Crock pot baked potatoes

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Baked potatoes made in the crock pot are tender, fluffy, and effortless. Ovens require a lot of gas or electricity and can expel a lot of unwanted heat into your home — this is a great way to bake potatoes without an oven. The best part is that you’ll only dirty a few dishes.

We recommend piling these crock pot baked potatoes with sour cream, bacon, fresh chives, and your favorite cheese.

Why You'll Love These Crock Pot Baked Potatoes

Baked potatoes can be made in just about any kitchen gadget: the oven, air fryer, Instant Pot, or even microwave. But when you need your oven free for the main course or just want your baked potatoes to cook low and slow for the day, the crock pot is the best way to go.

With the crock pot, your potatoes can bake away overnight or while you’re at work. They’re a hassle-free side to hearty entrees like pot roast or roasted chicken.

Why We Choose Russet Potatoes For Crock Pot Baked Potatoes

Russet potatoes are our preferred choice for baking because of how light and fluffy they become due to their high starch levels and low moisture — perfect for loaded baked potatoes. Their skins are also thicker than other varieties, which means they get nice and crispy while baking.

This variety also comes in the perfect size for baked potatoes. You’ll want to pick out medium-sized russets as close in size as possible to ensure that they’re all evenly baked. Too small and they’ll be overdone, and too big will lead to an undercooked texture in the middle.

What Do I Need To Make This Recipe?

Of course, you’ll need your crock pot, and one medium-sized russet potato per person. You will need a chef’s knife and a cutting board to chop your chives. Also have aluminum foil, standard measuring utensils, a pastry brush, and a fork handy.

Ingredients For The Baked Potatoes

Medium-sized russet potatoes (one per person, plus more for leftovers if desired)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon salt
Freshly-cracked black pepper (optional, but we love it on potato skins)

Ingredients For The Toppings

Sea salt or table salt to taste
Freshly-cracked black pepper to taste
1 cup of your preferred shredded cheese (we recommend mild cheddar or mozzarella)
1 cup of cooked, crumbled bacon
½ cup sour cream
½ cup fresh chopped chives

How To Make Crock Pot Baked Potatoes

Fry and crumble the bacon beforehand. Set aside on a paper towel to drain excess grease.

Wash the potatoes under warm, running water then thoroughly dry with a paper towel.

Using a fork, carefully make two to three punctures per side of each potato.

Center each potato on a square of aluminum foil. Using the pastry brush, even coat all sides of the potato with olive oil then sprinkle with salt. Crack some pepper over each potato if preferred.

Tightly wrap the potatoes with the foil squares.

Arrange in crock pot and cook for desired amount of time: low for eight hours, or high for four to five hours.

Once the potatoes are baked, carefully remove with an oven mitt or tongs. When you’re ready to serve them, make a longways cut halfway through the potato (don’t cut all the way through or your toppings will fall out) and gently squeeze from the ends to loosen up the insides.

Fluff the cooked potato with a fork then top as desired. Tip: we recommend putting the cheese on first so that the hot potato melts it thoroughly. If possible, always use freshly grated cheese, too, because it melts better than bagged, shredded cheese. Best served while still hot!

What To Serve With Crock Pot Baked Potatoes

Crock Pot Baked Potatoes FAQs

How do I know when my potatoes are done?

You’ll know the baked potatoes are done when they are tender when squeezed. It might be difficult to tell through an oven mitt, though, so you can also test their doneness by making a small slice in the biggest potato (cut where you would to open the potato and put toppings on it). If the potato is soft and gives to the knife easily, it is done.

Can I base a meal around these baked potatoes?

Absolutely! We recommend giving meal-in-a-peels a try. Instead of bacon and sour cream, top your potatoes with pulled pork or cubed brisket, sharp cheddar cheese, diced onions, and a berry-based barbecue sauce. This is robust enough to be a whole meal!

How should I store leftover baked potatoes?

First, don’t cut open or put toppings on any baked potatoes that you aren’t sure will get eaten. Take uneaten potatoes out of the foil and allow them to cool completely before placing them in an airtight bag or container. Store refrigerated and reheat for about 15 minutes at 350 degrees F directly on the oven rack (no need to rewrap in foil).

Notes And Bottom Line

These potatoes come out so airy and steamy. They’re the ideal companion to any quick weeknight meal and can be topped however you choose — but we swear by this classic combination of toppings. To reduce cooking time and dishes, you can use store-bought bacon bits if desired, but we opt for freshly-cooked bacon wherever possible.

Do not consume leftover baked potatoes that have been stored for longer than five days as bacteria buildup can occur. The best way to quickly reheat the potatoes and crisp their skins back up is by placing them directly on the oven rack, but you could also utilize the air fryer or oven if you need a faster solution.

Crock pot baked potatoes

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Fluffy and delicious baked potatoes made hands-off in the crock pot. This recipe keeps your oven space freed up for bigger things!

Author: LINDSAY DELK
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 hours on high 8 hours on low
Total Time: 5-8 hours
Yield: 4 servings 1x
Category: Side dishes /crockpot-slow cooker dishes
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale

- 1 medium-sized potato per person

- 2 tablespoons olive oil

- 1 tablespoon salt

For the toppings/fillings:

- 1 tablespoon salt

- 1 tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper

- 1 cup shredded cheese (mozzarella, cheddar…)

- 1 cup bacon

- ½ cup sour cream

- ½ cup fresh chives

Instructions

1. Fry and crumble the bacon beforehand. Set aside on a paper towel to drain excess grease.
2. Wash the potatoes under warm, running water then thoroughly dry with a paper towel.
3. Using a fork, carefully make two to three punctures per side of each potato. Sprinkle with salt and freshly-cracked black pepper if desired.
4. Center each potato on a square of aluminum foil. Using the pastry brush, even coat all sides of the potato with olive oil then sprinkle with salt. Crack some pepper over each potato if preferred.
5. Tightly wrap the potatoes with the foil squares.
6. Arrange in crock pot and cook for desired amount of time: low for eight hours, or high for four to five hours.
7. Once the potatoes are baked, carefully remove with an oven mitt or tongs. When you’re ready to serve them, make a longways cut halfway through the potato (don’t cut all the way through or your toppings will fall out!) and gently squeeze from the ends to loosen up the insides.
8. Fluff the cooked potato with a fork then top as desired. Tip: we recommend putting the cheese on first so that the hot potato melts it thoroughly. If possible, always use freshly grated cheese, too, because it melts better than bagged, shredded cheese. Best served while still hot!