Twice Baked Potatoes
This creamy side dish is loaded with all the best ingredients like cheddar, bacon, and sour cream. It is a family favorite that can be customized and is the perfect side for any grilled or baked chicken, steaks, roasts, and more.
This easy Twice Baked Potato dish is packed with a fun, universally delicious flavor that can be customized with different variations and toppings, making it the perfect dish for everyone.
Ditch the boring, run of the mill baked potatoes, and take your potatoes up a notch with these tasty, crave worthy Twice Baked Potatoes. They are easy, and can be conveniently prepared ahead of time and stored in your fridge or freezer for a later date.
Twice baked potatoes are the perfect complimentary side to almost any dish. Serve with Instant Pot Meatloaf, Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Wings, 10 Garlic Clove Marinated Filet or any family favorite. A variety of options are endless with this fabulous side dish.
Ingredients Needed:
Potatoes are an excellent ingredient as they keep so well and for so long, which makes them perfect during uncertain times, or to have in your pantry/fridge as a staple for nights when you aren’t sure what to make. But a lot of these other ingredients are stuff you likely already have on hand too like butter, milk, salt and pepper. All the ingredients needed for this recipe compliment one another so well, and turn ordinary things into an extraordinary dish when combined.
Ingredients:
- Baking Potatoes
- Olive Oil
- Slice of Thick Cut Bacon
- Sour Cream or Greek Yogurt
- Milk
- Butter
- Salt
- Pepper
- Granulated Garlic
- Onion Powder
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- Green Onions
Grab these ingredients at your local grocery store and let’s get cooking!
How To Make Twice Baked Potatoes:
Twice Baked Potatoes is the perfect recipe for the novice chef. Why? Because these potatoes are super easy to make, yet so much more delicious and impressive than a boring baked potato.
How To Make Twice Baked Potatoes:
Prepare Potatoes:
You start with baked potatoes, but to get the most flavorful and best tasting twice baked potatoes, you have to prepare your potatoes.
- Rub potatoes with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Bake Potatoes:
Bake your potatoes for approximately one hour or so on a lined baking sheet in a preheated oven until fork tender. The trick is baking them until they are fork tender. So worry less about the time, and more about the end results. Bigger potatoes will take longer to cook, and smaller a shorter time. Baker potatoes tend to be larger.
Cook Bacon:
While potatoes are cooking, cook bacon in skillet or in lined baking sheet. Baking your bacon is also a great idea.
- To Bake: Place bacon on a lined cookie sheet with a rack, and bake at 400 degrees F. for 12-17 minutes until desired crispiness is achieved.
Crumble Cooked Bacon:
Depending on how you cooked your bacon, drain fat off bacon, crumble bacon, and set aside. You want it crispy, and chunked small enough to get
Cool and Halve Potatoes Lengthwise:
Once cooked, allow them to cool and then slice potatoes in half, lengthwise, scoop the flesh into a bowl, and save the skins. They will be little boats that hold the amazing-ness you are about to create!
Add Ingredients to Potatoes:
Now it is time to dress those babies up so you get that creamy, fluffy, flavorful center that makes twice baked potatoes so amazing. So let’s add sour cream, milk, butter, seasonings, 1/2 cup cheese, and 1/2 cup green onions to the scooped out potatoes, and mix. You want it to resemble mashed potatoes when you are done mixing it all together.
Spoon Potato Mixture into Skins and Bake:
Fill potato skins with mixture. Top each potato skin with remaining cheese, green onions, and bacon. Bake for 15 minutes or more.
Note: For more specific instructions, see recipe at the end.
Topping Ideas and Variations:
There are so many added touches you can incorporate into this dish.
Cheese
If you are obsessed with cheese and want to add some extra gooey goodness to the dish, then do so.
Or, if you want to replace cheddar cheese with another cheese of choice, don’t hesitate.
Protein
Love the idea of adding some protein like chicken or ground beef. Just make sure it is cooked through before adding it to your potato mixture.
More Veggies
Add a serving of veggies like broccoli to your potato.
Whatever Sounds Good to You
Corn, chives, pulled pork. The world is your oyster. These easy Twice Baked Potatoes won’t shun other ingredients. Other ingredients are definitely welcome.
Try some of these fun ideas
- Blue Cheese
- Cream Cheese
- Sharp Cheddar
- Bacon
- Ranch
- Salsa
- Parmesan
- Spinach
- Artichoke
- Broccoli
- Chicken
Some ingredients were just meant for each other. Like broccoli and cheddar cheese or cream cheese and chicken.
Just brace yourself because adding too much of anything will make your potatoes over flow and may change the consistency.
Tips for the Perfect Results:
Do you want to get that crispy lovely skin? That creamy cheesy center? And all the flavors you dream of when it comes to twice baked potatoes? Then consider the following tips:
- Don’t just use any potato. Not all potatoes were meant to do the same thing. Sorry potatoes for the harsh truth. So don’t just pick any potato. Use russet or baking potatoes to make Twice Baked Potatoes.
- Eliminate the after mess and use parchment paper. Place parchment paper on your baking sheet so you don’t have drippings and food afterwards stuck to your pan that you have to spend extra time cleaning off.
- Only let potatoes cool for about 10 minutes. Yes, you want them to be hot when you mix everything together, but you want to give potatoes time to cool so they are easy to work with. Just don’t let them become cold. If they get cold, steam them back up so that everything will mix well.
How To Prepare Ahead and Storage:
You can definitely prepare this dish ahead of time. You’re welcome.
Make Ahead, Refrigerate, and Bake.
Prepare as normal with the exception of not baking the potatoes twice and leaving off the cheese topping.
- Follow the recipe, but don’t put the potatoes in the oven for a second baking.
- Allow to cool, leave off the cheese topping, wrap potatoes in plastic wrap, and put
in the fridge.
- When ready to eat, add toppings, and cook potatoes for a second time in the oven,
as directed in the recipe.
Note: Potatoes can be made ahead of time and left in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
Make Ahead, Refrigerate and Microwave.
You can always complete all the recipe’s steps ahead of time. Then, store Twice Baked Potatoes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, and when ready to eat just reheat in the microwave until warmed through.
Prepare and Freeze.
Want to really get ahead of the game? Make Twice Baked Potatoes on a day that you have some free time or are just wanting to check something off the list and then freeze them for a later time.
Freezing Instructions:
- Follow baking steps as normal and then allow time for potatoes to cool.
- Freeze potatoes on a baking sheet.
- Once potatoes are frozen, transfer potatoes into a gallon sized freezer bag and store in the freezer for a later time.
- When ready to cook, allow time for them to defrost in the fridge for 24 hours.
- Bake as usual until warmed through.
Alternate Freezing Option:
Omit The Step Of Baking Twice Before Freezing.
You can either freeze Twice Baked Potatoes that have already been twice baked or you can follow the recipe, but omit the step of baking the potatoes for the second time and adding cheese.
Don’t Add Cheese Topping Before Freezing.
Only add the cheese topping if you are twice baking the potatoes before freezing. Otherwise reserve the cheese to top the potatoes when ready to bake for the second time.
Defrost, Add Cheese, Bake For Second Time.
When ready to bake you will defrost as usual, add the cheese and bake the potatoes for the second time, making them truly a twice baked potato, opposed to a third time baked potato.
Either method works great. Just choose the best method based on your personal preference.
Maybe you don’t want the redundancy of baking the potato twice, freezing it and then baking for a third time.
Or, maybe you are partial to that method because everything is already assembled just waiting to be reheated.
Either way works great!
Twice Baked For 2X The Deliciousness!
Looking for a side that really stands out? How about these creamy, easy Twice Baked Potatoes! Loaded with flavor and double the deliciousness, with these Twice Baked Potatoes you will get twice the amount of compliments.
Other Anything But Boring Potato Dishes To Try:
Twice Baked Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 large baking potatoes
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- 8 slices thick cut bacon
- 1 cup sour cream or greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon salt divided
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper divided
- ½ teaspoon granulated garlic
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese divided
- 8 green onions sliced, divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). And line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Rub the potatoes with the olive oil and season with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and a pinch of the pepper.
- Place the oiled and seasoned potatoes on the lined baking sheet and bake until fork-tender, about 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook your bacon by placing it in a large, deep skillet until evenly browned and crispy. Or place bacon in single strips on a foil lined baking sheet with an oven safe rack the same size as the sheet on top, and bake on the middle rack of an oven preheated to 400 degrees F. for 18-22 minutes.
- Drain fat off bacon, crumble and set aside.
- When potatoes are done cooking, allow them to cool for 10 minutes so they are easier to handle. Slice potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop the flesh into a large bowl; save skins.
- Add sour cream, milk, butter, granulated garlic, onion powder, remaining salt, pepper, 1/2 cup cheese and 1/2 the green onions to the scooped out potato. Mix with a hand mixer until well blended and creamy.
- Spoon the mixture into the potato skins to refill them, filling them slightly taller than the edges, evenly distributing all the filling between the skins. Top each with remaining cheese, green onions and bacon.
- Bake for another 15 minutes.
Nutrition
Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.
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Natalie says
Your pictures are making me hungry!! Twice baked potatoes are so good! Your recipe is cheesy, creamy, & delicious!
Krissy Allori says
I love twice baked potatoes. They are always so good and a big hit at any function.
Natasha says
It turned out so creamy and cheesy everyone at home cannot stop eating it! Loved the recipe it’s a thumbs up!
Melissa says
My family is always asking for these! I found your recipe and made it everyone was so happy! Thank you so much!
Bonnie Drake says
After about 50 years of making twice backed cheese potatoes, I would like to add the hint of beating the potatoes before adding the rest of the ingredients. They will be much smoother and creamier.
Rachael says
Thank you, excellent tip!