Loaded Potato Skins

by Sabrina Snyder

Published on

7 Comments

5 from 4 votes
16 servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
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Loaded Potato Skins made with cheddar cheese, bacon, and sour cream are the PERFECT crispy appetizer, ready in under 60 minutes!

Potatoes are the perfect appetizer to feed a hungry crowd. If you like Twice Baked Potatoes but want to make it easy for your guests to eat, you are going to love Loaded Potato Skins. Check out my Appetizer Recipes for more crowd pleasing favorites.

Potato Skins with Bacon and CheddarLOADED POTATO SKINS

Loaded Potato Skins are crispy and savory, baked and topped with cheddar, bacon, sour cream, and green onions. This is one of my all-time favorite restaurant appetizer recipes, and you’ll be surprised how EASY they are to make in your own home!

This recipe for Loaded Potato Skins has the traditional toppings of bacon, cheese, sour cream and chives, but they go really well with all kinds of toppings. Leftover Beef Chili gets a new life when you add it to potato skins and garnish with sour cream, cheddar cheese, and onions. This is a great appetizer to serve when you’re having a party, or just to add a little something extra to family dinner night.

MORE GAME DAY APPETIZERS

How to Make Loaded Potato Skins:

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  • Scrub russet potatoes well and poke with fork all over.
  • Microwave them at 50% power for 6 minutes, then turn.
  • Microwave at 50% power another 6 minutes.
  • Cut the potatoes in half and scoop out the insides leaving a half inch wall.
  • Place the potatoes on a baking sheet or in a 9×13 baking dish.
  • Brush them front and back with vegetable oil and season with salt and pepper.
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes.
  • Remove from the oven and top with cheddar cheese and chopped bacon.
  • Bake for an additional 8-10 minutes.
  • Top with sour cream and chives.

Loaded Baked Potato Skins

VARIATIONS ON LOADED POTATO SKINS

One of the best things about Loaded Potato Skins is that they go so well with different toppings. Try one of these variations next time you are making them for a fun twist on a classic dish.

  • Italian: Sprinkle some Italian seasonings on the potatoes before putting in the oven for the first bake. Top with mozzarella, marinara, and some diced pepperoni or sausage.
  • Tex-Mex: Top your Loaded Potato skins with black beans, corn, ground beef (made with Homemade Taco Seasoning) and cheese for a delicious dinner.
  • Philly Cheesesteak: Ditch the buns in Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes and load that yummy filling into your potato skins instead.
  • California Style: Go west coast with vegetarian Loaded Potato Skins baked with Monterey Jack and topped with a generous scoop of Guacamole.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT LOADED POTATO SKINS

  • What are the best potatoes to use for Loaded Potato Skins? I used russet potatoes for this potato skins recipe, but you can also use sweet potatoes for a different kind of flavor. If you go with sweet potatoes, try filling them with marshmallows and a sprinkle of cinnamon!
  • Can potato skins be made ahead of time? Yes, one of the best parts about this potato skins recipe is that you can prep them ahead of time. After I scoop out the insides and bake the skins, I’ll let them cool on the baking sheet, add the rest of the toppings, and move the skins to an airtight container. When it’s time to serve, I just move them back to the baking sheet and bake for another 10-15 minutes, until the cheese is melted.
  • Can you freeze potato skins? You can freeze the potato skins the same way as you do when you make them ahead of time. Instead of putting the skins in the refrigerator, wrap them tightly and freeze. You can take them straight from the freezer to the oven, but add another 5-8 minutes of cook time.

MORE APPETIZERS FOR A CROWD

HOW LONG ARE LOADED POTATO SKINS GOOD?

  • Serve: Don’t leave your Loaded Potato Skins at room temperature for longer than about 2 hours.
  • Store: You can keep your leftover potato skins in the fridge for up to 4 days.
  • Freeze: Loaded Potato Skins will last in the freezer for up to 3 months in an airtight container.

Tray of Loaded Potato Skins

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Dinner, then Dessert

Loaded Potato Skins

Loaded Potato Skins made with cheddar cheese, bacon, and sour cream are the PERFECT crispy appetizer, ready in under 60 minutes!
Yield 16 servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder
Potato Skins with bacon
PrintRate

Ingredients
 

  • 8 potatoes
  • 4 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded
  • 1 cup bacon crumbled
  • 2 cups sour cream
  • 2 green onions thinly sliced

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  • Scrub russet potatoes well and poke with fork all over.
  • Microwave them at 50% power for 6 minutes, then turn.
  • Microwave at 50% power another 6 minutes.
  • Cut the potatoes in half and scoop out the insides leaving a half inch wall.
  • Place the potatoes on a baking sheet or in a 9x13 baking dish.
  • Brush them front and back with vegetable oil and season with salt and pepper.
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes.
  • Remove from the oven and top with cheddar cheese and chopped bacon.
  • Bake for an additional 8-10 minutes.
  • Top with sour cream and chives.

Notes

Note: click on times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer while cooking.

Nutrition

Calories: 184kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 89mg | Potassium: 494mg | Fiber: 2g | Vitamin A: 265IU | Vitamin C: 12.7mg | Calcium: 116mg | Iron: 3.6mg

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Collage of Loaded Potato Skins Photos

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

See more posts by Sabrina

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. If you enjoyed the recipe and would like to publish it on your own site, please re-write it in your own words, and link back to my site and recipe page. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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