In this blog post I will show you that you do not need aluminum foil to make oven-baked potatoes. I have been making them this way for a long time and you can too! All you need are potatoes, a little canola oil and a little bit of salt and you can make a baked potato with slightly crispy skin and fluffy insides.
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.
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Why you’ll love this easy baked potato 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
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.
That depends on if you want soft skins or crispy skins. Wrapping a potato in aluminum foil before baking it will essentially steam the potato and the end result will be soft skin. Baking the potato on a sheet pan without foil will result in a crispier skin.
Somewhere between 350° and 400° works best. I like to keep mine down around 350° to ensure the inside gets cooked before the potato skin gets singed. It is okay to adjust oven temperature up or down a little, especially if you are making a main dish that needs to bake at a slightly lower or higher temperature.
The size of the potatoes plays a part here, but below are the temperatures and approximate times to bake 6-8 ounce potatoes.
75-90 minutes at 325°
45-60 minutes at 350°
35-45 minutes at 400°
You will know the potato is done when a fork inserted into it slides in easy.
Final thought
We hope you like these baked potatoes as much as we do. If you don’t want to bake your potato in the regular oven, or you need a method that takes less time, I have an air fryer recipe that is super easy and quick.
Main dishes that go well with baked potatoes
Country Style Ribs in the Air Fryer
Baked Potato Without Foil
Ingredients
- 4 Russet potatoes 5 – 8 ounces each
- 2 tsp canola oil
- 1 tsp salt
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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 tsp canola oil, 1 tsp 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.
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!