I thought I loved loaded baked potatoes until I tried Twice Baked Potatoes. Two words…Next Level! Who knew a deconstructed loaded baked potato, mixed perfectly with all your favorite toppings, then restuffed into crispy potato skins, would taste so good? Yes, it’s an extra step, but it’s sooo worth it! Beth and I made these twice baked potatoes three times, and each time we debated on who would get to take the leftovers home. Listen, I’m just saying if you’ve ever been hesitant on whether the extra step to make “twice” baked potatoes was worth it…trust us, it’s worth it!!
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“This was my first time making twice baked potatoes and they turned out great! I don’t cook very often but this recipe was easy to follow, and as a bonus, there weren’t many dishes to clean.”
mark
Easy Recipe for Twice Baked Potatoes
Unlike regular baked potatoes, twice baked potatoes are indeed baked twice in the oven. They’re first baked whole until the insides are fluffy and tender. The creamy potato flesh is then scooped out and mixed with all your favorite mix-ins like butter, sour cream, bacon, and cheese. (But hey, no pressure. Feel free to use whatever toppings you have on hand. You can also switch things up and use one of the combinations listed in our traditional baked potatoes blog post!)
Now the fun part, the hollowed potato skins are restuffed with the perfectly combined potato mixture and baked a second time in the oven. Picture a loaded baked potato, except each bite has the perfect amount of toppings. It’s actually genius and I’m kinda upset that I wasn’t making these years ago!
Twice Baked Potatoes
Servings 8Ingredients
- 4 russet potatoes (½ lb. each, $3.00*)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.22)
- 4 oz bacon ($1.81)
- 4 Tbsp butter ($0.40)
- ½ cup sour cream ($0.62)
- ¼ cup milk ($0.04)
- ½ tsp salt (+ a pinch to season the potato skins, $0.05)
- ¼ tsp black pepper (freshly cracked, $0.02)
- 3 green onions (sliced, $0.30)
- 1¼ cup cheddar cheese (shredded and divided, $1.49)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Wash and dry the potatoes well, then use a fork to prick each potato several times.
- Place the potatoes on a parchment lined baking sheet. Drizzle the olive oil over the potatoes, then use your hands or a silicone brush to brush the oil over each potato until it is fully coated. Season the potatoes with a pinch of salt.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 50-60 minutes, or until the potatoes can be pierced easily with a fork. Total baking time will depend on the size of your potatoes.
- While the potatoes are baking, cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until brown and crispy. Remove the cooked bacon from the skillet and allow it to drain on a paper-towel lined plate. Once cool enough to handle, rough chop the bacon into smaller pieces.
- Once the potatoes are done baking, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool slightly. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice them in half lengthwise. Carefully scoop out the potato flesh, leaving a thin rim of potato (about ¼ inch rim) around the edges to help the skin hold its shape.
- Place the scooped out potato flesh in a large bowl and add the butter, sour cream, milk, salt, and pepper. Use a potato masher or hand mixer to blend the potatoes until light and fluffy.
- Add the chopped bacon, half of the sliced green onions, and 1/2 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese to the mashed potatoes, then fold to combine.
- Fill the potato skins with about 1/3 cup of the potato mixture, then sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese over the top of each potato.
- Bake the potatoes in the oven a second time, just until heated through and the cheddar cheese is melted on top, about 20 minutes. Top with the remaining green onions and enjoy!
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Equipment
- Enamelware Sheet Pan
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Twice Baked Potatoes Step-by-Step Photos
Prep the potatoes: Preheat your oven to 400°F. Then, wash and dry 4 russet potatoes well and use a fork to prick each potato several times. This allows steam to escape while baking.
Bake the potatoes: Place the cleaned potatoes on a parchment-lined baking sheet and drizzle 1 Tbsp of olive oil over the potatoes. Use your hands or a silicone brush to brush the oil over each potato until it is fully coated (my secret for super crispy potato skins!).
Season the potatoes with a pinch of salt and bake in the preheated oven for 50-60 minutes, or until you can easily pierce the potatoes with a fork. Please note that the total baking time will depend on the size of your potatoes.
Cook the bacon: While the potatoes are baking, add 4 oz. of bacon to a skillet over medium heat and cook until brown and crispy. Remove the cooked bacon from the skillet and let it drain on a paper-towel-lined plate to remove excess grease. Once cool enough to handle, rough chop the bacon into smaller pieces.
Scoop the potatoes: When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice them in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to carefully scoop out the potato flesh, leaving a thin rim of potato (about ¼ inch rim) around the edges to help the skin hold its shape. Be extra careful when scooping the potato flesh so you don’t break through the skin, but make sure to scoop out enough of the flesh to combine with the rest of the ingredients.
Make the filling: Place the scooped-out potato flesh in a large bowl and add 4 Tbsp butter, ½ cup sour cream, ¼ cup milk, ½ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp cracked black pepper. Use a potato masher or hand mixer to blend the potatoes until light and fluffy.
Add the chopped bacon, ½ cup of shredded cheddar cheese, and half of the sliced green onions to the mashed potatoes, then fold to combine.
Fill the potatoes: Stuff the potato skins with about 1/3 cup of the potato mixture, then sprinkle the remaining 3/4 cup of cheddar cheese over the top of each potato.
Bake: Place the stuffed potatoes in your preheated oven just until heated through and the cheddar cheese is melted on top, about 20 minutes.
Top with the remaining green onions, then get ready to enjoy some of the best twice baked potatoes you’ve ever tasted! ;)
Recipe Tips & Suggestions!
- You can play around with the fillings and use what you’ve got! Swap the bacon for leftover shredded chicken, stir in some wilted spinach for extra veg, or add a little buffalo sauce for some spice. It’s a great way to use up bits and pieces from the fridge and make it your own.
- Want to meal prep this recipe? Bake the potatoes, make the filling, and stuff the skins up to 24 hours in advance. Just store them in the fridge in an airtight container, then bake them when you’re ready to eat. Just keep in mind they might take a few minutes longer to heat through, as they’ll be cold. I’d let them sit out at room temperature while the oven reheats to take the chill off.
Storage & Reheating
You can easily store twice baked potatoes in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. They reheat well in the microwave, but if you have some extra time, you can certainly reheat them in a preheated 350°F oven until warmed through.
To freeze twice baked potatoes, just wrap them tightly in plastic, then place them in an airtight freezer container, and they can keep for about 3 months. Reheat in the microwave (defrost function first), or let thaw in the refrigerator overnight before heating.
Can these be frozen??
Definitely! I would freeze individually in foil and then pop in a freezer bag and you can grab them as needed! Your best bet would be to let them thaw in the fridge overnight and then pop in the microwave or bake for 15ish minutes.
Thank you
These were the best! Just so so good. We ate so many of them. I used Hormel bacon pieces nc it’s what i had and for half the potatoes i topped with a carolina reaper cheese for the spicy lovers. Thank you for this awesome recipe.
So dang good. Blew me away
Loves these twice-baked potatoes. I do not mash my potatoes, I leave them nice and lumpy. This comes closer to eating a baked potato, but the butter, cheese, bacon, chives and crema (I always have crema on hand), salt & pepper are distributed evenly throughout the potato. This is delicious. When I have a leftover potato, I will use it the next morning, roughly chopped and added to a breakfast burrito.
Simple delicious recipe. Thanks!
This recipe was super easy to make and way better than buying them frozen!
looking for vegetables that are cooked together.
I plan on making these for my family for Christmas Eve. I plan on making these ahead of time. Do you recommend making them and freezing or can I make them the day before and pop them in the oven the day of?
I think you’d be better off making the day before and refrigerating! Just keep in mind they’ll be cold so they may take a smidge longer to cook. :)
My name is Kim from Erie Pa. And this Thanksgiving I’m making Twice Baked Potatoes. Just took them out of oven to cool before I mashed them and add all those wonderful ingredients. Thank you Thank you. God Bless and Happy Holidays
Well I dove in.
Just about to find out how it turned out.
Doing the second bake now
If I make the recipe the day ahead, how long should I bake them the next day? Any idea?
15-20 minutes should do it!
I always reflect on this recipe when making twice baked potatoes! Absolutely delicious!
This was my first time making twice baked potatoes and they turned out great! I’m don’t cook very often but this recipe was easy to follow, and as a bonus, there weren’t many dishes to clean.
Such a great way to jazz up the common potato.
I like to double the amount of potatoes and have leftovers the next day I take a flour tortilla and put the heated potato in it put a bit of taco sauce on it wrap it up and enjoy….