why do you salt potatoes before baking? ›

Q: Why is it common to salt the exterior of a baked potato? A: Chefs started doing this years ago to allow the salt to absorb or draw out the moisture of the potato while baking, which results in a dry, fluffy potato.

Get More Info ›

Is 400 degrees too hot for potatoes? ›

Use an Oven That's Hot (But Not Too Hot)

Potato baking temperatures range from 350˚ to 450˚F.

Show Me More ›

Can you overcook a baked potato in the oven? ›

Baking at 450 degrees F is way too high and the potato will have a wrinkled skin. Baking for an hour and a half is too long, the potato will be overcooked. Of course it can take that long if potatoes are stacked on top of each other.

Read The Full Story ›

What is the most efficient way to cook potatoes? ›

You can steam potatoes to speed up cook time.

The steam gets hotter than boiling in water, allowing the potatoes to cook faster. After about 15-20 minutes the potatoes should be fork-tender and ready for mashed potatoes.

What is the most economical way to bake potatoes? ›

It's super speedy, meaning you've got a baked potato in less than one eighth of the time it takes in an oven. Cooking in the microwave is one of the most energy- and cost-efficient ways to cook.