Name: Easy Microwave Baked Potatoes
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 17 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 4 medium russet potatoes; 1 teaspoon olive oil (optional); 1 teaspoon sea salt (optional)

This Easy Microwave Baked Potatoes recipe makes soft, fluffy potatoes in just a few minutes. Perfect for loaded baked potatoes or as a quick side dish!

There’s nothing like a thick, juicy steak served with a baked potato, right?! But oven-baked potatoes take an hour to make, and who has time for that — especially in the summer? Growing up, we always made baked potatoes in the microwave instead of the oven, and it’s still my favorite way to make a quick baked potato!

Even though I also like to make baked potatoes in the Instant Pot, microwaved baked potatoes are much faster. All you do is set the timer, hit start, and you have soft, fluffy baked potatoes in just a few minutes!

How to Bake Potatoes in the Microwave

Like I said, cooking potatoes in the microwave is super easy. But, there are a few tricks to getting soft, fluffy microwave baked potatoes that are evenly cooked without hard spots.

Size Matters

First of all, we’re using russet potatoes, also known as Idaho or “baking” potatoes. I think these make the best baked potatoes. You can find them in 3 sizes — large, medium and small.

I usually go for the medium potatoes, which are about 4 to 5 inches long. These are perfect as a side dish. If I use the really large ones, I cut them in half before serving — They’re huge!

How to Clean Baked Potatoes

Scrub the potatoes well with a brush under running water. Then, pat them dry. Use a fork to poke holes all over the potato, about 5 times each.

Set the potatoes evenly on microwave-safe plate, and place in the microwave. Now, you’re ready to cook ’em!

How Long does it Take to Bake 4 Potatoes in the Microwave?

The best way to cook potatoes evenly is to cook for just a few minutes per side, instead of cooking for, say, 10 minutes at once. Flip the potatoes over, cook for another few minutes, and check for doneness. You should be able to easily stick a fork into the potatoes when done.

Small potatoes (4 inches) — 4 minutes per side for a total of 8 minutes
Medium potatoes (5 inches) — 5 minutes per side for a total of 10 minutes
Large potatoes (6 inches or more) — 15 minutes total. You may have to turn the potatoes 3 times.

If you’re only cooking one medium potato, try cooking it for 3 minutes on one side and 2 minutes on the other side.

Carefully remove the plate, using oven mitts — It will be hot! Cover with foil, and let the potatoes rest for about 5 minutes. The potatoes continue to cook while covered, so even if they don’t seem as soft as you like, they should be softer after resting.

How to Make Microwave Baked Potatoes with Crispy Skins

This step is purely optional, but it does give you steakhouse-style baked potatoes. Place the cooked potatoes on a baking sheet, brush them with a little olive or vegetable oil, and sprinkle with sea salt.

Then, broil for about 5 minutes or until the skins start to get dark and crispy. As a plus, this also makes the insides of the potatoes even fluffier!

And that’s all there is to making a baked potato in your microwave! Top with butter, sour cream, bacon, cheese or your favorite toppings. Yum!

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Easy Microwave Baked Potato Recipe