Side Dishes Gluten Free By Kristen Chidsey | 9 Comments | *This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
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Baked not once, but twice, these Twice-Baked Potatoes are the ultimate way to dress up a classic baked potato. Crispy potato skins are stuffed with a creamy, cheesy filling, bacon, and more cheese to create an irresistible, yet simple potato side dish.
While there is nothing wrong with a classic baked potato, if you really want to impress your dinner guests serve them these twice-baked potatoes.
Made with a rich and creamy potato filling that is stuffed into a crispy, tender potato skin and then topped with gooey cheese and salty bacon, twice-baked potatoes take the best of mashed potatoes, potato skins, and baked potatoes and combine them into one outrageously delicious dish!
Reasons to Love Twice-Baked Potatoes
- Easy Recipe. While baking potatoes twice, may sound like a lot of work, the majority of work is completely hands-off.
- Can Be Prepped Ahead of Time. You can prep these twice-baked potatoes in advance and freeze or refrigerate them for an effortless side dish waiting for you to pop into the oven and enjoy.
- Impressive Results. The combination of creamy potatoes, salty bacon, and gooey cheese will have your guests singing your praises.
- Great Way to Use Leftovers. Did you make too many baked potatoes? Transform them into Twice Baked Potatoes easily and enjoy a completely new side dish.
Notes on Ingredients
- Potatoes: Russet potatoes are best for this recipe, as they are low in moisture with a high starch content. That results in a fluffy interior and crispy exterior.
- Butter: Use unsalted butter to control the level of sodium.
- Milk: Use any fat percentage of milk you like. Half and half and cream may also be used for a truly decadent filling for your stuffed potatoes.
- Sour Cream: Sour cream will give the filling a nice tangy flavor while keeping the filling super creamy. Use full-fat or reduced-fat sour cream, not fat-free sour cream for the best results.
- Seasonings: Adding onion powder, garlic powder, kosher salt, and pepper to the potato filling adds amazing flavor.
- Cheese: White cheddar, yellow cheddar, mozzarella, Colby jack, or Swiss cheese all work well in this recipe.
- Chives/Green Onions: Adding chopped chives or green onions to the stuffing for the potatoes adds a nice fresh flavor. Or you can simply serve as a garnish for the stuffed potatoes.
- Bacon: Use crumbled, cooked bacon or bacon bits. Alternatively, omit the bacon for a vegetarian-friendly version of Twice-Baked Potatoes.
Tips for the Best Twice-Baked Potatoes
The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Season the potatoes well. Before baking the potatoes brush them with oil and season with salt and pepper. This will make every bite of the twice-baked potatoes, including the potato skins, super flavorful and irresistibly good.
- Use a cookie scoop to remove the flesh of the potatoes. While you can use a spoon to remove the flesh of the potatoes, I find that using a small cookie scoop works really well and makes it easier to leave a border around the potato skins.
- Bake the potato skins prior to stuffing. After removing the flesh from the potatoes, return the potato skins back to the oven. This will allow the potato skins to crisp up and add a nice textural contrast to the creamy filling.
- Use a potato masher. When mashing the flesh of the potatoes, use a fork or a potato masher, not a mixer. Using a mixer can result in gummy, starchy potatoes.
- Add warm milk and melted butter. Just like when making mashed potatoes, it is best to add warm milk and melted butter to the potato filling. Cold butter and cold milk can cause the potatoes to seize up a bit, rather than absorb the flavor of the butter and milk.
- Don't forget the sour cream. Don't overlook the addition of sour cream. It keeps these twice-baked potatoes super creamy and flavorful.
Make-Ahead Directions
Twice-baked potatoes can be prepared and refrigerated several days in advance or prepared and frozen to be enjoyed up to 6 weeks later.
- Refrigerate To Be Enjoyed Within 3 Days: Bake and stuff the potatoes as the recipe directs. Allow the potatoes to cool to room temperature, transfer them to an airtight container, and store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. When ready to serve, remove the potatoes from the refrigerator while the oven is preheating to 375 degrees F. Bake for 30 minutes, or until warmed through and the cheese is melted.
- Freeze To Be Enjoyed Within 6 Weeks: Bake and stuff the potatoes as the recipe directs. Allow the potatoes to cool to room temperature. Place the stuffed potatoes on a baking sheet and freeze until solid, about one hour. Remove the frozen stuffed potatoes from the baking sheet, place them into an airtight container or freezer-safe bag, and store them in the freezer for up to 6 weeks. To bake from frozen, place the frozen potatoes on a baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees F for 60 minutes, or until warmed through and the cheese is melted.
Serving Suggestions
Whether you serve cheesy twice-baked potatoes alongside a Ribeye Steak or New York Strip Roast and a Caesar Salad for a meal to rival any high-end steak house or keep frozen twice-baked potatoes on hand to pop into the oven on busy weeknights to serve alongside Baked Salmon, you are going to LOVE this recipe!
More Favorite Potato Side Dishes
- The Best Oven Roasted Red Potatoes
- Air Fryer Potatoes
- No-Peel Mashed Red Potatoes
- Mashed Potato Casserole
- Easy Roasted Potatoes and Carrots
- Funeral Potatoes (Hashbrown Potato Casserole)
If you enjoyed this recipe for twice-baked potatoes, I would love for you to leave a comment and review below.
The Best Twice-Baked Potatoes Recipe
Crispy potato skins are stuffed with all of your favorite toppings to create the ultimate, creamy, cheesy Twice Baked Potatoes.
5 from 9 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes
Total Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 256kcal
Author: Kristen Chidsey
Ingredients
- 4 large russet potatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt divided
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ cup milk or cream
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- ½ cup sour cream
- 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled or 3 tablespoons bacon bits
- 1 cup shredded cheddar divided
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- fresh chopped chives for serving
- 2 scallions thinly sliced
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400℉. Scrub the potatoes well, dray, and pierce each potato several times with a fork. Brush each potato with the oil. Place the prepared potatoes onto a baking sheet and bake until they are fork tender, about 40-45 minutes.
Once potatoes have been baked, allow them to cool for 5-10 minutes, or until cool enough to handle. Slice the potatoes in half lengthwise. Leaving a ¼" border around the potato skins, carefully scoop out the flesh of each potato, placing it into a large mixing bowl.
Transfer the potato skins back to the baking sheet. Season lightly with ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper and return to the oven at 400°F for 10 minutes.
While the potato skins are baking, prepare the filling for the stuffed potatoes. Add the milk, butter, 1 teaspoon of salt, garlic powder, and onion powder. Using a fork or potato masher, mash until the potatoes are smooth. Fold in the sour cream, ½ cup of the shredded cheese, half of the crumbled bacon, and scallions to evenly distribute through the potato mixture.
Remove the potato skins from the oven and fill each skin with the mashed potato mixture. Top with the remaining shredded cheese.
Return the potatoes back to the oven and bake for 10- 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the filling is warmed through. Top with the remaining bacon and sliced green onions, if desired.
Notes
Instead of par-baking russet potatoes, you can speed up this recipe for double-baked potatoes by starting with Instant Pot Baked Potatoes.
Leftovers: Store any leftover twice-baked potatoes in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Reheat in a 350-degree F oven for 20-30 minutes, or until warmed through.
Preparing up to 3 Days in Advance: Prepare the recipe as directed up through stuffing the potatoes. Instead of baking again, allow the stuffed potatoes to cool completely. Place the potatoes into an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days before baking a second time. When ready to bake, remove the potatoes from the refrigerator while the oven is preheating to 375 degrees F. Bake for 30 minutes, or until warmed through and cheese is melted.
Preparing up to 6 Weeks in Advance: If you will not be serving the potatoes within 3 days, it is best to freeze them for future use. Prepare the recipe up through stuffing the potatoes. Instead of baking a second time, allow the stuffed potatoes to cool completely. Place the stuffed potatoes on a baking sheet and freeze until solid, about one hour. Remove potatoes from the baking sheet and place them into an airtight container or freezer-safe bag and store them in the freezer for up to 6 weeks. To bake frozen twice-baked potatoes, place the frozen potatoes on a baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 60 minutes, or until warmed through and cheese is melted.
Nutrition
Calories: 256kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 262mg | Potassium: 852mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 294IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 140mg | Iron: 2mg
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About Kristen Chidsey
Hi, I am Kristen, creator of A Mind "Full" Mom. I believe that making a wholesome family meal does not need to be hard or expensive! I love nothing more than to share with you delicious solutions for your hungry family.
Reader Interactions
Comments
Sha
This twice-baked potatoes recipe is so easy and satisfying! It turned out packed with flavors and incredibly delicious!Reply
Jane R
I've made these twice in the past few weeks and they came out perfectly both times. So easy to make and a great way to mix things up!Reply
Kristen Chidsey
Love hearing you are enjoying so much! Thanks for sharing.
Reply
Kim
These were DELICIOUS! I hadn't made twice baked potatoes in a long time and this recipe inspired me! So good!Reply
Amy Anderson
We loved these twice baked potatoes!! Mind blown about preparing the “baked potatoes” in the instant pot. Thank you for such great recipes with good for you ingredients 🙂Reply
Samantha
Baked potatoes are always good, but wow...these were OVER THE TOP. And I love your smart tip for starting the potatoes in the Instant Pot!Reply
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe.
Reply
Nellie Tracy
I love a good recipe for twice baked potatoes! Delicious!Reply
Kristen Chidsey
Yay!! So glad this recipe hot the spot.
Reply
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