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Learn the secrets to making the best Crispy Baked Potatoes in the oven! An easy make-ahead dinner, these oven baked crispy potatoes are the perfect comfort food.

Crispy baked potatoes on a plate topped with cheese
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Crispy on the outside and soft and flavorful on the inside, these oven-baked potatoes will convince you to make a potato bar part of your weekly dinner rotation.

These are SO easy and taste incredible.

If you’re looking for an air fryer version of this recipe, check out our post on air fryer sweet potatoes. The technique is the same, but you’ll reduce the cooking time by 2-5 minutes.

Are Baked Potatoes Better in Foil?

In a word – NOOOOOOO. The foil will steam the potato and cook it through, but it also prevents that crispy skin everyone loves so much!

Ditch the foil wrapping and use my method, which has you baking directly on the oven racks.

Variations 

  • This process also works amazingly well with sweet potatoes, but the baking time usually needs to be increased by 10 minutes.
  • Feel free to experiment with flavors and seasonings. I love cracked lemon pepper and chopped rosemary mixed in with the olive oil. 
  • Want a cheesy appetizer version? Try these Loaded Air Fryer Potato Skins.
  • Prefer a diced version? Check out our Cast Iron Potatoes and Air Fryer Potatoes.
  • Shred them and use them in Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole.

What to serve with this recipe

Pair these crispy baked potatoes with a cabbage salad and butternut squash chili or gluten-free tomato soup, and your dinner game just went to the next level.

You can also try loading them up with roasted frozen broccoli and gluten-free cheese sauce for a fun take on a classic potato.

How to Store and Reheat

Storing Leftovers: allow the potatoes to cool in the fridge before putting them in an air-tight container. If you close the lid before they’re fully cooled, the container will have a lot of condensation in it, causing them to get mushy.

Reheating Leftovers: To reheat, microwave for 60 seconds, place in the air fryer at 330˚F for 4 minutes, or place in the oven at 350˚F for 10 minutes.

Pro Tips/Recipe Notes

  • The dripping olive oil on the foil/baking sheet will smell “hot” in your kitchen, and there may be some sizzling. That is all perfectly normal.
  • The kosher salt flavors the potato while baking and helps create the crispiest skin ever! But please brush the excess salt off of the potato prior to serving.
baked potatoes on a plate topped with cheese
4.84 from 6 ratings

Crispy Baked Potatoes

Servings: 4
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 1 hour
Total: 1 hour 5 minutes
Crispy baked potatoes on a plate topped with cheese
Learn the secrets to making the best crispy baked potatoes in the oven! An easy make-ahead dinner, these oven baked crispy potatoes are the perfect comfort food.

Ingredients 

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 375˚F.
  • Line a baking sheet and place it on the bottom rack of the oven.
  • Scrub the outside of potatoes under cool running water, and dry off with a clean kitchen towel.
    4 russet potatoes
  • Poke 7-10 holes in the skin of the potato with a fork.
  • In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add olive oil, salt, and minced garlic.
    2 tsp olive oil, 2 cloves garlic, 2 tsp kosher salt
  • Put two potatoes in the bowl and swirl the bowl around until the entire potatoes are covered in the oil/salt/garlic mixture. Move to a plate. Repeat with the other potatoes.
  • Place the potatoes directly on the oven rack, making sure the foil-lined baking sheet is below them.
  • Bake for 60-90 minutes depending on the size of your potatoes. The potatoes are ready when a sharp knife pierces easily into the skin.
  • Allow the potatoes to slightly cool, and brush the excess kosher salt off of the skin.
  • Serve with your favorite toppings.

Notes

  1. The dripping olive oil on the foil/baking sheet will smell “hot” in your kitchen, and there may be some sizzling and a bit of smoke. That is all perfectly normal. Just make sure the potatoes are dripping directly onto the baking sheet to avoid making a mess in your oven.
  2. The kosher salt flavors the potato while baking and helps create the crispiest skin ever! But please brush the excess salt off of the potato prior to serving.
 

Nutrition

Serving: 1potatoCalories: 190kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 4gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 392mgPotassium: 888mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1gVitamin C: 12.6mgCalcium: 30mgIron: 1.8mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @sustainablecooks or tag #sustainablecooks!

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About Sarah Cook

I'm here to help you make easy, seasonal, and no-fuss recipes for yourself and your family.

Whether it's a quick one-pot dinner or if I am teaching you how to can and preserve local produce, you can consider me your elder millennial grandma

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4.84 from 6 votes

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19 Comments

  1. The potatoes came out crispy and delicious with minimal effort. I used to loathe baking potatoes because of the foil waste but Sarah solved that problem!5 stars

  2. I have been meaning to try this method and finally remembered to buy some large potatoes.  My husband LOVES potatoes but is very picky about how they’re cooked.  He said this recipe is “spot on” (he’s British)!  Even my middle daughter who does not love potatoes liked these!  They were a perfect side for chili!5 stars

  3. I was already planning to make twice baked potatoes for dinner tonight so I’m gonna have to try this recipe!

  4. So, as I was walking out the door last week, I told Emma (my twelve year old) she should make baked potatoes to go with the chili-stew thing cooking in the crockpot. I told her to look for the recipe on your site. She found the recipe, she made them all by herself (while home alone!), and they were AWESOME! She is now the official baked potato chef in our house. Thanks!5 stars

    1. Woot, WTG Emma! I know they’re not flowers or pretty wildlife, but I feel like I should have seen a photo of said potatoes on her IG page… 🙂

      So glad they worked out well and were a good pairing for the “chili-stew thing”.

  5. One of my all time favorites, this dish is easy to make and goes a long way. I will prepare myself and eat at breakfast or as a snack for morning tea.4 stars

  6. This is pretty much how I prepare my baked potatoes, nothing better than that crispy skin, your dad´s version sound amazing, but yeah very time consuming, but I´m sure so worth it! great post 🙂5 stars

  7. This is almost exactly the way I do mine! Down to the swirling 🙂
    Crispy baked potato skin is a very great joy.

  8. Thank you so much! I can’t wait to make these for our book club. The tip to make it th night before really helped too.

  9. Mmm, these look really good. I have an abundance of potatoes from our veggie share, so I may have to add these to the menu this week. Maybe while I cook the leg of lamb?

  10. I love baked potatoes, especially when they’re made by smart cookies like you who know better than to wrap them in foil. That crunchy skin is SO yummy!