Twice Baked Potatoes are a favorite side dish and great to make ahead.
A baked potato shell is stuffed with creamy mashed potatoes, cheese, green onion, and bacon. Stir in your own favorite additions and bake until hot.
Stuffed potatoes are the perfect side dish, they freeze well, and they can even be baked from frozen.
Twice Delicious, Twice Baked Potatoes
While oven-roasted potatoes are a go-to for us, I can’t help but love these dreamy double-baked potatoes with crisp skins and a cheesy potato filling.
- Twice Baked Potatoes are as easy to make as they are yummy!
- These can be prepared days ahead of time.
- They can also be frozen and baked right from frozen.
- They’re an inexpensive way to feed a crowd, and you can add anything you’d like to the mix!
The Best Potatoes for Twice Baked
The best potatoes for twice-baked potatoes are russet potatoes or baking potatoes (the same potatoes we use for mashing). The thick skin holds up well to stuffing, and the potatoes are starchy and fluffy.
Of course, this recipe will work with almost any variety, but the texture might be slightly different.
How to Make Twice-Baked Potatoes
This twice-baked potato recipe is easy to make.
- Bake the potatoes: Use the oven, microwave, or air fryer to bake potatoes until tender.
- Cut each potato in half lengthwise and scoop out the insides with a spoon.
- Mash the potatoes and stir in the add-ins, spoon it back into the skins and sprinkle with cheese.
- Bake until heated through.
Make it a Meal: Change up the mashed potato filling with some optional additions or leftovers. Stir in some ground beef (or leftover taco meat), cooked chicken, steamed vegetables or broccoli.
Making Twice-Baked Potatoes Ahead of Time
Prepare as directed below until the skins are filled with the mashed potato mixture.
- Fridge: Place the prepared potatoes in an airtight container and refrigerate up to 2 days before baking. If cold from the fridge, potatoes may need an extra 5-7 minutes baking time.
- Freezer: Cool completely and freeze on a baking pan. Once frozen, the potatoes can be stored in a container or freezer bag.
- Bake From Frozen: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the potatoes on a baking sheet and bake for 35-40 minutes or until heated through.
Tips for Perfect Potatoes
- Use starchy potatoes like russet or baking potatoes are best in this recipe.
- Adding 1/4 cup spreadable cream cheese (any flavor, herb, and garlic is a favorite) is optional but delicious.
- Mash potatoes until smooth, if using a hand mixer, be sure not to overmix.
- Be sure to leave at least 1/8 to 1/4″ of a shell so the skins don’t break or crack.
- To make filling easy, place the prepared filling in a freezer bag and snip it off the corner. Squeeze it into the shells.
- Once your potato skins are stuffed, they can be frozen or refrigerated. To bake frozen potatoes, add an extra 15-20 minutes to the baking time.
More Potato Recipes You’ll Love
Did your family love these Twice Baked Potatoes? Leave us a rating and a comment below!
Twice Baked Potatoes
Ingredients
- 6 small russet or baking potatoes
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ cup butter
- ½ cup milk (or buttermilk) if needed
- 1 tablespoon chives sliced (or green onions)
- 6 slices bacon cooked crisp and chopped or 3 tablespoons bacon bits
- 1 ½ cups cheddar cheese shredded, divided
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Scrub the skin of the potatoes and poke with a fork. Bake 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 ½ lengthwise. Scoop out the potato flesh leaving a ⅛" shell.
- Add the potatoes, sour cream, butter, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to a large bowl. Mash with a potato masher (or use an electric mixer) until smooth. Add milk as needed to create a creamy texture, you may not need any or all of the milk.
- Fold in chives, bacon, and ¾ cup cheddar cheese.
- Fill each skin with the mashed potato mixture and top with the remaining cheese.
- 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.
- A hand mixer can make fluffy whipped potatoes, but overmixing will can make them gummy, so mix just until fluffy.
- Be sure to leave at least 1/8 to 1/4″ of a shell, so the skins don’t break or crack.
- I often bake one extra potato in case one of the skins breaks. If you have extra potatoes, the shells can be stuffed with extra filling.
- To make filling easy, place the prepared filling in a freezer bag and snip off the corner. Squeeze it into the shells.
- Once your potato skins are stuffed, they can be frozen or refrigerated. To bake frozen potatoes, add an extra 15-20 minutes to the baking time.
Nutrition Information
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!!!