• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Recipes
  • Frugal
  • Resources
  • About
  • Shop
  • Subscribe

BeeyondCereal logo

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Frugal
  • Resources
  • About
  • Shop
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Frugal
    • Resources
    • About
    • Shop
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Side Dishes

    Published: Oct 25, 2021 by Nicole This post may contain affiliate links.

    How to Make Oven Baked Potatoes

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    promotional image for how to make oven baked potatoes

    Making baked potatoes in the oven takes only a few ingredients and steps but gives you a cooked potato that's fluffy and soft within a crisp skin. A perfect side dish or meal option.

    an upclose view of a fluffy baked potato topped with butter, pepper, and green onion

    I'm not one for patience and have used the microwave method for cooking baked potatoes more times than I can count but the oven method will always be my favorite.

    Unlike the microwave, you do have to wait a bit (1 hour vs 15-20 minutes) but the wait time is worth it because the texture and results speak for themselves.

    Every baked potato is fluffy and soft on the inside but crisp and golden on the outside. Nicely salted and ready to eat, just make sure to grab your favorite baked potato toppings to serve on top.

    Once you know how to make baked potatoes, you're going to want to include them as a side dish in many meals because they're easy, frugal, filling, and very versatile.

    Jump to:
    • 🥘 Ingredients
    • 🍽 Equipment Needed
    • 🔪 Instructions
    • 🥔 Baked potato toppings
    • 🥗 What to serve with baked potatoes
    • 🍴 Recipe Tips
    • 💭 FAQs
    • 📖 Recipe
    potatoes olive oil salt and pepper on a baking sheet

    🥘 Ingredients

    • Russet potatoes
    • Olive oil
    • Salt
    • Pepper

    For specific quantities, see the recipe card below.

    🍽 Equipment Needed

    BeeyondCereal is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.

    • Baking sheet
    • Fork
    olive oil drizzled over potatos on baking sheet

    🔪 Instructions

    Check out how to make oven baked potatoes with these simple step-by-step instructions:

    Wash and scrub your potatoes well to remove the dirt.

    Pierce the potatoes several times each using the prongs of a fork. I usually do about 10-15 times as I rotate the potato in my hand, but even just 4 times is fine.

    Rub the potatoes with olive oil to fully coat and then sprinkle salt and pepper on top.

    Bake in the oven at 425 degrees F for 45-60 minutes or until the potato is fork-tender. This time will be determined by the size of the potato as smaller ones will cook more quickly.

    salt and pepper topped potatoes on a baking sheet

    🥔 Baked potato toppings

    There are numerous ways that you can serve up a tasty baked potato. You can serve it up with just a little added salt and pepper or add butter and sour cream. Sometimes I like to top ours with some canned chili and shredded cheddar cheese to make it a more filling meal option.

    Some other great ideas include:

    • Diced onions
    • chopped green onions or chives
    • Shredded cheese
    • Cheese sauce and broccoli (I somtimes use leftover cheddar soup)
    • Salsa and cooked taco meat
    • Crumbled bacon pieces
    • Black beans
    • Plain Greek yogurt (for a healthier sour cream alternative)
    baked potatoes on a baking sheet

    🥗 What to serve with baked potatoes

    The simplest answer is a basic green salad or soup, make the dish feel like a complete meal by serving it up with a nice oven-baked potato.

    You can also serve the potatoes with just about anything from Meatloaf with Ritz Crackers to Poor Man's Beef Stew. A fully loaded baked potato (one with several toppings on it) can be served up as a meal in itself if it's large enough.

    baked potatoes on a baking sheet with one split open to reveal fluffy inside

    🍴 Recipe Tips

    ⏲️ How long do baked potatoes take in the oven?

    If you're wondering how long to cook a baked potato, you want the internal temperature of your potato to be about 200-210 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. The outside skin should be crisp or maybe even wrinkly. When you poke the potato with a fork the fork should enter without resistance. This will take about an hour for a medium or large-sized russet potato.

    What to do with leftover baked potatoes

    Leftover baked potatoes shouldn't be thrown out because they still hold a lot of uses to be turned into something yummy. For example, you can make twice-baked potatoes the following day or remove the fluffy potato insides and have mashed potatoes or baked potato skins.

    My favorite use for leftover potatoes though is turning them into shredded hashbrowns. Simply take your potatoes and chill in the fridge overnight to become firm. then grate on a cheese grater until shredded. Lay flat on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for several hours. then break apart and store in a zipper topped bag for up to 3 months. Use as you would any frozen hashbrowns.

    💭 FAQs

    Can you overcook a baked potato?

    Yes unfortunately you can. When a potato is overcooked it will have a different color, odor, and taste. The soft potato insides may be a shade of brown and there may be spots of discoloration on the skin of the potato as well. The texture will also be dry or goopy.

    How long are baked potatoes good for?

    Leftover baked potatoes can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days, giving you plenty of time to repurpose them or enjoy them at your convenience.

    Can I freeze baked potatoes?

    Yes. While uncooked potatoes do not hold up well in the freezer, cooked ones do quite well. You can keep baked potatoes in the freezer for up to 3 months in an airtight container, wrap well in foil or plastic wrap first. Then reheat in the oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F or until the inside of the potato reaches 165 degrees F.

    a baked potato on a plate topped with sour cream, bacon, green onione, and cheese with more baked potatoes on a sheet in background

    More great recipes to check out soon

    • Cheesy Potato Soup
    • (Copycat) Denny's Pancake Recipe
    • Mashed Sweet Potato Muffins
    • Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
    • Eggos Waffles French Toast
    • Easy Shepherd's Pie with Instant Mashed Potatoes

    📖 Recipe

    an upclose view of a baked potato split open and filled with a pad of butter, pepper, and green onion
    Print Recipe
    5 from 1 vote

    How to Make Oven Baked Potatoes

    Making baked potatoes in the oven takes only a few ingredients and steps but gives you a cooked potato that's fluffy and soft within a crisp skin. A perfect side dish or meal option.
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 45 mins
    Total Time 55 mins
    Servings: 8 potatoes
    Calories: 229kcal
    Cost Recipe $6.75 / Serving $0.84
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    • Baking Sheet
    • Fork

    Ingredients

    • 8 medium sized russet potatoes ($6.08)
    • 4 tablespoon olive oil ($0.52)
    • 1 teaspoon sea salt ($0.10)
    • ½ teaspoon black pepper ($0.05)

    Instructions

    • Wash and scrub your potatoes well to remove the dirt.
    • Pierce the potatoes several times each using the prongs of a fork. I usually do about 10-15 times as I rotate the potato in my hand, but even just 4 times is fine.
    • Rub the potatoes with olive oil to fully coat and then sprinkle salt and pepper on top.
    • Bake in the oven at 425 degrees F for 45-60 minutes or until the potato is fork-tender. This time will be determined by the size of the potato as smaller ones will cook more quickly.

    Notes

    Recipe Tips

    If you're wondering how long to cook a baked potato, you want the internal temperature of your potato to be about 200-210 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. The outside skin should be crisp or maybe even wrinkly. When you poke the potato with a fork the fork should enter without resistance. This will take about an hour for a medium or large-sized russet potato.
    When a potato is overcooked it will have a different color, odor, and taste. The soft potato insides may be a shade of brown and there may be spots of discoloration on the skin of the potato as well. The texture will also be dry or goopy.

    Storage

     Leftover baked potatoes can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days, giving you plenty of time to repurpose them or enjoy them at your convenience.
    While uncooked potatoes do not hold up well in the freezer, cooked ones do quite well. You can keep baked potatoes in the freezer for up to 3 months in an airtight container, wrap well in foil or plastic wrap first. Then reheat in the oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F or until the inside of the potato reaches 165 degrees F.

    Nutritional Information

    Serving: 1potato | Calories: 229kcal | Carbohydrates: 38.6g | Protein: 4.6g | Fat: 7.2g | Saturated Fat: 1.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 10.7mg | Potassium: 890.1mg | Fiber: 2.8g | Sugar: 1.3g | Vitamin C: 12.1mg | Calcium: 28.3mg | Iron: 1.8mg
    Author NicoleDurham
    Course Side Dish
    Cuisine American
    Tried this recipe?Mention @BeeyondCereal on Instagram and hashtag it #BeeyondCereal
    To view how this recipe was calculated you can visit my Pricing Disclosure Page for more information.
    « No Bake Kool Aid Pie
    Grilled Spaghetti Squash with Bolognese Sauce »

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    I'm Nicole and I am the owner and recipe developer here at Beeyond Cereal. I love saving money and one of the best places to trim expenses is in the kitchen. With this site, we are serving up tasty and frugal homemade dishes that the whole family will enjoy.

    More About Me →

    Trending NOW

    • 20 Minute Lazy Enchiladas
    • Cornbread Bundt Cake
    • Frozen Whipped Lemonade
    • Sausage Green Bean Potato Casserole

    Seasonal Recipes

    • 3 Ingredient Lemon Popsicles
    • Ice Cream Nachos
    • Strawberry Mason Jar Ice Cream
    • Chocolate Mason Jar Ice Cream

    Footer

    ↑ Back to Top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Affiliate Disclaimer
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Public Sharing Policy
    • Pricing Disclosure

    Follow

    • Sign Up! for emails
    • Follow on Facebook
    • Follow on Instagram
    • Follow on Pinterest

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Services

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 Beeyond Cereal --Brunch Pro Theme by Feast Design Co.

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
    Do not sell my personal information.
    Cookie settingsACCEPT
    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
    Save & Accept