Easy Baked Potatoes … in a Crockpot!
Growing up I ate so, so, so many oven-baked baked potatoes. They were my dad’s favorite food, and along with being inexpensive and easy, my mom made sure they were served extremely frequently. Although she never made baked potatoes in a slow cooker. However there are times when slow cooking baked potatoes is advantageous. Specifically for a holiday meals when you don’t have room in the oven for potatoes. Or when you have the luxury to plan ahead for hours and your baked potato side will be ready when the main course is ready and they can just hang out and wait in a warm slow cooker until you’re ready to serve the main. I should note we are not actually “baking” the potatoes and instead they are being slow cooked, which essentially results in them being steamed. The result is a soft, tender, and fluffy potato no different than you’d get with oven baking. The skin is seasoned, super flavorful, and even non-skin eaters will enjoy it! Admittedly so, this is one of the easiest and simplest “recipes” out there! It’s not so much a recipe as it is a methodology.
Ingredients for Slow Cooked Baked Potatoes
For baked potatoes in a slow cooker, you only need the most essential of ingredients including:
Russet potatoes Olive oil Salt Pepper Aluminum foil, optional but recommended
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Bake Potatoes in a Crockpot
Baking potatoes in a slow cooker is seriously so easy! Actually, it doesn’t get any easier or more basic! Follow these simple steps for slow cooking baked potatoes: Step 1: Scrub the potatoes and pat them dry. Step 2: Pierce the potatoes with a fork. Step 3: Drizzle or brush them with olive oil. And season with salt and pepper. Step 4: Wrap each potato tightly in foil. Step 5: Place them in your slow cooker and slow cook them until they’re tender before serving.
How Long to Cook Potatoes in a Slow Cooker?
You can slow cook your baked potatoes on either the high or low heat setting.
On high heat: they’ll likely be done in about 4 to 5 hours. On low heat: you’re looking at about 7 to 8 hours.
Cooking times will vary depending on the size of the potatoes. I used a medium-large size potato for this recipe. Potatoes are done when they are fork (or steak knife) tender and exhibit no signs of firmness.
How to Tell When Baked Potatoes are Done in the Crockpot
To check for doneness, insert a steak knife right through the foil and into center of one of the largest potatoes. If there is no resistance, they are ready! There is nothing grosser to me than undercooked, hard potatoes. If you feel any resistance at all when you pierce the potatoes with a knife, keep on cooking them. There’s little harm that can be done such as “over-cooking” them when they’re being cooked in your Crock-Pot since it cooks at about half the temperature that you’d use if oven baking the potatoes. Make sure to test the biggest or nearly the biggest potato for doneness and not the smaller ones.
Make-Ahead Instructions
After you’ve finished slow cooking your baked potatoes, you can keep them in the slow cooker on the warm setting for up to 3 hours after cooking. This is perfect for parties or events like Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, or any type of holiday meal where you are trying to time your sides with the main course and if it’s a big main, such as a whole turkey, the cooking time can vary. At least you know your slow cooker baked potato side dish will be ready and can wait. This is also nice way to enjoy the taste of oven-baked potatoes but in warmer months when you don’t want to turn on your oven and heat up your house.
Crockpot Baked Potato Toppings to Try
I like to serve slow cooker potatoes with plenty of butter, more salt and pepper, and if you’re into it add some shredded cheese, bacon bits, sour cream, chives or whatever you like on your baked potatoes. You can also smother the baked potatoes in ground beef chili and cheese! While you’re at it, you can make a baked potato bar with these eight perfectly slow cooked potatoes!
How to Store Leftover Baked Potatoes
Extra potatoes will keep whole, sliced, or diced airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. I don’t recommend trying to make mashed potatoes from any leftover Crock-Pot baked potatoes.
Tips for Cooking Baked Potatoes in a Crockpot
I advise using medium-large potatoes of approximately all the same size so they will all cook in a similar time frame. This isn’t a time personally when I would select a jumbo sized potato since they will take forever to cook through! If weighing them, about 1/3 to 1/2 pound each is what I recommend. For anyone who just can’t get enough slow cooker potato recipes, try this Slow Cooker Browned Butter Mashed Potatoes next!
More Easy Potato Side Dish Recipes:
Crispy Parmesan Ranch Potatoes — The BEST roasted potatoes you’ll ever eat!! Tender potatoes seasoned with ranch mix and topped with a CRISPY Parmesan breadcrumb topping! So DELICIOUS you don’t even need a main course!! Tried this recipe? Leave a review! Consider leaving a 5 star rating if you’ve made and loved one of my recipes! Parmesan and Herb Roasted Potatoes — These herb roasted potatoes are sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and are made with seasonings you already have on hand. So easy to prep, and crazy delicious! Slow Cooker Browned Butter Mashed Potatoes – Creamy and decadent from the herbed browned butter, these EASY mashed potatoes are a family favorite side dish! Made in the slow cooker to free up stove and oven space. No one will be able to resist these comforting buttery mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving, Christmas, or your next family gathering! Bacon Cheddar Loaded Mashed Potatoes — If you like loaded baked potatoes, you’ll LOVE these mashed potatoes with bacon, cheddar cheese, butter, sour cream, and more! A family-favorite side dish that’s perfect for weeknight dinners or holiday celebrations. Irresistible, EASY comfort food! BEST Mashed Potatoes Recipe — Buttery, creamy, PERFECT mashed potatoes that rival your favorite restaurant’s version but EASY and ready in 45 minutes! Baked Thick-Cut Seasoned Oven Fries – Learn the secrets to creating restaurant-style oven fries! They’re baked rather than fried so you can have extra! Loaded Twice Baked Potato Casserole — Tender potatoes mixed with butter, cheese, sour cream, bacon, and green onions for the ultimate in LOADED baked potatoes! Three Cheese Scalloped Potatoes – These scalloped potatoes are EXTRA cheesy thanks to three cheeses used as well as super rich and CREAMY!!
