Name: Crock Pot Baked Potatoes
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 480 min
Total time: 495 min
Ingredients: 6 russet potatoes; 3 teaspoons olive oil (divided); 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt (divided); salt, pepper, butter, shredded cheese, sour cream, cooked crumbled bacon, chopped fresh chives or thinly sliced green onions

SD Side Dish

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These Crock Pot Baked Potatoes cook up perfectly tender with a fluffy interior. They are so quick and easy to prepare and save valuable oven space!

A Crock Pot Baked Potato topped with cheese, sour cream, and bacon on top of foil.

Even with two ovens I find myself frequently running out of oven space. Especially in the fall and winter months when we’re not grilling outside. This is just one reason why I’m so attracted to recipes that allow me to pop something in my Crock Pot and not worry about it again until I’m ready to serve dinner.

Have you ever forgotten to get your potatoes in the oven on time and had to delay dinner, waiting for those babies to get tender enough to serve? Getting baked potatoes going in your slow cooker early in the day is another big plus to this recipe. Done and done!

Two baked potatoes with toppings on plates.

It’s not convenience alone that makes this a great recipe. Crock Pot Baked Potatoes bake up so perfectly tender and fluffy every time. This recipe could not be any easier with just a small amount of advance prep.

Ingredients

Russet potatoes, kosher salt, olive oil and a Crock Pot.

You can use this method to cook up to 6 average sized russet potatoes. Try to choose potatoes that are close to the same size so that they will cook evenly. As much as I love Yukon gold potatoes, I prefer the thicker-skinned russet potato for this recipe.
My oil of choice for these Crock Pot Baked Potatoes is olive oil and I prefer coarse ground kosher salt which has more oomph than table salt.
You’ll also need a 6-quart slow cooker and a roll of aluminum foil.

How to Bake Potatoes in a Slow Cooker

Scrub the potatoes well under cool, running water. Pat them completely dry with paper towels.
Place a potato on a sheet of foil large enough to enclose it. Use a fork to poke it about 3 or 4 times on both sides.
Drizzle the potato with olive oil and use your hands to coat it on all sides.
Sprinkle the potato evenly on all sides with kosher salt.

Potatoes are wrapped in foil and placed in a slow cooker.

Wrap the potato tightly in the sheet of foil .
Repeat this process with the remaining potatoes and transfer them to a 6-quart slow cooker.
Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours, or until tender all the way through when pierced with a fork or the tip of a sharp knife.
Time for toppings!

Crock Pot Baked Potato Tips

Be sure to wrap your potatoes securely in the foil to keep the moisture out. If you open one to test it and it is not cooked through yet, rewrap it securely in the foil before returning it to the slow cooker.

It’s okay to stack the potatoes if they don’t fit in one layer in the bottom of your Crock Pot but I don’t recommend trying to cook more than six at a time in a 6-quart slow cooker. If you’re home, go ahead and rotate the potatoes about halfway through the baking time if you’ve stacked them. I’ve cooked them without rotating and it just takes a bit longer for the top potatoes to get tender.

Loaded Baked Potatoes

A baked potato with toppings in bowls around it in front of a slow cooker.

Set out a variety of your favorite baked potato toppings so everyone can garnish their potato to their liking. Classic loaded baked potato toppings include butter, salt and pepper, bacon, sour cream, cheese, and fresh chives or thinly sliced green onions.

A baked potato with sour cream, cheese, and bacon on top of a sheet of foil.

Make it a Meal

Barbecue Chicken Ranch Potatoes – Top baked potatoes with Slow Cooker Shredded BBQ Chicken or my Slow Cooker BBQ Buffalo Chicken, diced red onions, cilantro and a drizzle of Ranch dressing.

Sloppy Joe Potatoes – Load your baked potatoes up with the filling for my Cajun Sloppy Joes, shredded cheese, and sliced green onions.

Chili Stuffed Potatoes – Spoon a generous amount of Three Bean Turkey Chili, Halftime Chili, or Beef and Bean Taco Chili over the potatoes and top with the chili toppings you love. Cheese, a dollop of sour cream, a little hot sauce, and cilantro are our faves!

Pizza Potatoes – Split open the baked potatoes and place them on a baking sheet. Coat them with a little marinara sauce and add your favorite pizza toppings. Think pepperoni slices, cooked and crumbled Italian sausage, mozzarella cheese, and olives. Place the baking sheet in your oven set to broil for just a couple of minutes to melt the cheese.