Baked potatoes are delicious and versatile, but they can take a long time to prepare. You might wonder if it’s possible to microwave a baked potato instead.
You’ll need to microwave a traditional russet potato for about seven minutes. You may need to leave it in the microwave longer if it’s a larger potato. Microwave it for three minutes, flip it over and microwave it for four more minutes. Make sure to poke holes in it first!
If you want to make your own microwave-baked potato, keep reading! There are many tricks and tips you’ll want to learn.
Table of Contents
Microwaved Baked Potato Ingredients
You technically only need one ingredient for your baked potato- and that’s the potato. However, eating just a plain potato can be a bit boring. You’ll want to spice it up using some of these ingredients:
- Butter
- Salt and pepper
- Sour cream
- Greek yogurt
- Bacon bits
- Herbs
- Cheese
- Chili
- Green onions
If you decide to add cheese as a topping to your baked potato, you’ll want to put it in your microwave for another minute. This extra time gives the cheese time to melt, so it comes out warm and gooey.
Overall, this recipe can be as simple or complex as you want. You can keep your potato plain or load it up with as many toppings as you want.
Read also >> When To Add Potatoes to Slow Cooker Stew (Overcook, Setting)
Microwaved Baked Potato Nutrition Facts
The nutrition of your baked potato will depend heavily on what kind of toppings you add to it. For example, a plain baked potato will be very different from one with all of the above toppings! Plus, the kind of potato you use can greatly alter the nutrition content of your potato.
Let’s look at a plain, baked russet potato, the most popular choice for microwaved baked potatoes. One medium russet baked potato with the skin contains:
- 168 calories
- 0 grams of fat
- 4 grams of fiber
- 24 milligrams of sodium
- 5 grams of protein
- 37 grams of carbs
- 20% of your daily Manganese intake
- 31% of your daily Vitamin B6 intake
- 37% of your daily Vitamin C intake
- 27% of your daily Potassium intake
How To Make a Microwaved Baked Potato
Making a microwave-baked potato is really simple. You’ll need to ensure your potato turns out well and doesn’t explode.
Potatoes have a strong outer skin, which traps steam inside them while it cooks. This process creates a lot of pressure, leading to potatoes exploding in the microwave.
To prevent that, you’ll want to make sure you poke many holes in the top of the potato, so the steam has somewhere to vent out. Potatoes can even burst in the oven, although it’s less likely.
Here’s a simple guide to making a potato in the microwave!
Making the Microwaved Baked Potato
- Wash the potato and pat it dry.
- Stab the potato with a fork to make small vents. (Having at least four holes is ideal, but you can always add more to be safe.)
- Set the potato on a microwave-safe plate.
- Microwave the potato for seven minutes, flipping it over about halfway through the cooking time.
- Carefully remove the potato and poke it with your fork. If it isn’t tender, you’ll want to microwave it for another minute. Test again and repeat if needed.
- Allow the potato to rest for two minutes.
- Cut the potato in the middle, then add your seasonings and toppings.
- Enjoy!
You may need to adjust the cooking time depending on the size and thickness of the potato that you choose. Most medium-sized russet potatoes will take seven minutes.
However, some thicker potatoes can take up to almost 10 minutes.
Since you don’t want to burn your potato, it’s best to start at seven minutes, then work your way up. If you have a small russet potato, try starting at six minutes instead.
Read also >> How Long to Bake Lasagna at 400℉? (Full Guide)
Best Microwaved Baked Potato Tips
This recipe is so simple and quick, making it perfect for when you need a fast side dish or you want a quick snack.
Since you can add as many different toppings as you want, you won’t get bored of this microwave-baked potato recipe soon.
If you want to perfect your microwaved baked potato, here are a few tips that you can use.
1. Add Crispness
One of the best parts about eating baked potatoes is their flavorful and crispy skin on the outside. However, microwaves don’t work the same way that ovens do, so they won’t make the outer portion of your potato crunchy.
You can still make the skin on your potatoes crispy with this tip!
While the potato bakes in the microwave, turn on your oven. Set it to 425°F (about 218°C). Once the potato finishes in the microwave, take it out.
Set it on a pan and put it in the oven for about 25 minutes. It sounds like a long time, but you cut out much of the cooking time compared to simply baking the potato.
When the baked potato comes out of the oven, it’ll have a crispy skin, despite you making it in the microwave.
2. Make Two at One Time
Next, you can also make two potatoes at one time. If you have two medium russet potatoes, cook them in the microwave for about ten minutes. You’ll want to check them closely to see if they need more time.
You can also prepare four potatoes at once! You’ll want to cook them in the microwave for about 15 minutes, making sure that you flip them over about halfway through.
Since you can make more than one microwave-baked potato at a time, this method works great for feeding many people at one time.
Overall, you can make as many potatoes at a time as you want. However, you must realize the potatoes can take longer to cook this way.
You also don’t want to crowd them in the microwave, so don’t stack them on top of each other and make sure the vent holes don’t become blocked.
3. Experiment With Different Potatoes
While the russet potato is usually everyones’ go-to choice for making a baked potato, that doesn’t mean you have to use it. You can easily use any type of potato you want in this recipe.
Some other excellent potato options include:
- Yukon golds
- Red potatoes
- King Edward potato
In short, the above cooking method works with any kind of tubers, so you can even prepare foods like sweet potatoes.
4. Try a Baked Potato Bar
Lastly, you might want to give a baked potato bar a try. This setup is great for a fun family meal and is super easy.
Start by making several potatoes in the microwave.
While they cool, you can set all of your best potato toppings in bowls. Allow everyone to come up and make their own baked potatoes.
Since everyone loves different toppings on their baked potatoes, they’ll appreciate being able to make it how they please.
Overall, this option is a lot of fun. Kids enjoy choosing what toppings to include on their baked potatoes too!
Read also >> How Long To Bake Meatballs At 375℉ (Full Guide)
Read also >> How Long To Cook Corned Beef in Slow Cooker (Helpful Tips)
How Long To Cook a Baked Potato in a Microwave FAQs
Few people know they can make baked potatoes in the microwave, so you might have some questions. Here’s what you’ll need to know.
What Happens If You Microwave It For Too Long?
Over microwaving your baked potato can be a problem. All the water inside the potato evaporates as steam, leaving you with a very dry potato.
The outside skin of the potato can also burn. It can even cause damage to the microwave, so you’ll want to avoid this!
Instead, only put your potato in the microwave for minimal cooking time. Then, continue heating it in small one-minute increments if it needs more time.
Is Microwaving a Potato Safe?
It is safe to microwave a potato, as long as you stab it all over with a fork first. You don’t want it to explode after building up too much steam.
As long as you follow the above cooking instructions and don’t overcook the potato, you shouldn’t have any issues with this recipe.
How Long Should You Microwave an Already Baked Potato?
If you want to heat a baked potato you have already made, you should heat it in the microwave for at least two to three minutes. You want to ensure that it has enough time to heat through the entire way.
Give your leftover potato a few minutes to rest in the microwave, so it doesn’t burn you when you take it out.
How to Bake a Potato in the Microwave >> Check out the video below:
Conclusion
To summarize, you can easily make a baked potato in the microwave in about seven minutes. It doesn’t take nearly as long as cooking the potatoes in the oven. So, many people appreciate this as a quick alternative.
The microwaving time can vary depending on the potato’s size, type, and density. Plus, the wattage of your microwave oven can impact the time, so it’ll take a few tries to get it right.
However, you’ll have no problem making tons of baked potatoes once you know how.
References
https://www.delish.com/uk/food-news/a29733783/how-to-bake-potato-in-microwave/
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/are-potatoes-healthy#TOC_TITLE_HDR_3
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