Instant Pot Baked Potatoes is the easiest and fastest way to cook a ‘baked potato.’ This method is perfect for making a loaded baked potato, or for use in Gnocchi or Creamy Potato Salad. Watch the video tutorial and see how easy it is.
We love Instant Pot Recipes from Instant Pot Whole Chicken to Instant Pot Beets. These recipes will save you time and make cooking easier. If you are a fan of the instant pot, you’ll love making baked potatoes in the instant pot.

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Instant Pot Baked Potatoes Video
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The best way to bake potatoes!
- Quick – between warming up, pressure cooking, and the natural pressure release, this method still takes less than half the time of a normal baked potato in the oven.
- Easy – there’s no need to wrap the potatoes in foil, just place them straight on the rack.
- Saves energy – you don’t have to heat up the oven which will heat up your house.
- Perfectly Cooked – the instant pot uniformly cooks the potato. Follow our time chart below depending on the size of your potatoes.

Instant Pot Baked Potato Time Chart
In a 6 quart Instant Pot, you can cook 2 to 3 lbs of Russet Potatoes at a time. Us the time chart below depending on the size of your potatoes followed by a natural pressure release of about 15 minutes.
- Smaller Russet Potatoes (5 oz each) – 12 minutes on high pressure with a natural pressure release.
- Medium Russets (6-7 oz) – 14 min + natural release
- Large Russets (8 oz) – 16 min + natural release
- Extra Large Russets (10-14 oz) – 18-20 min + natural release

Tips for Instant Pot Potatoes
- Poke to Prevent Explosions – piercing the potato skins all over with a fork allows steam to escape so your potatoes don’t burst.
- Use a rack – keep the potatoes on the rack without touching the water.
- Add cold water – for consistent cooking results, add 1 cup of cold water.
- Even-sized potatoes – to ensure the potatoes are done on time, use potatoes that are even thickness and size.
How to Make Baked Potatoes in the Instant Pot
- Prepare Instant Pot – place a trivet in the pot and add 1 cup cold water.
- Scrub Potatoes – thoroughly wash the potatoes.
- Pierce Potatoes – poke the potatoes all over with a fork.
- Pressure Cook – Cover with lid and set the valve to the ‘sealing’ position. Set to manual high pressure according to the time chart (16 minutes for large russets).
- Natural Pressure Release – once the cooking time is up, let the pressure release naturally or until the pressure indicator drops indicating there is no pressure behind it. Switch the valve to the venting position to release any remaining steam before removing the lid.
- Check for doneness – Poke potatoes to test for doneness then remove them to a plate using tongs.

Common Questions:
Make sure you turn the pressure valve to the “sealing” position. Check that the rubber ring is clean and secured under the lid and make sure you added 1 cup of cold water.
Yes, you cook a variety of whole potatoes in the instant pot and adjust the time according to the size of the potato. For example, cook 5 medium Yukon potatoes as you would medium russet potatoes.
Potatoes are ready when they are easily pierced with a fork or knife. If they feel a little firm, cover the lid and pressure cook for 2 more minutes.
Yes! An air fryer is a great tool for baked potatoes if you want crisp potato skins. Check out our tutorial for Air Fryer Baked Potatoes.

Make-Ahead
- To Refrigerate: once potatoes have cooled to room temperature, cover and refrigerate for 3-4 days.
- To Reheat: For a crisp skin, reheat uncovered in the oven (350˚F for about 15-20 minutes), or in the air fryer just until heated through, as we did with our Air Fryer Baked Potatoes.
More Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot Ribs
- Easy Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
- White Chicken Chili in Instant Pot
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
- Instant Pot Corn on the Cob
- Hard-Boiled Eggs in the Instant Pot
Instant Pot Baked Potatoes Recipe

Ingredients
- 4 large russet potatoes, Idaho potatoes
- 1 cup cold water
Instructions
- Prepare Instant Pot – place a trivet in the bottom of a 6 quart instant pot. Add 1 cup cold water.
- Scrub Potatoes – thoroughly wash the potatoes.
- Pierce Potatoes – poke the potatoes all over with a fork and arrange on the rack.
- Pressure Cook – Cover with lid and set the valve to the 'sealing' position. Set to manual high pressure for 16 minutes, or according to the time chart*.
- Natural Pressure Release – once the cooking time is up, let the pressure release naturally (usually about 15 minutes) or until the pressure indicator drops indicating there is no pressure behind it. Switch the valve to the venting position to release any remaining steam before carefully removing the lid.
- Check for doneness – Poke potatoes to test for doneness, then remove them to a plate using tongs.
- Serve potatoes – cut potatoes in half and serve with your favorite toppings (sour cream, bacon, cheese, chives), or let them cool and use them for Potato Salad.
Notes
- Smaller Russet Potatoes (5 oz each)- 12 minutes
- Medium Russet Potatoes (6-7 oz each)- 14 minutes
- Large Russet Potatoes (8 oz each) – 16 minutes
- Extra Large Russet Potatoes (10-14 oz each) – 18-20 minutes
Perfection.
Thank you for your hard work.
God Bless.
Great recipe when I am needing to fix potatoes fast. Thank you!
This DOES NOT work. 14 minutes does absolutely nothing. We followed these instructions closely and they were still absolutely completely raw.
HI, I’m wondering if there might be something wrong with your instant pot. It sounds like it’s note coming to pressure properly.
I wondered how much water you would suggest for an 8 qt instant pot.
Hi Lynda! I’m not sure, but I would recommend ensuring you meet the minimum liquid requirement for your pot since that may need to differ to cover the surface. I only have experience with the 6-quart IP, I wish I could be more helpful.
1 1/2 cups of water for an 8qt Instant Pot is just right
Does a bigger instapot make a difference in cooking time?
Hi Samantha, I would recommend ensuring you meet the minimum liquid requirement for your pot since that may need to differ to cover the surface, but otherwise, I imagine much else would not need to change. I only have experience with the 6-quart IP, I wish I could be more helpful.
If I do a double batch, do I double the cook time? I don’t see this on the recipe.
Hi Julie! Don’t double the cook time. InstaPots are pretty smart, it will likely take longer to come up to pressure adding to your total time, but the actual pressure-cooking time should remain the same.
If by any chance, they are still a little firm, you can add some additional time.
I made these and they turned out incredible! I cooked 5 extra large russet potatoes for 30 minutes and then a natural release and they turned out incredible! I will definitely be making these again!
The time to cook what ever size potatoes you have, is the time you show for each potato or is this the total time for a few potatoes
Hi Cissy! That is the time for all of the potatoes. Just make sure they are all about the same size. If some are larger, you’ll need to adjust the time accordingly since they will take longer to finish.
I weighed my potatoes AND cooked on the high end of the range, but mine were still raw in the middle. It’s still faster and easier than an oven, though, so I’ll give it 4 stars.
Thank you so much for putting the times to how many ounces. This worked great!
You’re very welcome. I’m glad it was helpful, Carol!
The potatoes were great! This is officially my go-to for “baked” potatoes. Thank you!
I’m so glad you found a favorite on my blog, Karen! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
I can’t even begin to say how wrong these times are. I had medium potatoes and after 30 minutes, they are still raw in the middle.
Hi ML, my recommendation is to measure the potatoes since medium can mean many different things and also make sure the valve is sealed at the top, otherwise the pot won’t get to pressure and it would be raw in the middle.
16 mins was too little. the potato was still hard. Next time i am cooking for 25 mins.
Hi Philip, we haven’t had that experience, but I know machines and ingredient quantity may vary and alter the outcome. I hope you love this recipe!
Has anyone made these for potato salad. How did the potato turn out?
This is great for potato salads too.
This worked perfectly for an entire 5 lb bag of small-medium potatoes. The texture was so much better than doing them quickly in the microwave, and the process was so much faster than baking them in the oven.
Thank you for sharing, Camille!