Make the perfect restaurant style baked potato at home with crispy skin and a fluffy interior! Instructions for oven, slow cooker, air fryer and microwave.

If you are wondering how to make a baked potato at home, you have come to the right place! Baked potatoes are one of those classic sides that pair perfectly with a variety of main dishes, especially steak.

Whenever Parmesan Crusted Steak is on the menu, there’s always going to be baked potatoes to go along with it!

Making potatoes can take anywhere from 10 minutes to 1 hour depending on which kitchen appliance you decide to use, but one thing is for sure: no matter what appliance you decide on using you can still easily achieve a fluffy, delicious potato! Top that potato with some butter, a dollop of sour cream, cheese, bacon crumbles, salt, pepper, and some chopped green onions, and oh man, you will be in heaven! Speaking of heaven, this Loaded Baked Potato Casserole is like heaven on earth! It is so creamy and delicious and loaded with so much goodness which is why it is a perfect side to any meal.

Baked Potato Ingredients

The most essential ingredient that you will need is the potato:

• Russet potatoes work best
• Olive oil or butter – this helps crisp up the skins
• Salt – sea salt sprinkled on top of the potato is the trick to getting restaurant quality potatoes at home.

Toppings:

• Butter – using a tablespoon or two of butter on the potato will enhance the flavor of the potato.
• Sour Cream – another common topping is sour cream, or if you are looking for a little healthier option give a similar taste, you can also use unflavored greek yogurt or cottage cheese.
• Cheese – you can always stop after the butter and sour cream, or you can go all out and make a “loaded potato” with cheese and bacon crumbles. You can really use any kind of cheese you would prefer, though cheddar or Colby jack seem to be the most common choices. With whichever cheese you choose, the best route is always using a block of cheese and shredding it yourself instead of buying the packaged cheese. The cheese will melt so much better resulting in a better taste!
• Green Onion – adds a nice pop of flavor in addition to making a pretty garnish.

Additional topping ideas:

• Pulled pork: Leftover Slow Cooker Pulled Pork or Instant Pot Pulled Pork are delicious options.
• Chili: If you have leftover chili in the fridge, try making a chili topped baked potato. Our Slow Cooker Chili works perfect for this, as dow our Low Carb Beanless Chili.
• Pico De Gallo – our Easy Pico De Gallo gives tons of fresh flavor.

How to make a baked potato in the oven:

Making a potato in the oven is the most common method. Here’s how:

• Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees Farenheit
• Prep the potato: wash potatoes well and dry
• Poke holes: use a fork to poke holes on the potato to allow steam to escape while it bakes
• Oil and season: rub the potato with olive oil or melted better then sprinkle with sea salt
• Bake: arrange potatoes on a parchment lined baking sheet, or place directly onto the oven rack and bake for 45-60 minutes, or until the potato is fork tender
• Serve with all of your favorite toppings!

We do not recommend wrapping each potato in foil, as you’ll end up with more of a steamed potato than a baked potato with a crispy skin.

Slow Cooker, Microwave, and Air Fryer Instructions

While the oven is the most common way to cook a baked potato, there are other methods.

Air Fryer:

• Pre-heat the air-fryer to 390 degrees Farenheit
• Prep the potato: wash potatoes well and dry
• Poke holes: use a fork to poke holes on the potato to allow steam to escape while it bakes
• Oil and season: rub the potato with olive oil or melted better then sprinkle with sea salt
• Air fry: Air fry potatoes for 30-45 minutes at 390 degrees, or until fork tender. Flip potatoes halfway through.
• Serve with all of your favorite toppings!

Slow Cooker:

• Prep the potato: wash potatoes well and dry
• Poke holes: use a fork to poke holes on the potato to allow steam to escape while it bakes
• Oil and season: rub the potato with olive oil or melted better then sprinkle with sea salt
• Slow cook: Arrange in slow cooker then cook on high for 4.5-5 hours or low for 7.5-8 hours

Microwave:

• Prep the potato: wash potatoes well and dry
• Poke holes: use a fork to poke holes on the potato to allow steam to escape while it bakes
• Oil and season: rub the potato with olive oil or melted better then sprinkle with sea salt
• Microwave: Microwave for 5 minutes, then flip the potato and cook for 5 more minutes, or until the potato is tender.

What to serve with a Baked Potato Bar:

If you are hosting a party or family dinner, a baked potato bar is a fun idea to feed a crowd! Make sure to have a variety of toppings on hand including butter, sour cream, a variety of shredded cheese, bacon crumbles, diced ham, green onion, cheese sauce, steamed broccoli, chili, pulled pork, black beans and pico de Gallo. There are so many delicious options!

Bake your potatoes ahead of time and cut a slit down the center of the potato before wrapping them tightly in foil. That way they are ready for your guests to fill when they remove the foil. Altneratively, you could also keep the potatoes warm by putting them in the slow cooker on the “warm” setting.

What to serve:

Wondering what to serve with baked potatoes? Here are some suggestions.

As mentioned earlier, these potatoes are so perfect with our Parmesan Crusted Steak or even our Baked Ranch Chicken.

If you have extras, try using them in this Loaded Baked Potato Salad or our Ultimate Loaded Baked Potato Soup! Both are delicious options.

Looking for other delicious potato recipes to make as a side dish? Here are some of our recommendations:

• Crispy Potato Wedges with Garlic Dipping Sauce
• Ultimate Twice Baked Potatoes
• Loaded Potato Skins
• Baked Scalloped Potatoes
• Slow Cooker Cheddar Bacon Ranch Potatoes

If you try this recipe, please leave a comment or tag us on social media. We love to hear from you!