Now that fall is here and the weather is finally getting cooler, I am totally in Crock Pot mode. Especially since our evenings are filled with dance classes and soccer practice and lots of homework assignments.
I just don’t seem to have the time to deal with complicated dinner menus yet I still want warm, comforting meals at the end of a busy day. So Crock Pot to the rescue!
So if you haven’t tried making Crock Pot Baked Potatoes I thought I’d post about it today. I do this fairly often in fall and winter because really what is better then a baked potato? So delicious and a great opportunity to clean out the fridge by topping it with broccoli or red peppers, various cheeses, salsa, leftover chili — whatever you have on hand.
Crock Pot baked potatoes are incredibly easy and they turn out perfectly cooked. I am not a fan of microwaving potatoes- they always get a gummy taste to me- but putting them in the oven can take so long…. Not really practical for quick dinners. By cooking these in the crock pot you will get a perfectly cooked Steakhouse style baked potato and literally dinner is done in just minutes.
Oh and you can actually make these to go- that is nice for those of you with kiddos in sports and such. Keep them tightly wrapped in the foil and they will stay warm for awhile. Pack a small tupperware container with whatever toppings you like- just slice the potato open and add the toppings and it is delicious. The foil can even serve as the plate.
So to make your potatoes you simply need to follow these steps:
- Potatoes
- Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper
- Your Choice of Topping
- Start by scrubbing your potatoes well.
- Next make small slices into the potato or poke it several times with a fork- all the way around. This allows air to escape while the potato is cooking.
- Cut a square of foil large enough to cover the potato completely.
- Put the potato in the center of the foil and add a small amount of olive oil all the way around the skin. I use a brush to just brush it on.
- Next season well with your house seasoning or just salt and pepper.
- I like to use salt, pepper and Italian Seasoning.
- Wrap the potato in the foil and place inside the Crock Pot.
- Cook on high heat for approximately 3 hours.
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So that is it. Crazy easy! Hopefully some of your seasoning will get inside the potato and brushing on olive oil it makes the skin extra delicious if you want to eat the skin of the potato. If you are short on time- you can skip the olive oil and seasoning. These will still be perfect and delicious- just make sure to poke or slice holes in the raw potato or you will have a serious mess on your hands.
It is impossible to say exactly how much time in the Crock Pot this needs because the size of potatoes differs so dramatically. When I buy organic potatoes they are usually quite small and would need far less time to cook.
I find it takes about 3 hours for conventional Russet potatoes that are medium to large in size. For the potatoes above that one in the center was really fat so that one I did need to put in the microwave for about 5 minutes to cook it completely. If you have really large potatoes you probably want to cook them on high for closer to 4 hours.
Please note if you are using a small, low power or older Crock Pot you might need significantly more time. I used a high, power Cuisinart Crock Pot (available here) and based the cooking time off that.
And then we have a fussy group around these parts so I like to just put a bunch of options in small bowls- whipped butter, sour cream, plain Greek yogurt, broccoli, chives, cheese, salsa, green onions — whatever I have on hand- and I put that on a cutting board in the center of the table.
Everyone can help themselves to create their perfect potato.
We have a family of four so I usually put three in the Crock and my kids will share one depending on the size of the potato. I don’t think it matters how many you pop in there- as long as the lid is secure on top they should cook just fine.
I usually put these into the Crock in the afternoon before running to get the kids from school but if you need to do this in the morning before heading out to work, I believe the potatoes will be fine on low for about 8 hours.
You don’t need anything in the Crock Pot at all- no water or anything- just the foil and potato and that is it! So clean up is very quick and easy on this one!
And if you like this recipe, you might also like:
dodi says
So simple…I never knew you could do this! Going to give this a try this weekend. Thank you 🙂
Charlene says
LOL- Dodi I was hoping to hit a few people that didn’t know. I learned this years ago and I it is always a fall back when I am menu planning and just need something fast.
Jean says
I love this! Easy and frugal – perfect! Thank you so much.
Debi says
How many potatoes can you do at a time ? Is three the max? Can they be on too of each other or do they need to lie flat? Thank you
Charlene says
Hi Debi– no you can put as many potatoes as you like into the Crock Pot. Just make sure the lid can close properly. They can be shoved in any way that you can get them to fit.
Heidi says
Can you do this for sweet potatoes???
Charlene says
Heidi- absolutely! I forgot to mention that in the post 🙂
Claire Hackett says
This was AWESOME Charlene. 5 minutes to prep and a wonderful easy addition to dinner. I hate making potatoes and my husband loves eating them so this is a slight conflict but one we may have just resolved. Thanks so much!
Charlene says
Oh I am so glad! They really turn out perfectly don’t they?
Patti Robinson says
Awesome idea! I love baked potatoes but hate how long it takes after working a long day! Thanks for the tip!
Melissa Sikes says
I did sweet potatoes. Cooked on low for 6 hours. They were awesome. Will do this again
Charlene says
So glad Melissa! Thanks for coming back to comment!
Karen says
This doesn’t sound “quick” to me at 3 hours of cooking. With people getting home between 5:30 – 7:30, depending the hours different people work. That would mean you can’t eat until 8:30 – 10:30 p,m.!
Charlene says
Hi Karen- “quick” is intended to mean the preparation is fast. You can prepare these for the Crock Pot in minutes and then remove them and have dinner on the table in minutes. If the very soonest you can turn on the crock pot is 5:30pm, this probably isn’t the best choice for dinner. Not everyone is in the same situation as you are though right?
Judi says
Never thought of this. Excellent idea! Thanks!
Charlene says
And super easy for winter 🙂 Hope you like them!
Mona says
if you have to leave in the morning, use a cheap timer (like for Christmas lights) that you plug the crockpot into and set it to turn on at whatever time you need in order for stuff to be ready by the time you get home. The case of potatoes, it isn’t like they’re going to go bad sitting on the counter all day. Simple solution.
Angela says
I thought this was an awesome idea! But when I actually got everything cooked and it was time my potatoes were still crazy raw… they crunched!! I wasn’t please. Put them back in for another three hours and then they were good… but that night because of that we had to eat late… and I had normal sized russets. I don’t know it was crazy but now I know high for 6 hours at least.
Charlene says
Hi Angela- Crock Pots can vary considerably. Do you have a lower power Crock Pot? I have a higher power and larger one that I use for things like this- you can see it here:
http://www.amazon.com/Crock-Pot-Programmable-Touchscreen-SCVT650-PS-6-5-Quart/dp/B001KVZTFO/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&keywords=cuisinart%20crock%20pot&linkCode=ur2&qid=1424718096&sr=8-6&tag=myfrugadve-20&linkId=VFSNTQRAHEULKDPJ
I also have a small Crock Pot that was $10 or something very cheap from years ago and I use that from time to time for dips and things. I could put the two of them side by side with the exact same ingredients and get very different results. So when you make Crock Pot recipes, take the type of Slow Cooker that you have into account. 🙂 If I used the lower power and smaller Crock Pot, I would probably need double the time or more just because it isn’t going to work nearly as well as the Cuisinart.
Glad you figured it out!