This is one of our favorite simple suppers during the summer – Crock Pot Baked Potatoes! Did you know you can make slow cooker baked potatoes? Same great taste as an oven baked potato without the hot kitchen!
Cooking potatoes in the crock pot is so convenient – no need to heat up the oven and make the kitchen hot! Just wrap in foil, throw potatoes in the crockpot, and make sides on the grill! If you like this recipe, you’ll also love our hearty crockpot mac and cheese!
I hate to use the oven in the summer. This is something I can throw in the crock-pot in the morning and have dinner ready in the evening. This great idea really is an easy baked potato recipe,.
How To Make Crock Pot Baked Potatoes
Wash and dry large potatoes. Give each potato a prick with a fork. Cover each potato in aluminum foil.
Now simply place potatoes in the slow cooker or crock-pot. Just as good as oven baked without using the oven.
Cook on low for about eight hours, or cook on high four hours. Easy to prep, and cleanup is a snap. Save the recipe card below for perfect, fork tender potatoes every time.
Crock Pot Baked Potatoes
Equipment
- slow cooker
Ingredients
- 4 - 6 russet baking potatoes I have done 8
- 2 - 3 teaspoons olive oil optional 1/2 teaspoon per potato (I typically omit oil and salt)
- 1 - 11/2 teaspoons salt about 1/4 teaspoon per potato(optional)
- Aluminum foil
- Your choice of toppings: Grated cheese, cooked broccoli, crumbled bacon, chives, chili, sour cream etc.
Instructions
- Scrub the potatoes and dry completely.
- Prick each potato several times with a fork.
- Rub potatoes with a tiny bit of oil and then rub with salt. This step can be omitted.
- Wrap each potato tightly in aluminum foil. Be sure potato is completely covered.
- Place potatoes in slow cooker
- Cook the potatoes on high for 4 to 5 hours or low for 8 to 10 hours, or until soft. Do not overcook or potatoes will become soggy. I cook mine about 8 hours.
- Carefully unwrap the potatoes.
- Cut potatoes open and top with desired toppings.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated without the toppings.
Slow Cooker Baked Potatoes
Now that you’ve got a pile of perfectly baked potatoes, let’s eat!
Load them up with your favorite toppings, serve with a big salad and dinner is served. Potatoes also go great with grilled meat, corn on the cob, and all kinds of other summer sides.
What are your favorite baked potato toppings? We like to make ours “loaded” by laying out a bunch of toppings. We have butter, sour cream, salt and pepper, cheddar cheese, bacon bits and green chives or onions handy.
In fact, a potato bar is a perfect set-up for a party. Just lay out all your toppings and let guests grab their potatoes and top them off with all the fixins!
Tips for Perfect Crock Pot Baked Potatoes
- After you wash your potatoes, make sure you dry them completely.
- Rub each potato with olive oil and rub with salt, if desired.
- Pierce the potatoes in several places with a fork. Technically, you are steaming the potatoes, and that steam needs somewhere to get out!
- Wrap the foil tightly around each potato. You don’t want it loose or open.
- If the potato is exposed, it can discolor. Darkened potato is still totally edible, though!
- Don’t overcook, or the potatoes will get soggy. You want fluffy!
- For a healthy topping, try plain nonfat Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. It adds protein and still delivers the tangy, creamy flavor you want.
- You can also smoother one of these delicious baked potatoes with Slow Cooker Chili. I think of this as comfort food add some cheese and sour cream on top – YUM!
Got any potato tips? Have you tried the crockpot baked potatoes method? I’m slightly obsessed with all things crockpot, so leave your comments and let us know how yours turned out!
For another easy dinner try our favorite crockpot mac and cheese! And for another super easy crowd-pleaser, be sure to check out our slow cooker lasagna recipe! These are perfect for busy nights or potluck get-togethers.
In the heat of the summer we have put the Crockpot out on the back porch to keep the heat out of the kitchen.
Crockpots typically use 75-200 Watts per hour, as compared to 12000 Watts per hour for an electric oven. A microwave varies, between 1000-1500 Watts per hour. That means a crockpot is significantly more efficient than the electric oven (I hear gas can be more efficient, but I don’t have a gas oven). While a microwave may be more efficient, I don’t enjoy the texture of microwaved potatoes. At all. [Source: http://www.sunrnr.com/SUNRNR-Endurance.html%5D
Thank you for sharing this idea. The crockpot is a busy family’s friend, and while I loved the texture of an oven-baked potato, I often don’t return home from work/activities in time to pop them in the oven for dinner. I can toss a few extra in to include with my son’s lunch, since he’s decided he prefers leftovers to sandwiches.
LOVE this option! Perfect for those who don’t believe in microwave cooking, and hot summer days when you don’t want to run the oven, and therefore the air conditioner.
I just made 2 small sweet potatoes in our small (2 qt) crockpot. I used our small crockpot because our large one was being used for the pulled pork. I cooked it on low for 7.5 hours and they came out a little too soft. Next time I’ll probably only cook them for 6-6.5 hours.
Thank you for an alternate, easy way to make baked potatoes!
Kathe, I think the time would be the same.
It’s just hubs and me. Will this work with say just 4 potatoes and would the length of time be different?
Thanks!
Kath
Have you ever tried doing these on high to cook them faster? I’m thinking about doing a baked potato bar for my son’s birthday party but it is around lunch time. I could run them overnight I suppose but I was curious anyway.
Thanks so much for sharing this- I will try it ASAP! I live overseas and cannot microwave baked potatoes without shorting out my microwave (and melting the outlet transformer thing), nor do I want to heat up my oven for that long in the summer. I’m so excited about this idea!
No water, just potatoes wrapped in foil.
great idea but do you put water in the crock pot??
Baked potatos being baked or microwaved? There is really no comparison, microwave is great for one or have no time. But a “baked” spud; the taste & texture is so much better then nuking a potato!! Can not wait to try this method!!
Do you know what the microwave is doing with our food? they destroyed the food and make it dead !!
LOVE this!!! DO NOT like microwaved baked potatoes and the oven is just too hot in the Summer!
No one mentioned this or asked……but doesn’t one need to add a little water in the pot?
A crockpot can heat up your kitchen, too. Plug in the crockpot on the porch and you won’t end up with that heat in your house. 🙂
thanks for sharing this tip I often wondered how to cook them in the crockpot