Baking potatoes without foil gives you crispier skin and a fluffy inside. At 350°F, most russet potatoes take about 45–75 minutes to bake depending on size.
This easy baked potato method uses simple pantry ingredients and no aluminum foil for crispy-skinned baked potatoes every time.
How Long to Bake Potatoes at 350°F
- 45–60 minutes for small
- 60–75 minutes for medium
- 75–90 minutes for large
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If you have read this blog then you know that potatoes are my favorite savory food (cake is my favorite dessert). Now I love many foods, but if I had to pick one sweet and one savory, these are them. I even have a section of this blog just for all the delightful potato recipes we love.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- All you need is 3 simple ingredients (plus toppings).
- You can make as many potatoes as needed in about the same amount of cooking time.
- No tin foil or parchment paper is needed.
- It is a healthy and simple side dish.
Ingredients
See recipe card for the amounts we use.
Ingredient Notes
- Potatoes – we like smaller potatoes (5-8 ounces) for a side dish and larger potatoes (9-12 ounces) for a main dish.
- Oil – we use canola oil, vegetable oil or olive oil can be used if you are keeping the temperature at 350°. Some oils may have a lower smoke point so keep that in mind if you are using a different oil. Very Well Fit has a great article about the smoke point of different oils, so if you are thinking of baking your potatoes at a higher temperature then you might want to check it out.
- Salt – we like kosher salt for this because it is coarse and sticks to the potato well. Sea salt or regular table salt will work if you don’t have kosher salt.
How to Bake a Potato Without Foil
- Make sure one oven rack is as near the center of the oven as possible then preheat the oven to 350°.
- Scrub potatoes under cold water and dry with a paper towel. Pierce several times with a fork (I usually pierce them on all 4 sides and both ends). Place potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Pour canola oil in a small bowl and use a basting brush to coat the outside of each potato with oil. Sprinkle salt on one side of the potatoes, turn over and sprinkle salt on that side.
- Bake 45-60 minutes, you will know it is done when a fork goes into the potato easily when you push it in. You can use an instant-read thermometer if you have one, the internal temperature of a cooked potato should be 200°-205°. I do have a meat thermometer but have never used it for this. I find that poking it with a fork is an easy method that is accurate.
- Slit each potato lengthwise down the middle with a sharp knife, using your index finger and thumb of both hands pinch the end of the slit and push gently to pop open the potato. Be careful not to burn yourself because the potato is hot and steam will emit from it.
- Top with a pat of butter, sour cream, cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon, a sprinkle of salt and black pepper, or your favorite toppings.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best kind of potato for baking?
Any potato can be baked but we think Russet potatoes are the best potatoes for baking because of their high starch content and low moisture.
Is it better to bake potatoes with or without foil?
That depends on whether you prefer soft skins or crispy skins. Wrapping potatoes in foil traps steam and creates softer skin instead of crispy skin.
Do baked potatoes cook faster with foil?
No. Foil traps steam and creates softer potato skin. Baking potatoes without foil gives the skin a crispier texture.
Main Dishes to Serve with Baked Potatoes
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Baked Potato Without Foil
Learn how to bake a potato without foil at 350°F for crispy skin and a fluffy inside. This easy oven baked potato recipe uses simple ingredients and comes out perfect every time.
Ingredients
- 4 Russet potatoes 5 – 8 ounces each
- 2 teaspoons canola oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Make sure one oven rack is as near the center of the oven as possible then preheat the oven to 350°.
- Scrub potatoes under cold water and dry with a paper towel. Pierce several times with a fork (I usually pierce them on all 4 sides and both ends). Place potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet.4 Russet potatoes
- Pour canola oil in a small bowl and use a basting brush to coat the outside of each potato with oil. Sprinkle salt on one side of the potatoes, turn over and sprinkle salt on the other side.2 teaspoons canola oil, 1 teaspoon salt
- Bake 45-60 minutes, you will know they are done when a fork goes into the potato easily when you push it in.
- Slit each potato lengthwise down the middle with a sharp knife, using your index finger and thumb of both hands pinch the end of the slit and push gently to pop open the potato. Be careful not to burn yourself because the potato is hot and it will emit steam.
- Top with your favorite toppings.
Video
Notes
Did you make this recipe? We would love it if you would leave us a comment and ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review below!
Nutritional information is approximate.
See tips, notes, and suggestions in the post above.
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Nutrition
Calories: 186kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 592mg | Potassium: 888mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 2IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 2mg
Did you like this recipe?Please leave a comment!
this really worked and even though i feel like its a common sense thing to know how to bake potatoes without foul, but some of us never learned and need to be taught. i appreciate this so much and loved the ease of instruction!
Yes, it’s hard to know something like this if you were never taught. I learned by trial and error and hope to take the guess work out of cooking for new cooks. I am glad you like the recipe!
I was out of foil and I said, I bet there is a recipe that explains how to bake a potato without, and here it is, AND it’s fantastic. I found a use for my coarse kosher sea salt I rarely use and will NEVER go back. I used to do this but also add some pepper on it as it bakes. I had leftover shredded pork so I heated it up with some BBQ sauce, and had it with chopped onions, shredded cheddar, sour cream, the bbq pork, a dash of paprika, some pepper, all after first buttering up the potato insides. Everyone loved it!
That sounds absolutely delicious, thank you!
I had 3 languishing russet potatoes in my pantry and I’m trying very hard to not waste any food . I’m roasting the 3 potatoes in my 375 degrees oven on a smaller oven pan after coating in oil and Kerry gold butter (has salt in butter)
So far smells baked potato deliciousness ‼️I’ve no doubt that they will be delicious and perfectly cooked after 40-45 minutes!!! Thank you for this easy recipe that will make yummy crispy skin and fluffy potato goodness inside ❗️❗️
You are welcome, thanks for commenting and reviewing!