Potato skins are one of my favorite appetizers, and if they’re on the menu, I’m ordering them.
This easy recipe bakes potatoes until crispy with a little garlic butter, cheese, and, of course, bacon bits!
This is my favorite version because it skips the deep fryer but you’d never know it.
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These Are The Best Potato Skins Because…
- They’re perfectly crispy without deep frying—you can use the oven or an air fryer.
- Adding a little butter, garlic powder, and salt adds extra flavor.
- They reheat well, and the inside flesh can be used for potato soup or mashed potatoes.
For extra deliciousness, serve them with horseradish sauce for dipping!
Ingredients for Potato Skins
This potato skins recipe is a game day favorite and can be prepared up to 3 days ahead of time.
- Potatoes: Use Russet potatoes or baking potatoes as they hold up well in the oven and become nice and crispy. Sweet potato skins are also a great option.
- Cheese: I use for cheddar cheese in this recipe, but try any cheese blend. Pre-shredded cheese works well in this recipe.
- Bacon: Bacon adds a delicious smoky salty flavor. Use real bacon or bacon bits.
- Onion: Sprinkle with green onions before serving.
How to Make Potato Skins
- Bake potatoes in the oven or air fryer and cool.
- Spoon out the flesh of the potato, leaving a shell.
- Brush the skins with butter and bake in the oven (recipe below).
- Fill each potato with cheese and crumbled bacon and bake until bubbly.
Top with green onion and serve with sour cream or ranch dressing for dipping.
Our Fave Toppings
Cheddar cheese, bacon bits, sour cream, green onions or chives, jalapenos, or cilantro would taste great!
Add some ground beef with taco seasoning. Or add some pulled pork or even sloppy joe filling.
Tips for Great Potato Skins
- Scoop out the potato flesh while the potatoes are still warm.
- Leave a ¼-inch of potato shell, if it’s too thin, they will break or tear.
- If you have it, use bacon grease instead of butter for extra flavor.
- Try other variations to use up leftovers. Turn these into loaded potato skins or try leftover chili, pulled pork, or broccoli cheddar.
How to Prepare Ahead
- Freeze the empty potato skins on a baking sheet. Once frozen, stack them in a freezer bag. They’ll keep for several months in the freezer.
- Bake these easy potato skins as directed right from frozen; no need to thaw them first!
Did your family love these Crispy Oven Baked Potato Skins? Leave a comment and a rating below.
Ingredients
- 6 small baking potatoes
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon seasoned salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 slices bacon cooked and crumbled, or 3 tablespoons bacon bits
- 2 tablespoons sliced green onions or chives
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- sour cream for serving
Instructions
To Bake Potatoes
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Scrub the potatoes and poke each potato with a fork 5-6 times. Place them directly on the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until tender when poked with a fork.
- Remove from the oven and let cool until the potatoes are easy to handle.
To Prepare Potato Skins
- Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise. Using a small spoon, scoop out the flesh leaving a ¼-inch thick shell.
- In a small bowl, combine melted butter, parsley, seasoned salt, and garlic powder. Brush the inside and outside of the potatoes with the butter mixture.
- Place potatoes cut side down in a baking dish or 9×13 inch pan. Bake for 15 minutes.
- Flip potatoes over and bake for an additional 5 minutes or until slightly browned and crisp.
- Fill each potato with cheese and bacon. Return to the oven for an additional 5-7 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Remove from the oven, top with green onion and serve with sour cream.
Notes
- Preheat the air fryer to 400°F.
- Bake the scrubbed and poked potatoes for 35-40 minutes or until tender. Scoop out the flesh as per the recipe above.
- Place the potato skins, brushed with butter mixture, cut side down in the air fryer basket. Air fry for 7-9 minutes or until crisp, flipping halfway.
- Sprinkle cheese and bacon bits over the potato skins. Return to the air fryer and cook for an additional 2 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Appetizer, Party Food, Snack
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
thank you for this great receipt I will be making this tonight for my family God bless
I made these last night for dinner. I used the Epicure Steamer to prebake the potatoes and then cool them. I followed the rest of the instructions. My hubby loved them! He told me they were the consistency of a restaurant but tasted better. I love the fact I know what is in the potatoes.
Thank you for this recipe!
brill
I haven’t cooked the recipe but it looks good and doable. Boia de restaurant here serves potato skins w burrata and caviar, great combination
These are the best. I always double or triple the recipe when I have guests over. I wouldn’t change a thing.
They weren’t that great .
Make sure you use
Really potato’s that are not thick.
They were more like boats than skins. I would probably cut the skins off on each side
Instead of scooping.
This is what potato skins are. They aren’t just the skins.
excellent
Made these for our Super Bowl party and they were delicious! Will definitely be making these again.
These turned out much too dry for me. I think it would only need 5 minutes max in the oven after being hollowed out.
Hi Austin, make sure you brush them with the butter mixture and bake cut side down to begin to help prevent them from drying out. If your potatoes are on the smaller side you can also reduce the cooking time to help! I hope you enjoyed them.
I just made these for dinner tonight. I saved the bacon grease and used it to brush the top edges and the whole outside of the scooped potato half for additional flavor. I made 1 full pack of bacon (12oz.) and decided as I was crumbling it that it probably wasn’t going to be enough, so I mixed in a small package of real bacon bits I had in the freezer. They were a definite hit and I’ll be making them again.
Love love love this recipe!! Turned out perfectly!!
So glad I found this recipe. It is wonderful. Love Love Love the idea of making the potatoes ahead of time and freezing the shells, this makes them easier to have more often.
I’m getting ready to freeze 5lbs of these for a future party. Do I freeze them after they are scooped out or after they are scooped out and baked again? Thanks
I freeze them after they are scooped out before baking again.
Scoop the potatoes out then freeze.
Good recipe, but mine were overdone. Next time I’ll skip the 5 min extra time on the shells. Tasty and easy!
Glad you enjoyed it, Barbara!
Holly,
If I am freezing some for later, should I butter, season and crisp
In the oven before freezing? Or, save that step until I’m ready to bake them next week?
Thank you!
Hi Beth, I freeze them without baking first but if you’re going to add all of the toppings, you can make the recipe up to step 4 and then cool the skins. Once cooled, fill them with your toppings and freeze. They will need an extra 5 minutes or so.
Needed something to bring to a tailgate party, no one had brought potato skins before. They were a hit I was asked to bring them again!
I haven’t made the recipe yet, just saving it. But what do you do with the potato you scoop out? Any recipe suggestions there?
The potato you scoop out can be used for mashed potatoes, mashed potato cakes, or even Shepherd’s Pie!
These are amazing!! Far better than any I’ve ever had at a restaurant! Recipe is easy to follow and I did not make any changes. It’s phenomenal as is!! The skins come out perfectly crispy! I used 5 potatoes and had zero leftovers. I had leftover butter mixture and added that to the flesh and ate that while the skins were baking Many thanks, this is a keeper for sure!!!
Thank you Holly for this. Years ago I tried baked potato skins and loved them. I haven’t had them since but when I saw your easy peasy recipe I just had to try. They turned out great and were a hit at my home. I’m planning on trying some of your other delicious looking recipes very soon. Again, thanks.
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe Rick!
amzing