Easy Microwave Baked Potatoes

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!

More Easy Potato Dishes

• Homemade Baked French Fries
• Instant Pot Potato Salad
• Easy Instant Pot Potatoes
• Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

Easy Microwave Baked Potato Recipe

Easy Microwave Baked Potatoes

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! 

5 from 7 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bake potatoes in microwave, easy microwave baked potatoes

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Total Time: 17 minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 177kcal

Author: Dee

Ingredients

• 4 medium russet potatoes
• 1 teaspoon olive oil optional
• 1 teaspoon sea salt optional

Instructions

• Scrub potatoes well under running water, and pat dry
• Use fork to poke holes evenly over potatoes
• Place potatoes on a microwave safe plate, and cook on full power for 5 minutes. Turn potatoes over, and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Potatoes should be cooked through and soft when poked. If not, cook in 1-minute increments until done
• Remove from oven, and cover with foil for about 5 minutes or until ready to serve
• Optional -- For crispy skins, rub olive oil over cooked potatoes, place on baking sheet, and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake in 400 degree oven until skins are crispy

Notes

For small potatoes, cook for 8 minutes -- 4 minutes per side.

For large to extra large potatoes, cook for 15 to 18 minutes. 

For one medium potato, try cooking for 3 minutes before turning over and cooking for another 2 minutes.

Microwave cook times vary with wattage. Cook times were tested with 900 watts.

Nutrition

Calories: 177kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 592mg | Potassium: 888mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin C: 12.1mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1.8mg

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I hope you enjoy these easy microwave baked potatoes as much as we do!