Twice Baked Potatoes have deliciously crispy potato skins on the outside, with soft potato, crispy bacon bits, melty cheese, and fragrant onion in a creamy filling on the inside. Topped with even more cheese, these potatoes are the perfect side dish for your holiday meal!
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If you’re a fan of my classic Baked Potato Recipe and my Chicken Bacon Alfredo Potato Skins then you’ll love these easy Twice Baked Potatoes!
With a perfectly crisp exterior, these potatoes are filled with our favorite toppings for baked potatoes.
You can change the fillings as you wish, and you can adjust the seasonings to better complement your main dish, too.
They’re the ultimate comfort food for snacking on Game Day, and are a great side dish to just about any meal, including a holiday spread.
Twice-Baked Potatoes are a family favorite for the holidays because they’re easy to prep ahead and bake just before serving.
For more amazing twice-baked potato recipes, check out my Broccoli Cheddar Twice Baked Potatoes, Twice Baked Potato Casserole with Ham, Mini Twice Baked Potatoes, and my Twice-Baked Potato Pie with BBQ Meatloaf Crust!
Ingredients Needed:
- Potatoes: I love using russet potatoes, but you can use other kinds of potatoes if you prefer. Russet potatoes get a super crispy skin that we love!
- Oil: use canola oil or olive oil to coat the potatoes before they bake.
- Seasoning: use a combination of salt, black pepper, and garlic powder to add flavor to these potatoes.
- Bacon: we prefer thick-cut bacon but any kind of bacon works great here!
- Cheese: I love using cheddar cheese for these potatoes. You can use Mozzarella cheese, Colby cheese, Swiss cheese, or even a Mexican cheese mix for a different flavor.
- Sour Cream Adds a creamy texture and tangy flavor to the potato filling and helps bind the other ingredients together.
- Milk: Full-fat milk will give you the best flavor here. You can use any kind of milk to thin out the filling to make it creamy and easy to mash.
- Onion: freshly sliced onion packs a powerful savory flavor into the filling.
How to Make the Best Twice Baked Potatoes
This recipe is super easy to make on the day, or you can prep it in advance! Full instructions are included in the recipe card below.
- Prepare and bake potatoes: Rub each potato with oil and sprinkle with salt. Pierce the center of each potato with a sharp knife and place them on a baking sheet. Bake until tender.
- Slice potatoes: Allow potatoes to cool, then cut them in half lengthwise. Scoop out the centers, leaving the skin intact.
- Combine filling ingredients: Place the potato flesh in a medium bowl, with the cooked bacon, 1 cup of cheese, sour cream, milk, green onion, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Fill potato skins: Mix the filling together, then taste and adjust seasonings. Then, fill the potato shells with the mashed potato mixture, sprinkle with the remaining cheese, and bake again.
Twice-Baked Potatoes FAQs
Twice-baked potatoes are potatoes that have been baked a second time. In this recipe, we’ll be cutting the potatoes in half, scooping the potato out, and mixing it with our favorite potato toppings to make a filling for the potato skins, to then be baked again!
They are the best combination of creamy and crispy potatoes.
Leftover twice-baked potatoes can be stored in an airtight container or covered in plastic wrap in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Allow them to cool to room temperature before putting them in the fridge, and reheat in the oven or microwave until heated through.
I wouldn’t recommend freezing twice-baked potatoes. When potatoes defrost after being frozen, they often have a different texture from when they were freshly made.
Tips and Notes
- Baking sheet. You can use an unlined baking sheet if you wish, or you can line it with parchment paper. A casserole dish will also work just as well.
- Potato masher. Use a potato masher to mash and mix the potato and fillings if you prefer, but I’ve found a fork will work well too, especially if your potato is well-cooked.
- Aluminum foil. If you prefer your potato skins a bit less crispy, you can wrap the potatoes in aluminum foil before baking them the first time.
Twice-Baked Potatoes Recipe Variations
- Add a garnish. Serve your potatoes with freshly chopped green onions on top, or some fresh herbs like cilantro, rosemary, or sage for an extra burst of flavor.
- Spice it up. Add some red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper to the potato mixture for a bit of a kick to these yummy bites!
- Add some veggies. You can really make these potatoes your own by adding in some veggies like bell peppers, chopped mushrooms, or sweet corn.
Serving Suggestions
We love these twice-baked potatoes on our holiday table, but to make it a complete meal, we add some other delicious side dishes too!
Try my Green Beans with Bacon, Maple Bacon Baked Beans, Broccoli Casserole, Roasted Carrots, this Homemade Stuffing Recipe, or Cheesy Baked Asparagus.
More Delicious Potato Recipes To Try
Twice Baked Potatoes
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 4 small-medium russet potatoes
- canola oil
- salt
- 4 slices thick cut bacon
- 1 ¼ cup cheddar cheese (divided)
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 green onion sliced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Wash and scrub potatoes until clean. Dry with a clean, lint-free towel.
- Rub each potato all over with oil and sprinkle with salt. Pierce the center of each potato with a sharp knife and place them on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 50–60 minutes, or until tender.
- Meanwhile, chop and cook the bacon in a medium skillet until crispy. Remove from the pan and allow to drain on a paper towel.
- Remove from the oven (turn the oven off for now), and allow to cool for 10–20 minutes until they are cool enough to handle.
- Cut in half lengthwise and scoop out the centers, leaving the skin intact. Repeat until all are done.
- If you are baking immediately, this is a good time to turn the oven back on. You can also prep, cover, and refrigerate up to 3 days before baking.
- Place the potato flesh in a medium bowl. Mash with cooked bacon, 1 cup of cheese, sour cream, milk, green onion, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Taste and adjust seasonings as desired before filling the potato shells with the mashed potato mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until hot and golden.
Notes
- Potatoes: russet potatoes are preferred for baked potatoes because their skin gets ultra crispy while the interior stays fluffy. You can also try with any other type of potato, but results may vary.
- Bacon: you can omit the bacon for a vegetarian option. You can also reserve the bacon fat and mash into the potatoes for a rich and decadent bacon flavor.
- Cheese: you can use any kind of cheese here! Feel free to experiment and don’t be afraid to add more or less according to your tastes.
- Store: Leftover twice-baked potatoes can be stored in an airtight container or covered in plastic wrap in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Allow them to cool to room temperature before putting them in the fridge, and reheat in the oven or microwave until heated through.
Nutrition Information
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JoeW says
I have seen a LOT of pictures of twice-baked potatoes over the years (and years…), and your presentation is one of the best I have seen.
Thanks,
Joe