Instant Pot Baked Potatoes

by Carrie Forrest, MPH in Nutrition on Nov 16, 2021

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Here’s how to make Instant Pot Baked Potatoes that are cooked through with the perfect texture. This recipe is so easy and great for busy weeknights. Serve your baked potatoes as a side dish or even as a main dish. Baked potatoes are naturally vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free.

Baked potatoes are a favorite comfort food. They are starchy and satisfying and you can top them with just about anything.

For a traditional baked potato, top with regular shredded cheese or dairy-free shredded cheese. Add a dollop of sour cream or coconut yogurt and you’re good to go. You can also add green onions and real or vegan bacon bits.

If you want to transform a simple baked potato into a full meal, you can add a cooked protein or crumbled tempeh on top. Include some taco seasoning and salsa and you’ve got yourself a Mexican flavored baked potato.

The toppings for baked potatoes are endless. Not only that, but Russet potatoes are budget-friendly and generally available throughout the year.

Contents hide

1 Why You Need This Recipe

2 Key Ingredients

3 Recipe Steps

4 Potato Pressure Cooker Time Chart

5 How to Serve Baked Potatoes

6 FAQs

7 Other Instant Pot Recipes You Might Like

8 Instant Pot Baked Potatoes

Why You Need This Recipe

Don’t worry about heating up your oven to cook baked potatoes. Just pop your Russet potatoes into your electric pressure cooker instead.
A baked potato made in an Instant Pot tastes exactly the same as an oven-cooked potato. But, it’s so much simpler to make baked potatoes in a pressure cooker and they’ll be done in a fraction of the time.
You don’t have to worry about pricking the potatoes with a fork. You literally just plop the potatoes in the pot and set it to cook at high pressure.

Key Ingredients

Russet potatoes are the preferred kind of potatoes for making baked potatoes. They are high in starch which helps them have a lighter texture. Russet potatoes have a thin, brown skin that should be free from blemishes.

If you have other types of potatoes on hand, then you can make them too. See my recipes for Instant Pot Red Potatoes, Instant Pot Baby Potatoes, and Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes.

Water is necessary to cook your potatoes in the electric pressure cooker. If you are new to using the Instant Pot, don’t miss my guide on How to Use the Instant Pot Duo.

photo with labels on how to make instant pot baked potatoes

Recipe Steps

Let me show you how easy it is to make baked potatoes in the Instant Pot.

Step One

The first step is to grab a few Russet potatoes to bake. You can fit about 4-6 large potatoes in a 6-quart Instant Pot without worrying about overfilling the pot.

Be sure to wash the potatoes well, especially if you plan to eat the skin.

collage with process photos baked potatoes in instant pot

Step Two

Next, place your trivet in the pot (you can also use a steamer basket), along with one cup of water, and then place the potatoes on top of the trivet.

Step Three

The last step is to lock on the lid, make sure the sealing valve is set to sealed, and set the cook time to 20 minutes on high pressure. Once the cooking time is complete, just let the pressure come down naturally for at least 10 minutes, and then release any remaining pressure using the quick release and remove the lid.

Use tongs to carefully remove the potatoes and serve.

Potato Pressure Cooker Time Chart

Here is a handy chart with cooking times for different sizes of Russet potatoes:

baby potatoes: 7 minutes
small potatoes: 10 minutes
medium potatoes: 15 minutes
large potatoes (the most common size): 20 minutes
extra-large potatoes: 25 minutes

Just for comparison’s sake, a large potato is about the length of a ballpoint pen.

How to Serve Baked Potatoes

Baked potatoes are a staple in my household. I serve them as a side dish to protein dishes, or even as the main dish, topped with sautéed vegetables and a little bit of ghee.

Other favorite toppings include sour cream, chives, bacon bits, and cheddar cheese (for dairy-free diets, choose dairy-free versions of these).

I’m sure you know this, but baked potatoes are very neutral in flavor and are incredibly versatile. I use them as the base of my Vegan Potato Leek Soup and my Vegan Broccoli Potato Soup.

FAQs

Do I need to prick the potatoes before cooking them in the pressure cooker?

No, you don’t. You can just scrub them and pat them dry and place them on the trivet to cook.

Are potatoes gluten-free?

Yes, potatoes are naturally gluten-free.

Are white potatoes healthy?

For most people, white potatoes are part of an overall balanced diet. You can reduce the glycemic load of baked white potatoes by serving them with ingredients that have protein, fat, and fiber.

cooked potatoes on trivet inside instant pot

Other Instant Pot Recipes You Might Like

Or, check out my entire index of healthy Instant Pot recipes.

I hope you make this recipe! If you do, please leave a comment and a starred review below.

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