When it comes to comfort food, Twice Baked Potatoes are the real deal – they’re like a warm, cheesy hug for your taste buds. Picture this: crispy potato skins filled with a seriously velvety, flavor-packed inside. This creamy, cheesy masterpiece will have you coming back for seconds every time!
Easy Twice Baked Potatoes
Have you ever made twice baked potatoes? These were my favorite restaurant side dish, and I was excited to find out how easy it was to make this potato recipe at home.
Double-baked potatoes are the perfect combination of baked potatoes and creamy mashed potatoes. After its first trip through the oven, you scoop out the potato flesh and mash the insides with all your favorite loaded baked potato toppings.
With a sprinkle of even more cheese, these puppies are back in the oven for one more turn. Once the cheese gets all melted and bubbly, your twice baked potatoes are ready to serve.
These cheesy potatoes are hearty and will almost stick to your ribs. They’ll be great with a steak, chicken dinner, or even on your Thanksgiving table for those who want to try something other than the mashed version. I like Twice Baked Potatoes enough that I could probably eat two halves as a complete meal all on its own!
A Comfort Dish Well Worth the Time
So, a word of warning: these potatoes take some TIME! They’re super easy to make but require about 90 minutes of prepping and cooking time.
Thankfully, most of that time is entirely hands-off. You can pop the potatoes in the oven and do other things while baking. HOORAY!
Then it’s a simple matter of cutting them open like a mad scientist, scooping out the insides, and mashing the potato with all the other good stuff. Easy peasy!
It’s just that “easy peasy” doesn’t always mean “fast,” so I wanted to warn you so you can plan accordingly. 😉
Ingredients for this Twice Baked Potato Recipe
Gather together the following ingredients for this perfect side dish:
- 4 Russet potatoes
- 8 tablespoons salted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, divided
- ½ cup chive and onion cream cheese
- ½ cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 pieces of bacon, cooked and chopped
- 2 green onions, chopped
How to Make Easy Twice Baked Potatoes
This recipe makes eight potato halves, enough to serve up to 8 people as a side dish if you use large potatoes.
Prepare: First, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Wash the potatoes and dry them with paper towels. Prick each potato generously with a fork so steam can escape while they bake.
First Bake: Place whole potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until they are fork tender. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees, then remove the potatoes from the oven and cool slightly.
Potato Filling: Place the softened cubes of butter, ½ cup of cheese, cream cheese, yogurt, Old Bay seasoning, pepper, and bacon pieces in a large bowl.
Hold each potato with an oven mitt (since it will still be hot!) and use a sharp knife to slice it in half lengthwise. I prefer a serrated knife for this step.
Use a spoon to scoop out the flesh from each of the potato halves and add it to the filling bowl. Leave a bit of potato inside the skins for support, and be sure not to tear any holes in the skin. Use a potato masher or hand mixer to combine the potato flesh with the other ingredients until well incorporated.
Second Bake: Place the eight potato shells back on the baking sheet. Use a spoon or large piping bag to fill the potatoes, dividing the potato filling evenly between all the potato skins. Place potatoes back in the oven for 10 minutes or until heated through.
Remove them from the oven and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake potatoes for an additional 5 minutes, then top with green onions and serve!
What to serve with Twice Baked Potatoes
Serve your baked potatoes as a side dish with Roasted Pork, Herb Roasted Turkey, Marinated Chicken Breasts, or your favorite steak. They pair well on a plate with a light garden salad and a basket of Texas Roadhouse Rolls for a full-on feast.
How do I make Twice Baked Potatoes ahead of time?
If you’re short on time the day of dinner, try this make-ahead method.
Make the twice-baked potatoes according to my recipe, but stop before baking them the second time. So, you’ll bake and stuff, but not bake again.
Cool the stuffed potatoes completely before wrapping them individually in tin foil. If you’re going to bake the potatoes in their frozen state before thawing, wrap each one in plastic wrap and then in foil.
They can be frozen for up to 3 months. Store the foil-wrapped potatoes in a freezer bag or storage container. Remember to put a date on it and label it.
To bake the frozen potatoes, preheat the oven to 425°F, remove the foil and plastic wrap from the desired number of potatoes, and place them into a baking dish. Cover with tin foil and bake for 35 – 45 minutes. If desired, sprinkle with additional cheese and bake for an additional 15-20 more minutes or until potatoes are hot.
If you want to bake thawed potatoes, know they will cook more quickly than frozen ones. Thaw the amount you plan on serving in the fridge the night before you intend to serve them. Unwrap from the plastic wrap and tin foil and place into a baking dish. Preheat oven to 425°F, and sprinkle tops with additional cheese. Bake for 15-25 minutes until hot and cheese melts.
How to Store Leftover Baked Potatoes
Store these cheesy potatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can also wrap each one individually in foil, then reheat as desired.
More Delicious Potato Recipes
With so many ways to have potatoes, here are a few that’ll do the trick…
Looking for even more ideas for fantastic side dishes?
Butternut Spinach Multi-Grain Medley is a gorgeous and tasty side dish for any occasion but is especially wonderful for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes bring just the right amount of sweet maple flavor to your meal.
Tropical Quinoa Salad is ideal for a summer dinner party!
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Twice Baked Potatoes
Twice Baked Potatoes are pure comfort food, they’re like a warm, cheesy hug for taste buds. These crispy potato skins filled with a creamy, cheese flavor-packed are a tasty side dish for all proteins.
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Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
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Wash and dry the potatoes.
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Prick each potato generously all over with a fork. We don’t want those puppies exploding in the oven. They need to breathe – it’s hot in there!
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Place on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a fork is easily inserted into them.
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Reduce heat to 350 degrees F. and remove sheet from oven and allow to cool slightly.
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In a large bowl, place the pieces of butter, 1/2 cup of the cheese, cream cheese, yogurt, Old Bay seasoning, pepper and bacon.
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Using a serrated knife and holding the potato with an oven mitt (as it may still be a…HOT potato!), Slice the potato in half lengthwise.
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With a spoon, scoop out each half of the potato into the mixing bowl, leaving just enough on the inside to support the skin and being careful to not make holes.
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Place the 8 halves onto the baking sheet.
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With a potato masher (or you can use a mixer), mix all the ingredients together until they’re well incorporated.
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Evenly divide the mixture between the 8 potato halves.
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Place into the 350 degree F. oven to bake for 10 minutes or until heated through.
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Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
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Garnish with green onions.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 300kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 50mg | Sodium: 326mg | Potassium: 507mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 556IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 112mg | Iron: 1mg
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This post was originally published on September 9, 2015. It has been updated with pictures and in format on April 8, 2024.
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