Our smoked baked potatoes on the Traeger grill make the perfect side with their fluffy texture and deliciously smokey flavor.

Making baked potatoes in the Traeger grill beats a regular microwave or oven-baked potato any day.

Six baked potatoes on a serving platter with different toppings.

Cooking these potatoes long and low in the Traeger (or any pellet grill) creates a flavorful smokey skin and a perfectly fluffy textured potato. These spuds are just begging to be topped with rich Liptauer cheese spread or juicy shreds of slow roasted pork shoulder.

Why This Recipe Works

The Traeger grill adds a complex smokey flavor to upgrade a traditional baked potato.
Potatoes get the best smoke flavor when cooked low and slow on a pellet grill, but other times and temperatures are included below so you can make it work with whatever else you’re grilling for dinner.
These baked potatoes can serve as a simple side or as part of the main course if you load on the toppings like grilled bacon or pulled pork!

Ingredients Needed

Here is a list of the ingredients you will need for these Traeger baked potatoes. Scroll down to the printable recipe card for all the details.

Potatoes. Russet potatoes (Idaho potatoes) work best for this, but you can also use Yukon Gold if you prefer a creamier texture.
Olive oil. Use any type of olive oil, extra virgin or light. The smoke point of the oil doesn’t matter since the potatoes are being smoked over low heat.
Kosher salt. You can see in our video that we don’t stick to the ingredient amounts. We covered the entire potato in more than a little salt. The great thing about Kosher salt is that it gives the potatoes a crusty texture without making them too salty.
Black pepper

How to Make This Recipe

Here is a brief overview to give you an idea of what to expect when making our smoked baked potatoes on the Traeger grill. Scroll down to the printable recipe card for all the details.

Preheat the pellet grill to 225°F.
Wash and dry the potatoes, then poke holes in the potato skins using a fork.
Coat the potatoes in oil, sprinkle them with salt and pepper, then place them directly on the grill grates and close the lid to the smoker.
Cook the potatoes for approximately 3 to 4 hours or until tender when pierced with a fork. Depending on the size of the potatoes, they may need more or less time. If you have an instant-read thermometer, it should register 205°F to 210°F.
When the potatoes finish cooking, cut a slit in them to let the steam escape before serving.

Salt crusted potatoes and bacon on a pellet grill.

Tips for Success

Follow these tips and tricks for the best Traeger baked potatoes.

The type of potato you choose is a personal preference, but we prefer Russet potatoes because they have a fluffy texture. This is the kind of potato that steak restaurants serve when you order a baked potato.

That being said, Yukon Gold potatoes will also work in this recipe. They have a creamier, dense texture, and they don’t ‘fluff up” like a Russet. Since Yukon Golds tend to run a little smaller than Russets, you may need to reduce the time on the pellet smoker.
We used the Thermo Blog’s guide to the perfect internal temperature of a baked potato. If you don’t have a digital thermometer, don’t worry, you can just smoke the potatoes until they’re fork tender.
Remove them from the pellet grill once they finish smoking so you don’t risk drying them out.
You can smoke the potatoes on a charcoal grill if you use a smoker tube. Just load the tube with wood chips (or wood pellets) and keep the heat low.
The lower temperature on the pellet grill will give the potatoes more time to infuse with a smoky flavor, but you won’t get a crispy skin. If you want crispy skins, increase the heat to 450°F during the last 30 to 40 minutes of the cooking time.

A baked potato topped with sour cream, cheese, and bacon.

More Grilling Recipes

Smoked Baked Potato Cooking Time and Temperature

If you want to bump the heat up and cook the potatoes faster, here is a general guide for baking the spuds at different temps. Keep in mind that the amount of time it takes to finish cooking will vary depending on the size of the potatoes and temperature fluctuations on the pellet grill.

Temperature of Smoker	Time to Cook
450°F	45 to 60 minutes
350°F	60 to 75 minutes
250°F	2-1/2 to 3 hours
225°F	3-1/2 to 4 hours

What to Serve with Smoked Baked Potatoes

These potatoes taste great with just a little butter but they are even more show-stopping when they’re piled high with some of these amazing toppings:

Butter
Sour cream
Cream cheese
Bacon bits. You can even make smoked bacon at the same time as the potatoes! Thin-cut bacon will take about 3 hours to get crispy when you smoke it at 225°F.
Chives or green onions
Shredded cheese. Try sharp cheddar cheese or smoked Gouda.
Pulled pork. Our Chipotle Pulled Pork recipe is amazing on these fluffy baked potatoes.
Taco fixings for a taco baked potato.
Chili beans. Load the chili on the potatoes for a full meal deal.

A smoked potato filled with bbq pulled pork.

Traeger baked potatoes make the perfect side dish for our smoked prime rib or Traeger chicken. Load them up with your favorite toppings, or just top them with melted butter. This is a side dish that the whole family will love.

Sour cream, butter, cheese, and chives on a baked potato.

More Recipes You’ll Love

This Traeger pork shoulder is infused with a citrus marinade for incredible flavor. The crispy outside and pull-apart tender inside make this one of the best pulled pork recipes you’ll ever make! Plus, these baked potatoes are an excellent side dish for pulled pork!

Our Traeger smoked sea bass is flaky, smoky, and covered in a light and fresh lemon sauce that brings it all together. The sea bass cooks quickly on the Traeger, so if serving the potatoes with the sea bass, make the potatoes first, then turn the heat down on the grill for the fish.

Broiled pork chops make a fast and easy weeknight meal. Pork chops are a lean cut of meat, and broiling them helps to keep them moist and juicy.

For More Traeger Recipes

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A serving platter filled with six loaded baked potatoes.

Best Smoked Baked Potato

This recipe for smoked baked potatoes is so easy, and the results are amazing. Just a few simple ingredients and you have a side dish that will rival any steakhouse. These spuds are cooked to perfection on the Traeger grill, resulting in a fluffy texture and deliciously smokey flavor. Serve them alongside your favorite grilled meats or vegetables for a complete meal.

5 from 6 votes

Print Pin Video Save

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 3

Total Time: 3 5

Servings: Servings

Calories: 265kcal

Author: Pat Nyswonger

Ingredients

4 to 6 large potatoes*
3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
2 to 3 tablespoons Kosher salt or 2 teaspoons regular salt
1 tablespoon black pepper

Instructions

Preheat the pellet grill to 225°F (or see the notes if you're cooking something else at a different temperature).
Scrub the potatoes under running water and dry them well.
Use a fork to poke a few holes in the potato skins.
Coat the potatoes in oil, then sprinkle them with salt and pepper.
Place them directly on the grill grates and close the lid to the smoker.
Cook the potatoes for approximately 3 to 4 hours or until tender when pierced with a fork (larger potatoes will need to cook longer). If you have an instant-read thermometer, it should register 205°F to 210°F, but it isn't necessary.
Serve the potatoes with your choice of toppings: butter, sour cream, bacon bits, chives, shredded cheese, and pulled pork.

Notes

When baking potatoes, prick them with a fork to allow steam to escape and prevent them from exploding.

Tip: Smoked bacon makes a great potato topping. Lay several strips of bacon on the grill grates next to the potatoes. Thin-cut bacon will take about 3 hours to get crispy when you smoke it at 225°F.

We prefer Russet potatoes (called Idaho potatoes where we live) for this recipe because they have a fluffy texture. This is the kind of potato that steak restaurants serve when you order a baked potato.

Yukon Gold potatoes will also work in this recipe. They have a creamier texture and slightly sweet, buttery flavor, but they don’t ‘fluff up” like a Russet. Since Yukons tend to run a little smaller than Russets, you may need to reduce the time on the pellet grill.

The lower temperature on the pellet grill will give the potatoes more time to infuse with a smoky flavor, but you will not get crispy skin. If you want crispy skins, increase the heat to 450°F during the last 30 to 40 minutes of the cooking time.

If you want to bump the heat up and cook the potatoes faster, here is a general guide for baking the spuds at different temps. Keep in mind that larger potatoes will need to cook longer.