Slow Cooker Baked Potatoes
Yes, you can make perfect baked potatoes in the slow cooker! The easiest hands-off way to keep your oven free, feed a crowd, create an effortless baked potato bar, or an easy side dish for weeknight dinners or special occasions.
About These Slow Cooker Baked Potatoes
I’ll admit I was skeptical when I first tried cooking potatoes in my crockpot.
But they really come out SO surprisingly fluffy, light & delicious that now it’s my favorite hands-off way to cook potatoes of all kinds – I’m looking at you slow cooker potatoes with garlic and slow cooker roasted potatoes!
This recipe couldn’t be easier to make and is one of my favorite side dishes for busy weeks, fun baked potato bar get-togethers and for game day, or as a Thanksgiving or holiday side.
You can easily add your choice of protein to them to turn this into an easy, filling & hearty dinner option too.
The process couldn’t be easier, too!
Just add russet potatoes (no foil required), olive oil, and salt to your crock pot, and then let your slow cooker work its magic.
After they’re cooked, you can slice them down the middle and add any fun extras that you want & you’re ready to dig in!
Tip: These potatoes make the perfect low effort holiday side dish (hello Thanksgiving simplified), and I especially love them for easy entertaining as part of a baked potato bar.
Process & Tips
Yes, this recipe only has one main ingredient: russet potatoes!
All you need to do is add washed, dried and oiled potatoes to the slow cooker and then cook on low or high — no foil required.
After they’re cooked, you can slice them down the middle and add any fun extras that you want & you’re ready to dig in!
I love that these slow cooker potatoes are cooked without foil because they don’t require any prep beyond a quick scrub.
And, in contrast to traditional oven baked potatoes, you don’t need to poke holes in the potatoes prior to cooking them.
They require no added water, too, so don’t add any to the slow cooker or you’ll end up with mushy potatoes, and no one wants that.
If you’re wondering about the final texture, the skins come out moderately crispy, which is the nature of cooking in a slow cooker.
If you prefer very crispy skins, just pop the cooked potatoes under a broiler for a few minutes until they crisp up, keeping careful watch, of course, to avoid burning.
Tip: Instructions for how to cook this on high for a shorter cook time are also included in the recipe card below to help you keep your options open on busy weeks.
Why Make Baked Potatoes in the Slow Cooker
There are a number of reasons you might want to cook russet potatoes in the slow cooker rather than the oven.
For the holidays like Thanksgiving, cooking baked potatoes in the slow cooker can save precious oven space for other dishes.
Cooking in the crock pot also allows you to keep the potatoes warm so they’re ready when everyone is ready to eat!
Finally, cooking potatoes in the slow cooker can be handy when bringing the dish to potlucks or to a friend’s house.
How to Store
Cooked potatoes will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
To reheat, microwave in 30 second increments until warmed through, or in a 350F oven for 20-25 minutes.
What to Serve with Baked Potatoes
Classic: put out all the toppings for the ultimate baked potato bar!
Chili: topped with turkey chili or white chicken chili.
Enchilada: topped with enchilada chicken with easy guacamole.
Vegetarian: vegetarian chili, cheddar cheese, sour cream.
Ingredients Notes
Russet potatoes: Medium-sized russet potatoes are the classic choice for traditional oven-baked potatoes and they also work best for this recipe. You don’t need to peel or pierce the potatoes before adding them to your crockpot, nor wrap them in foil. Just give them a good scrub, pat them dry and add them right on in. For more slow cooker potato options, check out this slow cooker roasted russet potato and this slow cooker potato recipe.
Olive oil: I love the light, buttery flavor of the olive oil in this recipe. But you can also use any other neutral flavored oil in its place like avocado, vegetable or canola oil.
Kosher salt: Look for kosher salt with the regular iodized salt at the grocery store as it has a subtler flavor. Use less iodized salt if that’s what you have on hand.
This Recipe Is…
Dairy FreeGluten FreeNut FreePaleoVeganVegetarianWhole30
Easy Slow Cooker Baked Potatoes
Ingredients
- 6 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed and dried
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Equipment
Instructions
- Place the potatoes evenly in a 6-quart slow cooker. Drizzle with the olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and toss to evenly coat the potatoes.
- Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 6-7, or until they are tender when pierced with a fork. The size of the sweet potatoes will determine the cook time. Start checking at 3 hours on high, and 6 on low.
- To serve, carefully remove each potato with tongs, slice in half and add any desired toppings you prefer.
