How Long Do U Cook A Potato In The Microwave

How to make a quick and easy Microwave Baked Potato. Skip the long baking time and make your "baked" potatoes in the microwave in just minutes.

When it's a baked potato night but you're short on time, a microwave baked potato is such a time saver.

Potatoes cooked in the microwave are ready in a fraction of the time and still come out soft and fluffy and perfect for loading with toppings.

Microwave baked potatoes on a plate with butter.

How Long to Microwave a Baked Potato

If you popped in from search looking for this info, here you go:

Microwave 1 potato* for 3 to 4 minutes per side
2 potatoes for 4 to 5 minutes per side
3 potatoes for 5 to 6 minutes per side

*Be sure to pierce potatoes with a fork before microwaving.

These times are for average-to-large-size baking potatoes of around 10 ounces. For smaller potatoes, start with one minute less, and for larger, one minute more.

Now that's covered, if you want a little more information, keep reading.

How to Prep Microwave Baked Potatoes

Potatoes on a plate.

Always start by giving your potato a good scrub to remove any debris from its skin.
Dry the potato and then pierce it all over with a fork. This allows steam to escape as the potato cooks and will prevent it from exploding in your microwave.

How to Bake a Potato in the Microwave

Potato being pierced with a fork before microwaving.

1. Once your potato is scrubbed, dried, and pierced, place it directly into the microwave. If cooking more than one potato at a time, make sure that the potatoes are not touching.

2. Cook the potato for 3 to 4 minutes and then carefully flip and cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes. For every extra potato you're cooking, add 1 minute for each side.

Potato in the microwave for cooking.

3. Use a knife to pierce the potato and check for doneness. The potato should feel tender (but not mushy) all the way through.

4. If the potato is finished, allow it to sit for 1 minute to cool slightly before removing it from the microwave. If still hard, continue to cook in 1-minute increments until the potato is tender.

Getting Crispy Skin on a Microwave Baked Potato

If you really love a baked potato with crispy skin, you can still get that even if you do most of the cooking in the microwave.

To crisp the skin of a microwave baked potato: Preheat your oven to 425°F and cook the potato(es) in the microwave according to the recipe instructions. Once cooked, rub your potato with olive oil—it will be hot, so handle with care! Sprinkle generously with salt (preferably coarse salt) and place the potato on a baking sheet.

Bake until the skin is crispy, usually 10 to 15 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Baked Potato Toppings

Once your potatoes are finished, time to load them up. You can use classic baked potato toppings like:

Butter
Cheese
Sour cream
Bacon

Or go with some non-traditional toppings like:

Chili
Broccoli and cheese sauce
Taco filling and nacho sauce

FAQ

How to cut a baked potato like a restaurant?

To cut a baked potato like a restaurant, slice the potato lengthwise across the top, cutting about halfway down. Then, using a thick towel to protect your hands from the hot potato, use the thumb and index finger of each hand to squeeze the sides of the potato inward until the slice splits open.

Use a fork to fluff up the insides of the potato before adding your toppings.

Why do potatoes get hard in the microwave?

Potatoes get hard in the microwave when they're overcooked and the overcooked sections lose too much moisture and become dry and hard.

If you're using an older microwave without a revolving plate and find that your potato is developing hard spots before it's cooked all the way through, try rotating it (not just flipping it) a couple times during the cooking process so it cooks evenly all over.

What to serve with baked potatoes?

A loaded baked potato (like a chili baked potato or broccoli and cheese potato) can be a meal all on its own, but baked potatoes are also classic sides for meaty mains. I recommend:

Tri-tip
Marinated Steak
Roasted Chicken
Top Sirloin Steak

More Quick Microwave Recipes

Microwave Sweet Potatoes
Broccoli in the Microwave
Cauliflower in the Microwave
Corn on the Cob in the Microwave
Green Beans in the Microwave
Carrots in the Microwave

Microwave baked potato with butter.

▢ Medium-to-large baking potato scrubbed and dried*

Pierce potato all over with a fork before placing it directly into the microwave. If cooking more than one potato at a time, make sure that the potatoes are in a single layer and not touching.
Cook the potato for 3 to 4 minutes and then carefully flip and cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes. For every extra potato you're cooking, add 1 minute for each side.*
Use a knife to pierce the potato and check for doneness. The potato should feel tender (but not mushy) all the way through.
If the potato is finished, allow it to sit for 1 minute to cool slightly before removing it from the microwave. If still hard, continue to cook in 1-minute increments until the potato is tender.

For Crispy Skin: Preheat your oven to 425°F and cook the potato(es) in the microwave according to the recipe instructions. Once cooked, rub your potato with olive oil—it will be hot, so handle with care! Sprinkle generously with salt (preferably coarse salt) and place the potato on a baking sheet.

Bake until the skin is crispy, abou 10 to 15 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

*These times are for baking potatoes of around 10 ounces. For smaller potatoes, start with one minute less, and for larger, one minute more.

*Baking Times for Multiple Potatoes

2 potatoes for 4 to 5 minutes per side
3 potatoes for 5 to 6 minutes per side

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission if you make a purchase using them. There is absolutely no additional cost to you.