Twice Baked Potatoes are cheesy, creamy, and make a perfect side dish to any main course. Made with sour cream, butter, and cheese and stuffed into a crispy potato skin, this recipe for Twice Baked Potatoes is sure to impress!
Stuffed Baked Potatoes are the perfect side dish for serving with Chicken Marsala, a Ribeye Steak, or New York Strip Roast.
What is a Twice-Baked Potato?
A twice-baked potato is a potato that has been baked twice, just as the name implies.
After baking potatoes until tender, the inside of the potato is scooped out and mixed with butter, sour cream, and cheese and then stuffed back into the baked potato and baked again until the filling is warm, golden and the cheese is melted and gooey.
From the creamy, cheesy filling to the salty exterior of the potato skin, Twice Baked Potatoes make a show-stopping side dish, yet are incredibly easy to make.
Notes on Ingredients
- Potatoes: Medium to large russet potatoes are the best option when it comes to making twice-baked potatoes.
- Salt: Potatoes need a lot of salt to bring out the flavor of the potato. Kosher salt is best to use for this recipe, as kosher salt enhances the flavor of foods instead of making them just taste salty.
- Cheese: I prefer using sharp cheddar for these twice-baked Potatoes, however, you can use whatever cheese you like.
- Sour Cream: Sour cream adds tangy and creaminess to the potatoes, it really is a key to making the best filling for stuffed potatoes. Feel free to use plain nonfat Greek yogurt in place of sour cream to achieve the same results with less fat and calories.
How To Make Twice Baked Potatoes
- Scrub and dry russet potatoes and pierce each potato several times with a fork. This will keep the potatoes from exploding or splitting in the oven when baked.
- Place each potato on a sheet of aluminum foil, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt. Roll the potato to coat the skin with oil and salt. Wrap each potato in the foil and then place the potatoes onto a baking sheet.
- Bake the potatoes until fork-tender.
- Once potatoes have been baked, allow them to cool for 5-10 minutes until still warm, but easier to handle, and then slice in half.
- Using a spoon, melon baller, or cookie scoop, scoop out the flesh of the potato, leaving about ¼ to ½- inch border around potato skins.
- Place the flesh of the potato in a bowl and mash well with a fork. I do NOT recommend using a handheld mixer to mix the potato filling, as this will cause your potatoes to get gummy and not taste as delicious.
- Add in warm butter, milk, and salt and mix well to incorporate. It is important to use warm milk and butter so that the potato filling does not seize up.
- Gently fold in the sour cream and shredded cheese.
- Generously fill the stuffing into 4 of the potato skins and top with additional cheddar cheese if desired.
- Return the stuffed potatoes back to the oven and bake until cheese is melted and filling is warmed through.
Make-Ahead Directions
These double-baked potatoes are great to make in advance and refrigerate or freeze until ready to enjoy.
To make in advance, prepare the stuffed potatoes up to baking for a second time. Allow potatoes to cool completely. Place the prepared Twice Baked Potatoes into an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days before baking a second time. When ready to bake, remove the potatoes from the refrigerator while the oven is preheating to 375 degrees F. Bake for 30 minutes, or until warmed through and cheese is melted.
If preparing more than 3 days before intending to enjoy, it is best to freeze the stuffed potatoes. Prepare the stuffed potatoes up to baking for a second time and all them to cool completely. Place the stuffed potatoes on a baking sheet and freeze until solid, about one hour. Remove potatoes from the baking sheet and place them into an airtight container or freezer-safe bag. Place potatoes in the freezer for up to 3 months. To bake frozen twice-baked potatoes, place frozen potatoes on a baking sheet. Bake twice-baked potatoes at 375 degrees for 60 minutes, or until warmed through and cheese is melted.
Speed It Up
Instead of par-baking russet potatoes, you can speed up this recipe for double-baked potatoes by starting with Instant Pot Baked Potatoes. After pressure cooking the potatoes, cut the potatoes in half, remove the flesh of the potatoes, mix with cream and butter as directed, and then restuff the potato skins. Bake as the recipe directs.
Recipe FAQs
No. I myself prefer the results of baking potatoes wrapped in foil, as they get don't get as dried out and there is less clean-up. However, you can simply place the potatoes on a baking sheet and brush each potato with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, and bake as directed.
Store any leftover twice-baked potatoes in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Reheat in a 350 degree F oven for 20-30 minutes, or until warmed through.
Absolutely! Add up to 4 slices of precooked bacon that has been diced up into bite size pieces into the potato mixture before restuffing the potatoes.
I like to stuff the potatoes so that they are heaping full, therefore I only use half of the potato skins, for a total of 4 generous servings. If you would like to JUST stuff your potatoes, you will need to fill all 8 potato skins and have 8 smaller servings.
Brush them with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and bake alongside the stuffed potatoes for a delicious crispy potato skin.
Yes! Use your favorite unsweetened, unflavored non-dairy milk, non-dairy plain yogurt, and vegan butter.
More Potato Side Dishes
- Cheesy Ham and Scalloped Potatoes
- 30 Minute Baked Potato Soup
- Easy Baked Oven Fries
- Instant Pot Baked Potatoes
- Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
If you enjoyed this recipe for twice-baked potatoes, I would love for you to leave a comment and review below.
Twice Baked Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 large russet potatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt divided
- ½ cup milk
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup shredded cheese divided
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder optional
- ½ teaspoon onion powder optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Scrub the potatoes well, dray, and pierce each potato several times with a fork.
- Place the each potato on a sheet of aluminum foil. Drizzle each potato with olive oil and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt. Roll the potatoes to coat the skin with the salt and oil and then wrap in the foil. Place the wrapped potatoes onto a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees F, until potatoes are fork-tender for 40-45 minutes.
- Once potatoes have been baked, allow them to cool for 5-10 minutes. Slice the potatoes in half and then using a spoon, melon baller, or cookie scoop, scoop out the flesh of the potato into a large mixing bowl, leaving behind a ¼ to ½-inch border around the potato skins.
- Place the butter and milk into a heat-safe container and microwave in 30-second intervals until the butter is melted and the milk is luke-warm.
- Mash the potato flesh well with a fork. Add in the warm butter, milk, and salt into the potatoes and mix well to incorporate. Stir in sour cream and ¼ cup of the shredded cheese into potato filling.
- Place half the potato skins onto a baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. Generously fill the stuffing into the potato skins and top with the remaining cheddar cheese.
- Return the potatoes back to the oven and bake for 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and filling is warmed through. Serve immediately.
Amy Anderson
We loved these twice baked potatoes!! Mind blown about preparing the “baked potatoes” in the instant pot. Thank you for such great recipes with good for you ingredients 🙂
Samantha
Baked potatoes are always good, but wow...these were OVER THE TOP. And I love your smart tip for starting the potatoes in the Instant Pot!
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe.
Nellie Tracy
I love a good recipe for twice baked potatoes! Delicious!
Kristen Chidsey
Yay!! So glad this recipe hot the spot.