Slow Cooker “Baked” Potatoes

Published February 10, 2015. Updated August 6, 2024

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Slow Cooker Baked Potatoes are a fast and easy way to get soft, tender potatoes with very little effort and no hot oven! This slow cooker method for baked potatoes is genius because you can throw them in in the morning and then come home to ready to eat baked potatoes after work. You’ll get perfectly cooked potatoes that are a great base for all your favorite toppings!

Baked potato made in the slow cooker. Its cut open and topped with cheddar, bacon, sour cream and chives. Shown sitting on a white serving plate.

Slow Cooker Baked Potatoes

These potatoes are a breeze to prepare and you end with a perfectly delicious, moist potato.

The other great thing about these Crock Pot baked potatoes is that they free up the oven for another use. This is especially helpful for holidays or large events since you can easily start these crockpot baked potatoes early in the day and forget about them until party time. Meanwhile, you can set up your gathering areas, and cook the other menu items on your stovetop or in your oven. It’s also an easy way to prepare your potatoes and transport them to the party!

Once you try this simple method you’ll want to use it time and time again! Simply wash the dirt from your potatoes, rub with oil if you like crispy skins, pat potato skins with kosher salt for more flavor, and finish with your broiler if you like a crunch or bubbling cheese toppings.

I use a large Idaho potato—russets were made for baking! You could use Yukon gold potato or red potatoes, but they are smaller and waxier so you may want a few in each aluminum foil wrapping.

Baked Potato Bar Toppings

The topping options are limitless with these potatoes. I love to make these for dinner with a couple of toppings or make a potato bar with tons of topping options.

  • Broccoli Cheese Sauce
  • Chili
  • Butter (regular, garlic butter, or herb butter)
  • Shredded cheddar cheese
  • Crumbled cooked bacon bits
  • Sour cream (or Greek yogurt if you’re healthy)
  • Green onions or chives
  • Chimichurri sauce (may seem strange but I love them together)
  • Pulled pork
  • Salsa
  • Turkey chili

Ingredients for slow cooker baked potatoes shown here.

How to Make Slow Cooker Baked Potatoes

  • Scrub and rinse potatoes then dry.
  • Lay each potato on a square of aluminum foil (large enough to fully cover), drizzle 1 tsp olive oil over each potato, and rub around the potato to evenly coat.
  • Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Wrap foil around each potato.

Brushing potatoes with oil and seasoning with salt and pepper.

  • Pour 1/2 cup water into a 6 or 7-quart slow cooker then transfer potatoes to slow cooker.
  • Cover with lid and cook on high heat for 4 – 5 hours or low heat for 7 – 9 hours, until potatoes are tender.
  • Serve warm with desired toppings.

Potatoes wrapped in foil in slow cooker.

Tips for this Recipe

  • Don’t use potatoes larger than 10 oz or they won’t cook through in time.
  • Scrub and rinse potatoes before cooking, that way you can eat the peel. It’s the most nutritious part.
  • Try to use potatoes that are even in size so they finish cooking at about the same time.

Slow cooker potato cut open, shown after cooking.

What Should I Serve with These Potatoes?

Baked potato made in the slow cooker. Its cut open and topped with cheddar, bacon, sour cream and chives. Overhead image.

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4.50 from 2 votes

Slow Cooker “Baked” Potatoes

Such an great to make "baked" potatoes! Throw them in in the morning and come home to ready to eat potatoes after work.
Servings: 4 - 6 servings
Prep5 minutes
Cook8 hours
Ready in: 8 hours 5 minutes

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Scrub and rinse potatoes then dry. Lay each potato on a square of aluminum foil (large enough to fully cover), drizzle 1 tsp olive oil over each potato and rub around potato to evenly coat. 
  • Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper (I used a slightly heaping 1/8 tsp salt and about 1/16 tsp pepper per each). Wrap foil around each potato.
  • Pour 1/2 cup water into a 6 or 7 quart slow cooker then transfer potatoes to slow cooker. 
  • Cover with lid and cook on high heat 4 - 5 hours or low heat 7 - 9 hours, until potatoes are tender (smaller potatoes will cook faster than the larger). Serve warm with desired toppings.

Notes

Method adapted from Cook's Illustrated (they used vegetable oil cooking spray in place of olive oil which would also work fine).
Topping Ideas
  • Broccoli Cheese Sauce
  • Chili
  • Butter (regular, garlic butter or herb butter)
  • Shredded cheddar
  • Crumbled cooked bacon
  • Sour cream
  • Green onions or chives
  • Chimichurri sauce (may seem strange but I love them together)
Note that calorie count will vary based on size of potatoes.
Nutrition Facts
Slow Cooker “Baked” Potatoes
Amount Per Serving
Calories 197 Calories from Fat 45
% Daily Value*
Fat 5g8%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Sodium 12mg1%
Potassium 828mg24%
Carbohydrates 36g12%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 4g8%
Vitamin C 11mg13%
Calcium 26mg3%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition values are estimates only. See full disclaimer here.

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21 Comments

  • Anna

    Tried this as I love a jacket potato ???? mid week with cheese and tuna!!! Putting it in the slow cooker before work means I can come home and not have to put it in the oven for 1h30.

    The potato from the slow cooker was fluffy and really tasty ????

    5/5 for slow cooker tip

  • serge

    wash the potato…rinse them but don’t dry them…wrap in tight foil 4 hours on high…water helps steam them.

  • Pen

    Thanks for this tip! I love looking for new ways to use my slow cookers! I have a larger one and a small one. The small one makes great soups, rice pudding and now it could do a baked potato for one!
    Any other marvellous ideas please? :)

  • Kathy

    My mother use to always make baked potatoes in the microwave and “poke” them with a fork. Do you have to do the same for the crockpot?

  • Amie

    Confession: I’m from Idaho and I never liked baking potatoes. For some reason, they just never turned out right. But then I saw your post, tried it, and IT WORKED! YES!! We now love eating our potatoes :). They are perfectly fluffy. Thanks again!

  • Angie

    I like your slow cooker baked potato recipe and am linking to it in a blog post about baked potatoes.