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How to Cook a Baked Potato in the Microwave is quick and easy. It only takes minutes and the results are amazing. Baking a potato in the microwave saves so much time.
Microwaved Baked Potato Recipe is a quick and easy side dish recipe. This is a classic recipe that is easy to make in the microwave. We usually make oven-baked potato, Easy Pan Fried Potatoes Recipe or Air Fryer Baked Potato but making it in the microwave makes it so much easier.
What's in this post: Microwave Baked Potatoes
- Why We Love This Recipe
- Ingredients
- Step by Step Instructions
- How Long to Make a Baked Potato in the Microwave
- Baked Potato Toppings Ideas:
- How to Prepare Microwave Bake Potatoes:
- How to Cut a Baked Potato like a Restaurant:
- How to Use Leftover Baked Potato:
- What to Serve with Bake Potatoes
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Microwave Recipes
- More Easy Side Dish Recipes
- Microwave Baked Potatoes Recipe Recipe
Why We Love This Recipe
This is the best baked potatoes recipe. It makes it easy to make a baked potato bar for friends and family when we are hosting a party. It is easy to add your favorite toppings to make a complete meal idea.
You will love the crispy skin and the soft inside to create the best potatoes.
Ingredients
- Russet Potatoes
- A Microwave
- Toppings you want for you baked potatoes
- Season with Salt and Pepper
Scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe and ingredients in the recipe card.
Step by Step Instructions
- Step 1 – Prepare Potato – Wash potato skin thoroughly. It’s optional but you can also coat with a little olive oil and seasoned with salt. This helps to crispy the skin.
- Step 2 – Poke Holes – Poke the potato with a fork a few times for the steam to escape.
- Step 3 – Place potato in Microwave – Place the potatoes in the microwave. No container needed. I put them on a paper towel or a microwave safe plate, but you don’t have to.
- Step 4 – Cook Large Potatoes – Cook on high for about 10 -15 minutes on a microwave-safe plate. It depends on how many potatoes you are cooking and the size of your potato.
- Step 5 – Flip Potato – Flip each hot potato 1 times each side and continue to cook with a oven mitt.
- Step 6 – Continue Cooking – Cook for additional 10 minutes.
- Step 7 – Serve and Enjoy – Each potatoes for baked potato should feel soft to touch when they are done. We felt like 20 minutes was plenty with the 4 big ones we had. You may need to increase or decrease time a little depending on how many potatoes you are cooking.
How Long to Make a Baked Potato in the Microwave
Just keep in mind if you have smaller or larger potatoes, you may need to adjust the cooking time. This is minutes per side. These tips will help you know how long to microwave a baked potato.
- 1 Potato – 3-4 minutes
- 2 Potatoes – 4-5 minutes
- 3 Potatoes – 5-6 minutes
Sweet Potatoes can also be baked in the microwave. Use these times to help with cooking them. Make sure to adjust depending on the size of potato.
Baked Potato Toppings Ideas:
Besides the normal toppings, we also have had meat toppings.
- Chopped Brisket
- Chopped Turkey
- Chili – I use this Easy Quick Chili Recipe or Crock Pot Chili I love to keep leftovers in the freezer and it’s so simple to just take out of the freezer.
- Shredded Roast
- I also like Twice Baked Potatoes with Broccoli and Cheese. Yum! It’s amazing what a great meal this is.
- Sour Cream
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- Butter
- Pico de Gallo
- Chopped Green Onions
- Guacamole
- Bacon Bits
- Cheese Sauce
This is a great way to use up leftovers if you have roast or brisket from a previous meal. It becomes another meal and everyone will rave how easy the meal it was to put together.
How to Prepare Microwave Bake Potatoes:
To prepare the potato for cooking in the microwave, follow these steps.
- Scrub the potato with a brush and rinse with water.
- Drizzle with Olive Oil and season with Kosher Salt.
- Poke the Potato with a fork several times all over the sides. This allows the steam to escape.
- Place in a microwave safe dish or place on a paper towel in the microwave.
How to Cut a Baked Potato like a Restaurant:
After you have cooked your bake potato, then you are ready to slice and enjoy.
- Slice the bake potato lengthwise with a knife.
- The slice the potato crosswise.
- Place hands on the ends of the potato and gently push the sides in and out. This allows the tender potato to open.
- Now you are ready to top with your favorite toppings.
How to Use Leftover Baked Potato:
These are some of our favorite ways to use leftover bake potatoes.
- Potato Salad – Make a delicious potato with your leftovers. Warm or cold, that potato will taste awesome in a nice potato salad at your next picnic.
- Potato Soup – This is my personal favorite and it is so easy to make when you have left over baked potatoes. Simply chop up the potatoes, add in onions, chives and whatever cheeses you might like and whip it up into a nice soup.
- More Ways to Use Leftover Baked Potato – We love to use our leftovers in many different ways. Don’t throw you leftovers out, use them in one of these recipes.
What to Serve with Bake Potatoes
Bake potatoes are a easy and budget side dish that you can serve with many different recipes. Here are some of our favorites:
- Grilled Steak
- Baked Chicken
- Soup
- Grilled Chicken Salad
Frequently Asked Questions
Store leftover microwave potatoes in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Yes, bake potatoes make a great side dish. Serve them to complete any meal for lunch or dinner.
More Microwave Recipes
- How to Microwave Sweet Potatoes
- 27 Easy Microwave Dessert Recipes
- How to Steam Broccoli in the Microwave
More Easy Side Dish Recipes
- Bacon Wrapped Asparagus Recipe
- Grilled Potatoes in Foil
- Easy Parmesan Roasted Zucchini Recipe
- Oven Roasted Parmesan Asparagus
We love to hear from you. This recipe will show you how long to microwave a potato for an easy side dish. Make sure to leave us a comment if you try it.
Microwave Baked Potatoes Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 Russet Potatoes (you could buy baking potatoes for the bigger ones if you want)
- a microwave
- any toppings you want for you baked potatoes
Instructions
- Wash potatoes thoroughly.
- Poke them with a fork a few times (this is optional, but makes me feel better) 😉
- Place in the microwave – no container needed. I put them on a paper towel, but you don’t have to.
- Cook on high for about 10 minutes.
- Flip each potato (careful it will be hot)
- Cook on high for another 10 minutes.
- They should feel soft to touch when they are done. 20 minutes was plenty with 4 big ones we had. You may need to increase or decrease time a little depending on how many potatoes you are cooking.
How can steamed broccoli have saturated fat?
This recipe is for a microwave baked potato so the nutritional information is for a baked potato which includes saturated fat. Thank you.
I never knew people actually baked potatoes in the oven until I was an adult. We have always baked them in the microwave. A tip that works well is to wrap them in saran wrap and then poke the fork holes. This seems to help them cook without drying out.