Twice baked potatoes are the perfect combination of crispy skins, creamy centers, and cheesy goodness. The yummiest way to level up baked potatoes, they’re make-ahead friendly and always the first side to go.
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights
- Flavor: These potatoes are rich and buttery with a creamy, fluffy center, smoky bites of bacon, savory garlic, and plenty of sharp cheddar.
- Technique: For a quick shortcut, spoon the filling into a zip-top bag, snip off the corner, and pipe it into the potato shells for an easy, mess-free filling.
- Serving Suggestions: I love serving these with steak, ham, or BBQ chicken, and they’re perfect for lunch with a fresh salad.
The Best Potatoes and Easy Swaps
- Potatoes: Russets or baking potatoes are best since their sturdy skins and starchy flesh make the filling extra fluffy.
- Dairy: Use full-fat sour cream and butter for the creamiest filling. Add just enough milk to make the mixture smooth. Sour cream can be replaced with yogurt.
- Bacon: Bacon adds a salty, smoky flavor to twice-baked potatoes. You can also use real bacon bits or diced ham.
- Cheese: I love sharp cheddar since it has lots of flavor. Freshly shredded cheese melts more smoothly.
How to Make Twice Baked Potatoes
- Cook potatoes (full recipe below).
- Cut each potato in half lengthwise and scoop out the insides.
- Mash potatoes with the remaining ingredients.
- Fill the potato skins. Bake.
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions
- Storage: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Reheat: Oven or air fryer at 350°F until hot, about 15–20 minutes.
- Prep Ahead: Twice-baked potatoes can be prepared up to 48 hours ahead of time. If they’re cold from the fridge, add 5–7 minutes to the baking time.
- How to Freeze: Prepare the potatoes as directed and place the filled potatoes on a baking sheet. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag or an airtight container.
- To Bake From Frozen: Place the frozen potatoes on a baking sheet and bake uncovered at 350°F for 35–40 minutes or until heated through.
Cozy Comfort Sides
Did you enjoy this Twice Baked Potatoes Recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 small russet potatoes or baking potatoes
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup salted butter
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper or to taste
- ½ cup warm milk or buttermilk, if needed
- 6 slices bacon cooked and crumbled, or 3 tablespoons bacon bits, additional for serving (optional)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives or green onions, additional for serving
- 1 ½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Scrub the skin of the potatoes and poke them all over with a fork. Bake the potatoes in the oven for 50-60 minutes or until tender. Allow them to cool until they're cool enough to handle.
- Slice each potato in half lengthwise. Scoop out the potato flesh leaving a ⅛-inch shell.
- In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, sour cream, butter, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mash with a potato masher (or hand mixer) until smooth, adding warm milk as needed, to create a creamy fluffy texture. You may not need any or all of the milk.
- Fold in bacon, chives, and ¾ cup cheddar cheese.
- Spoon the potato mixture into each skin and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.
Notes
- Potatoes can also be baked in the air fryer or microwave.
- Mash the potatoes while warm for the best consistency. Sour cream and butter may add just enough moisture; check the potatoes before adding extra liquid.
- Be sure to leave at least ⅛ to ¼-inch shell, so the skins don’t break or crack.
- Option: bake one extra potato in case one of the skins breaks. The shells can be filled more if you have extra filling.
- To make filling easy, place the prepared filling in a freezer bag and snip off the corner. Squeeze it into the shells.
- Storage: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Prep Ahead: Twice-baked potatoes can be prepared up to 48 hours before baking. If the potatoes are cold, add 5-7 minutes to the baking time.
- How to Freeze: Prepare the potatoes as directed and freeze them on a baking sheet. Once frozen, transfer the potatoes to a freezer bag or airtight container.
- To Bake From Frozen: Place the frozen potatoes on a baking sheet and bake uncovered at 350°F for 35-40 minutes or until hot.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 222 | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 214mg | Potassium: 412mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 325IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 133mg | Iron: 0.9mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Side Dish
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Could I put these together the night before, refrigerate then pop in oven the next day?
Sure, that sounds like a great idea, Karen.
Omg this recipe is so amazing, so flavorful!! I had leftovers so I ate them the next morning and I think it was even better the next day.❤️
Yum! This will be my first time making these for me and my son. Hope we like this Thank you for this recipe
You’re welcome Kiya! Enjoy the potatoes!
Everyone complimented these. I think they all took seconds!!
Best twice baked potatoes I’ve ever made…great recipe…thank you!!!
You are welcome Helene!!
Punctuation and or CAP’s matter . I read this as Bake or Microwave FOR ONE HOUR. Yep for the first and BIG nope for the second – cheers!
Bake for one hour OR microwave until soft. Enjoy the potatoes!
Another awesome 5-star recipe! Immense thanks to the chef not only for the recipe but for the make-ahead tips. This was a big hit at my house tonight – so big, in fact, that it was requested for tomorrow night, too! And…I just might do it lol.
Well that is quite a complement Lucy! So happy to hear it was such a hit!
I made these last Feb. as part of our Valentine’s Dinner. My husband now requests them once a week. They really are that yummy.
Why not explain how to cook them in the microwave?
Wash the potato and poke with a fork to allow steam to escape. Cook on high 5 minutes. Flip potato and cook 5 minutes more. If cooking more than one potato time will need to be increased. Larger potatoes may need more time. Microwaves can vary so be sure to check your potatoes. Enjoy!
Delicious anytime
These had great flavor. Yum
Absolutely delicious! I made a few substitutions based on what I had on hand. I used heavy whipping cream instead of milk (and added a little more than the recipe called for as the potatoes seemed too dry). I used plain Greek yogurt instead of the sour cream. I used the green onion option, and also added a little dried parsley. I cooked the whole potatoes in the microwave to save time, and then cooked the filled potatoes in the oven to make sure the cheese got brown and toasty.
Thank you for sharing Maureen. So glad you love these potatoes as much as we do!
Super great recipe! If you live in the Midwest I highly suggest using top the tator instead of sour cream.
Should I melt the butter?
If the potatoes are warm and the butter is room temperature, it should be fine but you can certainly melt it if you’d prefer.
Made these tonight. So delicious!
So glad you loved them Candace!
Can I add cream cheese to my filling for twice baked potato recipe and will it be ok?
That sounds like a delicious idea Sandra. It should turn out fine, but let us know how it goes! :)
Wasn’t sure how to do this but I have a question. I worked with a teacher(now deceased) that made stuffed sweet potatoes but with breakfast sausage and cinnamon and ???. Not much into different things and it sounded horrible. Loom! One of THE BEST potatoes EVER! Do you have a recipe like this? She learned how to make it when she was young.
That sounds like a delicious recipe Rene! We don’t have anything that sounds similar but we will keep that in mind.
I found this recipe
I haven’t even tasted these yet, but they look awesome. Only problem is, I used different ingredients for my potatoes and my husband’s, and now I can’t tell which is which.
I didn’t have sour cream, so I made three potatoes instead of six. I used a bit more cheese and green onions and I think they turned out okay.
Hi just wanted to ask if this could be made into a twice bake potato casserole? My girlfriend made something like this but in a casserole form. What is your thoughts and suggestions?
Thank you,
Michele
Hi Michele! I do have a recipe for Loaded Twice Baked Potato casserole which is very similar! Hope that helps!
Thank you so much for the casserole recipe!!!